Now Israel loved Joseph more than his other sonsThis phrase highlights the preferential love Jacob (Israel) had for Joseph, which is a recurring theme in the patriarchal narratives. Jacob's favoritism echoes the preferential treatment he received from his mother Rebekah over his brother Esau. This favoritism sets the stage for familial discord, as seen in the jealousy and hatred it incites among Joseph's brothers. The theme of favoritism and its consequences is a significant motif in Genesis, illustrating the complexities of family dynamics and the unfolding of God's plan through flawed human relationships.
because Joseph had been born to him in his old age
Joseph was the firstborn of Rachel, Jacob's favored wife, which added to his special status. The mention of Jacob's old age emphasizes the long-awaited fulfillment of his desire for a son from Rachel, further intensifying his affection for Joseph. This detail also underscores the miraculous nature of Joseph's birth, as it occurred when Jacob was advanced in years, reminiscent of other biblical figures like Isaac, who was born to Abraham and Sarah in their old age.
so he made him a robe of many colors
The robe, often translated as a "coat of many colors" or a "richly ornamented robe," symbolizes Joseph's favored status and possibly a position of authority within the family. In ancient Near Eastern cultures, such garments were typically worn by nobility or those in positions of honor. The robe becomes a focal point of the brothers' jealousy and a catalyst for the events that follow, including Joseph's eventual sale into slavery. This garment can also be seen as a type of Christ, foreshadowing Jesus' own rejection by His brethren and His ultimate exaltation. The robe's significance is further highlighted in its connection to the broader narrative of Joseph's life, which parallels the story of redemption and divine providence.
Persons / Places / Events
1.
Israel (Jacob)The patriarch of the Israelite tribes, formerly known as Jacob. He is the father of Joseph and his brothers. His favoritism towards Joseph sets the stage for familial conflict.
2.
JosephThe eleventh son of Jacob and the firstborn of Rachel, Jacob's beloved wife. Joseph is favored by his father, which causes tension with his brothers.
3.
Robe of Many ColorsA special garment made by Jacob for Joseph, symbolizing his favoritism and possibly a sign of authority or distinction.
4.
Brothers of JosephThe other sons of Jacob, who become envious and hostile towards Joseph due to their father's favoritism.
5.
HebronThe region where Jacob and his family were living at the time, significant as a place of patriarchal heritage.
Teaching Points
The Dangers of FavoritismFavoritism can lead to division and resentment within families and communities. As believers, we are called to love impartially, reflecting God's love for all His children.
The Role of ProvidenceDespite human failings, God's providence can work through difficult family dynamics to fulfill His purposes, as seen in Joseph's eventual rise to power and the preservation of Israel.
The Importance of Parental WisdomParents are encouraged to exercise wisdom and fairness in their relationships with their children, recognizing the potential impact of their actions on family harmony.
Symbolism of the RobeThe robe of many colors can be seen as a symbol of God's unique calling and gifting for each individual. Believers are encouraged to embrace their God-given identity and purpose.
Responding to Envy and JealousyJoseph's account invites reflection on how to respond to envy and jealousy, both as the recipient and the one experiencing these emotions. Forgiveness and reconciliation are key themes.
Bible Study Questions and Answers
1.What is the meaning of Genesis 37:3?
2.How does Jacob's favoritism in Genesis 37:3 affect family dynamics today?
3.What lessons can parents learn from Jacob's actions in Genesis 37:3?
4.How does Joseph's "robe of many colors" symbolize God's favor in Scripture?
5.How can we avoid favoritism in our relationships, reflecting on Genesis 37:3?
6.What biblical principles counteract favoritism, as seen in Genesis 37:3?
7.Why did Jacob love Joseph more than his other sons in Genesis 37:3?
8.How does Joseph's coat symbolize favoritism in Genesis 37:3?
9.What cultural significance did a multicolored robe have in Genesis 37:3?
10.What are the top 10 Lessons from Genesis 37?
11.(Genesis 37:3) How can this special coat legitimately exist without any historical or archaeological evidence of such unique garments from that time?
12.What is the "coat of many colors"?
13.What is the significance of the Tribe of Joseph?
14.Why was Joseph imprisoned in Egypt?What Does Genesis 37:3 Mean
Now Israel loved Joseph“Now Israel loved Joseph…” (Genesis 37:3a)
• Israel is Jacob—the patriarch whose own story is one of grace and transformation (Genesis 32:28).
