CPCC Bible Study: Genesis 37 - 38

This is a long term, in depth, wide focus study of Genesis. Looking at the history, and the historical impact of the First Book of the Bible, studying the Hebrew as well as modern translations to discuss what it means to us today.
The last verse of 37 is our quote for this chapter is
"Meanwhile, the Midianites had sold Joseph in Egypt to a man named Potiphar, who was the king's official in charge of the palace guard." (CEV link below)

1
And "yashab" (remained / inhabit / etc) Jacob in the "erets" (land / country) 'of the' "magor / magur" (sojourning (traveling between temporary / short term residences)) of his "ab" (father) in "Kenaan" (Canaan).

2
Summary: This is the Toledoth of Jacob.
Yes, it is still using the 'old' name.
Summary: "Yoseph" (Joseph) is now 17 years old, he was out with the sons of the handmaids, who the text now describes as "ishshah" (woman / wife) of his father.
.... "way bo" (and came) Joseph 'with' "dibbah" (report / whispering (especially negative, includes 'gossip')) 'of them' "ra'" (unpleasant / harmful / bad / etc) to his father.
The Hebrew does not specify whether or not this 'report' was true, or even what it was, it simply presents the idea that Joseph goes home and talks about what he saw his half-brothers doing out in the field.

3
"way Yisrael" (and Israel (yes, now we've got his new name)) "aheb" (to love / loved) Joseph 'more than' "kol" (all / total / every / etc) "ben" (children / especially sons), because "ben" (son) of "zaqun" (aged / old man / etc) to him - and "asah" (made / make / 'to have made') a "kethoneth / kuttoneth" (robe / tunic / garment) "pas / pasim" (varicolored).
Some see a contradiction here. Joseph is NOT the 'child of his old age', that would be Benjamin, who was born as Rachel died. But think about the timing here. Joseph is a young man, he's 17, out with the flocks. Benjamin is still a young child, maybe about nine or ten years old, probably still with the women even though by now he has been weaned, we don't know the timeline all that accurately. But in any case, Joseph is the one out working for his father, who is now over 100 years old, so... he's the favorite of the 'old man'. There is only a contradiction if you want to see one.

4
Summary: ... Paraphrase: ... Comment: ... whatever:
.... the 'old man' giving Joseph a fancy coat wasn't his best idea ever.
The words used are "sane" (hated / detested / hostile to / etc) and that they could NOT speak "shalom" (in peace / well being / safety / etc) to him.

5
Summary: ... Paraphrase: ... Comment: ... whatever:
... Joseph decides to make things even worse by telling them about his dream.
The word used before "sane" (hate / etc), is used again, with the modifier "od" (more).

6
"way yomer" (and he said) "el" (into / unto) "shama" (listen / hear) "na" (please / pray), "chalam" (dream / to dream) this dream I had.

7
Summary: Joseph says that he dreamed that him and his brothers working in a field tying up sheaves of grain. Joseph says his sheaf stood tall and the sheaves of the brothers bowed to it.

8
Summary: The brothers accuse him of simply wanting to be king or to rule over them. And they hated him more for his dreams and his words.

9 - 11
Summary: Joseph has another dream, that the sun and moon and ten stars bowed down to him. He tells it to his father, and his brothers- then his father "gaar" (rebuke / reprove) him and asked if he, and his mother, and all his brothers, should bow down to him. Then the text says that his brothers "qanah" (jealous / envy) him, but his father kept this in mind.
Joseph's brothers already hated him... no, let's make that, they passionately hated him, with venom, because first he went to their father with whatever they'd been up to out in the fields that they probably shouldn't have been. Plus he was his father's favorite, which is why Jacob / Israel gave him the famous coat, and then he tells them about these dreams he has about how They are going to end up being subservient to him. Which, according to the text, didn't set well with them.
But, apparently, their father was oblivious to all that. as we'll see in a minute.

12
Summary: the brothers go to Shechem to feed the sheep.

13 - 14
Summary: Israel tells Joseph to go up to Shechem to check on the brothers and the sheep, and then report back with their status. He leaves Hebron and heads that way.
Discussion, after a question.
What was either of them thinking? Joseph knows the brothers can't stand him. Israel SHOULD know the brothers hate him. So their first, best, course of action is to send Joseph cross country, into what could be defined as enemy territory after some of the brothers wiped out the village, to see how things are going. .... we'll skip the discussion.

