Log inSign up

Genesis 37 · a question people ask

Was Joseph partly to blame?

In the text

Genesis records what Joseph did without judging it: he "brought an evil report of them to their father" (37:2), and he told his dreams to his brothers and his father (37:5, 9-10). It also records Jacob's favoritism: "Israel loved Joseph more than all his children" (37:3), and the brothers' response: "they hated him" (37:4, 5, 8). Jacob rebuked Joseph for the second dream (37:10). Years later the brothers say, "We are certainly guilty concerning our brother" (42:21).

The verses

“They said to one another, “We are certainly guilty concerning our brother, in that we saw the distress of his soul, when he begged us, and we wouldn’t listen. Therefore this distress has come upon us.””
Genesis 42:21 · World English Bible

From Favor's study of Genesis 37

Genesis 37: Joseph and his brothers

Jacob loved Joseph more than his other sons and gave him a special tunic, and Joseph's dreams set his brothers against him. They threw him in a pit, he was sold to traders bound for Egypt, and they deceived their father with his tunic dipped in goat's blood, as Jacob once deceived his own father with goats. Jacob said he would go down to Sheol mourning, the Bible's first use of the word.

In Favor, questions like this come up right where they arise as you read, with the Hebrew and Greek behind the words and how the chapter leads to Jesus.

Start your free weekGenesis 37 Bible study

First week free, then $10 a month per person

More questions about Genesis 37

All questions about Genesis →

The best way to learn the Bible

Favor opens up every chapter as you read.

Favor is a Bible study app for your phone or computer. It takes you through the Bible one chapter at a time, a few minutes a day, and shows you what's really there: the words behind the words, the moments most people miss, and how the whole story fits together. For you. For everyone.

  • Every chapter explains itself

    As you read, short notes open up what's really going on, the details most readers walk past, and the honest questions people ask.

  • The Hebrew and Greek behind it

    Tap a highlighted word to see the original, how to say it, and what it means, checked against the original-language texts.

  • Every page leads to Jesus

    Watch promises made in Genesis kept in Jesus. Each line lights up on your map as you read.

  • Better together

    Read on your own, or start a Bible study with friends, family or your church. Answers stay sealed until you meet, then appear together.

  1. 1

    Start your free week

    Sign up in a minute with your email.

  2. 2

    Read a few minutes a day

    Each chapter opens itself up as you go. Tap what you're curious about.

  3. 3

    Bring your people, if you like

    Send one link. Everyone reads the same chapter, then meets to talk.

Start your free week

First week free, then $10 a month per person

Questions like this, in every chapter

The best way to learn the Bible. For you. For everyone.

There's a seat for you at the table.

Start your free week

First week free, then $10 a month per person · Log in

Scripture quotations are from the World English Bible, which is in the public domain. Every answer cites the verses it rests on. What we believe · All Bible questions