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Set to dark modeGenesis 37:2-4
2 These are the records of the generations of Jacob.
Joseph, when seventeen years of age, was pasturing the flock with his brothers while he was still a youth, along with the sons of Bilhah and the sons of Zilpah, his father's wives. And Joseph brought back a bad report about them to their father.
3 Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his sons, because he was the son of his old age; and he made him a varicolored tunic.
4 His brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers; and so they hated him and could not speak to him on friendly terms.
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Genesis 37:2-4 meaning
Genesis 37:2-4 shows a seventeen-year-old Joseph stepping onto the Biblical stage in a divided family, as Jacob's favored son. When he gives an unfavorable report about his brothers to their father, hostility naturally increases between Joseph and his brothers.
Genesis 37:2 begins saying, These are the records of the generations of Jacob (v 2a). By describing Joseph's story as the records of Jacob's generations, the text employs the Hebrew word "tôlĕdôt" (generations), which punctuates each of the main narratives of Genesis. A "tôlĕdôt" usually announces a new literary unit and, more significantly, a fresh phase in God's unfolding covenant relationship with creation as it focuses on one branch of the family of Abraham (Genesis 2:4, 5:1, 6:9, 10:1, 11:27, 25:19, 36:1, Ruth 4:18).
Here the narrative transitions from Jacob to the story of Jacob's sons, and centers upon Joseph. This story receives more narrative space than Adam, Noah, or even Abraham. This is likely because Joseph's life provides both a critical link in the prophetic narrative of Israel as well as a messianic picture of Jesus.
The story of Joseph is driven by an intimate family drama, a family filled with sin and dysfunction. The family will be split through a spirit of murderous jealousy. We generally consider a masterful novel to contain elements like crime, betrayal, and political intrigue. That pattern mirrors the story of Joseph, complete with a climactic resolution.
Yet, as is the pattern of the entire scripture, God will turn evil to good (Genesis 50:20). Christ is the great curse‑breaker (Galatians 3:13); His sacrifice on the cross overcomes all the evil in the world with His good through shedding His blood on the cross (Colossians 1:20, 2:14).
It is through Joseph's story that the prophecy of Genesis 15:13-14 is fulfilled (that Abraham's descendants would spend four hundred years under the dominion of a foreign ruler, in Egypt). It is through Joseph's story that Israel dwells in a river culture that allows sufficient population density for the prophecy of Genesis 15:5, 16 to be fulfilled (that Abraham's descendants would be great in number and that they would return to the land of Canaan after four hundred years).
Joseph also provides a prophetic picture of the messiah who is to come. For example, there is no mention in this story of Joseph having any faults, picturing the messiah as faultless (Hebrews 4:15). Joseph forgives those who trespassed against him, picturing the messiah as one who forgives (Luke 23:34). Joseph was elevated from the dungeon to be second in the kingdom in power, picturing Jesus descending to earth then being elevated to sit at the right hand of the Father (Philippians 2:8-11, Hebrews 12:2, Revelation 3:21).
His very name, "Yôsēf" ("He will add"), hints that God will add mercy where sin abounds, another messianic foreshadowing (Genesis 30:24, Hebrews 9:26-28). Joseph's story is also repeated in Jesus in that He was also rejected by His brothers, the Children of Israel. It is also noteworthy that Jesus's human adoptive father was named Joseph.
God turning what is evil to good is a pattern; a truth that pervades both the Old and New Testaments. As Paul states in Romans, "And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose" (Romans 8:28).
The narrative immediately singles out Joseph, who is seventeen years of age, pasturing the flock with his brothers (v 2b). His introduction is a foreshadowing: although eleventh in birth order, Joseph is first in the story's importance, occupying more column space than any figure in the book. Although Joseph is the eleventh of twelve sons, he is the first son of Jacob's wife Rachel.
Genesis 29:20 says that Jacob loved Rachel so much that the seven years he served her father for her hand seemed like only a few days. But Rachel's father Laban tricked Jacob and substituted Rachel's older sister Leah. This greatly displeased Jacob, but he agreed that he would serve an additional seven years after his marriage to Rachel, as her bride price.