15 - 17
Summary: Joseph gets there and finds a man wandering around in the fields, or perhaps it is Joseph wandering in the field and the man finds him, the text isn't exactly clear on that. The man asks Joseph what he's looking for, and he answers his brothers. The man said they were going to Dothan (some sources say it means 'two wells'), so Joseph goes there and finds them.
Dothan / Tel Dothan is a known location in what became northern Samaria and is also called Tel al-Hafireh, about twenty miles southeast of Haifa. The site features two ancient wells, one of which shows up in the story in a minute, and at the link below. It is about fifteen miles north of Shechem

18 - 20
Summary: the brothers see him coming some distance off. And they "nakal" (trick / conspire (includes the idea of deception and fraud)) to "muth" (kill) him. Saying, here comes the "chalom" (dream (dreamer)). They plan to kill him, and drop his body in a "bowr" (pit / cistern (may or may not be a water well)) and they'll tell their father that an animal ate him, then they'll see about his dreams.
The pit under discussion could be anything from an shallow mine shaft, a cistern to collect rainwater in season, to a storage facility where amphora (clay jars) would be placed, or a water well.

21 - 24
Summary: Reuben, the oldest brother, intervened and saves his life, by talking them into just putting him in the hole alive, so that he might come back later and take him home. The brothers grab Joseph, take his fancy coat, and cast him into the dry pit.

25
Summary: The brothers take a meal break and see a caravan of Ishmaelites from Gilead coming their way on their way to Egypt.
The text even lists the cargo the caravan is carrying: "nekoth" (spices), "tsori / tseri" (balm (from balsam, medicinal ointment)), "lot" (a gum made from tree sap, especially Myrrh).
The word 'Ishmaelite' is used here the way 'Gentile' is used in the rest of the OT and the word 'Greek' is in parts of the NT, see Romans 1 : 16 for an example.

26 - 27
Summary: Judah realized that there is no profit in a dead man whose body they have to hide, and he was their brother, so he says they should sell him into slavery.

28
Summary: The caravan is specifically Midianites. They get Joseph out of the hole and sell him for twenty pieces of silver. And Joseph goes to Egypt.

29 - 30
Summary: Evidently Reuben wasn't in camp when they made the deal. He comes back to the pit and Joseph isn't there. He gets upset and "tears his clothes". Then he goes back to his brothers.
The text at the end of the verse has Reuben saying "the boy is no more, where shall I go?"

31 - 34
Summary: The brothers dip Joseph's coat in goat blood and give it to their father and said they found it, and act like they don't know what it is. He recognizes it and says a beast has eaten his son, "taraph" (rend / tear) "taraph" (tear / rend) Joseph. Jacob (we're back to the old name) tears his clothes, puts on "saq" (sackcloth) and goes into "abal" (mourning) for his son for many days.
This is the first mention sackcloth as a symbol of mourning.

35 - 36
Summary: all of his sons, and all of his daughters....
.... the form of the word "bath" is plural, daughters, however, only Dinah is named, however, much later, Genesis 46 : 15 to be exact, the text says that Jacob had over thirty 'sons and daughters' while it lists the grandkids separately (46 is also the last mention of Dinah, we do not know when she died or anything else about her)....
... to comfort him, but he refused to be comforted, and said he'll die in mourning, and wept.
Meanwhile, the caravan sells Joseph to Potiphar, an officer for Pharaoh and captain of the guard in Egypt.

- end 37 -

Chapter 38
NOTE: This chapter contains a decidedly ADULT topic, reader discretion is recommended.
1 - 5
Summary: Judah moves out of the family home and settles near an Adullamite named Hirah. He sees a Canaanite girl named Shua and marries her. She bears him a son named Er, and then she has a son named Onan, and then one named Shelah. And they were at Chezib when the last one was born.
We've never seen the word Adullam or Adullamite before, and it only comes up again a few times in the entire OT, with two of those in this chapter. Later, it is named as a people the Joshua takes care of, and there is a cave with the name that King David knows about. Chezib may be to the south of where the other action has been, possibly in the plain of Judah.

