Genesis chapter 36 is basically a genealogy of Esau. Genealogies were very important to the Jews and God honored him by putting his genealogy in the book of Genesis. Chapter thirty-seven finds the focus turned from Israel to Joseph. Joseph was Israel’s favorite son and this fact made his brothers very jealous. One day Israel made Joseph a coat of many colors. This made his brother’s even more jealous. Then one day Joseph had a dream. In his dream he was in the field with his brothers. They were binding sheaves of their crop. Suddenly Joseph’s sheaf stood up amongst them. His brother’s sheaves then bowed to his sheaf. When he told his brother’s his strange dream they became very angry. This only led his brothers to hate him more. Then he had another dream. In this dream the sun, moon, and stars bowed themselves before him. When Israel heard about his dreams he was angry. How dare Joseph think that his family would bow to him?

One day Israel sent Joseph into the field to see how his brothers were doing with the sheep. He left Hebron and went to Shechem. He could not find his brothers at first. There was a man in the field and Joseph asked if he knew where his brothers were. The man said he had overheard them say they were going to Dothan. He finally found them there. When his brothers saw him coming a long distance away they began to conspire to kill him. The plan was that they would strip him of his coat of many colrs and then toss him into a pit after he died. His brother Reuben talked them out of killing Joseph. He suggested that they simply toss him into the pit and leave him. Finally they ended up selling him as a slave to a passing caravan. They kept his coat and ripped it up. Then they poured blood on it. They did this to fool Israel into thinking his favorite son was dead. The Midianites sold Joseph to Potiphar in Egypt. Potiphar was captain of the guard and an officer of Pharaoh. Jacob never forgot Joseph but continued to mourn for him. He would not be comforted.

EXAM QUESTIONS

    1. ________________ made ________________ a

      2. _____________ of many _____________.

    2. ___________________ had a _________________

      3. in which the _______made by his _________________

      _____________ to his ______________.

    3. In this chapter three cities are mentioned. They are

      4. ____________________, ________________, and

      _________________.

    4. _________________’s brothers _______________

      5. to kill him. Finally they simply _________ him into

      slavery.

    5. ________________’s brothers ________________

his ___________ and ____________ it in blood.