[[Gen-37]] Prev: [[Prophecies in Gen-36]] | Next: [[Prophecies in Gen-38]] --- ### for behold, we were binding sheaves in the field, and behold, my sheaf arose and also stood upright; and behold, your sheaves came around, and bowed down to my sheaf. *Type*: prophecy *Summary*: Joseph dreams that his brothers' sheaves of grain bow down to his own, predicting his future rise to power and their eventual submission to him. *Historical context*: Theologians and biblical scholars identify the fulfillment of this prophecy in [[Gen-42#v6|Genesis 42:6]], where Joseph's brothers travel to Egypt to buy grain during a severe famine and prostrate themselves before Joseph, who had become the governor of Egypt. The use of 'sheaves' (grain) in the dream is noted by commentators as a specific reference to the agricultural commodity that would eventually lead his brothers to bow to him. *Related to*: ### behold, the sun and the moon and eleven stars bowed down to me. *Type*: prophecy *Summary*: Joseph's second dream depicts the sun, moon, and eleven stars bowing to him, which is interpreted by his father Jacob as a prediction that the entire family will one day bow before him. *Historical context*: This prophecy is widely regarded as fulfilled when the entire house of Israel, including Jacob and his remaining sons, moved to Egypt and became dependent on Joseph's administration ([[Gen|Genesis 47]]). While literal prostration by Jacob is debated, the total submission of the family to Joseph's rule and protection is considered the realization of the celestial imagery. The eleven stars specifically represent the other eleven brothers. *Related to*: ### Midianites who were merchants passed by, and they drew and lifted up Joseph out of the pit, and sold Joseph to the Ishmaelites for twenty pieces of silver. The merchants brought Joseph into Egypt. *Type*: fulfillment *Summary*: Joseph is sold by his brothers and transported to Egypt as a slave, beginning the Israelites' long-term residence in the land. *Historical context*: Scholars identify this event as the starting point for the fulfillment of the prophecy given to Abraham in [[Gen-15#v13|Genesis 15:13]], where God foretold that Abraham's descendants would be 'strangers in a land that is not theirs' and would eventually be enslaved. Joseph's entry into Egypt marks the geographical transition that led to the four-hundred-year period of Egyptian bondage and the eventual Exodus. *Related to*: [[Gen-15#v13|Genesis 15:13]] --- #ai_prophecy