So it came about, when Joseph reached his brothers, that they stripped Joseph of his tunic, the multicolored tunic that was on him;
Parallel translations
- WEB When Joseph came to his brothers, they stripped Joseph of his coat, the coat of many colors that was on him;
- KJV And it came to pass, when Joseph was come unto his brethren, that they stript Joseph out of his coat, his coat of many colours that was on him;
- BSB So when Joseph came to his brothers, they stripped him of his robe—the robe of many colors he was wearing—
- NKJV So it came to pass, when Joseph had come to his brothers, that they stripped Joseph of his tunic, the tunic of many colors that was on him.
- NLT So when Joseph arrived, his brothers ripped off the beautiful robe he was wearing.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
When Joseph arrives, the brothers strip him of his special coat. They seize the symbol of their father's favor.
Overview
On Joseph's arrival, the brothers tear off the ornamented coat that marked their father's love for him. Stripping the coat expresses their rage at the favoritism it represented. The garment that set Joseph apart is taken, just as Christ was stripped of His garments at His suffering, the beloved Son humiliated by those He came to help.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 5
- Gen 42:21They said to one another, “We are certainly guilty concerning our brother, in that we saw the distress of his soul, when he begged us, and we wouldn’t listen. Therefore this distress has come upon us.”
- Gen 37:3Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his children, because he was the son of his old age, and he made him a coat of many colors.
- Gen 37:31–33They took Joseph’s coat, and killed a male goat, and dipped the coat in the blood.
- Matt 27:28They stripped him, and put a scarlet robe on him.
- Ps 22:18They divide my garments among them. They cast lots for my clothing.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
From the first promise that the seed of the woman would crush the serpent (3:15), through Abraham's blessing to all nations and Judah's coming ruler, Genesis sows every seed that flowers in Christ — the true offspring, the better Adam, the ram caught for Isaac.
How Genesis 37:23 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.