Genesis 37:16
New International Version
He replied, “I’m looking for my brothers. Can you tell me where they are grazing their flocks?”

New Living Translation
“I’m looking for my brothers,” Joseph replied. “Do you know where they are pasturing their sheep?”

English Standard Version
“I am seeking my brothers,” he said. “Tell me, please, where they are pasturing the flock.”

Berean Standard Bible
“I am looking for my brothers,” Joseph replied. “Can you please tell me where they are pasturing their flocks?”

King James Bible
And he said, I seek my brethren: tell me, I pray thee, where they feed their flocks.

New King James Version
So he said, “I am seeking my brothers. Please tell me where they are feeding their flocks.

New American Standard Bible
He said, “I am looking for my brothers; please tell me where they are pasturing the flock.

NASB 1995
He said, “I am looking for my brothers; please tell me where they are pasturing the flock.”

NASB 1977
And he said, “I am looking for my brothers; please tell me where they are pasturing the flock.

Legacy Standard Bible
And he said, “I am seeking my brothers; please tell me where they are pasturing the flock.”

Amplified Bible
He said, “I am looking for my brothers. Please tell me where they are pasturing our flocks.”

Christian Standard Bible
“I’m looking for my brothers,” Joseph said. “Can you tell me where they are pasturing their flocks? ”

Holman Christian Standard Bible
I’m looking for my brothers,” Joseph said. “Can you tell me where they are pasturing their flocks?"”

American Standard Version
And he said, I am seeking my brethren: tell me, I pray thee, where they are feeding the flock.

Contemporary English Version
Joseph answered, "I'm looking for my brothers who are watching the sheep. Can you tell me where they are?"

English Revised Version
And he said, I seek my brethren: tell me, I pray thee, where they are feeding the flock.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
Joseph replied, "I'm looking for my brothers. Please tell me where they're taking care of their flocks."

Good News Translation
"I am looking for my brothers, who are taking care of their flock," he answered. "Can you tell me where they are?"

International Standard Version
"I'm searching for my brothers," he responded. "Tell me, where are they tending the flock?"

Majority Standard Bible
?I am looking for my brothers,? Joseph replied. ?Can you please tell me where they are pasturing their flocks??

NET Bible
He replied, "I'm looking for my brothers. Please tell me where they are grazing their flocks."

New Heart English Bible
He said, "I am looking for my brothers. Tell me, please, where they are pasturing the flock."

Webster's Bible Translation
And he said, I seek my brethren: tell me, I pray thee, where they feed their flocks.

World English Bible
He said, “I am looking for my brothers. Tell me, please, where they are feeding the flock.”
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
And he says, “I am seeking my brothers, please declare to me where they are feeding.”

Young's Literal Translation
and he saith, 'My brethren I am seeking, declare to me, I pray thee, where they are feeding?'

Smith's Literal Translation
And he will say, I am seeking my brethren; announce to me now where they are feeding.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
But he answered: I seek my brethren; tell me where they feed the docks.

Catholic Public Domain Version
So he responded: “I seek my brothers. Tell me where they pasture the flocks.”

New American Bible
“I am looking for my brothers,” he answered. “Please tell me where they are tending the flocks.”

New Revised Standard Version
“I am seeking my brothers,” he said; “tell me, please, where they are pasturing the flock.”
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
And he said, I am seeking my brothers; do tell me where they are feeding their flocks.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
And he said, “I am looking for my brothers; show me where they are shepherding.”
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
And he said: 'I seek my brethren. Tell me, I pray thee, where they are feeding the flock.'

Brenton Septuagint Translation
And he said, I am seeking my brethren; tell me where they feed their flocks.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Joseph Sold by His Brothers
15a man found him wandering in the field and asked, “What are you looking for?” 16“I am looking for my brothers,” Joseph replied. “Can you please tell me where they are pasturing their flocks?” 17“They have moved on from here,” the man answered. “I heard them say, ‘Let us go to Dothan.’ ” So Joseph set out after his brothers and found them at Dothan.…

Cross References
Genesis 37:14
Then Israel told him, “Go now and see how your brothers and the flocks are faring, and bring word back to me.” So he sent him off from the Valley of Hebron. And when Joseph arrived in Shechem,

Genesis 37:28
So when the Midianite traders passed by, his brothers pulled Joseph out of the pit and sold him for twenty shekels of silver to the Ishmaelites, who took him to Egypt.

Genesis 45:4
Then Joseph said to his brothers, “Please come near me.” And they did so. “I am Joseph, your brother,” he said, “the one you sold into Egypt!

Genesis 42:13
But they answered, “Your servants are twelve brothers, the sons of one man in the land of Canaan. The youngest is now with our father, and one is no more.”

Genesis 42:7-8
And when Joseph saw his brothers, he recognized them, but he treated them as strangers and spoke harshly to them. “Where have you come from?” he asked. “From the land of Canaan,” they replied. “We are here to buy food.” / Although Joseph recognized his brothers, they did not recognize him.

