4 And because his brothers saw that Joseph was dearer to his father than all the others, they were full of hate for him, and would not say a kind word to him.
So Esau was full of hate for Jacob because of his father's blessing; and he said in his heart, The days of weeping for my father are near; then I will put my brother Jacob to death.
If a man says, I have love for God, and has hate for his brother, his words are false: for how is the man who has no love for his brother whom he has seen, able to have love for God whom he has not seen?
And Eliab, his oldest brother, hearing what David said to the men, was moved to wrath against David, and said, Why have you come here? Into whose care have you given that little flock of sheep in the waste land? I have knowledge of your pride and the evil of your heart, you have come down to see the fight.
He was troubled by the archers; they sent out their arrows against him, cruelly wounding him:
In this way it is clear who are the children of God and who are the children of the Evil One; anyone who does not do righteousness or who has no love for his brother, is not a child of God.
But he who has hate for his brother is in the dark, walking in the dark with no knowledge of where he is going, unable to see because of the dark.
But in Cain and his offering he had no pleasure. And Cain was angry and his face became sad.
So his brothers said to him, Go away from here into Judaea so that your disciples may see the works which you do. Because no man does things secretly if he has a desire that men may have knowledge of him. If you do these things, let yourself be seen by all men. For even his brothers had no belief in him.
But they are strong who have hate for me without cause: those who are against me falsely are increased in numbers.
So he sent and made him come in. Now he had red hair and beautiful eyes and pleasing looks. And the Lord said, Come, put the oil on him, for this is he. Then Samuel took the bottle of oil, and put the oil on him there among his brothers: and from that day the spirit of the Lord came on David with power. So Samuel went back to Ramah.
But they saw him when he was a long way off, and before he came near them they made a secret design against him to put him to death; Saying to one another, See, here comes this dreamer. Let us now put him to death and put his body into one of these holes, and we will say, An evil beast has put him to death: then we will see what becomes of his dreams. But Reuben, hearing these words, got him out of their hands, saying, Let us not take his life. Do not put him to a violent death, but let him be placed in one of the holes; this he said to keep him safe from their hands, with the purpose of taking him back to his father again. So when Joseph came to his brothers, they took off his long coat which he had on; And they took him and put him in the hole: now the hole had no water in it.
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Matthew Henry Commentary » Commentary on Genesis 37
Commentary on Genesis 37 Matthew Henry Commentary
Chapter 37
At this chapter begins the story of Joseph, who, in every subsequent chapter but one to the end of this book, makes the greatest figure. He was Jacob's eldest son by his beloved wife Rachel, born, as many eminent men were, of a mother that had been long barren. His story is so remarkably divided between his humiliation and his exaltation that we cannot avoid seeing something of Christ in it, who was first humbled and then exalted, and, in many instances, so as to answer the type of Joseph. It also shows the lot of Christians, who must through many tribulations enter into the kingdom. In this chapter we have,
Gen 37:1-4
Moses has no more to say of the Edomites, unless as they happen to fall in Israel's way; but now applies himself closely to the story of Jacob's family: These are the generations of Jacob. His is not a bare barren genealogy as that of Esau (ch. 36:1), but a memorable useful history. Here is,
Gen 37:5-11
Here,
Gen 37:12-22
Here is,
Gen 37:23-30
We have here the execution of their plot against Joseph.
Gen 37:31-36