Genesis 37:12 kjv
And his brethren went to feed their father's flock in Shechem.
Genesis 37:12 nkjv
Then his brothers went to feed their father's flock in Shechem.
Genesis 37:12 niv
Now his brothers had gone to graze their father's flocks near Shechem,
Genesis 37:12 esv
Now his brothers went to pasture their father's flock near Shechem.
Genesis 37:12 nlt
Soon after this, Joseph's brothers went to pasture their father's flocks at Shechem.
Genesis 37 12 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Gen 4:2 | Now Abel was a keeper of sheep, and Cain a tiller of the ground. | Establishes shepherding as a foundational human occupation. |
| Gen 12:6-7 | Abram passed through the land to the place at Shechem, to the oak of Moreh... And the Lord appeared to Abram and said, "To your offspring I will give this land." | Shechem: Site of Abraham's first altar and God's promise. |
| Gen 33:18-20 | And Jacob came safely to the city of Shechem, which is in the land of Canaan, when he came from Paddan-aram, and he encamped before the city... There he erected an altar and called it El-Elohe-Israel. | Shechem: Jacob’s peaceful settlement and altar. |
| Gen 34:25 | On the third day, when they were sore, two of the sons of Jacob, Simeon and Levi, Dinah's brothers, took their swords and came against the city and killed all the males. | Shechem: Site of past violence by Jacob's sons. |
| Gen 37:4 | When his brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers, they hated him and could not speak peacefully to him. | Explains brothers' hatred, setting the scene for their actions. |
| Gen 37:8 | His brothers said to him, “Are you indeed to reign over us? Or are you indeed to have dominion over us?” So they hated him even more for his dreams and for his words. | Details the growing envy due to Joseph's dreams. |
| Gen 37:11 | And his brothers envied him, but his father kept the saying in mind. | Confirms brothers' continued envy towards Joseph. |
| Gen 37:13-14 | Israel said to Joseph, “Are not your brothers feeding the flock at Shechem? Come, I will send you to them.” So he said to him, “Go now, see if it is well with your brothers and with the flock...” | Jacob sending Joseph into the precarious situation. |
| Gen 37:28 | Then Midianite traders passed by. And they drew Joseph up and lifted him out of the pit and sold him to the Ishmaelites for twenty shekels of silver. | Culminating act of brotherly betrayal. |
| Gen 49:6-7 | Simeon and Levi are brothers... for in their anger they murdered men, and in their self-will they hamstrung oxen... I will divide them in Jacob and scatter them in Israel. | Jacob’s curse linking Simeon and Levi to past violence, specifically in Shechem. |
| Gen 50:20 | As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today. | Theme of divine sovereignty overriding human evil. |
| Deut 27:12 | These shall stand on Mount Gerizim to bless the people: Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Joseph, and Benjamin. | Shechem's adjacent mountains (Gerizim and Ebal) for covenant. |
| Josh 24:1 | Joshua gathered all the tribes of Israel to Shechem and summoned the elders, the heads, the judges, and the officers of Israel, and they presented themselves before God. | Shechem: Later significant site for covenant renewal. |
| Ps 23:1 | The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. | God as the faithful and caring shepherd. |
| Isa 40:11 | He will tend his flock like a shepherd; he will gather the lambs in his arms... | Imagery of God’s compassionate leadership. |
| Jer 23:1-2 | “Woe to the shepherds who destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture!” declares the Lord. | Condemnation of negligent or corrupt leaders/shepherds. |
| Ezek 34:2-3 | “Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel; prophesy, and say to them, even to the shepherds, Thus says the Lord God: Ah, shepherds of Israel who have been feeding yourselves, and have not fed my sheep!” | Prophetic indictment of bad leaders, likened to poor shepherds. |
| Mic 7:14 | Shepherd your people with your staff, the flock of your inheritance, which dwells apart in a forest, in the midst of a garden land; let them feed in Bashan and Gilead as in the days of old. | Plea for God’s righteous leadership as a shepherd. |
| Jn 10:11, 14 | I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep... I am the good shepherd; I know my own and my own know me... | Jesus identifying Himself as the ultimate good shepherd. |
| Acts 7:9 | “And the patriarchs, jealous of Joseph, sold him into Egypt; but God was with him,” | Stephen's summary, highlighting the brothers' envy as motivation. |
| Heb 13:20 | Now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great Shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant... | Christ's role as the Great Shepherd. |
| 1 Pet 2:25 | For you were straying like sheep, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls. | Believers returning to Christ, the Shepherd of their souls. |
| 1 Pet 5:4 | And when the chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory. | Christ as the ultimate, returning Shepherd. |
Genesis 37 verses
Genesis 37 12 Meaning
Genesis 37:12 states that Joseph's older brothers journeyed to the pastures near Shechem to graze their father Jacob's flock. This seemingly ordinary detail of daily pastoral life within the patriarchal household marks a pivotal moment, initiating the sequence of events that will lead to Joseph's profound suffering, eventual elevation in Egypt, and ultimately, the preservation of the Abrahamic lineage. It subtly foreshadows both the distance from patriarchal authority and the significant events to unfold in a location already charged with complex historical significance for Jacob’s family.