It was Rachel he truly loved, and Leah was unloved (Genesis 29:30). Because Leah was unloved, God opened her womb and gave her many children (Genesis 29:31), but Rachel was barren for a long period until God finally opened her womb and she bore Joseph (Genesis 30:22).
Therefore, Joseph was the firstborn of the chosen wife. He was the second firstborn of Jacob, Reuben being the firstborn of Jacob and Leah and Joseph the firstborn of Rachel. Therefore, this adds to the biblical pattern of the second ascending over the first.
This pictures Jesus who was the second who ascended over the first:
Joseph is found pasturing the flocks of Jacob. The work of a shepherd is difficult, which is well attested to in scripture. The journey of Joseph to find his brothers (to Shechem and then to Dothan) reflects that ancient pastoral work around Canaan in which Joseph and his brothers were employed. Shepherding in that time and place required extended journeys to find grazing fields.
Luke 2:8 finds shepherds keeping watch in the open at night. Jesus warns of the robbers who would steal the sheep (John 10:1). David's work as shepherd pitted him against lions and bears (1 Samuel 17:34-35) who would come against the flock.
David himself was forced to go after the raiders who had taken sheep from his people (1 Samuel 30:20). Joseph's identity as a shepherd connects him to the likes of Abel, Moses, David, and Jesus. Jesus uses this pastoral image as a description for himself:
"I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep."
(John 10:11)
Many generations after this passage, the boy David was missing from the feast with the prophet and former judge, Samuel, because the humble work of watching the sheep had fallen to the youngest of Jesse's sons. Yet, God will anoint David, the shepherd boy, to be king, saying, "for God sees not as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart" (1 Samuel 16:7b).
Jesus, in describing His role as the Good Shepherd, speaks of leading the sheep (John 10:2), rescuing them from peril (Matthew 12:11), and going in search of the wayward sheep (Matthew 18:12). Ultimately, the good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep (John 10:11). It was this work that Jesus repeatedly commanded Peter to do as the primary way to show his love for Him:
"He said to him the third time, 'Simon, son of John, do you love Me?' Peter was grieved because He said to him the third time, 'Do you love Me?' And he said to Him, 'Lord, You know all things; You know that I love You.' Jesus said to him, 'Tend My sheep.'"
(John 21:17)
Multiple times the Scriptures refer to God's people as "His sheep" or God as a "shepherd" (Psalm 23:1, Psalm 78:52, Psalm 100:3, Isaiah 53:6, Matthew 9:36, 25:32, Luke 15:4-7, John 10:14, 1 Peter 2:25). The Apostle Paul even calls the leaders in the church of Ephesus shepherds of a flock:
"Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood."
(Acts 20:28)
God clearly takes the shepherding of His people, whom He bought with His blood, extremely seriously. There are many who God sets over His people who choose sin and lead the sheep astray (Matthew 7:15, Acts 20:29). God does not look favorably on false teachers/leaders (Numbers 20:12, 1 Samuel 15:26-28, 1 Kings 11:11, 1 Kings 14:7-11, 1 Kings 15:29-30, 1 Kings 16:2-4, 12-13, 18-19, 25-26, 33). Joseph's story, however, pictures a faithful and obedient shepherd. In this case, his duties included his brothers who would become fathers of the tribes of Israel.
When Joseph is tending the flock as a youth, he is not alone. His companions on his grazing circuits are the sons of Bilhah and the sons of Zilpah, who were concubines rather than wives (v 2). In ancient cultures, children of concubines ranked below those of full wives in matters of inheritance and prestige (Genesis 49:1-27).
Modern readers may miss how the social stigma attached to these brothers heightens their resentment toward Rachel's firstborn. Genesis 37:2 adds, Joseph brought back a bad report about them to their father (v 2). The Hebrew noun "dibbah" translated report most often denotes a malicious or at least damaging report (Numbers 13:32; Proverbs 25:10).
Scripture reports that Joseph gave a bad report of his brothers as a statement of fact. It does not evaluate Joseph's action one way or another. But it does not appear that the bad report was the only reason for ire from his brothers. The brothers hated Joseph for many reasons: Joseph's own actions, the favor of his father, Israel, and Joseph's divine election, as evidenced by his dreams.
