Answers for a study in the book of Genesis: Chapters 37-38, An Introduction to Joseph and Judah

“Answers for a study in the book of Genesis” is a weekly post in addition to the regular “apologetics” posts on the weekend where the original questions can be found at the bottom of the study, and then answers appear here mid-week. This gives you time to do your own research, and then check your answers. Keep in mind these will be basic answers with a little depth, but you can go much deeper for discussion if you’d like.

Always remember to pray before you study and ask the Holy Spirit to teach you and lead you into the truth found in God’s Word – pray for protection from the evil one who will try to discourage, distract and deceive us when we commit to growing closer to the LORD.

Note: Questions are taken directly from the chapters, and answers should be found and cited from the Scripture text in order to be Biblically accurate (unless asked to summarize in your own words). Study Bibles, commentaries and your own thoughts can be used for Discussion or Going Deeper questions. If you use these kinds of sources share them with your group.

 1.  Review of Class Topic:  Before getting into the Bible study questions, discuss today’s class presentation by summarizing what you learned, commenting or asking any questions.

Answers will vary…

Read Genesis Chapter 37 through Chapter 38, then answer the following questions:

2.  (Genesis 37:1-17) In the first part of this chapter we find the sons of Jacob working in the fields, pasturing the family’s flocks. What were Joseph’s two dreams and how did his brothers react when he told them about the dreams? How did his father react?

Discuss: What is wrong with Jacob’s decision to now put Joseph in charge of supervising his brothers?

37 Now Jacob lived in the land where his father had sojourned, in the land of Canaan. ² These are the records of the generations of Jacob. Joseph, when seventeen years of age, was pasturing the flock with his brothers while he was still a youth, along with the sons of Bilhah and the sons of Zilpah, his father’s wives. And Joseph brought back a bad report about them to their father. ³ Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his sons, because he was the son of his old age; and he made him a varicolored tunic. ⁴ 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. ⁵ Then Joseph had a dream, and when he told it to his brothers, they hated him even more. ⁶ He said to them, “Please listen to this dream which I have had; ⁷ for behold, we were binding sheaves in the field, and lo, my sheaf rose up and also stood erect; and behold, your sheaves gathered around and bowed down to my sheaf.” ⁸ Then his brothers said to him, “Are you actually going to reign over us? Or are you really going to rule over us?” So they hated him even more for his dreams and for his words. ⁹ Now he had still another dream, and related it to his brothers, and said, “Lo, I have had still another dream; and behold, the sun and the moon and eleven stars were bowing down to me.” ¹⁰ He related it to his father and to his brothers; and his father rebuked him and said to him, “What is this dream that you have had? Shall I and your mother and your brothers actually come to bow ourselves down before you to the ground?” ¹¹ His brothers were jealous of him, but his father kept the saying in mind. ¹² Then his brothers went to pasture their father’s flock in Shechem. ¹³ Israel said to Joseph, “Are not your brothers pasturing the flock in Shechem? Come, and I will send you to them.” And he said to him, “I will go.” ¹⁴ Then he said to him, “Go now and see about the welfare of your brothers and the welfare of the flock, and bring word back to me.” So he sent him from the valley of Hebron, and he came to Shechem. ¹⁵ A man found him, and behold, he was wandering in the field; and the man asked him, “What are you looking for?” ¹⁶ He said, “I am looking for my brothers; please tell me where they are pasturing the flock.” ¹⁷ Then the man said, “They have moved from here; for I heard them say, ‘Let us go to Dothan.’” So Joseph went after his brothers and found them at Dothan.

Joseph’s dreams

• In Joseph’s first dream he said, “behold, we were binding sheaves in the field, and lo, my sheaf rose up and also stood erect; and behold, your sheaves gathered around and bowed down to my sheaf.”⁸ Then his brothers said to him, “Are you actually going to reign over us? Or are you really going to rule over us?” So they hated him even more for his dreams and for his words”
• In Joseph’s second dream he said, “Lo, I have had still another dream; and behold, the sun and the moon and eleven stars were bowing down to me.” ¹⁰ He related it to his father and to his brothers; and his father rebuked him and said to him, “What is this dream that you have had? Shall I and your mother and your brothers actually come to bow ourselves down before you to the ground?”¹¹ His brothers were jealous of him, but his father kept the saying in mind.”
• Numbers have significance in Scripture, and the number two in Scripture is significant in that it can represent the union of two parties and the verification of two witnesses (Mk. 6:7-13; 1 Tim. 5:19); and can also represent comparison and contrast between two things.
• In many cases, like the importance of witnesses, two or three things being repeated, like these dreams, makes an emphasis on something important, and confirm that it will assuredly come true.
• The brothers hated Joseph for assuming that he would rule over them, and they knew this was already a possibility because Jacob favored him as the son who would get the firstborn’s birthright and this is evident because:
  • In ancient cultures like this, the coat his father gave him represented leadership such as was given to the son who owns the “birthright”
  • Joseph was about 17 years old when his father Jacob, put him over him in charge by having him “oversee” his brothers’ work (and he gave a bad report about his brothers to his dad)
  • Later Jacob will send him to see how his brothers were doing (resulting in them wanting to kill him)

