Genesis 37:33

Old Testament Law (Torah) ASV (1901)

What does Genesis 37:33 say?

The American Standard Version records this verse as: “And he knew it, and said, It is my son`s coat: an evil beast hath devoured him; Joseph is without doubt torn in pieces.” Read the surrounding verses and the named sources below before drawing broader conclusions.

The verse

And he knew it, and said, It is my son`s coat: an evil beast hath devoured him; Joseph is without doubt torn in pieces.
Genesis 37:33 — American Standard Version

Context — Genesis 37

American Standard Version (1901) — public domain. Click any verse for its study page.
33And he knew it, and said, It is my son`s coat: an evil beast hath devoured him; Joseph is without doubt torn in pieces.

What do historical commentaries say?

John Gill's Exposition
John Gill (1697–1771) · Exposition of the Old and New Testament · 18th-century historical commentary
“And he knew [it], and said, [it is] my son’s coat, etc.] He took it, and examined it, and was soon convinced, and well assured it was his son’s coat; read the words without the supplement “it is”, and the pathos will appear the more, “my son’s coat!” and think with what a beating heart, with what trembling limbs, with what wringing of hands, with what flowing eyes, and faultering speech, he spoke these words, and what follow: an evil beast hath devoured him; this was natural to conclude from the condition the coat was in, and from the country he was sent into, which abounded with wild beasts, and was the very thing Joseph’s brethren contrived to say themselves; and in this view they wished…”
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Barnes' Notes
Albert Barnes (1798–1870) · Notes on the Whole Bible · 19th-century historical commentary
“- Joseph Was Sold into Egypt 17. דתין dotayı̂n Dothain, “two wells?” (Gesenius) 25. נכאת neko't “tragacanth” or goat’s-thorn gum, yielded by the “astragalus gummifer”, a native of Mount Lebanon. צרי tsērı̂y “opobalsamum,” the resin of the balsam tree, growing in Gilead, and having healing qualities. לט loṭ, λῆδον lēdon, “ledum, ladanum,” in the Septuagint στακτή staktē. The former is a gum produced from the cistus rose. The latter is a gum resembling liquid myrrh. 36. פוטיפר pôṭı̂yphar Potiphar, “belonging to the sun.” The sketch of the race of Edom, given in the preceding piece, we have seen, reaches down to the time of Moses. Accordingly, the history of Jacob’s seed, which is…”
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Tyndale Open Study Notes
Tyndale House Publishers · Tyndale Open Study Notes · Modern study notes
“37:33 recognized: Cp. 27:23.”
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Related study paths

Sources and verification