It should be noted that throughout his entire narrative, Joseph is depicted as a good and righteous man. Though he indeed was only a man and most certainly did sin, he was committed to honoring the LORD and forsaking sin (Genesis 39:9). Therefore, it seems safe to assume that Joseph's report was factual.
Because his story includes no mention of his sin, Joseph stands as a prefiguration of Jesus, who is truly without sin. Just like Joseph, Jesus is a source of envy or jealousy from His Jewish brothers, particularly leaders such as the Pharisees and Priests (Matthew 27:18, John 11:48, 12:19). Jesus was prophesied to be "a stone to strike and a rock to stumble over, and a snare and a trap for the inhabitants of Jerusalem" (Isaiah 8:14b). He revealed the Pharisees' hypocrisy through His righteousness, just as Joseph's revealed the evil of his brothers.
Interestingly, the Bible links Joseph, David, and Jesus together by calling each of them a youth ("na’ar" in Hebrew) at some point in their stories. Joseph is called a youth in Genesis 37:2 and Genesis 41:12. David is called a youth in 1 Samuel 17:33, 44, 56. Jesus is called a youth, "pais" in Greek (sometimes translated "boy" or "child"), in Luke 2:43. David's role as a prefiguration of Christ is well established; Christ is promised the throne of His father David (Isaiah 9:6-7) and Jesus is presented in the New Testament as the "Son of David" (Matthew 1:1).
Further comparison can be drawn from the dynamic of Joseph and his brothers in the relationship between Cain and Abel. While Abel's offerings were well regarded by God, Cain's were not (Genesis 4:4, 5). God, in response to Cain's anger, says to Cain,
"If you do well, will not your countenance be lifted up? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door; and its desire is for you, but you must master it."
(Genesis 4:7b)
The contrast between Adam's sons is also described in 1 John:
"For this is the message which you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another; not as Cain, who was of the evil one and slew his brother. And for what reason did he slay him? Because his deeds were evil, and his brother's were righteous."
(1 John 3:11-12)
Cain was mastered by the sin of envy, just as Joseph's brothers would be.
After returning with a bad report about his brothers (v 2), we see Israel's view of Joseph: Israel loved Joseph more than all his sons, because he was the son of his old age; and he made him a varicolored tunic (v 3).
The Hebrew expression "ben zĕqunîm" (the son of his old age) indicates a special affection reserved for a late-born child (Deuteronomy 21:17). It is also probable that Jacob loved Joseph due to him being the firstborn of his beloved wife Rachel who died giving birth to his final child, Benjamin.
God will soon give Joseph two dreams showing him that he will be elevated above all of his family with them bowing down to him. God chose Joseph above his brothers to be the one, who after suffering at their hands, would be elevated to the right hand of Pharaoh preserving the very ones who hurt him. Likewise, Jesus would pray for the people of Israel, saying, "Father forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing" (Luke 23:34), prior to His being elevated to the right hand of God His Father.
Jacob's love for Joseph, regardless of its motives, is connected both to Jacob's character and the behavior of his father, Isaac. Jacob loved Rachel but not Leah (Genesis 29:30). While Jacob's relationship with Leah was born from the deception of his uncle Laban, the withholding of love from Leah reflects negatively upon Jacob's character.
Leah names her firstborn Reuben, which means "behold a son," hoping that because she bore Jacob a son, her "husband will love me" (Genesis 29:32). Her second son is named Simeon ("to hear" or "God has heard") with an appeal to the Lord to hear her and recognize that she remains unloved (Genesis 29:33). Her third son is named Levi ("attached" or "joined"), again, in the hopes that her husband will be attached to her now that she has borne him three sons (Genesis 29:34).
Even as she fulfills the role expected of her by her husband, she remains emotionally isolated. The rejection of her husband Jacob poisons even the relationship with Rachel, who serves as her rival for Jacob's affections (Genesis 30:15).
Jacob's favoritism toward one of his sons reflects his father's own attitude toward Esau, "Now Isaac loved Esau, because he had a taste for game, but Rebekah loved Jacob" (Genesis 25:28). Jacob was fully aware, from his own experience, of the familial strife which follows the choices he was making. But dysfunctional family systems are difficult to break, in part because we are trapped inside them.