Genesis 37 12 Context
Genesis chapter 37 opens by immediately establishing Joseph's unique position as Jacob's favored son, demonstrated through the "coat of many colors." This favoritism, compounded by Joseph's revealing dreams of his family bowing to him, incited deep-seated jealousy and animosity among his ten older brothers. This strained family dynamic, especially the brothers' intense hatred (37:4, 8), forms the backdrop for the entire chapter. Verse 12 transitions the scene by describing a routine, yet significant, aspect of their semi-nomadic life: the brothers taking the family's livestock to distant, richer pastures. The location "Shechem" is particularly significant; it's a place where Abraham received a divine promise and built an altar (Gen 12:6-7) and where Jacob also purchased land and built an altar (Gen 33:18-20). Crucially, Shechem was also the site of the violent retribution exacted by Simeon and Levi against its inhabitants following Dinah's defilement (Gen 34). This dual historical significance – both of sacred covenantal promise and of intense family violence – subtly pervades the seemingly mundane act of shepherding, foreshadowing the treachery and momentous events soon to unfold.
Genesis 37 12 Word analysis
- And (וְ, ve): This simple conjunction serves as a narrative bridge, linking the prior details of family tension (Joseph's dreams, brothers' hatred) with the upcoming action. It denotes a direct continuity of the plot.
- his brethren (אֶחָיו, 'eḥāw): Refers to Joseph’s ten elder brothers. The term emphasizes their shared familial bond and kinship, creating a tragic contrast with their hostile intent and eventual act of betrayal against their own brother.
- went (הָלְכוּ, hāləḵû): Indicates physical movement away from their patriarchal home. Their departure signifies a physical separation from their father's immediate oversight, establishing the necessary conditions for their malevolent plot against Joseph.
- to feed (לִרְעוֹת, lir'ōṯ): This is the infinitive form of the Hebrew verb ra'ah (רָעָה), meaning "to shepherd" or "to graze." It describes their vocational duty and a core economic activity of their household, providing a seemingly innocent cover for their journey.
- their father's flock (צֹאן אֲבִיהֶם, ṣō'n 'ăḇîhem): Specifically, the sheep and goats belonging to Jacob. This phrase highlights their economic responsibility to the patriarch, Jacob, underscoring the irony of their simultaneous loyalty to his livelihood and rebellion against his heart by harming his favored son.
- in Shechem (בִּשְׁכֶם, bišḵem): A significant geographical location. Its explicit mention immediately carries narrative weight, drawing on the historical memory of past covenantal dealings (Abraham and Jacob) and, more disturbingly, the site of a violent act perpetrated by Simeon and Levi (Genesis 34). This specific detail infuses the journey with a sense of potential danger and foreboding.
Words-group analysis:
- "And his brethren went": This phrase directly establishes the independent agency of the brothers. They are moving away from Jacob's direct influence and control, physically setting themselves up for autonomous action that will have severe repercussions for their family.
- "to feed their father's flock": This describes the practical and legitimate purpose of their journey. It portrays their initial motivation as an ordinary pastoral duty, contrasting sharply with the extraordinary malevolence that will soon surface during this "work trip."
- "in Shechem": This geographical detail is key. The brothers' choice to move to Shechem signifies a greater distance from their father, reducing direct supervision and enabling their conspiracy. The very location, fraught with Jacob’s family history, adds a layer of deep irony and foreboding to the "innocent" act of pasturing.
Genesis 37 12 Bonus section
The choice of "Shechem" for grazing carries immense biblical weight. Beyond its immediate narrative function, Shechem emerges repeatedly as a nexus for significant events in Israel's history: Abraham received promises there (Gen 12), Jacob built an altar there (Gen 33), and later, Joshua renewed the covenant for the assembled tribes of Israel at Shechem (Josh 24). This historical depth means the brothers were venturing into territory deeply marked by God's interaction with their ancestors, inadvertently aligning their actions with a broader divine narrative, despite their base motives. The irony is stark: they perform their father’s work in a land dedicated by their ancestors, yet plan their ultimate act of familial disloyalty.
Genesis 37 12 Commentary
Genesis 37:12, despite its brevity, is a vital hinge in the Joseph narrative, pivoting from the internal familial tensions to the calamitous events that shape the course of the patriarchal story. The verse’s descriptive details, particularly the seemingly mundane act of shepherding and the specific location "Shechem," are laden with deeper significance. The brothers’ task is routine, yet their journey to a distant, historically fraught location—Shechem, a place associated with both foundational covenant and unsettling family violence—removes them from their father’s watchful eye, providing the context for their wicked plan. This verse demonstrates how an ordinary familial chore becomes the unexpected prelude to extraordinary betrayal and the fulfillment of God’s redemptive purpose, ultimately leading to Joseph's suffering but also his critical role in preserving the lineage of Israel and preparing the way for the nation’s future. It highlights that God's plan can unfold even through the free, and often sinful, choices of human beings.