Genesis 37:25

Genesis 37:25 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)And they sat down to eat bread: and they lifted up their eyes and looked, and, behold, a company of Ishmeelites came from Gilead with their camels bearing spicery and balm and myrrh, going to carry it down to Egypt.
• New International Version (NIV)As they sat down to eat their meal, they looked up and saw a caravan of Ishmaelites coming from Gilead. Their camels were loaded with spices, balm and myrrh, and they were on their way to take them down to Egypt.
• English Standard Version (ESV)Then they sat down to eat. And looking up they saw a caravan of Ishmaelites coming from Gilead, with their camels bearing gum, balm, and myrrh, on their way to carry it down to Egypt.
• New King James Version (NKJV)And they sat down to eat a meal. Then they lifted their eyes and looked, and there was a company of Ishmaelites, coming from Gilead with their camels, bearing spices, balm, and myrrh, on their way to carry them down to Egypt.

Context of Genesis 37:25

23So Joseph arrived at where his brothers were. He was wearing his special coat, but they took it off him. 24Then they took hold of Joseph and they threw him into the empty well. It had no water in it. Then the brothers sat down to eat their meal. They looked up and they saw a group of Ishmaelites coming towards them. They were coming from Gilead region. They were riding on camels that carried spices, and different kinds of oils for medicine. They were taking them to sell in Egypt. 26Judah said to his brothers, ‘We could kill our brother and then hide his body. But then we will not get anything for ourselves. 27So let us sell him to these Ishmaelites. We do not need to hurt him. Then we will not have to kill him. We should remember that he is our brother. He is our own relative.’ Judah's brothers agreed with what he said.

Genesis 37:25 word by word

וַיֵּשְׁבוּ֮ לֶֽאֱכָל־לֶחֶם֒ וַיִּשְׂא֤וּ עֵֽינֵיהֶם֙ וַיִּרְא֔וּ וְהִנֵּה֙ אֹרְחַ֣ת יִשְׁמְעֵאלִ֔ים בָּאָ֖ה מִגִּלְעָ֑ד וּגְמַלֵּיהֶ֣ם נֹֽשְׂאִ֗ים נְכֹאת֙ וּצְרִ֣י וָלֹ֔ט הוֹלְכִ֖ים לְהוֹרִ֥יד מִצְרָֽיְמָה׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• And they sat downיָשַׁבyâshab · to dwellH3427
• to eatאָכַל'âkal · to eatH398
• breadלֶ֫חֶםlechem · foodH3899
• and they lifted upנָשָׂאnâώâ' nâsâh · to lift: lookH5375
• their eyesעַ֫יִן‛ayin · eye: seeingH5869
• and lookedרָאָהrâ'âh · to see: seeH7200
• and, behold, a companyאֹרְחָה'ôrchâh · caravanH736
• of Ishmeelitesיִשְׁמְעֵאלִיyishmâ‛ê'lîy · IshmaeliteH3459
• cameבּוֹאbô' · to come (in): comeH935
• from Gileadגִּלְעָדgil‛âd · GileadH1568
• with their camelsגָּמָלgâmâl · camelH1581
• bearingנָשָׂאnâώâ' nâsâh · to lift: bearH5375
• spiceryנְכֹאתnek'ôth · tragacanth gumH5219
• and balmצֳרִיtserîy tsŏrîy · balsamH6875
• and myrrhלֹטlôţ · myrrhH3910
• goingהָלַךְhâlak · to go: journeyH1980
• downיָרַדyârad · to go downH3381
• to Egyptמִצְרַ֫יִםmitsrayim · EgyptH4714

