And a certain man found him, and, behold, he was wandering in the field: and the man asked him, saying, What seekest thou?
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?”
- BSB a man found him wandering in the field and asked, “What are you looking for?”
- 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 4:27And upon this came his disciples, and marvelled that he talked with the woman: yet no man said, What seekest thou? or, Why talkest thou with her?
- Judg 4:22And, behold, as Barak pursued Sisera, Jael came out to meet him, and said unto him, Come, and I will shew thee the man whom thou seekest. And when he came into her tent, behold, Sisera lay dead, and the nail was in his temples.
- Gen 21:14And Abraham rose up early in the morning, and took bread, and a bottle of water, and gave it unto Hagar, putting it on her shoulder, and the child, and sent her away: and she departed, and wandered in the wilderness of Beersheba.
- John 1:38Then Jesus turned, and saw them following, and saith unto them, What seek ye? They said unto him, Rabbi, (which is to say, being interpreted, Master,) where dwellest thou?
- John 18:7Then asked he them again, Whom seek ye? And they said, Jesus of Nazareth.
- John 20:15Jesus saith unto her, Woman, why weepest thou? whom seekest thou? She, supposing him to be the gardener, saith unto him, Sir, if thou have borne him hence, tell me where thou hast laid him, and I will take him away.
- John 18:4Jesus therefore, knowing all things that should come upon him, went forth, and said unto them, Whom seek ye?
- 2 Kgs 6:19And Elisha said unto them, This is not the way, neither is this the city: follow me, and I will bring you to the man whom ye seek. But 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.