• His love for Joseph is genuine fatherly affection, not mere sentiment. Similar glimpses of Jacob’s protective heart are seen when he placed Rachel and Joseph in the safest position during Esau’s approach (Genesis 33:2).
• Parental love is modeled throughout Scripture as a reflection of God’s love for His children (Psalm 103:13;Isaiah 49:15). The verse clearly states a fact, underscoring Scripture’s straightforward report of family dynamics.
More than his other sons“…more than his other sons…” (Genesis 37:3a)
• The text literally states favoritism; God’s Word records the flaw without excusing it.
• Favoritism in a family often breeds resentment (Genesis 37:4) and can yield tragic results, as later chapters prove.
• Scripture consistently warns against partiality (Deuteronomy 1:17;James 2:1), yet also records it honestly when it occurs—showing both human weakness and the Lord’s overarching sovereignty.
Because Joseph had been born to him in his old age“…because Joseph had been born to him in his old age…” (Genesis 37:3b)
• Joseph arrived when Jacob was well advanced in years (compareGenesis 41:46 + 41:53–54 to estimate Joseph’s age relative to Jacob’s 130 inGenesis 47:9).
• Late-in-life children often receive special tenderness (Psalm 127:3–5).
• The statement reminds us that God’s timing is perfect; Isaac, Samuel, and John the Baptist were also born miraculously or unexpectedly in parents’ later years (Genesis 21:2;1 Samuel 1:20;Luke 1:57). Each arrival serves God’s redemptive plan.
So he made him a robe of many colors“…so he made him a robe of many colors.” (Genesis 37:3c)
• The robe (long-sleeved and colorful) signaled honor and leadership, much like the “ornate robe” of royal daughters (2 Samuel 13:18).
• It publicly marked Joseph as favored heir, foreshadowing the authority he would wield in Egypt (Genesis 41:42–43).
• While Jacob meant it as a gift, God used the resulting jealousy to advance His purposes (Genesis 50:20).
• The coat becomes a tangible symbol of God’s providence: what begins as family strife ultimately preserves nations from famine (Acts 7:9–10).
summaryGenesis 37:3 states the simple, literal facts: Jacob loved Joseph especially, because Joseph was the treasured son of his old age, and he expressed that love with a distinctive, honored robe. Scripture presents the favoritism plainly, neither hiding human failure nor obscuring God’s sovereign hand. What begins as a father’s special affection sets in motion events that God will turn to blessing, proving again that He works all things together for His redemptive plan.
(3)
He was the son of his old age.--Jacob was ninety-one when Joseph was born; but at Benjamin's birth he was eight or nine years older; and according to the common belief that Jacob was only twenty years in Padan-aram, the four sons of the handmaids must have been about Joseph's age, and Leah's last two sons even younger. But the epithet is intelligible if Jacob had waited twenty-seven years after his marriage with Rachel, before Joseph was born. There would then be a considerable interval between him and the other sons; and though Rachel had a second son some years afterwards, yet Joseph would continue to be the son long looked for, whose birth had given him so great happiness; whereas his joy at Benjamin's coming was bought at the terrible price of the mother's death.
A coat of many colours.--Two explanations are given of this phrase; the first, that it was a long garment with sleeves or fringes; the other, that it was composed of patchwork of various colours. The latter is the more probable interpretation; for from the tomb at Beni-Hassan we learn that such dresses were worn in Palestine, as a train of captive Jebusites is represented upon it clad in rich robes, the patterns of which seem to have been produced by sewing together small pieces of different colours. So also in India beautiful dresses are made by sewing together strips of crimson, purple, and other colours. (Roberts'Oriental Illustrations,p. 43.) Some have thought that Jacob by this dress marked out Joseph as the future head of the family, in the place of Reuben, supposing it to indicate the priestly office borne by the firstborn; but this is doubtful, and it was Judah to whom Jacob gave the right of primogeniture.
