Genesis 37:31-33
Then they took Joseph’s robe and slaughtered a goat and dipped the robe in the blood. And they sent the robe of many colors and brought it to their father and said, “This we have found; please identify whether it is your son’s robe or not.” And he identified it and said, “It is my son’s robe. A fierce animal has devoured him. Joseph is without doubt torn to pieces.”
English Standard Version (ESV)
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The brothers' act of slaughtering a goat and using its blood to stain Joseph's robe is a chillingly deliberate forgery. This wasn't just about hiding their crime; it was about creating evidence to mimic the appearance of death by a wild animal, a calculated performance to deceive their grieving father.
Following Joseph's betrayal by his brothers and being sold into slavery, they needed a way to cover up their crime from their father, Jacob. To do this, they devised a cruel plan: they took Joseph's beloved robe, killed a young goat, and smeared the robe with its blood, intending to present it to Jacob as proof that a wild animal had devoured his favorite son.
The brothers' actions go beyond mere impulse; they are a calculated performance designed to mislead their father. This wasn't just about getting rid of Joseph; it was about crafting a story.
The brothers' decision to kill a goat and dip Joseph's robe in its blood is a chillingly deliberate act. They weren't just trying to hide the truth; they were actively fabricating evidence. The choice of a 'kid of the goats' is significant. While it mimics human blood, it also echoes sacrificial imagery, twisting a sacred element into a tool of deceit. This act highlights the depth of their hatred and their willingness to manipulate even sacred symbols to achieve their wicked ends.
While the brothers are consumed by their wicked plot, a much larger, divine drama is unfolding. This act of betrayal is, paradoxically, a step towards Joseph's destiny.
Even in the midst of such human depravity, God's sovereign hand is at work. The brothers believe they are ending Joseph's life and dreams, but God is using their evil actions to advance His own purposes. This event, though terrible for Joseph and Jacob, is a pivotal moment in God's plan to preserve His people through famine and to ultimately elevate Joseph. The deception with the robe, meant to signal death, ironically becomes a signpost on the road to Joseph's rise.
Understand the original words
kethoneth · Hebrew Noun
A long, outer garment often representing status, identity, or divine favor. In this context, it is a mark of Jacob's special affection for Joseph.
dam · Hebrew Noun
The vital fluid associated with life; in the Old Testament, it is central to sacrificial atonement and symbolizes the life of a creature. Here, it is used to deceive.
kethoneth passim · Hebrew Noun phrase
A descriptive term for Joseph's robe; historically understood as a garment with long sleeves or intricate, multi-colored workmanship, signaling privilege and the patriarchal birthright.
chayyah ra'ah · Hebrew Noun phrase
A beast of prey, often used metaphorically for destructive, hostile forces. In this context, it reflects the brothers' deception of their father.
The brothers' deceitful act of using Joseph's bloody coat was a calculated performance to mask their horrific crime of selling him into slavery and to avoid their father's wrath. It highlights the depths of their hatred and the desperate measures taken to conceal their sin.
c. 1750 BC
Jacob's favored son
Jacob shows marked favoritism towards Joseph, his son from his old age, even making him a special coat of many colors.
c. 1733 BC
Joseph's dreams and brothers' hatred
Joseph tells his brothers of dreams where they bow to him, intensifying their hatred and envy, leading them to conspire against him.
c. 1733 BC
Joseph sent to Dothan
Jacob sends Joseph to check on his brothers and their flocks in Shechem, who have moved to Dothan, unaware of the danger.
c. 1733 BC
Brothers plot to kill Joseph
Seeing Joseph approach in Dothan, his brothers plot to kill him, but Reuben intervenes, suggesting they cast him into a pit.
c. 1733 BC
This passage describes the law regarding restitution for theft, including the penalty of killing an animal to replace what was stolen. The brothers killing a goat and dipping Joseph's robe in its blood mirrors this concept of replacing something lost through a false act, albeit in a deceptive way.
2 Samuel 13:19In this passage, Tamar, after being wronged by Amnon, puts on a 'robe of many colors' and tears it, a gesture of mourning and protest. This echoes Joseph's distinctive robe and the brothers' act of tearing and soiling it to simulate a tragic event.
Matthew 26:15Judas Iscariot agrees to betray Jesus for thirty pieces of silver, a price that tragically parallels the twenty pieces of silver the brothers received for selling Joseph. Both instances highlight the devastating consequences of betrayal and greed.
John 11:47-53The chief priests and Pharisees plot to kill Jesus, fearing his popularity would lead to Roman intervention. Their conspiracy, driven by jealousy and a desire to maintain their own position, mirrors the envy and malicious plotting of Joseph's brothers.
calvinGenesis 37:1-36: "And Jacob dwelt in the land wherein his father was a stranger, in the land of Canaan."
These are the generations of Jacob. Joseph, being seventeen years old, was feeding the flock with his brethren; and the lad was with the sons of Bilhah, and with the sons of Zilpah, his father's wives: and Joseph brought unto his father their evil report.
Istae sunt generationes Iahacob. Joseph filius septendecim annorum pascebat cum fratribus suis pecudes, et erat puer cum filiis Bil…
ellicottGenesis 37:31: "And they took Joseph's coat, and killed a kid of the goats, and dipped the coat in the blood;"
(31) A kid of the goats. —Heb., a full grown he-goat. Maimonides thinks that the reason why he-goats were so often used as sin-offerings under the Levitical law was to remind the Israelites of this great sin committed by their patriarchs.
The brothers' act of slaughtering a goat and using its blood to stain Joseph's robe is a chillingly deliberate forgery. This wasn't just about hiding their crime; it was about creating evidence to mimic the appearance of death by a wild animal, a calculated performance to deceive their grieving father.
Following Joseph's betrayal by his brothers and being sold into slavery, they needed a way to cover up their crime from their father, Jacob. To do this, they devised a cruel plan: they took Joseph's beloved robe, killed a young goat, and smeared the robe with its blood, intending to present it to Jacob as proof that a wild animal had devoured his favorite son.
Following Joseph's betrayal by his brothers and being sold into slavery, they needed a way to cover up their crime from their father, Jacob. To do this, they devised a cruel plan: they took Joseph's beloved robe, killed a young goat, and smeared the robe with its blood, intending to present it to Jacob as proof that a wild animal had devoured his favorite son.
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taroph toraph · Hebrew Verb
To separate or rend, often used to describe the violent destruction of a body by wild animals or, metaphorically, the devastating impact of tragedy on the human spirit.
Joseph sold to Ishmaelites
While Joseph is in the pit, Judah convinces his brothers to sell him to passing Ishmaelite traders, who take him to Egypt.
c. 1733 BC— this verse
Brothers deceive Jacob
The brothers take Joseph's coat, slaughter a goat, and dip the coat in the blood to deceive their father Jacob into believing a wild animal killed Joseph.
"Then they took Joseph’s robe and slaughtered a goat and dipped the robe in the blood. And they sent the robe of many colors and brought it to their father and said, “This we have found; please identify whether it is your son’s robe or not.…" — The brothers' act of slaughtering a goat and using its blood to stain Joseph's robe is a chillingly deliberate forgery. This wasn't just about hiding their crime; it was about creating evidence to…
