a man found him wandering in the field and asked, “What are you looking for?”
Parallel translations
- WEB A certain man found him, and behold, he was wandering in the field. The man asked him, “What are you looking for?”
- KJV And a certain man found him, and, behold, he was wandering in the field: and the man asked him, saying, What seekest thou?
- NKJV Now a certain man found him, and there he was, wandering in the field. And the man asked him, saying, “What are you seeking?”
- NASB A man found him, and behold, he was wandering in the field; and the man asked him, “What are you looking for?”
- NLT When he arrived there, a man from the area noticed him wandering around the countryside. “What are you looking for?” he asked.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
A man finds Joseph wandering in a field and asks what he is seeking. This encounter helps Joseph locate his brothers.
Overview
Lost in the fields near Shechem, Joseph is found by an unnamed man who asks what he seeks. This small providence keeps Joseph on the path toward his brothers and the events God has ordained. The detail shows how the LORD guides circumstances, even through ordinary strangers, to accomplish His purposes.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 8
- John 4:27Just then His disciples returned and were surprised that He was speaking with a woman. But no one asked Him, “What do You want from her?” or “Why are You talking with her?”
- Judg 4:22When Barak arrived in pursuit of Sisera, Jael went out to greet him and said to him, “Come, and I will show you the man you are seeking.” So he went in with her, and there lay Sisera dead, with a tent peg through his temple.
- Gen 21:14Early in the morning, Abraham got up, took bread and a skin of water, put them on Hagar’s shoulders, and sent her away with the boy. She left and wandered in the Wilderness of Beersheba.
- John 1:38Jesus turned and saw them following. “What do you want?” He asked. They said to Him, “Rabbi” (which means Teacher), “where are You staying?”
- John 18:7So He asked them again, “Whom are you seeking?” “Jesus of Nazareth,” they answered.
- John 20:15“Woman, why are you weeping?” Jesus asked. “Whom are you seeking?” Thinking He was the gardener, she said, “Sir, if you have carried Him off, tell me where you have put Him, and I will get Him.”
- John 18:4Jesus, knowing all that was coming upon Him, stepped forward and asked them, “Whom are you seeking?”
- 2 Kgs 6:19And Elisha told them, “This is not the way, and this is not the city. Follow me, and I will take you to the man you are seeking.” And he led them to Samaria.
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Christ at the center
From the first promise that the seed of the woman would crush the serpent (3:15), through Abraham's blessing to all nations and Judah's coming ruler, Genesis sows every seed that flowers in Christ — the true offspring, the better Adam, the ram caught for Isaac.
How Genesis 37:15 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.