Joseph's preference by his father Jacob takes tangible form in a varicolored tunic, or as it’s more commonly known, "a coat of many colors." The term "kĕtōnet passîm" (varicolored tunic) appears only one other place in scripture. In 2 Samuel 13:18 it denotes a long-sleeved, ankle-length robe worn by royal virgins--clothing unsuitable for manual labor. Assuming Joseph's is similar, Israel effectively exempted his son Joseph from fieldwork.
While Jacob's initial gift to his son was likely not the bright, rainbow-patterned garment shown in illustrations and adaptations of this story, it certainly communicated high status and wealth. Later in the chapter, Joseph's brothers' action of dipping the robe in blood and claiming Joseph died at the hands of a wild beast foreshadows the crucifixion of Christ. First, just as Joseph's brothers "strip Joseph of his tunic, the varicolored tunic" (Genesis 37:23); the soldiers "took the purple robe off Him" (Mark 15:20).
The clothing that in a different context is a sign of exalted status, is stripped from the beloved son's shoulders. Second, the brothers dipped the robe of many colors in blood to insinuate that Joseph had been killed by wild animals (Genesis 37:31). This too foreshadows Jesus, as the book of Revelation explains:
"He is clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God."
(Revelation 19:13)
Our passage continues: His brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers; so they hated him and could not speak to him peaceably (v 4).
The term used for the brothers' hatred suggests an entrenched, ongoing hate, and their refusal to speak peaceably to him literally means they were unable to say "shalom" to him--the standard greeting of wellbeing. In modern Hebrew, "shalom" is said when answering the phone or when greeting people and it likely held similar uses in ancient times.
It is difficult to translate the full meaning of Shalom. It means "peace" at its root, but another form of "shalom" is "shalem" and means "completeness" or "everything is as it should be." In the NASB-95 translation, Genesis 33:18 translates shalom as "safely," and in Ruth 2:12 it is translated as "be full," while in 1 Kings 8:61 it is translated as "wholly devoted," showing its wide range of meaning. Their cold, quiet anger is just the beginning of the hostility they will show him, though it will ultimately lead to the saving of their lives when Joseph rises to power in Egypt and provides food and shelter in a time of famine.
Looking at the entire Biblical narrative, the story of Joseph advances several recurring themes that point to Jesus the Messiah:
The strife between Joseph and his brothers, caused by Jacob's favoritism, replicates the sins of Jacob's fathers, producing similar fruit. The jealousy and competition between Isaac's sons result in Jacob fleeing for his life to Haran (Genesis 27:41). The jealousy of Joseph's brothers resulted in his exile to Egypt. In looking at the destruction caused in the family of Isaac and Jacob, the "wages of sin" are always death (Romans 6:23). Death is separation. The payment of those wages comes in many different forms of separation--in Jacob's divided family it manifested in the form of separation in relationships.
The story of Joseph holds out hope that while it is natural and normal to replicate dysfunctional family systems, the righteous choices of one like Joseph can break the link of sin and its accompanying destruction and death. Joseph chose to forgive his brothers and care for those whom he could have lorded his power over (Matthew 20:25-27).
In the story of Joseph, we also see others of Joseph's brothers choosing to act to protect their brothers, particularly Judah volunteering himself to take Benjamin's punishment (Genesis 44:33). The rivalry between the sons of Leah and the sons of Rachel was, through the suffering and generosity of Joseph, healed. In Judah's offering of himself, we also see an image of Christ's taking of punishment for our sins. This is particularly meaningful since Jesus was of the tribe of Judah.
For modern readers navigating fractured families, organizational rivalry, or even conflict among our brothers and sisters in Christ, the narrative in Genesis 37:2-4 offers a helpful diagnosis. Jealousy denies shalom (peace) and if left unchecked, it can have disastrous consequences. Forgiveness is key.
The faithfulness of a righteous one willing to serve faithfully in whatever circumstance they find themselves can be God's instrument of redemption. And the power of forgiveness can heal long-standing feuds and bring life and peace where there has been brokenness.