New English Translation
Genesis 37:25
25When they sat down to eat their food, they looked up and saw a caravan of Ishmaelites coming from Gilead. Their camels were carrying spices, balm, and myrrh down to Egypt.
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
23When Joseph reached his brothers, they stripped him of his tunic, the special tunic that he wore. 24Then they took him and threw him into the cistern. (Now the cistern was empty; there was no water in it.) When they sat down to eat their food, they looked up and saw a caravan of Ishmaelites coming from Gilead. Their camels were carrying spices, balm, and myrrh down to Egypt. 26Then Judah said to his brothers, “What profit is there if we kill our brother and cover up his blood? 27Come, let’s sell him to the Ishmaelites, but let’s not lay a hand on him, for after all, he is our brother, our own flesh.” His brothers agreed.
Read all of Genesis 37Genesis 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 3:15The messengers scurried forth with the king’s order. The edict was issued in Susa the citadel. While the king and Haman sat down to drink, the city of Susa was in an uproar!
- Psalms 14:4All those who behave wickedly do not understand – those who devour my people as if they were eating bread, and do not call out to the Lord.
- Proverbs 30:20This is the way of an adulterous woman: she eats and wipes her mouth and says, “I have not done wrong.”
- Amos 6:6They drink wine from sacrificial bowls, and pour the very best oils on themselves. Yet they are not concerned over the ruin of Joseph.
- Genesis 37:28So when the Midianite merchants passed by, Joseph’s brothers pulled him out of the cistern and sold him to the Ishmaelites for twenty pieces of silver. The Ishmaelites then took Joseph to Egypt.
- Genesis 16:11Then the Lord’s angel said to her, “You are now pregnant and are about to give birth to a son. You are to name him Ishmael, for the Lord has heard your painful groans.
- Genesis 25:1Abraham had taken another wife, named Keturah.
- Genesis 31:23So he took his relatives with him and pursued Jacob for seven days. He caught up with him in the hill country of Gilead.
- Psalms 83:6It includes the tents of Edom and the Ishmaelites, Moab and the Hagrites,
- Genesis 31:21He left with all he owned. He quickly crossed the Euphrates River and headed for the hill country of Gilead.
- Genesis 43:11Then their father Israel said to them, “If it must be so, then do this: Take some of the best products of the land in your bags, and take a gift down to the man – a little balm and a little honey, spices and myrrh, pistachios and almonds.
- Jeremiah 8:22There is still medicinal ointment available in Gilead! There is still a physician there! Why then have my dear people not been restored to health?
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
In the dictionaries
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
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