6 - 7
Judah then takes a wife for Er, his firstborn, and her name was Tamar. But Er, firstborn of Judah....
Obviously, several years have passed since Joseph was sent on his journey. Not only has Judah gotten married and had kids, now his kids are getting married. Also, yes, the text specifies twice, within a half dozen words or so, that Er was the firstborn of Judah.
... But Er, firstborn of Judah was "ra'" (wicked, harmful, evil) in the "ayin" (eyes / sight) of YHWH, and "muth" (killed) 'him' YHWH.
Comment: given everything that's happened in the last few chapters, how bad did Er have to be that he was considered evil by GOD?

8 - 9
Summary and Discussion: Judah (still using that name) tells Onan to go in and "yabam" (have sexual intercourse with) his brother's widow.... OK... (blows whistle)

Time Out for an impolite discussion:

--- Adult Topic --- The "yabam" is a peculiar custom that is sometimes hard for people today to understand. The gist of it was that if one of the male children in a family married a woman, but dies, for whatever reason, before he had sired a son by her, then one of his brothers (or if he didn't have a brother, then one of his male cousins) had to step up and take the widow and provide the 'seed' that would result in her having a child, which would then be considered the offspring of the dead brother.
It wasn't an option, it was a requirement for both the surviving brother and the widow. Again, the woman was the property of the man, she had no choice in the matter, and to refuse the obligation could result in her death as her decision to not provide an heir would be seen as dishonoring her deceased husband, and his family.
And it is with this sort of term that we run into the problem the translators and editors of The Bible have. It isn't polite to directly discuss sexual matters in the main text of the Book of Books. Which, of course, results in incorrect information being spread about the topic. And, in some translations, they say something like he "married" her, which isn't what happened.
And what is about to come up in the text is a perfect example. And we'll go ahead and hit that one at full speed right here, and then rejoin our verse already in progress.
The "Sin of Onan" which results in the 'pinch hitter' for his brother being killed by GOD, in some fundamental and conservative circles in both Judaism and Christianity, is said to be male masturbation, because Onan ejaculates 'on the ground'. Which is not the reason GOD was displeased with Onan.
The sin was for Onan to fail to provide an heir for his brother, but instead of simply refusing to perform the service, which would be bad enough in the eyes of their father, he had sex with his late brother's wife, which was, supposedly, a pleasurable evening for him, and then instead of carrying through to the logical conclusion of the event which would, presumably, impregnate her, he performed coitus interruptus (to use the Latin term) instead. And thereby NOT giving his dead brother an heir while taking advantage of his sister-in-law for his own selfish good time. THAT, was why he died.
This also echos the matter of how Judah's own sister was dishonored by a man who sought only his own pleasure. Which also ended in death.
And while we're here, Tamar, the widow of Er, is a passenger on this train. Her wishes up till now are not even discussed. And even later, when she takes matters into her own hands, it could have resulted in a rather unpleasant death for her.
end time out

and now to resume discussion of the verses in question:
.... 'your brother's wife' and "qum" (establish / fulfill / etc) "zera" (offspring / descendants) for your brother. But Onan knows the child will be considered his brother's. So he withdraws instead of making her pregnant, or at least taking the chance on doing so.
One thing that is NOT stated in the text, is whether or not this one a one shot deal, or if she moved in with him and this went on for some time. But, as we've seen in Genesis, if a man and a woman have sex once, the result is a pregnancy. And it has been so since "And Adam knew Eve his wife; and she conceived, and bare Cain" (Genesis 4, KJV). Which is, of course, a bit of poetic license from the original writer of the book. And continues throughout the OT, for evidence of which we need to look no further than David and Bathsheba.

10
Summary: Onan's intentional act of stopping 'the act', dishonors his family, displeases YHWH, and ... Onan falls over dead.

11
Summary: Judah talks to Tamar and tells her to live with her own father until Judah's third son is old enough to marry her. So she moves back home.

12
"Way rabah yom" (and, many days)....
Times Passes, we do not know how much.
Summary: Judah's wife Shua dies. Judah "nacham" (comfort / is sorry / etc (mourning)). Later he takes his sheep up to be sheared at Timnah, and Hirah went with him (see verses 1 and 2).

