Genesis 37. Joseph Excites the Hatred of his Brothers, and is in consequence Carried away into Egypt. With this chapter we begin the story of Joseph and his Brothers which (apart from Genesis 38, Genesis 49:1-28) fills the rest of the book. It is at once the most artistic and the most fascinating of OT biographies (Skinner). On its literary qualities see p. 22. More than any other of the patriarchal stories, it contains a plot, and of a somewhat complicated kind. It has been compiled with great skill from J and E. The parts that belong to P are trifling. Some tribal history may be preserved in the story, but in the main the figures are individual, not tribal. It is by no means impossible that it may contain an element of authentic biography, though mingled with this are other strands of folk-romance.