Adam Clarke's Bible Commentary Verse 2. These are the generations] twdlt toledoth, the history of the lives and actions of Jacob and his sons; for in this general sense the original must be taken, as in the whole of the ensuing history there is no particular account of any genealogical succession. Yet the words may be understood as referring to the tables or genealogical lists in the preceding chapter; and if so, the original must be understood in its common acceptation.
The lad was with the sons of Bilhah] It is supposed that our word lad comes from the Hebrew dly yeled, a child, a son; and that lass is a contraction of ladess, the female of lad, a girl, a young woman. Some have supposed that King James desired the translators to insert this word; but this must be a mistake, as the word occurs in this place in Edmund Becke's Bible, printed in 1549; and still earlier in that of Coverdale, printed in 1535.
Brought unto his father their evil report] Conjecture has been busily employed to find out what this evil report might be; but it is needless to inquire what it was, as on this head the sacred text is perfectly silent. All the use we can make of this information is, that it was one cause of increasing his brothers' hatred to him, which was first excited by his father's partiality, and secondly by his own dreams.
Matthew Henry Commentary
Verses 1-4 - In Joseph's history we see something of Christ, who was first humble and then exalted. It also shows the lot of Christians, who must throug many tribulations enter into the kingdom. It is a history that has non like it, for displaying the various workings of the human mind, bot good and bad, and the singular providence of God in making use of the for fulfilling his purposes. Though Joseph was his father's darling yet he was not bred up in idleness. Those do not truly love their children, who do not use them to business, and labour, and hardships The fondling of children is with good reason called the spoiling of them. Those who are trained up to do nothing, are likely to be good for nothing. But Jacob made known his love, by dressing Joseph finer tha the rest of his children. It is wrong for parents to make a differenc between one child and another, unless there is great cause for it, by the children's dutifulness, or undutifulness. When parents make difference, children soon notice it, and it leads to quarrels in families. Jacob's sons did that, when they were from under his eye which they durst not have done at home with him; but Joseph gave his father an account of their ill conduct, that he might restrain them Not as a tale-bearer, to sow discord, but as a faithful brother.
Original Hebrew אלה428 תלדות8435 יעקב3290 יוסף3130 בן1121 שׁבע7651 עשׂרה6240 שׁנה8141 היה1961 רעה7462 את854 אחיו251 בצאן6629 והוא1931 נער5288 את854 בני1121 בלהה1090 ואת854 בני1121 זלפה2153 נשׁי802 אביו1 ויבא935 יוסף3130 את853 דבתם1681 רעה7451 אל413 אביהם׃1