Genesis 50:20
As for you, what you intended against me for evil, God intended for good, in order to accomplish a day like this—to preserve the lives of many people.

Acts 7:9
Because the patriarchs were jealous of Joseph, they sold him as a slave into Egypt. But God was with him

Genesis 41:51
Joseph named the firstborn Manasseh, saying, “God has made me forget all my hardship and all my father’s household.”

Genesis 39:1
Meanwhile, Joseph had been taken down to Egypt, where an Egyptian named Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh and captain of the guard, bought him from the Ishmaelites who had taken him there.

Genesis 44:18-34
Then Judah approached Joseph and said, “Sir, please let your servant speak personally to my lord. Do not be angry with your servant, for you are equal to Pharaoh himself. / My lord asked his servants, ‘Do you have a father or a brother?’ / And we answered, ‘We have an elderly father and a younger brother, the child of his old age. The boy’s brother is dead. He is the only one of his mother’s sons left, and his father loves him.’ ...

Genesis 49:22-26
Joseph is a fruitful vine—a fruitful vine by a spring, whose branches scale the wall. / The archers attacked him with bitterness; they aimed at him in hostility. / Yet he steadied his bow, and his strong arms were tempered by the hands of the Mighty One of Jacob, in the name of the Shepherd, the Rock of Israel, ...

Psalm 105:17
He sent a man before them—Joseph, sold as a slave.

Acts 7:14
Then Joseph sent for his father Jacob and all his relatives, seventy-five in all.

Genesis 45:8
Therefore it was not you who sent me here, but God, who has made me a father to Pharaoh—lord of all his household and ruler over all the land of Egypt.

Genesis 46:29
Joseph prepared his chariot and went there to meet his father Israel. Joseph presented himself to him, embraced him, and wept profusely.


Treasury of Scripture

And he said, I seek my brothers: tell me, I pray you, where they feed their flocks.

seek.

Luke 19:10
For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.

tell me.

Song of Solomon 1:7
Tell me, O thou whom my soul loveth, where thou feedest, where thou makest thy flock to rest at noon: for why should I be as one that turneth aside by the flocks of thy companions?

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Genesis 37
1. Joseph is loved by Jacob, but hated by his brothers.
5. His dreams and the interpretation.
12. Jacob sends him to his brothers, who counsel to slay him.
21. At Reuben's desire they cast him into a pit;
25. and afterwards sell him to the Ishmaelites;
29. while Ruben grieves at not finding him.
31. His coat, covered with blood, is sent to Jacob, who mourns him inordinately.
36. Joseph is brought to Egypt and sold to Potiphar.














I am looking for my brothers
This phrase begins with Joseph's earnest quest, highlighting his familial duty and the importance of kinship in ancient Hebrew culture. The Hebrew root for "brothers" is "אַחִים" (achim), which not only refers to biological siblings but also conveys a sense of community and shared identity. Joseph's search is emblematic of the broader biblical theme of seeking reconciliation and unity within the family of God.

Can you tell me where they are pasturing their flocks?
The act of pasturing flocks is deeply rooted in the nomadic lifestyle of the patriarchs, reflecting their dependence on God's provision through the land. The Hebrew word for "pasturing" is "רֹעִים" (ro'im), which also means shepherding, a role often associated with leadership and care. This imagery foreshadows Joseph's future role as a leader who will shepherd his people through times of famine and trial. The question itself underscores Joseph's obedience to his father Jacob's instructions, demonstrating his integrity and responsibility.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
“I am
אָנֹכִ֣י (’ā·nō·ḵî)
Pronoun - first person common singular
Strong's 595: I

looking for
מְבַקֵּ֑שׁ (mə·ḇaq·qêš)
Verb - Piel - Participle - masculine singular
Strong's 1245: To search out, to strive after

my brothers,”
אַחַ֖י (’a·ḥay)
Noun - masculine plural construct | first person common singular
Strong's 251: A brother, )

Joseph replied.
וַיֹּ֕אמֶר (way·yō·mer)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 559: To utter, say

“Can you please tell me
הַגִּֽידָה־ (hag·gî·ḏāh-)
Verb - Hifil - Imperative - masculine singular | third person feminine singular
Strong's 5046: To be conspicuous

where
אֵיפֹ֖ה (’ê·p̄ōh)
Interrogative
Strong's 375: What place?, when?, how?

they
הֵ֥ם (hêm)
Pronoun - third person masculine plural
Strong's 1992: They

are pasturing their flocks?”
רֹעִֽים׃ (rō·‘îm)
Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine plural
Strong's 7462: To tend a, flock, pasture it, in, to graze, to rule, to associate with


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OT Law: Genesis 37:16 He said I am looking for my (Gen. Ge Gn)
Genesis 37:15
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