in the piel form combined with the dreams have a counting or numbering aspect. The qal and niphal forms of ספר occur five times in Genesis, with the meaning “to count.”19 Joseph’s first dream causes his brothers to hate him even more. In this dream Joseph’s sheaf rises up (קמה, from קום), and the sheaves of his brothers gather around it and bow down (ותשׁתחוין, from חוה). The verb חוה is used 170 times in the Old Testament and 23 times in Genesis, and while the common meaning is “to bow down,” the
Page 72