Genesis 37:31-33
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The brothers didn't just use any blood; they specifically chose the blood of a "he-goat," a deliberate choice that echoed sacrificial offerings. This detail adds a sinister layer, suggesting they were not only covering up their crime but mimicking a ritual, perhaps to mask the unnaturalness of their deed with a twisted sense of ceremony.
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)
Joseph's jealous brothers have just sold him into slavery. To cover up their crime and deceive their father, Jacob, they devised a cruel plan. They took Joseph's special, colorful robe, killed a young goat, and stained the garment with its blood.
Joseph's beloved robe, once a symbol of his father's favor, is now used in a wicked scheme. What does this act reveal about the brothers' hearts and their twisted logic?
This verse plunges us into the brothers' desperate attempt to cover their sin. They take Joseph's distinctive robe, a symbol of his special status, and deliberately stain it with the blood of a young goat.
The Tools of Deception:
Joseph's dreams and his father's favoritism sparked intense hatred. How did this simmering resentment boil over into such a brutal act of deception?
This verse isn't just about a single moment of cruelty; it's the culmination of deep-seated issues within the family.
The Roots of the Plot:
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This act of dipping the robe in blood is a physical manifestation of their desire to 'kill off' Joseph's perceived arrogance and their own jealousy. They are trying to erase him and his special status, replacing it with a narrative of tragedy that satisfies their hatred.
Amidst this human depravity, the Bible doesn't ignore God's presence. How does this passage hint at God's sovereign plan even within the brothers' evil scheme?
While the brothers are the active agents of evil here, the biblical narrative consistently reveals God's overarching control. This deceptive act, though wicked, becomes a pivot point in His redemptive plan.
God's Purpose Unfolds:
This doesn't excuse the brothers' sin but highlights God's incredible power to weave even the darkest human intentions into His perfect tapestry of salvation.
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.
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.
This gruesome act was a deliberate deception by Joseph's brothers to cover up their crime of selling him into slavery. By using the goat's blood to stain Joseph's robe, they created a false narrative, aiming to convince their father that Joseph had been violently killed by a wild beast.
c. 1750 BC
Jacob's family settles in Canaan
Jacob and his large family are living in Canaan, the land promised to Abraham. This period is marked by the blessings and favor of God upon Jacob's lineage.
c. 1739 BC
Jacob shows favoritism to Joseph
Jacob's favorite son, Joseph, receives a special robe of many colors, signaling him as a favored son. This act fuels intense jealousy and hatred among his older brothers.
c. 1739 BC
Joseph's dreams are revealed
Joseph recounts two dreams to his brothers, predicting their future submission to him. This fuels their hatred further, leading them to plot against him.
c. 1739 BC
Brothers plot to kill Joseph
While Joseph's brothers are tending flocks near Shechem, they see him approaching and conspire to kill him and dispose of his body, claiming a wild animal devoured him.
c. 1739 BC
Joseph is sold to Ishmaelites
Judah intervenes, persuading his brothers to sell Joseph to passing Ishmaelite traders instead of killing him. They sell him for twenty pieces of silver, and he is taken to Egypt.
c. 1739 BC— this verse
Brothers deceive Jacob
The brothers take Joseph's robe, slaughter a goat, and dip the robe in its blood. They then present the bloodied robe to their father Jacob, claiming a wild animal must have killed Joseph.
c. 1739 BC
Jacob mourns Joseph
Devastated by the sight of the bloody robe, Jacob is overcome with grief and mourns Joseph as if he were dead, refusing to be comforted.
This passage describes restitution for theft, highlighting the concept of making amends for wrongdoing, which indirectly contrasts with the brothers' deceitful actions to cover up their sin.
2 Samuel 13:1-22This chapter details the rape of Tamar by Amnon and subsequent events, showing a recurring theme of family strife, deceit, and violence within the lineage of Jacob, emphasizing how sin can ripple through generations.
Matthew 27:3-10This passage recounts Judas returning the blood money after betraying Jesus, paralleling the brothers' eventual guilt and the symbolic significance of 'blood money' obtained through betrayal and violence.
Proverbs 10:12This proverb states that hatred stirs up strife, but love covers all offenses, directly contrasting the brothers' hatred-driven actions with the ideal of love and reconciliation.
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 didn't just use any blood; they specifically chose the blood of a "he-goat," a deliberate choice that echoed sacrificial offerings. This detail adds a sinister layer, suggesting they were not only covering up their crime but mimicking a ritual, perhaps to mask the unnaturalness of their deed with a twisted sense of ceremony.
Joseph's jealous brothers have just sold him into slavery. To cover up their crime and deceive their father, Jacob, they devised a cruel plan. They took Joseph's special, colorful robe, killed a young goat, and stained the garment with its blood.
Joseph's jealous brothers have just sold him into slavery. To cover up their crime and deceive their father, Jacob, they devised a cruel plan. They took Joseph's special, colorful robe, killed a young goat, and stained the garment with its blood.
"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 didn't just use any blood; they specifically chose the blood of a "he-goat," a deliberate choice that echoed sacrificial offerings. This detail adds a sinister layer, suggesting they wer…
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Last reviewed October 2026
