Genesis 37:18-24 meaning

In Genesis 37:18-24, after walking for 50 miles seeking his brothers at the behest of his father Jacob, Joseph arrives at Dothan. But instead of a family reunion, the brothers meet Joseph with full-grown hatred: When they saw him from a distance and before he came close to them, they plotted against him to put him to death (v 18).

The sight line across Dothan's open pasture gives time for their malice to mature into a plan, echoing Cain's premeditation against Abel (Genesis 4:8). Joseph is recognizable by his coat of many colors, which represented their father's favoritism for him. Upon seeing Joseph, and most certainly the coat on him, the men discuss amongst themselves how to take away Joseph's life.

First they mock his dreams: They said to one another, "Here comes this dreamer!" (v 19). Their scornful nickname ("ba'al chalômôt," "master of dreams" in Hebrew) shows the true target: the prophetic future in which they bow to Joseph (Genesis 37:5-11). By dubbing him this dreamer they reveal their jealousy against the young Joseph.

In reality, however, there is no need for them to feel jealous, but to rejoice. The future exaltation of their brother Joseph will lead to the preservation of their lives as well (Genesis 50:20). Unfortunately, their deep-seated sin precludes such brotherly love.

The detail of their plot is laid out in Genesis 37:20: "Now then, come and let us kill him and throw him into one of the pits; and we will say, 'A wild beast devoured him.' Then let us see what will become of his dreams!" (v 20).

The irony thickens; their attempt to kill Joseph's dreams will instead bring about their fulfillment, illustrating how sin can be used for divine purpose (Proverbs 19:21). The brothers are unknowingly trying to quash the means of their salvation, reminding believers that if we commit to our own way, then we are moving directly against God's will. Christ's followers are called to put complete trust in God's way and to avoid relying on human understanding (Proverbs 3:5-6). Yet we know God can redeem all things, even a murderous betrayal (Genesis 50:20, Romans 8:37-39).

The brothers' plan to place their guilt on a wild beast foreshadows the Pharisees' attempt to put Jesus to death by the hands of the Romans instead of by their own. In each case the motive was envy and preservation of power and privilege (John 11:47-48). Because Jesus was favored by the people, the Pharisees were hesitant to directly oppose him (Luke 22:2). Their solution was to bring Jesus before the Roman Governor Pontius Pilate:

"Therefore Pilate went out to them and said, 'What accusation do you bring against this Man?' They answered and said to him, 'If this Man were not an evildoer, we would not have delivered Him to you.' So Pilate said to them, 'Take Him yourselves, and judge Him according to your law.' The Jews said to him, 'We are not permitted to put anyone to death.'"
(John 18:29-31)

Just like the Pharisees, Pilate too only sought to appease the people and maintain his position, so he crucified Christ (John 19:16). Jacob's sons would not bear the responsibility of murdering their brother, and thus, by a wild beast, they manufactured a way to temporarily cover their transgression before their father. And yet, they could not cover it before their heavenly Father. They may have blamed the beast for devouring their brother, but it was them who devoured him in their hearts, which is what God sees (Matthew 5:21-22, 1 John 3:15).

In Genesis 37:21, as a voice of reason amidst the raging jealousy of the brothers, Reuben speaks up: But Reuben heard this and rescued him out of their hands and said, 'Let us not take his life' (v 21). Reuben, Jacob's oldest son, had lost his standing as firstborn by sleeping with his father's concubine, Bilhah (Genesis 35:22; 49:3-4, 1 Chronicles 5:1).

Based on the details given in verses 21 and 22, his attempt to save Joseph could be seen as an attempt to regain honor from his father. Regardless of his intentions, however, Reuben's words are against bloodshed, and keep with the divine prohibition of murder (Genesis 9:6), also reflected in Proverbs 24:11's call to "deliver those who are being taken away to death." Though Reuben's motivation may not necessarily be born out of love for Joseph, he still remains unconquered by his jealousy, which cannot be said of his brothers.

Genesis 37:22 shows Reuben's efforts to achieve a compromise, "Reuben further said to them, 'Shed no blood. Throw him into this pit that is in the wilderness, but do not lay hands on him'--that he might rescue him out of their hands, to restore him to his father" (v 22).

The pit was probably a dry limestone cistern in the Dothan Valley, an agricultural plain on the main trade route to Egypt (2 Kings 6:13). Empty cisterns had smooth, funnel-shaped walls--easy to drop a person into, and nearly impossible to climb out of (Jeremiah 38:6). Reuben's plan satisfies his brothers while keeping Joseph alive. Yet the scheme is partial: it postpones immediate danger to Joseph but cannot remove the jealousy that has taken root (James 3:16).

Similarly, Cain killed Abel out of envy (Genesis 4:8); Saul hunted David for the same reason (1 Samuel 18:8-9). Proverbs 14:30 warns that envy "rots the bones." Reuben's stand shows that even one voice can disrupt envy’s spiral into death. Joseph's descent into the pit begins the path that will place him in Egypt to save many lives (Psalm 105:17; Romans 8:28). The LORD consistently redirects human schemes to serve His redemptive plan (Acts 2:23-24).

Reuben, like his father Jacob, attempts to achieve his goals through guile (Genesis 27:24). His plan is to return later to the well and rescue him out of their hands, to restore him to his father (v 22). It is possible that Reuben did not feel that he could directly confront his brothers concerning the evil of their plan. If he attempted to stop his brothers in this moment, he may have feared their response toward him. The sons of Jacob are, after all, openly contemplating their brother Joseph’s murder. They might throw Reuben into the pit as well if he stands in their way.

Unfortunately for Joseph, Reuben's good intentions are overtaken by events and he is unable to execute his rescue plan. Reuben, in his effort to navigate the animosity of his brothers, succeeds in protecting Joseph from death but fails to rescue him and return him to his father.

As Joseph arrives, they stripped Joseph of his tunic, the varicolored tunic that was on him (v 23). By removing the coat of many colors, the brothers symbolically reject Joseph's elevated status that it represents. The coat likely indicated that Jacob's intent was to treat Joseph as the firstborn. This would explain why this is one of the first actions the brothers undertake.

Yet Joseph's destiny is not cloth that can be torn away. Many years later, Jesus, another righteous sufferer, will be disrobed before exaltation (Matthew 27:31). Joseph serves as an image of the coming One who would be brought low by the world and subsequently be exalted because of his suffering (Philippians 2:5-10).

It is entirely against earthly wisdom for someone to preserve those who stripped them of their status. And yet, Joseph, and eventually Christ, will display this supernatural, selfless love--something entirely separate from the ways of the world.

Having taken away the symbol of their jealousy--the many-colored robe--they took him and threw him into the pit. Now the pit was empty, without any water in it (v 24). As mentioned, this pit was likely a dry rock cistern, one of those which were dug in the desert to collect rain water. Joseph descending into the pit foreshadows Jesus' descent into the grave. In both cases, descent into the earth preceded exaltation.

Genesis 37:18-24 shows how unchecked envy can trick the mind to rationalize heinous acts. It also reassures us that God's purposes persist even when humans strip away visible signs of favor. Recognizing that God's sovereignty often moves through, not around, malice invites both humility and trust as we navigate our own conflicts and aspirations. As Paul declares, nothing can separate us from God's loving hand (Romans 8:37-39).