Now Israel loved Joseph more than his other sons, because Joseph had been born to him in his old age; so he made him a robe of many colors.
Parallel translations
- WEB Now 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.
- KJV Now 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 colours.
- NKJV Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his children, because he was the son of his old age. Also he made him a tunic of many colors.
- NASB Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his other sons, because he was the son of his old age; and he made him a multicolored tunic.
- NLT Jacob loved Joseph more than any of his other children because Joseph had been born to him in his old age. So one day Jacob had a special gift made for Joseph—a beautiful robe.
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
Israel loved Joseph more than his other sons and gave him a special coat. This parental favoritism set the stage for family strife.
Overview
Jacob's special love for Joseph, the son of his beloved Rachel and of his old age, was marked by a distinctive richly ornamented coat. This favoritism, however well-meant, repeated the family's pattern of partiality and provoked deep jealousy. The coat becomes a key symbol in the narrative, recalling how God's chosen ones are often singled out, and pointing to Christ, the uniquely beloved Son of the Father.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 9
- Gen 37:32They sent the robe of many colors to their father and said, “We found this. Examine it to see whether it is your son’s robe or not.”
- John 3:35The Father loves the Son and has placed all things in His hands.
- Gen 37:23So when Joseph came to his brothers, they stripped him of his robe—the robe of many colors he was wearing—
- 2 Sam 13:18So Amnon’s attendant threw her out and bolted the door behind her. Now Tamar was wearing a robe of many colors, because this is what the king’s virgin daughters wore.
- John 13:22–23The disciples looked at one another, perplexed as to which of them He meant.
- Gen 44:20–30And we answered, ‘We have an elderly father and a younger brother, the child of his old age. The boy’s brother is dead. He is the only one of his mother’s sons left, and his father loves him.’
- Ezek 16:16You took some of your garments and made colorful high places for yourself, and on them you prostituted yourself. Such things should not have happened; never should they have occurred!
- Ps 45:13–14All glorious is the princess in her chamber; her gown is embroidered with gold.
- Judg 5:30‘Are they not finding and dividing the spoil—a girl or two for each warrior, a plunder of dyed garments for Sisera, the spoil of embroidered garments for the neck of the looter?’
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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 37:3 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
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