“Come now, let us kill him and throw him into one of the pits. We can say that a vicious animal has devoured him. Then we shall see what becomes of his dreams!”
Parallel translations
- WEB Come now therefore, and let’s kill him, and cast him into one of the pits, and we will say, ‘An evil animal has devoured him.’ We will see what will become of his dreams.”
- KJV Come now therefore, and let us slay him, and cast him into some pit, and we will say, Some evil beast hath devoured him: and we shall see what will become of his dreams.
- NKJV Come therefore, let us now kill him and cast him into some pit; and we shall say, ‘Some wild beast has devoured him.’ We shall see what will become of his dreams!”
- NASB Now then, come and let’s kill him, and throw him into one of the pits; and we will say, ‘A vicious animal devoured him.’ Then we will see what will become of his dreams!”
- NLT “Come on, let’s kill him and throw him into one of these cisterns. We can tell our father, ‘A wild animal has eaten him.’ Then we’ll see what becomes of his dreams!”
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
They plot to kill Joseph, throw him in a pit, and claim a wild animal devoured him, to see what becomes of his dreams. They aim to destroy both Joseph and his destiny.
Overview
The brothers conspire to murder Joseph, hide his body in a pit, and cover their crime with a lie about a wild animal. Their taunt, 'we will see what will become of his dreams,' sets human malice against God's revealed purpose. The narrative will show that no scheme can overturn what God has determined, for He turns even their evil to good (Genesis 50:20).
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 18
- Titus 3:3For at one time we too were foolish, disobedient, misled, and enslaved to all sorts of desires and pleasures—living in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another.
- Prov 27:4Wrath is cruel and anger is like a flood, but who can withstand jealousy?
- Matt 2:2–16asking, “Where is the One who has been born King of the Jews? We saw His star in the east and have come to worship Him.”
- Prov 1:11–12If they say, “Come along, let us lie in wait for blood, let us ambush the innocent without cause,
- 2 Kgs 2:24Then he turned around, looked at them, and called down a curse on them in the name of the LORD. Suddenly two female bears came out of the woods and mauled forty-two of the boys.
- Mark 15:29–32And those who passed by heaped abuse on Him, shaking their heads and saying, “Aha! You who are going to destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days,
- Acts 4:16–18“What shall we do with these men?” they asked. “It is clear to everyone living in Jerusalem that a remarkable miracle has occurred through them, and we cannot deny it.
- John 12:10–11So the chief priests made plans to kill Lazarus as well,
- 1 Kgs 13:24As he went on his way, a lion met him on the road and killed him, and his body was left lying in the road, with the donkey and the lion standing beside it.
- Prov 10:18The one who conceals hatred has lying lips, and whoever spreads slander is a fool.
- Prov 6:17haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood,
- Prov 1:16For their feet run to evil, and they are swift to shed blood.
- John 3:12If I have told you about earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you about heavenly things?
- 1 Sam 26:2So Saul, accompanied by three thousand chosen men of Israel, went down to the Wilderness of Ziph to search for David there.
- Ps 64:5They hold fast to their evil purpose; they speak of hiding their snares. “Who will see them?” they say.
- Matt 27:40–42and saying, “You who are going to destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save Yourself! If You are the Son of God, come down from the cross!”
- Prov 28:13He who conceals his sins will not prosper, but whoever confesses and renounces them will find mercy.
- 1 Sam 24:20Now I know for sure that you will be king, and that the kingdom of Israel will be established in your hands.
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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 37:20 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.