Knowing The Word in Genesis 37:12-24, Joseph's Brothers

12 Now his brothers went to pasture their father's flock near Shechem. [Hebron is 20 miles south of Jerusalem and Shechem another 30 miles north. Shechem is the area where these brothers massacred the sons of Hamon.] 13 And Israel said to Joseph, “Are not your brothers pasturing the flock at Shechem? Come, I will send you to them.” And he said to him, “Here I am.” [Why wasn’t Joseph with his brothers?] 14 So he said to him, “Go now, see if it is well with your brothers and with the flock, and bring me word.” So he sent him from the Valley of Hebron, and he came to Shechem. 15 And a man [stranger] found him wandering in the fields [like a lost sheep]. And the man asked him, “What are you seeking?” [The same question the angel asked Mary Magdalena outside Jesus’ tomb.] 16 “I am seeking my brothers,” he said. “Tell me, please, where they are pasturing the flock.” 17 And the man said, “They have gone away, for I heard them say, ‘Let us go to Dothan.’” So Joseph went after his brothers and found them at Dothan.

18 They saw him from afar [how would they recognize him?], and before he came near to them they conspired against him to kill him. [It did not take them long.] 19 They said to one another, “Here comes this dreamer. 20 Come now, let us kill him [better translation: “let’s murder him; this is what Esau planned to do to Jacob and what Cain did to Able; history repeats itself in Genesis] and throw him into one of the pits. Then we will say that a fierce animal has devoured him, and we will see what will become of his dreams.” 21 But when Reuben [the first born son’s unexpected intervention] heard it, he rescued him out of their hands, saying, “Let us not take his life.” 22 And Reuben said to them, “Shed no blood; throw him into this pit here in the wilderness, but do not lay a hand on him”—that he might rescue him out of their hand to restore him to his father. [Was he being the responsible older brother or atoning for his misbehavior with Bilhah?] 23 So when Joseph came to his brothers, they stripped him of his robe, the robe of many colors that he wore [taking away his status/Jesus was also stripped of his clothing at his crucifixion]. 24 And they took him and threw him into a pit. The pit was empty; there was no water in it. [Joseph’s reaction is left to the reader to imagine.]