Genesis 37: “Behold, This Dreamer Comes”
1. The New Generation
“Jacob dwelt in the land where his father had sojourned, in the land of Canaan. These are the generations of Jacob.” (Gen 37:1–2)
The phrase “These are the generations” marks a new beginning.
Isaac’s era is closed; now the story of salvation passes through Joseph — not by birth-right, but by vocation.
The covenant narrows toward one faithful son through whom blessing will spread to all.
St Bede the Venerable writes:
“As Isaac prefigured Christ born of promise, so Joseph prefigures Christ exalted through suffering.”
(Commentary on Genesis, 37)
The stage is set for divine providence to work through the ordinary passions of a family.
2. Joseph the Beloved Son
“Joseph, being seventeen years old, was shepherding the flock with his brothers… Israel loved Joseph more than any other of his sons, because he was the son of his old age; and he made him a long robe with sleeves.” (vv. 2–3)
The Father’s love is open, visible, even imprudent by human measure.
The “long robe with sleeves” — sometimes rendered “coat of many colours” — marks distinction and favour.
St Ambrose comments:
“The robe signifies innocence adorned with virtues; for the many colours show the harmony of grace.”
(On Joseph the Patriarch 2)
But favour breeds envy. Divine election always awakens opposition, even within the household of faith.
3. The Brothers’ Envy
“When his brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers, they hated him, and could not speak peaceably to him.” (v. 4)
From this simple note springs the tragedy of betrayal.
The family of promise becomes the theatre of sin.
St Augustine observes:
“Envy begins where love is partial, yet it ends where charity dies. The brothers could not speak peaceably because peace was not in their hearts.”
(City of God XVI.46)
The Church sees here a warning against jealous rivalry among believers.
4. The Dreams of Joseph
“He said to them, ‘Hear this dream that I have dreamed: behold, we were binding sheaves in the field, and my sheaf arose and stood upright; and behold, your sheaves gathered round it and bowed down to my sheaf.’” (vv. 6–7)
“Then he dreamed another dream, and told it to his brothers… ‘Behold, the sun, the moon, and eleven stars were bowing down to me.’” (v. 9)
These dreams are not arrogance but revelation.
Joseph is not boasting; he is foretelling. His brothers hear pride; heaven speaks prophecy.
St Bede explains:
“The sheaves signify earthly honour; the stars heavenly glory. Joseph’s double dream prefigures Christ’s lordship both in humiliation and in exaltation.”
(Commentary on Genesis, 37)
Jacob’s mild rebuke — “Shall I and your mother and brothers indeed come to bow?” — shows astonishment, not disbelief. The family treasures the words without understanding them.
5. Envy Deepens
“His brothers were jealous of him, but his father kept the saying in mind.” (v. 11)
The same pattern appears later in the Gospels:
Mary “kept all these things, pondering them in her heart” (Lk 2:19), while Jesus’ brethren did not believe in Him (Jn 7:5).
Thus, Joseph becomes the type of Christ in family rejection.
St Ambrose writes:
“The mystery of Joseph is the mystery of Christ: loved by the Father, envied by His brethren, sent to them, and sold by them.”
(On Joseph the Patriarch 3)
6. Joseph Sent to His Brothers
“And Israel said to Joseph, ‘Go now, see if it is well with your brothers and with the flock, and bring me word again.’” (v. 13)
The father sends the beloved son to seek the welfare of the others — an image of divine mission.
What begins as obedience becomes the road to suffering.
St Augustine remarks:
“The Father sends the Son into the field of the world to seek the peace of those who hate Him.”
(City of God XVI.46)
Joseph answers simply, “Here I am.” This is the echo of Isaiah’s fiat and Mary’s later “Behold the handmaid of the Lord.”
7. The Journey and the Stranger
“A man found him wandering in the fields… The man said, ‘They have gone away, for I heard them say, Let us go to Dothan.’” (vv. 15–17)
A nameless figure guides Joseph toward his fate — a providential messenger in ordinary form.
In Scripture, the unnoticed guide often embodies God’s hidden direction.
St Bede comments:
“He wanders seeking his brothers, and finds his cross. The stranger signifies providence that leads the just where they must suffer.”
(Commentary on Genesis, 37)
Even our misfortunes are led by unseen grace.
8. The Plot Against Him
“They saw him afar off, and before he came near to them they conspired against him to kill him. They said, ‘Here comes this dreamer! Come now, let us kill him and throw him into one of the pits.’” (vv. 18–20)
Hatred matures into violence.
The mockery “this dreamer” will one day echo in “He trusts in God; let Him deliver Him.” (Ps 22:8; Mt 27:43)
St John Chrysostom notes:
“The righteous provoke the wicked by their very righteousness; for innocence is an accusation to envy.”
