His brothers spotted him from far³³, and began talking about him, angrily, mockingly, certainly not brotherly.

“Here comes the dreamer,” Bilhah’s and Zilpah’s sons said³⁴. 

“Yeah, the tale bearer,” said another.

“Yup,” chimed in another, “father’s personal spy. You know, that is really what pisses me off, that father does not fully trust us and sends this spoiled brat after us to see if we are doing what is right in his eyes, or anything wrong.”

“Exactly,” another one joined into that discussion, while watching Joseph coming closer. “There he goes, telling us his stupid dreams³⁵, actually implying that he is better than we are? And while we are doing all the hard work, Dad keeps this puppy of a son soft and save at home, not only giving him an education but on top of it he makes him the future heir and chieftain…”

Actually, they were jealous of him and hated him for all of this, and could not speak to him on friendly terms^36.

“That’s what really gets me,” another fell into the conversation. “This is so unfair, so unjust for father to do. Reuben is the first born and to him belongs the chieftain’s coat and the future leadership of our family clan,” the half brother spoke in pretended righteous indignation for Reuben’s sake.

Indeed, all of them were Joseph’s half brothers, for while they all had Jacob for father, they did not have all the same mother. In fact, it were the sons of Jacob’s concubines – Dan and Naphtali, full brothers by Bilhah, Rachel’s former maid; and Gad and Asher, full brothers by Zilpah, Leah’s maid - who most resented their father’s favoritism of Joseph, whom they not only disliked heartily for this reason, but moreover hated him since the time when Joseph, then seventeen years of age, was pasturing the flock together with them. Joseph tattle-taled bad things about them to Jacob³⁷. 

Just who did this spoiled brat think that he was? A prince before whom they would bow? Yeah, a dreamer on a bunny-trail, that’s who he was with his ridiculous dreams.

Then one of them whistled through his teeth, then whispered so Joseph wouldn’t hear it: “And here he comes, actually wearing this damned coat, showing off. Is he trying to prove to us that one day he will be ruling over us, telling us what to do, and we shall bow before him?³⁸ Man, that pisses me off.”

“Me, too,” several of them said as with one voice.

“Let’s put an end to his bunny-trail of dreams. Let’s show him the reality of life – let’s kill him and get rid of this show-off dreamer for good.”

“But what will we tell father?” one asked.

“We’ll say, ‘A wild beast devoured him,’” another replied.

“Yeah, good idea. Then let us see what will become of his dreams.”³⁹