They Hated Him Even More (37:1-36)
Neal Pollard
Moses lays down one more peg in the progression of this inspired account, with the repeated marker “these are the records of the generations…” (2). He focuses on Jacob’s sons and most especially “the son of his old age,” Joseph (3). Jacob’s father and mother had played favorites, to disastrous results. Despite himself, Jacob (Israel) “loved Joseph more than all his sons” (3). This created destructive dysfunction.
He indicates this elevated favor with a tunic. While the Septuagint (Greek O.T.) and Vulgate call it a coat of “many colors,” it was likely an expensive, ornamented, and long robe. A great discussion of this is found in Reyburn and Fry’s “A Handbook On Genesis”: “Speiser finds support in cuneiform inventories that suggest it was ‘an ornamented tunic,’ that is, a tunic or robe that was decorated by sewing ornaments to the cloth. Von Rad describes it as ‘a luxury which only those who did not have to work could think of having.’ In summary the garment may refer to a robe, coat, or long shirt-like piece of clothing. It was clearly a very special garment that gave Joseph a status not shared by his brothers” (848).
With this tension in the background, we find the pivotal actions of this chapter resonating throughout the rest of the book of Genesis (with the exception of Moses’ inclusion of Judah’s indiscretion with Tamar in chapter 38; that is an aside which helps provide an emphasis on this final “toledoth” on Judah and Joseph whose descendants would be most prominent among the tribes). Let us notice some important features of this chapter, wherein Joseph’s favor led to his fall.
The favoritism (1-4). Jacob’s foolish decision to make a special coat for his favorite son is only one way we see the favoritism highlighted. Moses casts a contrast by mentioning the maids of Rachel and Leah, underlings of less favored status than Joseph. The mention of Bilhah and Zilpah make us think of Rachel when we read about Joseph. Moses then notes that Joseph is the son of his old age.
The fuel for their fury (3-11). While their later behavior is wholly unjustified, we can sympathize to some degree with the brothers’ dislike of Joseph. Not only do they resent the special status signified by the tunic (4), but there is the bad report Joseph gave his father about them (2) topped off by the two dreams that must have seemed the height of audacity (5-10). In both dreams, his family would bow down to him. The brothers are jealous (11), and even his father rebukes him for sharing the dream (10). We are left to wonder if Joseph struggles with either immaturity or self-righteousness, but the greater fault lies with the brothers and how their resentment grew into something far more sinister.
The fateful fall (12-30,36). Things dramatically change one particular day when his brothers are tending the sheep in Shechem. Jacob sends Joseph to check on his brothers (12). Many have observed the steady stream of providence flowing through this entire account. For Joseph, this begins with the events already highlighted that led his brothers to hate him. But it can be seen in the minute details of the account. Joseph is lost and happens to run into a man who knew where his brothers were (15-17). They move their flocks from Shechem to Dothan, which puts them where a caravan route was (17,28). Reuben will happen to be present to ensure Joseph isn’t killed by his jealous brothers, but is absent when Judah recommends they sell him to the Midianite traders (28). The traders take him to Egypt and sell him to Potiphar, Pharaoh’s officer, captain of his bodyguard (36). Judah will sell them on the idea of making profit on their hated brother rather than bringing blood-guiltiness on themselves by killing him (27).
Matthews notes, “This garment introduces the important literary idea of clothing in the Joseph narrative. The bestowal and removal of Joseph’s attire signified change in his social standing. The stripping of his garment by his brothers (v. 23) and the seizure of his cloak by Potiphar’s wife (39:12–13) represented his descending status—from favored son to slave, from slave overseer to prisoner. The snatched garments were used in both cases to bolster false claims against Joseph” (NAC, 689).
The forlorn father (31-35). The brothers sell the lie to their brother by dipping Joseph’s tunic in goat’s blood and through insinuation and deception convincing their father that Joseph was dead. This causes Jacob protracted (34) and inconsolable grief (35). As he had lost Joseph’s mother, his favored wife, prematurely, now he had lost his favored son. Unbeknownst to him, Joseph was alive if not well in Potiphar’s house.
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