(Homilies on Genesis LXIII.1)
Reuben’s intervention softens the plan, yet fear of men replaces fear of God.
9. Joseph Thrown into the Pit
“They took him and cast him into a pit. The pit was empty; there was no water in it.” (v. 24)
The dry cistern becomes a figure of death. The beloved son descends into the darkness of betrayal.
St Ambrose interprets:
“The pit without water prefigures the tomb where Christ was laid; for death received no corruption of sin, only the body of the Just.”
(On Joseph the Patriarch 4)
Joseph’s silence in the pit mirrors the silence of the suffering Christ.
10. The Sale for Silver
“Then they sat down to eat; and looking up they saw a caravan of Ishmaelites… Judah said, ‘Come, let us sell him to the Ishmaelites.’… They sold him for twenty pieces of silver.” (vv. 25–28)
The betrayal is complete.
Judah suggests the sale; later, a son of Judah — Judas — will repeat it for thirty pieces.
St Bede writes:
“The price of the righteous reveals the poverty of the wicked. For they who sold the author of life bought their own death.”
(Commentary on Genesis, 37)
Even here, providence begins its work: Joseph is not slain but sent — not destroyed but displaced.
11. Reuben’s Return and the Deception
“Reuben returned to the pit, and behold, Joseph was not in the pit; and he rent his clothes.” (v. 29)
Remorse without repentance; sorrow without amendment.
The brothers conceal their crime:
“They took Joseph’s robe and slaughtered a goat, and dipped the robe in the blood.” (v. 31)
The deceivers become deceived. Jacob is tricked by the same means he once used — the goat and the garment (Gen 27).
St Augustine comments:
“So justice arranges that the deceiver learns the pain of deceit. The wounds we give return to instruct us.”
(City of God XVI.46)
12. Jacob’s Grief
“Jacob tore his garments and put sackcloth on his loins, and mourned for his son many days.” (v. 34)
The father’s sorrow is profound; the loss of the beloved son pierces the story with pathos.
Yet this too is mystery: grief that will one day turn to joy.
St Ambrose writes:
“The father weeps for the son thought dead; so the world mourned Christ crucified, not knowing He would rise.”
(On Joseph the Patriarch 5)
The robe dipped in blood becomes a silent prophecy of the Cross.
13. Joseph in Egypt
“Meanwhile the Midianites sold him in Egypt to Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, the captain of the guard.” (v. 36)
The scene shifts from Canaan to Egypt — from the land of promise to the land of bondage.
Yet Egypt will become the stage of salvation. Providence has begun its strange design.
St Bede notes:
“The faithful are often carried to Egypt before they are exalted; for God trains His servants in the school of affliction.”
(Commentary on Genesis, 37)
What seems exile is preparation; what looks like loss is the first step of victory.
14. Theological Summary
| Theme | Revelation |
| Father’s love and robe | Divine favour and virtue |
| Brothers’ envy | The root of sin against innocence |
| Dreams | Revelation of divine purpose |
| Pit and sale | Christ’s Passion prefigured |
| Jacob’s grief | The sorrow of the Father over sin |
| Joseph in Egypt | Providence at work through suffering |
St Augustine summarises:
“In Joseph’s story the providence of God is like a thread of gold through a dark tapestry: hidden, yet binding all together for good.”
(City of God XVI.46)
15. Moral and Spiritual Application
Guard your heart from envy. It turns brotherhood into betrayal.
Accept the mystery of providence. God writes straight with crooked lines.
Endure the pit. When you are forgotten or misunderstood, know that God is already working.
Refuse deceit. Truth, even painful truth, heals what lies destroy.
Believe in redemption. Every pit can become a path to glory when grace governs it.
16. Christ the True Joseph
The Fathers saw in Joseph’s story a portrait of Christ:
| Joseph | Christ |
| Beloved son of Israel | Beloved Son of the Father |
| Envied by brothers | Rejected by His own |
| Sent to seek their welfare | Sent to save mankind |
| Stripped of his robe | Stripped of His garments |
| Cast into the pit | Laid in the tomb |
| Sold for silver | Betrayed for silver |
| Raised to rule Egypt | Exalted to rule all creation |
| Feeds the nations | Gives the Bread of Life |
St Ambrose proclaims:
“What Joseph prefigured in shadow, Christ fulfilled in truth; the pit became resurrection, the sale salvation, the grief of the father the joy of the world.”
(On Joseph the Patriarch 6)
17. Closing Prayer
O God of providence and mercy,
who bring good out of evil and exalt the humble,
teach us to trust You when Your ways are hidden.
Keep us from envy and deceit;
make us steadfast in obedience and patient in trial.
May we, like Joseph, see Your hand in every pit
and Your glory in every cross.
Through Jesus Christ, the true Joseph,
betrayed yet risen, who reigns with You
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
St. Mary's, St. John Bosco and St. Edward's 