13 - 14
Summary: Tamar hears the news, that Judah is traveling, changes her clothes, as she is still dressed as a widow, puts on a veil, and goes and hangs out at a 'rest stop' on the way to Timnah. Because, so the text says, Shelah, Judah's youngest son, was now grown, and she 'had not been given to him as his wife'. And, again, she has no say in the matter.

15 - 19
Summary: She's sitting by the road and Judah thinks she's a prostitute. They haggle over the price for him to "bo" (enter / come into) her. He offers a young goat, and she wants a guarantee that he'll pay his debt. She asks for and receives his wax seal and walking stick to ensure that he'll pay up. Price negotiated, they get busy. Of course she gets pregnant. After she gets back home, she puts on her widow's clothes again.
As we said earlier, that's a theme that recurs from here on in the OT is on display here. The widow's garments she is wearing are probably similar to the shapeless, all but formless robes most women now wear in several Middle Eastern countries which renders them all but invisible. Which is probably the polar opposite of what she wore posing as a 'working girl'.
And also here we see another recurring theme. How did Jacob NOT recognize his daughter-in-law? Perhaps because of the veil, but they had a prolonged discussion over the price, it looks like he'd wonder about the voice.

20 - 23
Summary: Judah sends her a goat. The delivery boy can't find the girl. He talks to the locals and they say they haven't seen her. So he takes the goat back to Judah. His comment refers to the items he left her, that she can keep them, and that he will be "buz" (shamed / the subject of ridicule or scorn (some translations use the term 'laughingstock' which is a bit dated, but works.) if he makes an issue of it. Just to clarify that 'laughingstock' is 'dated', the term was first seen in writing in 1815, and apparently evolved out of the ridicule and humiliation flung at one who was tied to the public Whipping Post in the square, see link below.
Some translations refer to a "shrine prostitute" when the goat courier is looking for her. That specific term, and that specific idea is not in the Hebrew. Such things did exist, and may have been in that area, but it isn't in our text.

24 -25
Summary: Three months later Judah gets the news that Tamar, who is still identified as Jusah's daughter-in-law, is pregnant and has been accused of being a "zanah" (harlot / fornicator / etc). So Judah says that she should be "saraph" (burned). She's brought in to face him, and she brings his wax seal and his stick.

26
Summary: Judah swallows his pride and admits he didn't live up to his end of the bargain about his youngest son. But it states that he didn't ever 'know' her again.

a sidenote that some will find uncomfortable
In the next set of verses we come across a name that crops up again here and there, most notably in Matthew 2 : 3 and Luke 3 : 33, although the spelling varies somewhat. In any case, this is a son of Judah, and it is through this gentleman that the line of the Messiah is traced.
You cannot, in any way shape or form, claim that "Pharez" is the legitimate son of Judah, grandson of Jacob, Isaac, Abraham, and so on. And yet, it is through him that the Promise comes.
It is people like this in the larger Story that results in the absolute contortions that some dry-mouthed theologians have to resort to to clear, not only Christ, but his mother, of Original Sin. An idea which, as currently defined by several mainstream denominations, is NOT Scriptural. At all. But that is covered elsewhere as a topic you shouldn't bring up with your Sunday School Teacher. See link below.
end note

27 - 30
Summary: The story about the twins. One of them 'sticks his hand out' and the midwife ties a cord around it to show he was first. But the other one was born first as a breach birth, and he was named "Perets" (Perez), and the second one born was Zerah.

References and links: Outside links will open in new tab/window.
The Interlinear: Hebrew - English https://biblehub.com/interlinear/genesis/37.htm

Contemporary English Version https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis%2037&version=CEV

A tourist page about Dothan https://www.biblewalks.com/teldothan/

-and-
Questions you ARE NOT supposed to ask your Sunday School Teacher - Answered!
https://themediadesk.com/newfiles7/sundayschool1.htm

The Genesis Study Index Page

NOTE: The Bible Study Lesson presented above is posted as a reference document to begin a conversation of the topic. And that's it. Please accept it at such.

http://centralparkchurchofchrist.org

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