• Note: After the second dream his father even rebuked him, but he (Jacob) “kept the saying in mind”

Discuss

Answers may vary, but could include…

• Jacob favored Joseph as the firstborn of his favorite wife Rachel and it did not seem to be the right thing to do because the consequences of this favoritism resulted in this tragedy (but God will use it for good).
• Also, this favoritism was not the customary way of the culture, however, there are a few factors to consider in Jacob’s life:
  • Jacob himself was not the firstborn and neither was his father Isaac, yet they both were given the birthright
  • Jacob had already established a history with his other sons of not caring for them as he should (for example, putting them in front of Rachel and Joseph, in perilous circumstances, and they knew Leah was not loved by Jacob which was obvious throughout their family life
  • God had a plan for Joseph, and Jacob may, or may not, have been in tune to that plan (Scripture doesn’t tell us)

3.  (Genesis 37:18-36) In the second half of this chapter, something goes terribly wrong between Joseph and his brothers. What did the brothers plan to do when they first saw Joseph coming to check up on them, what did Reuben say, and what did they ultimately end up doing to Joseph (keep in mind which brother suggested it)? How did the brothers decide to deceive their father concerning Joseph?

Going deeper: It appears Reuben was not present when this incident happened to Joseph. How did Reuben respond when he found out what had happened, and what brother was next in line to be in charge if Reuben was absent? Keep that name in mind for an upcoming situation (you can share if you know the story).

The Plot against Joseph

¹⁸ When they saw him from a distance and before he came close to them, they plotted against him to put him to death. ¹⁹ They said to one another, “Here comes this dreamer! ²⁰ Now then, come and let us kill him and throw him into one of the pits; and we will say, ‘A wild beast devoured him.’ Then let us see what will become of his dreams!” ²¹ But Reuben heard this and rescued him out of their hands and said, “Let us not take his life.” ²² Reuben further said to them, “Shed no blood. Throw him into this pit that is in the wilderness, but do not lay hands on him”—that he might rescue him out of their hands, to restore him to his father. ²³ So it came about, when Joseph reached his brothers, that they stripped Joseph of his tunic, the varicolored tunic that was on him; ²⁴ and they took him and threw him into the pit. Now the pit was empty, without any water in it. ²⁵ Then they sat down to eat a meal. And as they raised their eyes and looked, behold, a caravan of Ishmaelites was coming from Gilead, with their camels bearing aromatic gum and balm and myrrh, on their way to bring them down to Egypt. ²⁶ Judah said to his brothers, “What profit is it for us to kill our brother and cover up his blood? ²⁷ Come and let us sell him to the Ishmaelites and not lay our hands on him, for he is our brother, our own flesh.” And his brothers listened to him. ²⁸ Then some Midianite traders passed by, so they pulled him up and lifted Joseph out of the pit, and sold him to the Ishmaelites for twenty shekels of silver. Thus they brought Joseph into Egypt.

²⁹ Now Reuben returned to the pit, and behold, Joseph was not in the pit; so he tore his garments. ³⁰ He returned to his brothers and said, “The boy is not there; as for me, where am I to go?” ³¹ So they took Joseph’s tunic, and slaughtered a male goat and dipped the tunic in the blood; ³² and they sent the varicolored tunic and brought it to their father and said, “We found this; please examine it to see whether it is your son’s tunic or not.” ³³ Then he examined it and said, “It is my son’s tunic. A wild beast has devoured him; Joseph has surely been torn to pieces!” ³⁴ So Jacob tore his clothes, and put sackcloth on his loins and mourned for his son many days. ³⁵ Then all his sons and all his daughters arose to comfort him, but he refused to be comforted. And he said, “Surely I will go down to Sheol in mourning for my son.” So his father wept for him. ³⁶ Meanwhile, the Midianites sold him in Egypt to Potiphar, Pharaoh’s officer, the captain of the bodyguard.

