Genesis 37:2
This study deals with a question that arises from Genesis 37:2.
With whom did Joseph pasture the flock?
In the NIV, verse 2b says,
Joseph, a young man of seventeen, was tending the flocks with his brothers, the sons of Bilhah and the sons of Zilpah, his father’s wives,
In the NASV, verse 2b says,
Joseph, when he was seventeen years of age, was pasturing the flock with his brothers, while he was still a youth, along with the sons of Bilhah and the sons of Zilpah, his father’s wives.
We see different accounts in the two versions on who were Joseph’s companions in the pasturing of their father’s sheep.
The question is, who were Joseph with, in pasturing their father’s flock
The NIV indicates that it was only the 4 brothers, the 2 sons of Bilhah and the 2 sons of Zilpah.
However, the NASV says that he was with his brothers, along with the sons of Bilhah and the sons of Zilpah, his father’s wives.
The NASB translation retains much of the word order of the original Hebrew sentence.
The Hebrew sentence structure allows phrases to be simply added to the sentence. These phrases could be parenthetical in nature. That is, they function like parenthesis or brackets. We use brackets to give additional information. So, the narrator can provide additional information through these phrases.
Here we have the phrases, ‘with the sons of Bilhah and with the sons of Zilpah’ added to the sentence.
The NIV considers the phrases ‘with the sons of Bilhah and with the sons of Zilpah’ as defining the brothers. However, in the original word order, these phrases do not come immediately after the word, ‘brothers’.
The word order in Hebrew is like this,
‘Joseph of age seven and ten years was feeding with his brothers the flock and he a youth with the sons of Bilhah and with the sons of Zilpah wives of his father’
We see that the phrases ‘with the sons of Bilhah and with the sons of Zilpah’ are not placed immediately after the word, ‘brothers’. They follow after a contrast, ‘and he a youth’. So, it is less likely that the phrases are meant to define who the brothers are. It is more likely acting as a parenthetical clause giving more information.
That is, besides the brothers, the sons of Bilhah and Zilpah were also there.
This means the children of Leah are immediately recognized as Joseph’s brothers. We can see that the writer uses an economy of words. The reader is to recognize that the ‘brothers’ refer to the children of Leah. He does not need to qualify this.
The writer wants to give information that the children of Bilhah and Zilpah are present. The writer also wants the readers to begin recognizing them as brothers. This is supported by the writer adding the description, wives of his father, after the name of Zilpah. Bilhah and Zilpah are no more just maids. They are to be recognized as wives. Everyone is accounted for in his few words.
We see that the writer uses a contrast, ‘and he a youth’. This contrast is more appropriate if the brothers, against whom Joseph is contrasted, are the elder ones.
The context also favours ‘brothers’ in verse 2 as primarily referring to the children of Leah.
The word ‘brothers’ in the rest of Chapter 37 would include the children of Leah. Joseph’s main antagonists would probably be them.
The writer, in verse 2, would want to include the older ones in the contrast of characters that he made.
He would want to include the older ones, as those whose conduct Joseph opposed. He brings a bad report to their father. This lays the stage for the further jealousy and hatred that follows.
It would be preferable to take Genesis 37:2 as indicating that Joseph was with the children of Leah, Zilpa and Bilhah in pasturing their father’s flock.