Genesis 37:20 Meaning: Human Hatred vs. God's Unstoppable Promise
Come now therefore, and let’s kill him, and cast him into one of the pits, and we will say, ‘An evil animal has devoured him.’ We will see what will become of his dreams.”
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.
Come now therefore, and let us slay him, and cast him into one of the pits, and we will say, An evil beast hath devoured him: and we shall see what will become of his dreams.
and now, come, and we slay him, and cast him into one of the pits, and have said, An evil beast hath devoured him; and we see what his dreams are.'
And now come and let us kill him, and cast him into one of the pits, and we will say, An evil beast has devoured him; and we will see what becomes of his dreams.
Meaning in one sentence
The brothers plotted to kill Joseph and destroy his dreams. But Genesis 37:20 shows how human sin cannot thwart God's sovereign purpose.
Context
This verse is the ugly heart of the story. Jacob had sent Joseph to check on his brothers, who were pasturing the flocks near Shechem. When they saw him coming from a distance, they did not greet him. They conspired to kill him. The hatred had been simmering ever since Joseph told them his dreams, dreams that seemed to say he would rule over them. Now, far from home, they saw their chance. They planned to throw him into a dry cistern and tell their father a wild animal had killed him. The last line is pure mockery: we will see what becomes of his dreams.
Key Words
Three words press hardest here. First, the verb behind “let us kill” (harag) means to slay with brutal intent. It is the same word used for murder, for the violence that comes from a heart set on destruction. The brothers are not angry in the moment; they are calmly planning a killing. Second, “pits” (borot) refers to cisterns carved into rock to store rainwater. In that dry land, a cistern without water was a death trap. To throw someone into one was to abandon them to a slow, unseen end. Third, the brothers say “we will see”, the Hebrew verb ra’ah means to look with the intent to judge. They are not curious. They are defying God Himself, daring Him to let Joseph’s dreams stand against their scheme.
How Christians Read This Verse
Calvin saw here the stupidity of human hypocrisy: the brothers feared shame before men but had no fear of God. They put a pretty face on extreme evil. Adam Clarke called them ferocious savages and said this shows how desperately the world needs divine revelation. Matthew Henry highlighted Reuben’s attempt to rescue Joseph, noting that even in the darkest family betrayal, God raises up one voice of mercy. Across traditions, readers have seen in this verse a picture of how sin tries to strangle God’s word, and how helpless it is to succeed.
A common misunderstanding
Some read the brothers’ mockery, ‘we will see what becomes of his dreams’, as mere cruel taunting. In fact, it reveals something deeper. As Calvin notes, they are boasting that death will undo what God has said. They are fighting against heaven. This is not just sibling rivalry; it is rebellion against God’s revealed purpose. And that is a mistake we still make: we think our plans can override His promises if we are strong enough to enforce them.
Living This Out
You may be living inside a version of this story right now. Someone has dismissed your calling. Circumstances have collapsed around a promise you believed God gave you. You hear the echo: We will see what becomes of that dream. Let this verse free you from the need to prove them wrong. The brothers acted. They threw Joseph into the pit. But the dream did not die in the pit, it came to life in Egypt. Your task this week is not to defend God’s plan; it is to trust that He can work through pits and prisons and long silences. The mockers do not have the final word.
Main takeaway: No human plot can stop what God has promised; even the darkest schemes serve His unstoppable purpose.
For Families
For ages 5, 8
Joseph's brothers were very angry at him. They planned to hurt him and throw him into a deep, empty well. They thought they could stop his dreams from coming true. But God's plans are bigger than any bad plan.
For ages 9, 12
Joseph's brothers were so jealous of his dreams that they decided to kill him. They made up a lie to cover what they did. They thought if Joseph died, his dreams would die too. But God's promises don't break just because people try to stop them. This verse shows us that even when everything looks hopeless, God is still in control. The brothers didn't know it yet, but they were about to make God's plan happen, even by doing something terrible.
Questions People Ask
Why were Joseph's brothers so furious about his dreams?
The dreams showed Joseph ruling over them, sheaves bowing, sun, moon, and stars bowing. To the brothers, this sounded like arrogant boasting. But the real issue was envy: they knew God was revealing something, and they refused to accept it. They would rather kill the messenger than bend their pride.
Did the brothers actually kill Joseph?
No. Reuben talked them out of murder, suggesting they throw Joseph into a pit instead, hoping to rescue him later. Then Judah proposed selling him to passing traders. So Joseph was sold into slavery, not killed. But the intention of the heart in verse 20 was murder, and God held them accountable for that intent.
What does 'we will see what becomes of his dreams' mean?
It is a taunt, but more than that: it is a challenge to God. The brothers are saying, 'Let's see if your dreams survive our action.' They are treating God's word as if it depends on human permission. Calvin called this a proud boast against God. They learned, eventually, that God's word does not need our cooperation, He fulfills it through our opposition.
Does this verse teach that God causes people to sin?
No. The brothers freely chose hatred and violence. God did not make them sin. But as the rest of the story shows, God is so sovereign that He can take even evil actions and weave them into His good plan. Christians see this as a mystery: human responsibility and divine sovereignty both stand, and we do not need to resolve the tension, only trust both.
How should a Christian respond when someone mocks their faith or calling?
Remember Joseph. He did not fight back or try to prove his dreams true. He endured the pit and the prison, trusting that God was still with him. You do not need to defend God's promise with harsh words or frantic action. You can rest, because the same God who raised Joseph from the pit is at work in your situation, even when others mock.
For pastors & researchers
Hebrew interlinear, 8 commentaries & word study