What the brothers did:

• Verses 19-21: “When the brothers saw Joseph coming from afar they said: “Here comes this dreamer! Now then, come and let us kill him and throw him into one of the pits and we will say, ‘A wild beast devoured him.’ Then let us see what will become of his dreams. But Reuben heard this and rescued him out of their hands and said, “Let us not take his life.””
• Judah is the one (in v. 26-27) that then suggests selling his brother into slavery instead of killing him (and they earned 20 shekels of silver); in one respect he saved him from immediate death, but in another, it would be assumed that Joseph would die in Egyptian slavery.
• Important Note: Judah’s character will go from bad to worse, but eventually he will be redeemed by offering himself as a substitute for Benjamin, and the others, and showing his leadership capabilities (and God will use the line of Judah to eventually redeem all humankind).

How they deceived their father:

• The brothers then decided to slaughter a male goat and dipped Joseph’s tunic in the blood.
• When they showed their father the coat, Jacob assumed that Joseph had been devoured by a wild beast.

Going Deeper:

• Reuben tore his clothes when he returned and saw that Joseph was gone. He gave his selfishness away by saying in v. 30: “The boy is not there; as for me, where am I to go?”
• Reuben seemed to have had selfish motives because:
  • According to custom, he should be the one who receives the firstborn birthright and would have the most to lose
  • His Dad would blame him for Joseph’s death because as the oldest, it was his responsibility to take care of him
  • Reuben would have been the hero with his father if he was the one who saved Joseph
  • Reuben’s character as a leader appears weak because he was not consulted about the selling of Joseph into slavery (they could have waited for his return)
• Simeon was the second born son of Leah and Jacob, and therefore would have been in charge while Reuben was gone. Even though Judah suggested selling Joseph, it was Simeon who would have approved it, and was probably the most vocal about killing him (he had killed before).

4.  (Genesis 38:1-30) This chapter is a side story that focuses on Judah, who most likely left the family for a time either because of guilt for what they had done to Joseph, or because he wanted to run away from his responsibility to the family. Note: This story is concurrent with the time of Joseph’s slavery, imprisonment and subsequent rise to power in Egypt that we will study in chapters 39-50.

Who did Judah marry, how many children did they have and what was their connection to Tamar? What was her ultimate relationship to Judah and God’s Covenant Promise?

Going deeper: What is “Levirate Law” and how might it relate to this story? How do we see God’s hand in this story, and do you think Tamar was right in what she did (why, or why not)?

38 And it came about at that time, that Judah departed from his brothers and visited a certain Adullamite, whose name was Hirah. ² Judah saw there a daughter of a certain Canaanite whose name was Shua; and he took her and went in to her. ³ So she conceived and bore a son and he named him Er. ⁴ Then she conceived again and bore a son and named him Onan. ⁵ She bore still another son and named him Shelah; and it was at Chezib that she bore him. ⁶ Now Judah took a wife for Er his firstborn, and her name was Tamar. ⁷ But Er, Judah’s firstborn, was evil in the sight of the Lord, so the Lord took his life. ⁸ Then Judah said to Onan, “Go in to your brother’s wife, and perform your duty as a brother-in-law to her, and raise up offspring for your brother.” ⁹ Onan knew that the offspring would not be his; so when he went in to his brother’s wife, he wasted his seed on the ground in order not to give offspring to his brother. ¹⁰ But what he did was displeasing in the sight of the Lord; so He took his life also. ¹¹ Then Judah said to his daughter-in-law Tamar, “Remain a widow in your father’s house until my son Shelah grows up”; for he thought, “I am afraid that he too may die like his brothers.” So Tamar went and lived in her father’s house. ¹² Now after a considerable time Shua’s daughter, the wife of Judah, died; and when the time of mourning was ended, Judah went up to his sheepshearers at Timnah, he and his friend Hirah the Adullamite. ¹³ It was told to Tamar, “Behold, your father-in-law is going up to Timnah to shear his sheep.” ¹⁴ So she removed her widow’s garments and covered herself with a veil, and wrapped herself, and sat in the gateway of Enaim, which is on the road to Timnah; for she saw that Shelah had grown up, and she had not been given to him as a wife. ¹⁵ When Judah saw her, he thought she was a harlot, for she had covered her face. ¹⁶ So he turned aside to her by the road, and said, “Here now, let me come in to you”; for he did not know that she was his daughter-in-law. And she said, “What will you give me, that you may come in to me?” ¹⁷ He said, therefore, “I will send you a young goat from the flock.” She said, moreover, “Will you give a pledge until you send it?” ¹⁸ He said, “What pledge shall I give you?” And she said, “Your seal and your cord, and your staff that is in your hand.” So he gave them to her and went in to her, and she conceived by him. ¹⁹ Then she arose and departed, and removed her veil and put on her widow’s garments. ²⁰ When Judah sent the young goat by his friend the Adullamite, to receive the pledge from the woman’s hand, he did not find her. ²¹ He asked the men of her place, saying, “Where is the temple prostitute who was by the road at Enaim?” But they said, “There has been no temple prostitute here.” ²² So he returned to Judah, and said, “I did not find her; and furthermore, the men of the place said, ‘There has been no temple prostitute here.’” ²³ Then Judah said, “Let her keep them, otherwise we will become a laughingstock. After all, I sent this young goat, but you did not find her.” ²⁴ Now it was about three months later that Judah was informed, “ Your daughter-in-law Tamar has played the harlot, and behold, she is also with child by harlotry.” Then Judah said, “Bring her out and let her be burned!” ²⁵ It was while she was being brought out that she sent to her father-in-law, saying, “I am with child by the man to whom these things belong.” And she said, “Please examine and see, whose signet ring and cords and staff are these?” ²⁶ Judah recognized them, and said, “She is more righteous than I, inasmuch as I did not give her to my son Shelah.” And he did not have relations with her again.

