“And he said to him, Go, I pray thee, see whether it be well with thy brethren, and well with the flocks; and bring me word again. So he sent him out of the vale of Hebron, and he came to Shechem.”
My Notes
What Does Genesis 37:14 Mean?
Jacob sends Joseph to check on his brothers: "Go, I pray thee, see whether it be well with thy brethren, and well with the flocks; and bring me word again." The father sends his favorite son on an errand of concern—see if your brothers are okay. He doesn't know he's sending Joseph into the plot that will remove him for twenty years.
The phrase "see whether it be well" (literally "see the peace of thy brethren") is saturated with irony: Joseph is sent to find peace among brothers who have no peace with him. He's looking for their shalom while they're planning his destruction. The mission of peace will produce the most violent act in the patriarchal narrative.
Jacob sends Joseph from "the vale of Hebron"—the valley where Abraham and Sarah are buried, the ancestral homeland, the place of covenant. Joseph leaves the safety of his father's presence in the vale of Hebron and walks toward Shechem—the same Shechem where Dinah was violated and the city's men were massacred. The geography is ominous: Joseph leaves the place of peace and walks toward the place of violence. The father's love sends him. The brothers' hatred receives him.
Reflection Questions
- 1.What 'ordinary errand' in your life turned out to be the beginning of something you never expected?
- 2.Jacob sent Joseph in love. The brothers received him in hatred. Have your best intentions ever walked someone into danger?
- 3.Joseph didn't know the errand would change his life. What routine task might be the hinge of something God is orchestrating?
- 4.The geography tells the story: safety to danger, love to hatred, home to exile. What journey are you on that might be heading somewhere you don't expect?
Devotional
Jacob sends Joseph to check on his brothers. See if they're okay. See if the flocks are well. Bring me word. The most loving father sends his most beloved son on the most innocent errand—and the errand walks Joseph directly into the conspiracy that will remove him from his family for twenty years.
The irony is devastating: Jacob sends Joseph to find peace among brothers who have no peace for him. "See the peace of thy brethren"—while the brethren are plotting his death. The father's concern for family wellness is about to collide with the family's plan to destroy its most privileged member.
From the vale of Hebron to Shechem. From the ancestral homeland to the city of violence. From the father's presence to the brothers' conspiracy. The geography tells the story before the events unfold: Joseph is walking from safety into danger, from love into hatred, from home into exile. And he doesn't know it. He thinks he's running an errand.
Some of the most consequential moments of your life begin as ordinary errands. Go check on your brothers. See if things are okay. Bring me word. Jacob didn't know the errand would cost him his son for two decades. Joseph didn't know the walk to Shechem was the first step toward Egypt. The ordinary assignment that looks like nothing becomes the hinge on which everything turns. The errand you're running today—the ordinary task, the simple obedience—might be the first step of the journey that changes your entire life.
Commentary
Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.
And a certain man found him,.... Many of the Jewish writers (l) say, this was an angel, the angel Gabriel, in the…
- Joseph Was Sold into Egypt 17. דתין dotayı̂n Dothain, “two wells?” (Gesenius) 25. נכאת neko't “tragacanth” or…
Go - see whether it be well with thy brethren - Literally, Go, I beseech thee, and see the peace of thy brethren, and…
Here is, I. The kind visit which Joseph, in obedience to his father's command, made to his brethren, who were feeding…
the vale of Hebron The residence of Jacob; cf. Gen 35:27.
Cross References
Related passages throughout Scripture