Now when they saw him afar off, even before he came near them, they conspired against him 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.
- BSB Now Joseph’s brothers saw him in the distance, and before he arrived, they plotted 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 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 it was day, some of the Jews banded together, and bound themselves under a curse, saying that they would neither eat nor drink until they had killed Paul.
- Ps 37:32The wicked watches the righteous, and seeks to kill him.
- 1 Sam 19:1Saul spoke to Jonathan his son, and to all his servants, that they should kill David. But Jonathan, Saul’s son, greatly delighted in David.
- Mark 14:1It was now two days before the feast of the Passover and the unleavened bread, and the chief priests and the scribes sought how they might seize him by deception, and kill him.
- Ps 37:12The wicked plots against the just, and gnashes at him with his teeth.
- John 11:53So from that day forward they took counsel that they might put him to death.
- Ps 31:13For I have heard the slander of many, terror on every side, while they conspire together against me, they plot to take away my life.
- Mark 12:7But those farmers said among themselves, ‘This is the heir. Come, let’s kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.’
- Luke 20:14–15“But when the farmers saw him, they reasoned among themselves, saying, ‘This is the heir. Come, let’s kill him, that the inheritance may be ours.’
- Matt 27:1Now when morning had come, all the chief priests and the elders of the people took counsel against Jesus to put him to death:
- Matt 21:38But the farmers, when they saw the son, said among themselves, ‘This is the heir. Come, let’s kill him, and seize his inheritance.’
- Ps 109:4In return for my love, they are my adversaries; but I am in prayer.
- Ps 94:21They gather themselves together against the soul of the righteous, and condemn the innocent blood.
- Ps 105:25He turned their heart to hate his people, to conspire against his servants.
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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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