And when they saw him afar off, even before he came near unto them, they conspired against him to slay him.

GENESIS 37:18KJV
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Genesis 37:18 (KJV)

What does Genesis 37:18 mean?

Genesis 37:18 describes how Joseph’s brothers saw him coming from a distance and, before he reached them, they began plotting together to kill him. The verse shows the brothers’ intent and the seriousness of their hostility toward Joseph.

In this scene, Joseph is approaching his brothers in the fields, sent by their father Jacob to check on them. The brothers recognize Joseph while he is still far away and immediately start conspiring against him. This moment marks the beginning of the brothers’ betrayal, setting in motion the events that will lead to Joseph being sold into slavery.

The Hebrew behind Genesis 37:18

  • "Saw" (רָאָה, ra'ah): This word means to see or perceive. The brothers’ act of seeing Joseph from afar is not just noticing him but recognizing who he is and what he represents to them.
  • "Off" (רָחוֹק, rachoq): This word means "far" or "distant." The detail that Joseph was still far away when they began plotting highlights how premeditated their actions were—they did not wait for him to arrive or hear what he had to say.
  • "Conspired" (נָכַל, nakhal): This word often carries the idea of cunning or plotting together with intent to deceive or harm. It shows that the brothers’ plan was deliberate and calculated, not a sudden outburst.
  • "Slay" (מוּת, muth): This word means "to kill" or "to put to death." The use of this word makes clear that their initial intent was not just to harm Joseph but to end his life.

Why Genesis 37:18 matters

  • This verse makes clear that the brothers’ decision to harm Joseph was not a spur-of-the-moment reaction but a planned conspiracy, showing the depth of their resentment.
  • The detail that they plotted "before he came near" emphasizes the coldness and seriousness of their intentions, not giving Joseph a chance to speak or defend himself.
  • Genesis 37:18 sets the stage for the dramatic events that follow in Joseph’s story, highlighting the brokenness within Jacob’s family and the beginning of Joseph’s journey to Egypt.

Where else these words appear

“conspired” Hebrew H5230 · used in 4 verses

  • Numbers 25:18 For they vex you with their wiles, wherewith they have beguiled you in the matter of Peor, and in the matter of Cozbi, the daughter of a prince of Midian, their sister, which was slain in the day of the plague for Peor's sake.
  • Psalms 105:25 He turned their heart to hate his people, to deal subtilly with his servants.
  • Malachi 1:14 But cursed be the deceiver, which hath in his flock a male, and voweth, and sacrificeth unto the Lord a corrupt thing: for I am a great King, saith the LORD of hosts, and my name is dreadful among the heathen.

“off” Hebrew H7350 · used in 84 verses

  • Genesis 22:4 Then on the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes, and saw the place afar off.
  • 2 Chronicles 26:15 And he made in Jerusalem engines, invented by cunning men, to be on the towers and upon the bulwarks, to shoot arrows and great stones withal. And his name spread far abroad; for he was marvellously helped, till he was strong.
  • Isaiah 37:26 Hast thou not heard long ago, how I have done it; and of ancient times, that I have formed it? now have I brought it to pass, that thou shouldest be to lay waste defenced cities into ruinous heaps.