And they took him, and cast him into a pit: and the pit was empty, there was no water in it.
Parallel translations
- WEB and they took him, and threw him into the pit. The pit was empty. There was no water in it.
- BSB and they took him and threw him into the pit. Now the pit was empty, with no water in it.
- NKJV Then they took him and cast him into a pit. And the pit was empty; there was no water in it.
- NASB and they took him and threw him into the pit. Now the pit was empty, without any water in it.
- NLT Then they grabbed him and threw him into the cistern. Now the cistern was empty; there was no water in it.
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 throw Joseph into an empty, waterless pit. He is cast down and left helpless by his own brothers.
Overview
The brothers cast Joseph into a dry, empty cistern, leaving him trapped and at their mercy. The detail that there was no water signals both his desperate plight and that he was not drowned but kept alive. This descent into the pit begins Joseph's long path of suffering before exaltation, a pattern echoed in Christ's death and resurrection.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 9
- Jer 38:6Then took they Jeremiah, and cast him into the dungeon of Malchiah the son of Hammelech, that was in the court of the prison: and they let down Jeremiah with cords. And in the dungeon there was no water, but mire: so Jeremiah sunk in the mire.
- Zech 9:11As for thee also, by the blood of thy covenant I have sent forth thy prisoners out of the pit wherein is no water.
- Ps 130:1–2Out of the depths have I cried unto thee, O LORD.
- Ps 88:8Thou hast put away mine acquaintance far from me; thou hast made me an abomination unto them: I am shut up, and I cannot come forth.
- Ps 40:2He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings.
- Ps 88:6Thou hast laid me in the lowest pit, in darkness, in the deeps.
- Lam 4:20The breath of our nostrils, the anointed of the LORD, was taken in their pits, of whom we said, Under his shadow we shall live among the heathen.
- Ps 35:7For without cause have they hid for me their net in a pit, which without cause they have digged for my soul.
- Lam 3:52–55Mine enemies chased me sore, like a bird, without cause.
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 37:24 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.