12 And his brethren go to feed the flock of their father in Shechem, 13 and Israel saith unto Joseph, 'Are not thy brethren feeding in Shechem? come, and I send thee unto them;' and he saith to him, 'Here 'am' I;' 14 and he saith to him, 'Go, I pray thee, see the peace of thy brethren, and the peace of the flock, and bring me back word;' and he sendeth him from the valley of Hebron, and he cometh to Shechem. 15 And a man findeth him, and lo, he is wandering in the field, and the man asketh him, saying, 'What seekest thou?' 16 and he saith, 'My brethren I am seeking, declare to me, I pray thee, where they are feeding?' 17 And the man saith, 'They have journeyed from this, for I have heard some saying, Let us go to Dothan,' and Joseph goeth after his brethren, and findeth them in Dothan. 18 And they see him from afar, even before he draweth near unto them, and they conspire against him to put him to death. 19 And they say one unto another, 'Lo, this man of the dreams cometh; 20 and now, come, and we slay him, and cast him into one of the pits, and have said, An evil beast hath devoured him; and we see what his dreams are.' 21 And Reuben heareth, and delivereth him out of their hand, and saith, 'Let us not smite the life;' 22 and Reuben saith unto them, 'Shed no blood; cast him into this pit which 'is' in the wilderness, and put not forth a hand upon him,'—in order to deliver him out of their hand, to bring him back unto his father.
Matthew Henry's Commentary on Genesis 37:12-22
Commentary on Genesis 37:12-22
(Read Genesis 37:12-22)
How readily does Joseph wait his father's orders! Those children who are best beloved by their parents, should be the most ready to obey them. See how deliberate Joseph's brethren were against him. They thought to slay him from malice aforethought, and in cold blood. Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer, 1 John 3:15. The sons of Jacob hated their brother because their father loved him. New occasions, as his dreams and the like, drew them on further; but this laid rankling in their hearts, till they resolved on his death. God has all hearts in his hands. Reuben had most reason to be jealous of Joseph, for he was the first-born; yet he proves his best friend. God overruled all to serve his own purpose, of making Joseph an instrument to save much people alive. Joseph was a type of Christ; for though he was the beloved Son of his Father, and hated by a wicked world, yet the Father sent him out of his bosom to visit us in great humility and love. He came from heaven to earth to seek and save us; yet then malicious plots were laid against him. His own not only received him not, but crucified him. This he submitted to, as a part of his design to redeem and save us.