Verse 3. -
Now (literally, and)
Israel loved Joseph more than all his children (literally, sons),
because he was the son of his old age - literally,
a son of old age (was) he
to him; not a son possessing the wisdom of advanced years (Onkelos), but a son born in his old age (Rosenmüller, Keil, Kalisch, et
alii), which was literally true of Joseph, since he was born in his father's ninety-first year. Yet as Joseph was only a year or two younger than the children of Bilhah and Zilpah, and as Benjamin was still later born than he, the application of this epithet to Joseph has been explained on the ground that Benjamin was at this time little more than a child (Keil), and had not much come into notice (Murphy), or perhaps was not born when this portion of the narrative was originally written ('Speaker's Commentary); or that Joseph had obtained the name before Benjamin's birth, and that it had clung to him after that event (Inglis). Josephus ('Ant.,' 2:02, 1) gives another reason for Jacob's partiality which is not inconsistent with the statement in the text, viz., the beauty of his person and the virtue of his mind,
διὰ τε τὴντοῦ σώματος εὐγένειαν καὶ διά ψυχῆς ἀρετής.
And he made him a coat of many colors - literally,
a coat (
kithoneth, from
kathan, to cover;
vide Genesis 3:21) of ends (Keil, Lange),
i.e. a tunic reaching to the ancles, and with sleeves reaching to the wrists, and commonly worn by boys and girls of the upper ranks (Josephus, 'Ant.,' 7:08, 9;
2 Samuel 13:18), or a coat of pieces (Kalisch, T. Lewis, Wordsworth); hence a variegated garment,
χιτὼν ποικίλος (LXX.),
tunica polymita (Vulgate), a coat of many colors (Murphy, 'Speaker's Commentary'). "Such garments are represented on some of the monuments of Egypt. At Beni-Hassan, for example, there is a magnificent excavation forming the tomb of Pihrai, a military officer of Osirtasen I., in which a train of foreign captives appears, who are supposed to be Jebusites, an inscription over one person in the group reading, "The Chief of the Land of the Jebusites. 'The whole of the captives are clad in parti-colored garments, and the tunic of this individual in particular may be called "a coat of many colors" (Thornlcy Smith, 'Joseph and his Times,' p. 12). It has been supposed that Jacob's object in conferring this distinction on Joseph was to mark him out as the heir to whom the forfeited birthright of Reuben (
1 Chronicles 5:1) was to be transferred (Kurtz, Lange, Gerlach, Bush, Wordsworth, 'Speaker's Commentary,' etc.); but the historian only mentions it as a token of affection, such as was customary in those times for princes to bestow upon their subjects, and parents on their children (vide Thornley Smith, 'Joseph and his Times,' p. 11). Roberts says the same thing is still done among the Hindoos, crimson, purple, and other colors being often tastefully sewed together for beautiful or favored children (
vide 'Oriental Illustrations,' p. 43).
Parallel Commentaries ...
Hebrew
Now Israelוְיִשְׂרָאֵ֗ל(wə·yiś·rā·’êl)Conjunctive waw | Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 3478:Israel -- 'God strives', another name of Jacob and his desclovedאָהַ֤ב(’ā·haḇ)Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 157:To have affection fJosephיוֹסֵף֙(yō·w·sêp̄)Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 3130:Joseph -- 'he increases', a son of Jacob, also the name of several Israelitesmore thanמִכָּל־(mik·kāl)Preposition-m | Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 3605:The whole, all, any, everyhis other sons,בָּנָ֔יו(bā·nāw)Noun - masculine plural construct | third person masculine singular
Strong's 1121:A sonbecauseכִּֽי־(kî-)Conjunction
Strong's 3588:A relative conjunctionJosephה֖וּא(hū)Pronoun - third person masculine singular
Strong's 1931:He, self, the same, this, that, as, arehad been born to himבֶן־(ḇen-)Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 1121:A sonin his old age;זְקֻנִ֥ים(zə·qu·nîm)Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 2208:Old ageso he madeוְעָ֥שָׂה(wə·‘ā·śāh)Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Conjunctive perfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 6213:To do, makehimל֖וֹ(lōw)Preposition | third person masculine singular
Strong's Hebrewa robeכְּתֹ֥נֶת(kə·ṯō·neṯ)Noun - feminine singular construct
Strong's 3801:A shirtof many colors.פַּסִּֽים׃(pas·sîm)Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 6446:Flat (of the hand or foot)
Links
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OT Law: Genesis 37:3 Now Israel loved Joseph more than all (Gen. Ge Gn) 