²⁷ It came about at the time she was giving birth, that behold, there were twins in her womb. ²⁸ Moreover, it took place while she was giving birth, one put out a hand, and the midwife took and tied a scarlet thread on his hand, saying, “This one came out first.” ²⁹ But it came about as he drew back his hand, that behold, his brother came out. Then she said, “What a breach you have made for yourself!” So he was named Perez. ³⁰ Afterward his brother came out who had the scarlet thread on his hand; and he was named Zerah.

What Judah did:

• “And it came about at that time, that Judah departed from his brothers and visited a certain Adullamite, whose name was Hirah. ² Judah saw there a daughter of a certain Canaanite whose name was Shua; and he took her and went in to her.” “At that time” means it was following the incident with Joseph, therefore Judah’s story here is concurrent.
• Verse 2: “Judah saw there a daughter of a certain Canaanite whose name was Shua; and he took her and went in to her.” The wife is not named here, but they had three sons: Er, Onan and Shelah.
• Verse 6: “Now Judah took a wife for Er his firstborn, and her name was Tamar.”
• Note: The Bible does not tell us that Tamar was also a Canaanite, she could have been a Hebrew relative (possibly from one of the other sons of Abraham), but this is speculation by some scholars.
• The name Tamar is seen later in Scripture and appears to be a Hebrew name.
• Er, and Onan (who became Tamar’s husband after Er because of Levirate Law) were both killed because of their wickedness (God knows our hearts), and Judah promised Tamar that Shelah would be her husband, but he never followed through on that promised relationship.
• Because Tamar was stuck by Judah’s promise of Shelah to fulfill the Levirate Law, she could never marry someone else, and there would be no offspring for Judah (the Promised Seed Carrier).
• Tamar dressed as a prostitute in order to sleep with Judah and carry on this line, and she smartly took his staff and ring to confirm later on who the father was.
• In verse 26 Judah confesses: “She is more righteous than I, inasmuch as I did not give her to my son Shelah”
• Judah never had relations with her again, and neither could his son Shelah, because all the way around it would be adultery.

Tamar’s connection to the “Seed Promise”

• In the end, Tamar bore Perez and Zerah to Judah, and it is Perez who is in the lineage of Jesus.
• What Tamar did was culturally correct in order to continue the family line. The text does not tell us if she knew anything about God’s plan, but in the end, if He has to, God will use evil for good. This is why Judah makes the claim at the end of the story, that Tamar was more righteous than he was.

Levirate marriage:

• Levirate marriage is a type of marriage in which the brother of a deceased man is obliged to marry his brother’s widow. This allows for, at least the first offspring, to carry on the name and inheritance of the older brother – usually related to the birthright.
• It is important to note here that if the family of Israel continues to stay in the land of Canaan at this time, they will eventually marry and blend into the Canaanite culture and people, and the nation through which God would bring the blessing (The Seed Promise of a Savior Gen. 3:15 and 12:3) would dissolved – Note: this would be exactly what Satan would want – remembering that in the Promise the “Seed of the woman” would crush the Serpent, and Satan knows this. This will be an ongoing theme in the Old Testament where Satan continues to interrupt and try to destroy the “Scarlet Thread” of Jesus.
• In Genesis 9:25-29 Noah enacts a curse on Canaan, the son of Ham for Ham’s wicked action against Noah. Because of the curse, Canaanites will be a constant thorn in Israel’s early history, and Satan would use them to try to destroy the “Seed Promise.”
• Also, even though Rahab is a Canaanite in the line of Jesus, that would come much later after the establishment of the Nation of Israel, which at this time, was not yet established.

5.  Review of class: Discuss some important things you have learned in the book of Genesis so far about the big picture of the Bible. Share any questions you might still have.

Answers will vary…

Please join us each week as we continue our case for the Old Testament, and a study in the book of Genesis!

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Teri Dugan

TeriDugan@truthfaithandreason.com

1 Peter 3:15