Genesis 37

02 Feb 2026 - Theology

Joseph and the “Certain Man”

Genesis 37:2 mentions only the sons of Bilhah and Zilpah. What about the sons of Leah? Joseph is only hanging out with the sons of Bilhah and Zilpah - it seems that the conflict between Rebekah and Leah has been passed down to their children.

People present in Genesis 37:2 are in bold. Key absences from this scene to note are Reuben, Judah, and Benjamin.

Genesis 37:2:

• English: “evil report”
• Hebrew: “evil creeping whispered rumors”

There seems to more evil intent from Joseph than just being a tattletale.

“coat of many colors” = ketonet passim

• ketonet = “tunic”, an extra coat not meant to keep Joseph warm, but to make him special
• No one is quite sure what the word passim means

One guess is that the word passim and the tunic point to Egypt, where Joseph’s future lies. Egyptologists tell us that only princes and pharaohs were allowed to wear a striped tunic. They say we should probably translate ketonet passim as a “striped tunic”, and not as a “coat of many colors.” This is one of many examples of God calling someone something they are not yet, such as when God changed Abram’s name to Abraham (meaning, ‘father of many nations’) before he and Sarah had conceived their first child.

“Coat of many colors” could also mean coat of palms, a long sleeve shirt that is not made for working. This is clearly showing that Israel was giving the bechor (birthright) to Joseph, the firstborn of Rachel, rather than Reuben, the true firstborn (and by Leah).

From ancient times onward, people have believed that when a person had the same dream more than once, it would surely come true. So when Joseph dreams of almost the exact thing same thing twice, this is a way of telling us that his dream will no doubt come true. Perhaps that is why his father “kept the matter in mind”.

Israel asks Joseph to check if his other sons are well (13-14), so Joseph goes to Shechem, the place where Dinah was raped and Reuben and Judah killed the men of the city (Genesis 34).

The first mention of Shechem is in Genesis 12:6, where God gives Abraham the mission of his people, and where Abraham builds an altar and makes a sacrifice.
Note: Shechem is sometimes spelled ‘Sichem’ in the KJV translation of the Bible, but refers to the same ancient city in the central part of the land of Canaan.

The “certain man”

Who is the “certain man” that Joseph meets, who redirects him to find his brothers at Dothan (37:15-17)? The verse reads that the certain man found Joseph, who was wandering in a field. This encounter leads to Joseph being sent to Dothan, which leads to Joseph being thrown into the pit and then eventually sold to the Egyptians. The entire story of Joseph in Genesis all hangs upon this encounter at Shechem.

Genesis 37:15 - “And a certain man found him, and, behold, he was wandering in the field: and the man asked him, saying, What seekest thou?”

Song of Solomon 1:7 - “Tell me, O thou whom my soul loveth, where thou feedest, where thou makest thy flock to rest at noon: for why should I be as one that turneth aside by the flocks of thy companions?”

These two verses are often linked by scholars because they both feature a search for a shepherd and use nearly identical language to describe finding where a flock is being fed. In both texts, the protagonist is “wandering” in a field or open country while searching for someone they love (a beloved or brothers). Both verses focus on locating where a flock is being “fed” or “pastured” during the heat of the day. In Song of Solomon 1:7, the bride asks where her beloved shepherd is because she doesn’t want to be turned aside by the flocks of the shepherds companions - she does not want to be considered an outsider or a stranger. This mirrors the vulnerability that Joseph faces while wandering in the field at Shechem alone, possibly amongst unknown groups, as he does not want to be scrutinized and seen as a foreigner or outsider. Some commentators view this search as a foreshadowing of a person’s search for Christ, who is called the “Good Shepherd” (John 10).

Some translations of Song of Solomon 1:7 read that she does not want to be “as one who veils herself”. A veiled woman wandering among flocks was often scrutinized as a harlot or a foreigner. We will see this in Genesis 38.

The brothers make a plan to kill him, but Reuben convinces the brothers to throw Joseph in a cistern, because he planned to rescue him later. While he is gone, Judah steps up and creates a new plan to sell Joseph. In the next chapter (Genesis 38), Judah is no longer with the family. Did this new plan cause a rift between Reuben and Judah?

Was it Reuben or Judah who planned to save Joseph’s life? Was it a caravan of Ishmaelites (of the family of Ishmael) or of Midianites (from the land of Midian)? As one can guess, two stories seem to be joined together again here.

References

1. The Hebrew - Greek Key Study Bible (KJV Version)
2. The BEMA Podcast, Episode 15: Into the Pit
3. The Torah Portion-by-Portion by Rabbi Seymour Rossel (2007)
4. Genesis 37:3 - passim and pas