This verse introduces Joseph’s role in God’s covenant story and signals the beginning of the trials and triumphs that shape both his life and the destiny of the tribes of Israel.
“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.” (v.2)
Here we see Joseph, the eleventh son of Jacob, introduced at age seventeen. Joseph lived around the early 1900s BC, born approximately 1915 BC, during the time his father Jacob, also called Israel, had settled in Canaan—the land promised to Abraham (Genesis 12:7). The phrase “These are the records of the generations of Jacob” situates us within the family lineage that flowed from Abraham to Isaac, then to Jacob, ensuring that the audience understands the continuity of God’s covenant plan. In this verse, the young Joseph is tending sheep, a common occupation for nomadic families in Canaan, highlighting that he is already part of God’s unfolding story despite his youth.
Notably, Joseph shepherds alongside his half-brothers from Bilhah and Zilpah, two of Jacob’s wives. Their names are not explicitly listed in this verse, but we know from elsewhere that the sons of Bilhah were Dan and Naphtali, and the sons of Zilpah were Gad and Asher (Genesis 35:25-26). The mention that “Joseph brought back a bad report about them to their father” suggests tension in the family—a foreshadowing of the jealousy and division that would lead to Joseph’s being sold into slavery (see Genesis 37). This pivotal event eventually places him in Egypt, where he rises to prominence and becomes an instrument of deliverance for both Egyptians and his own Israelite family (Genesis 50:20; also referenced in Exodus 1:1).
Through Joseph, we see early hints of a faithful servant whose trials lead to a greater purpose, a pattern that recurs throughout Scripture, ultimately finding full expression in Jesus (see commentary that likens Joseph to a type of Messianic figure). Although still a teenager in this verse, Joseph’s character and the consequences of his actions become key elements in God’s plan to forge the nation of Israel.
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Genesis 37:2 meaning
“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.” (v.2)
Here we see Joseph, the eleventh son of Jacob, introduced at age seventeen. Joseph lived around the early 1900s BC, born approximately 1915 BC, during the time his father Jacob, also called Israel, had settled in Canaan—the land promised to Abraham (Genesis 12:7). The phrase “These are the records of the generations of Jacob” situates us within the family lineage that flowed from Abraham to Isaac, then to Jacob, ensuring that the audience understands the continuity of God’s covenant plan. In this verse, the young Joseph is tending sheep, a common occupation for nomadic families in Canaan, highlighting that he is already part of God’s unfolding story despite his youth.
Notably, Joseph shepherds alongside his half-brothers from Bilhah and Zilpah, two of Jacob’s wives. Their names are not explicitly listed in this verse, but we know from elsewhere that the sons of Bilhah were Dan and Naphtali, and the sons of Zilpah were Gad and Asher (Genesis 35:25-26). The mention that “Joseph brought back a bad report about them to their father” suggests tension in the family—a foreshadowing of the jealousy and division that would lead to Joseph’s being sold into slavery (see Genesis 37). This pivotal event eventually places him in Egypt, where he rises to prominence and becomes an instrument of deliverance for both Egyptians and his own Israelite family (Genesis 50:20; also referenced in Exodus 1:1).
Through Joseph, we see early hints of a faithful servant whose trials lead to a greater purpose, a pattern that recurs throughout Scripture, ultimately finding full expression in Jesus (see commentary that likens Joseph to a type of Messianic figure). Although still a teenager in this verse, Joseph’s character and the consequences of his actions become key elements in God’s plan to forge the nation of Israel.