Knowing The Word in Genesis 37:1-4, Joseph's Robe

1 Jacob lived in the land of his father's sojournings, in the land of Canaan.

2 These are the generations of Jacob. [Another new section that tells the Joseph story, which is the most closely integrated part of the patriarchal narrative. It is often referred to as a short story.]

Joseph, being seventeen years old, was pasturing the flock with his brothers. He was a boy with the sons of Bilhah and Zilpah, his father's wives. And Joseph brought a bad report of them to their father. [Whether this report was true or not, we do not know, but the Hebrew term for report highly suggests it was untrue. It seems highly likely Joseph misrepresented his brothers to his father, his father believed him, and his brothers hated him for it. Why is Jacob the deceiver so easily deceived?] 3 Now Israel loved Joseph more than any other of his sons [long history of favoritism in Jacob’s family], because he was the son of his old age. And he made him a robe of many colors. [This translation is based on the LXX and Vulgate translations. It could be in the original Hebrew that the coat was especially long rather than colorful.] 4 But when his brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers, they hated him and could not speak peacefully to him. [The narrator gives us special insight into what is happening. They hate him so much they cannot “speak peacefully” with him. You will notice that unlike when Abram’s name was changed to Abraham and Abram was never used again by the narrator, this narrator goes back and forth between Jacob and Israel. Jacob is used 31 times and Israel 20 times from here to the end of Genesis. Generally, Jacob refers to the historical individual and Israel to the people. When Israel is used of the individual, it seems to allude to his position as head of his clan, whereas Jacob seems to be used where his human weakness is most obvious. This fits with the etymology of the names Jacob (struggler/deceiver) and Israel (prevailer with God).]