When Joseph’s brothers saw that their father loved him more than any of them, they hated him and could not speak a kind word to him.
Parallel translations
- WEB His brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers, and they hated him, and couldn’t speak peaceably to him.
- KJV And when his brethren saw that their father loved him more than all his brethren, they hated him, and could not speak peaceably unto him.
- NKJV But when his brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers, they hated him and could not speak peaceably to him.
- NASB And his brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers; and so they hated him and could not speak to him on friendly terms.
- NLT But his brothers hated Joseph because their father loved him more than the rest of them. They couldn’t say a kind word to 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
Joseph's brothers, seeing their father's favoritism, hated him and could not speak kindly to him. Their resentment hardened into hostility.
Overview
The brothers' awareness of Jacob's preference bred a hatred so deep they could not even greet Joseph peaceably. Scripture exposes the destructive power of envy within a family. This hatred of the favored son anticipates the rejection of Jesus, of whom John wrote that 'his own received him not' (John 1:11).
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 17
- Gen 27:41Esau held a grudge against Jacob because of the blessing his father had given him. And Esau said in his heart, “The days of mourning for my father are at hand; then I will kill my brother Jacob.”
- 1 Jn 4:20If anyone says, “I love God,” but hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen.
- 1 Jn 3:12Do not be like Cain, who belonged to the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did Cain slay him? Because his own deeds were evil, while those of his brother were righteous.
- Ps 69:4Those who hate me without cause outnumber the hairs of my head; many are those who would destroy me—my enemies for no reason. Though I did not steal, I must repay.
- 1 Jn 2:11But whoever hates his brother is in the darkness and walks in the darkness. He does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes.
- John 15:18–19If the world hates you, understand that it hated Me first.
- Gen 4:5but He had no regard for Cain and his offering. So Cain became very angry, and his countenance fell.
- 1 Sam 17:28Now when David’s oldest brother Eliab heard him speaking to the men, his anger burned against David. “Why have you come down here?” he asked. “And with whom did you leave those few sheep in the wilderness? I know your pride and wickedness of heart—you have come down to see the battle!”
- Gen 37:5Then Joseph had a dream, and when he told it to his brothers, they hated him even more.
- 1 Sam 16:12–13So Jesse sent for his youngest son and brought him in. He was ruddy, with beautiful eyes and a handsome appearance. And the LORD said, “Rise and anoint him, for he is the one.”
- Gen 49:23The archers attacked him with bitterness; they aimed at him in hostility.
- Ps 38:19Many are my enemies without cause, and many hate me without reason.
- Gen 37:18–24Now Joseph’s brothers saw him in the distance, and before he arrived, they plotted to kill him.
- Gen 37:11And his brothers were jealous of him, but his father kept in mind what he had said.
- 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.
- 1 Jn 3:10By this the children of God are distinguished from the children of the devil: Anyone who does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is anyone who does not love his brother.
- John 7:3–5So Jesus’ brothers said to Him, “Leave here and go to Judea, so that Your disciples there may see the works You are doing.
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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 37:4 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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