Now Joseph’s brothers saw him in the distance, and before he arrived, they plotted to kill him.
Parallel translations
- WEB They saw him afar off, and before he came near to them, they conspired against him to kill him.
- KJV And when they saw him afar off, even before he came near unto them, they conspired against him to slay him.
- ESV They saw him from afar, and before he came near to them they conspired against him to kill him.
- NKJV Now when they saw him afar off, even before he came near them, they conspired against him to kill him.
- NASB When they saw him from a distance, and before he came closer to them, they plotted against him to put him to death.
- NLT When Joseph’s brothers saw him coming, they recognized him in the distance. As he approached, they made plans to kill him.
Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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
Seeing Joseph from a distance, the brothers conspire to kill him before he arrives. Their hatred turns to murderous intent.
Overview
The brothers spot Joseph approaching and plot to kill him while he is still far off. Long-nursed envy now hardens into a conspiracy to commit murder, showing how unchecked hatred leads to grievous sin. Their plot against the beloved, sent by the father, darkly foreshadows the conspiracy against Christ by those who should have welcomed Him.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 14
- Acts 23:12When daylight came, the Jews formed a conspiracy and bound themselves with an oath not to eat or drink until they had killed Paul.
- Ps 37:32Though the wicked lie in wait for the righteous, and seek to slay them,
- 1 Sam 19:1Then Saul ordered his son Jonathan and all his servants to kill David. But Jonathan delighted greatly in David,
- Mark 14:1Now the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread were two days away, and the chief priests and scribes were looking for a covert way to arrest Jesus and kill Him.
- Ps 37:12The wicked scheme against the righteous and gnash their teeth at them,
- John 11:53So from that day on they plotted to kill Him.
- Ps 31:13For I hear the slander of many; there is terror on every side. They conspire against me and plot to take my life.
- Mark 12:7But the tenants said to one another, ‘This is the heir. Come, let us kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.’
- Luke 20:14–15But when the tenants saw the son, they discussed it among themselves and said, ‘This is the heir. Let us kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.’
- Matt 27:1When morning came, all the chief priests and elders of the people conspired against Jesus to put Him to death.
- Matt 21:38But when the tenants saw the son, they said to one another, ‘This is the heir. Come, let us kill him and take his inheritance.’
- Ps 109:4In return for my love they accuse me, but I am a man of prayer.
- Ps 94:21They band together against the righteous and condemn the innocent to death.
- Ps 105:25whose hearts He turned to hate His people, to conspire against His servants.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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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 37:18 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
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