Cross-references for Genesis 37:25

• Esther 3:15King Xerxes told his men to take the letters quickly to all the people. They also read the law to the people in Susa city. Then Haman and the king sat down to drink wine together. But the people in the city were very upset.
• Psalms 14:4Will those evil people never learn? They destroy my people, as if they are eating a meal. They never pray to the Lord.
• Proverbs 30:20A woman who is not faithful to her husband does this: When she has sex with another man, she thinks it is like a meal that she has eaten. Then she washes herself and she says, ‘I have not done anything wrong.’ That is something else that I cannot understand.
• Amos 6:6You drink lots of wine. You put beautiful oils on your bodies. But you are not sad that Joseph's descendants are destroying themselves as a nation.
• Genesis 37:28When the Midianite traders came near to Joseph's brothers, they pulled him out of the dry well. They sold him to the Ishmaelites for 20 silver coins. The Ishmaelites took Joseph with them to Egypt.
• Genesis 16:11The angel of the Lord said to Hagar, ‘Now you are pregnant and you will give birth to a son. When you cried in pain, the Lord heard you, so you must give your son the name “Ishmael”.
• Genesis 25:1Abraham then married another woman. Her name was Keturah.
• Genesis 31:23So Laban took his relatives with him and he followed Jacob. After seven days, he found him in the hill country of Gilead.
• Psalms 83:6Those enemies are Edomites and Ishmaelites, Moabites and Hagrites.
• Genesis 31:21Jacob went away quickly and he took all his things. He went across the Euphrates river. He went towards the hill country of Gilead.
• Genesis 43:11Then their father Jacob said to them, ‘If you must take Benjamin, do what I tell you. Put some of the best things from our land in your bags. Take them to the man as a gift. Take some oil, some honey and some spices. Also take some myrrh, and some nuts.
• Jeremiah 8:22Surely there is a medicine in Gilead. There is a doctor there who can make my dear people better. But my people are still ill. Why are they not better?

Commentaries on Genesis 37:25

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 25They sat down to eat bread - Every act is perfectly in character, and describes forcibly the brutish and diabolic nature of their ruthless souls. A company of Ishmaelites - We may naturally suppose that this was a caravan, composed of different tribes that, for their greater safety, were traveling together, and of which Ishmaelites and Midianites made the chief. In the Chaldee they are called Arabians, which, from ערב arab, to mingle, was in all…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 1-36Verses 1-36 - Joseph Was Sold into Egypt 17. דתין dotayı̂n Dothain, “two wells?” (Gesenius) 25. נכאת neko't “tragacanth” or goat‘s-thorn gum, yielded by the “astragalus gummifer”, a native of Mount Lebanon. צרי tsērı̂y “opobalsamum,” the resin of the balsam tree, growing in Gilead, and having healing qualities. לט loṭ ͂ lēdon “ledum, ladanum,” in the Septuagint ́ staktē The former is a gum produced from the cistus rose. The latter is a gum resembling…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 23-30Verses 23-30 They threw Joseph into a pit, to perish there with hunger and cold; so cruel were their tender mercies. They slighted him when he was in distress, and were not grieved for the affliction of Joseph, see Am 6:6; for when he was pining in the pit, they sat down to eat bread. They felt no remorse of conscience for the sin. But the wrath of man shall praise God, and the remainder of wrath he will restrain, Psa 76:10. Joseph's brethren were…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 25-28The Ishmaelite traders were descendants of the slave child who was cast out for mocking Isaac. Now they would enslave Joseph. When he was sold for 20 pieces of silver and carried to Egypt, he was at least preserved alive.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 2525. they sat down to eat bread--What a view does this exhibit of those hardened profligates! Their common share in this conspiracy is not the only dismal feature in the story. The rapidity, the almost instantaneous manner in which the proposal was followed by their joint resolution, and the cool indifference, or rather the fiendish satisfaction, with which they sat down to regale themselves, is astonishing. It is impossible that mere envy at his dreams…Read the comment

Topics related to Genesis 37:25

• Balm
• Camel
• Commerce
• Egypt
• Exports
• Gilead
• Imports
• Ishmaelites
• Jealousy
• Joseph
• Midianites
• Myrrh
• Reuben
• Spices

In the dictionaries

• Egypt
• Gilead
• Egypt, Egyptian
• Gilead, Gileadite
• Balm
• Camel
• Coat
• Conceal
• Deceitfully
• Devour

Commentaries on Genesis 37

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Rashi on Tanakh
• Calvin’s Commentaries
• Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
• John Wesley’s Notes
• Darby Translation Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
• Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings