And Joseph dreamed a dream, and he told it his brethren: and they hated him yet the more.
What does Genesis 37:5 mean?
God gave Joseph betimes the prospect of his advancement, to support and comfort him under his long and grievous troubles. Joseph dreamed of his preferment, but he did not dream of his imprisonment.
Key themes
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Keep this verse inside Genesis 37:5-8 and alongside a few nearby related passages.
Commentary on Genesis 37:5
Joseph's dreams excite the jealousy of his brothers. His frankness in reciting his dream to his brothers marks a spirit devoid of guile, and only dimly conscious of the import of his nightly visions. The first dream represents by a figure the humble submission of all his brothers to him, as they rightly interpret it. "For his dreams and for his words." The meaning of this dream was offensive enough, and his telling of it rendered it even more disagreeable. A second dream is given to express the certainty of the event Genesis 41:32 . The former serves to interpret the latter. There the sheaves are connected with the brothers who bound them, and thereby indicate the parties.
Key words
- Joseph
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And Joseph dreamed a dream, and he told it his brethren,.
- dreamed
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And Joseph dreamed a dream, and he told it his brethren,.
- dream
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And Joseph dreamed a dream, and he told it his brethren,.
Context in Genesis 37
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Genesis 37 belongs to the middle movement of the book, especially the section often described as the family line through Isaac and Jacob. Genesis opens the whole Bible with creation, fall, flood, Babel, and the long patriarchal story that carries the reader from Eden to Egypt. Read this chapter with the wider themes of creation, fall, and covenant in view so the individual verses keep their proper weight.
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A collection of passages on hope under pressure, future inheritance, resurrection expectation, and confidence in God’s final faithfulness.