KING JAMES VERSION (KJV)
TRANSLATION, MEANING, CONTEXT
To get what Genesis 37:20 means based on its source text, scroll down or follow these links for the original scriptural meaning , biblical context and relative popularity.
“Come now therefore, and let us slay him, and cast him into some pit, and we will say, Some evil beast hath devoured him: and we shall see what will become of his dreams.”
What does this verse really mean? Use this table to get a word-for-word translation of the original Hebrew Scripture. This shows the English words related to the source biblical texts along with brief definitions. Follow the buttons in the right-hand column for detailed definitions and verses that use the same root words. Use this reference information to gain deeper insight into the Bible and enrich your understanding. Information based on Strong's Exhaustive Concordance[1].
| KJV Verse | Original Hebrew | Meaning/ Definition This is a simplified translation of the original Hebrew word. Follow the buttons on the right to get more detail. | More Use the buttons below to get details on the Hebrew word and view related Bible verses that use the same root word. |
|---|---|---|---|
| “Come” | לְכ֣וּ | To walk (in a great variety of applications, literally and figuratively) | Come |
| “now” | וְעַתָּ֣ה׀ | At this time, whether adverb, conjunction or expletive | now |
| “therefore, and let us slay” | וְנַֽהַרְגֵ֗הוּ | To smite with deadly intent | therefore let slay |
| “him, and cast” | וְנַשְׁלִכֵ֙הוּ֙ | To throw out, down or away (literally or figuratively) | cast |
| “him into some” | בְּאַחַ֣ד | Properly, united, i.e., one; or (as an ordinal) first | some |
| “pit,” | הַבֹּר֔וֹת | A pit hole (especially one used as a cistern or a prison) | pit |
| “and we will say,” | וְאָמַ֕רְנוּ | To say (used with great latitude) | say |
| “Some evil” | רָעָ֖ה | Bad or (as noun) evil (natural or moral) | Some evil |
| “beast” | חַיָּ֥ה | Alive; hence, raw (flesh); fresh (plant, water, year), strong; also (as noun, especially in the feminine singular and masculine plural) life (or living thing), whether literally or figuratively | beast |
| “hath devoured” | אֲכָלָ֑תְהוּ | To eat (literally or figuratively) | devoured |
| “him: and we shall see” | וְנִרְאֶ֕ה | To see, literally or figuratively (in numerous applications, direct and implied, transitive, intransitive and causative) | see |
| “what” | מַה | Properly, interrogative what? (including how? why? when?); but also exclamation, what! (including how!), or indefinitely what (including whatever, and even relatively, that which); often used with prefixes in various adverbial or conjunctive senses | what |
| “will become” | יִּֽהְי֖וּ | To exist, i.e., be or become, come to pass (always emphatic, and not a mere copula or auxiliary) | become |
| “of his dreams.” | חֲלֹֽמֹתָֽיו׃ | A dream | dreams |
See Genesis 37:20 with its adjacent verses in bold below. Follow either of the two large buttons below to see these verses in their broader context of the King James Bible or a Bible concordance.
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18 And when they saw him afar off, even before he came near unto them, they conspired against him to slay him.
19 And they said one to another, Behold, this dreamer cometh.
20 Come now therefore, and let us slay him, and cast him into some pit, and we will say, Some evil beast hath devoured him: and we shall see what will become of his dreams.
21 And Reuben heard it, and he delivered him out of their hands; and said, Let us not kill him.
22 And Reuben said unto them, Shed no blood, but cast him into this pit that is in the wilderness, and lay no hand upon him; that he might rid him out of their hands, to deliver him to his father again.
The King James Bible (1611) and Strong's Concordance (1890) with Hebrew and Greek dictionaries are sourced from the BibleForgeDB database (https://github.com/bibleforge) within the BibleForge project (http://bibleforge.com). Popularity rankings are based on search volume data from the Google AdWords Keyword Planner tool.