Commentary - Genesis 37:12-17

Bird's-eye view

In this brief section of Genesis, we see the curtain rise on the central drama of Joseph's life. Everything that is to follow, the betrayal, the descent into Egypt, the preservation of the covenant family, and the eventual reconciliation, is set in motion by this simple errand. Jacob, here called Israel, sends his favored son, Joseph, to check on the welfare of his brothers. On the surface, it is a mundane task, a father's reasonable concern for his sons and his flocks. But underneath, the currents of envy, resentment, and divine providence are running strong and deep. Joseph is the beloved, the dreamer, the one set apart by his father's affection and God's calling. His brothers are the haters, the plotters, the instruments of a sin that God will marvelously turn to good. This passage is the hinge; it is the moment Joseph walks out of the relative safety of his father's care and into the crucible that God has prepared for him. It is a journey from Hebron, a place of fellowship, to Shechem and Dothan, places of treachery. And in the middle of it all, an unnamed man appears, a seemingly random encounter, yet one that ensures God's purposes are not thwarted by a boy losing his way in a field. This is how God works. He uses paternal affection, brotherly malice, and anonymous strangers to move His anointed into position for the next great act of His redemptive play.

Outline

Context In Genesis

This passage immediately follows the account of Joseph's dreams and his brothers' subsequent hatred for him. The stage has already been set. We know that Jacob loves Joseph more than his other sons, symbolized by the ornate robe (Gen 37:3). We know that Joseph has been given prophetic dreams that signify his future rule over his family (Gen 37:5-11). And we know the reaction of his brothers: "they hated him and could not speak peaceably to him" (Gen 37:4) and "they hated him even more" (Gen 37:8). So when Jacob sends Joseph to find them, we, the readers, are filled with a sense of foreboding. This is not just a boy going to check on his brothers; this is the appointed heir walking into a den of vipers. The narrative is a master class in dramatic tension. The envy that drove Cain to kill Abel is alive and well in the sons of Jacob. This story is another chapter in the long war between the seed of the woman and the seed of the serpent, a conflict that runs through the entire book of Genesis and all of Scripture.

Key Issues

Clause-by-Clause Commentary

v. 12 Then his brothers went to pasture their father’s flock in Shechem.

The story begins with a simple change of scenery. The brothers move the flocks to Shechem. This is not just a geographical note; it is freighted with history. Shechem was the place where Jacob’s daughter Dinah was defiled, leading to a bloody and deceitful revenge by Simeon and Levi (Genesis 34). It is a place of violence and sin. For the brothers to be there is to be on tainted ground, a fitting backdrop for the treachery they are about to commit. They are tending their father's flock, but their own hearts are far from being good shepherds. They are about to prove themselves to be wolves.

v. 13 And Israel said to Joseph, “Are not your brothers pasturing the flock in Shechem? Come, and I will send you to them.” And he said to him, “I will go.”

Here Jacob is called Israel, the name given to him by God after he wrestled with the angel. It reminds us that this is not just a family squabble; the destiny of God's covenant people is at stake. Israel's question is rhetorical; he knows where they are. His command to Joseph is straightforward, born of a father's desire for news of his sons. But in the grand narrative, it is God moving His chosen piece on the board. Joseph's response is one of simple, immediate obedience: "I will go." In the Hebrew, it is one word, hineni, "Here I am." It is the same word Abraham used when God called him to sacrifice Isaac. It is the response of the faithful servant, ready to do his father's will, not knowing that it will lead him to a pit and to a cross-like suffering.

v. 14 Then he said to him, “Go now and see about the welfare of your brothers and the welfare of the flock, and bring word back to me.” So he sent him from the valley of Hebron, and he came to Shechem.

Jacob's charge is to "see about the welfare", the shalom, of his brothers. This is dripping with irony. He sends the one they hate to check on their peace, when they have no peace toward him. Joseph is sent as a messenger of his father's care, a pastoral role that anticipates the Good Shepherd who came to His own and His own received Him not. He is sent from Hebron, a place associated with Abraham and the promises of God, a place of communion and fellowship. He is sent from a place of covenantal warmth into the cold, hostile territory of Shechem, the place of sin. The journey itself is a picture of the incarnation, sent from the Father's side into a world of hostility.

v. 15 And a man found him, and behold, he was wandering in the field; and the man asked him, “What are you seeking?”

Joseph arrives at Shechem, but his brothers are not there. He is lost, wandering. At this point, the whole plan could have gone awry. Joseph could have given up and gone home, and the entire redemptive story would have taken a different course. But God does not leave such crucial matters to chance. "A man found him." The text is beautifully understated. We are not told who this man is. He is an anonymous historical actor, perhaps an angel, perhaps just a local, but in either case, he is an agent of divine providence. God ensures that the one He has sent finds his destination. The man's question, "What are you seeking?" is the central question of every human life. Joseph has a clear answer, but many who wander in the fields of this world do not.

v. 16 And he said, “I am seeking my brothers; please tell me where they are pasturing the flock.”

Joseph's answer is simple and poignant. "I am seeking my brothers." This is the heart of the matter. He is the faithful son, seeking the welfare of his wayward brothers. This is a beautiful type of Christ, who came to seek and to save that which was lost, who sought out His brethren even though He knew they would reject and kill Him. Joseph's earnest plea, "please tell me," shows his determination to fulfill his father's command. He is not deterred by the difficulty.

v. 17 Then the man said, “They have journeyed from here; for I heard them saying, ‘Let us go to Dothan.’ ” So Joseph went after his brothers and found them at Dothan.

The unnamed man provides the crucial piece of information. The brothers have moved on to Dothan. And so, Joseph presses on. He doesn't turn back. He goes "after his brothers." Dothan, as it turns out, means something like "two wells" or "law," and it will be the place where Joseph is cast into a pit. The providential guidance of the unnamed man leads Joseph directly to the place of his betrayal. This is a stark reminder that God's providence does not always lead us to places of comfort and safety. Sometimes, it leads us straight into the hands of our enemies, because that is the path to our ultimate exaltation and the means by which God will save His people. God's plan required the pit, it required the prison, and it required the cross. And so, the seemingly random conversation in a field near Shechem was, in fact, an essential link in the chain of God's sovereign plan to save the world.

Application

We see in this passage the intricate weaving of divine sovereignty and human responsibility. Jacob sends, Joseph obeys, the brothers hate, and an anonymous man gives directions. Every actor is making their own choices, yet God is orchestrating the entire affair to accomplish His purposes. The brothers meant their hatred for evil, but God was already planning to use it for good (Gen 50:20). This should give us immense comfort. Our lives are not a series of random, meaningless events. The mundane errands, the unexpected encounters, the painful betrayals, all of it is in the hand of a sovereign God who is working all things together for the good of those who love Him.

Secondly, Joseph is a powerful type of Christ. He is the beloved son, sent by the father to seek the welfare of his brothers. He is obedient to the point of death, or what his brothers intended to be his death. He is rejected by his own, betrayed, and cast out. Yet this rejection is the very means of their salvation. We are to see Jesus in this story. He is the one who left the Hebron of heaven to come to the Shechem of this world, seeking us, His rebellious brethren. He found us at Dothan, the place of our sin, and allowed Himself to be cast into the pit of death in order to lift us up to glory.

Finally, we must recognize that the path of obedience is often the path of suffering. Joseph’s simple obedience, "I will go," led him into a world of hurt. But it also led him to the throne of Egypt and to the salvation of his family. We should not be surprised when our faithfulness to God leads us into difficult situations. God is not promising us a life free from pits. He is promising to be with us in the pit, and to use that pit to accomplish a glory we could not have imagined.