Bible Strands
Genesis 37:17
“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.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — A local man answers Joseph’s inquiry about his brothers’ location, reporting that the flock has left the area. Joseph then travels to Dothan to locate his brothers.
The words — The Hebrew verb נָסְעוּ (na.se.'U) literally means “they have departed,” marking the brothers’ physical relocation. The phrase נֵלְכָה (ne.le.Khah) translates to “let us go,” recording the brothers’ spoken plan that the man overheard.
The thread — The motif of inquiring about a person’s whereabouts to dispatch pursuers appears in 2 Kings 6:13, where the king seeks Elisha’s location to send captors. Both passages use a third-party report to direct movement toward a target.
Why it lands — The text records a straightforward chain of inquiry and movement that sets the brothers’ ambush in motion. It requires the reader to observe how ordinary information exchange precipitates the fulfillment of a hostile plot.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
And the man said, They are departed hence; for I heard them say, Let us go to Dothan. And Joseph went after his brethren, and found them in Dothan.
Cross-references
- 2 Kings 6:13 So the king said, “Go and see where he is, that I may send men to capture him.” On receiving the report, “Elisha is in Dothan,”