Genesis 37:16Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

Consider the diligence with which he searches for his siblings - he toils, he investigates, and he exhaustively endeavors to find them.

Upon receiving his father's instructions, Joseph set out with joy to meet his brothers, carrying with him the peace of their father and his own deep concern for them. However, he lost his path and was unable to locate his brothers tending to their flocks. In his distress and sorrow for their absence, a man encountered him and directed him along the right way.

Joseph replied, "I am searching for my brothers; do you not know where they are tending their flocks?"