Genesis 37:2-4

Genesis 37:2-4

[2] 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.  [3] Now Israel  loved  Joseph  more than all his children,  of his old age:  and he made  him a coat  of many colours.  [4] And when his brethren  saw  that their father  loved  him more than all his brethren,  they hated  him, and could  not speak  peaceably 

What does Genesis 37:2-4 Mean?

Contextual Meaning

Joseph was tending his father"s flock with his brothers, the sons of Bilhah and Zilpah. This description prefigures Joseph"s later shepherding role in relation to his brothers, after they became dependent on him. David also tended sheep in preparation for his role as a leader of people.
Joseph"s "bad report" implies that the brothers were participating in serious wicked behavior. This is not hard to believe in view of their former treatment of the Shechemites and their later treatment of Joseph and Jacob.
The use of the name Israel ( Genesis 37:3) suggests that Jacob"s special love for Joseph had a divine origin and was part of God"s plan for the chosen family. However, Jacob"s favoritism of Joseph over his other sons was wrong and fueled the brothers" hatred of Joseph. Favoritism had a long history in Jacob"s family (Isaac"s preference for Esau, Rebekah"s for Jacob, and Jacob"s preference for Rachel). In every case it created major problems. Leah was hated, and her sons hated (cf. Genesis 29:31; Genesis 29:33).
"Son of his old age" means wise Song of Solomon , or son of wisdom. Joseph was old for his years; he had the wisdom of age in his youth. Joseph was born when Jacob was91years old, but he was not Jacob"s youngest son. One of Joseph"s brothers was younger than he: Benjamin.
The "varicolored tunic" was probably also a long robe. The sons of nobles wore long robes with long sleeves and ornamentation, like Joseph"s, as did Tamar, King David"s daughter ( 2 Samuel 13:18).
"It was a mark of distinction that carried its own meaning, for it implied that exemption from labor which was the peculiar privilege of the heir or prince of the Eastern clan." [1]
Such a garment identified the possessor of the birthright. This sign of Jacob"s love for Joseph constantly irritated the jealous brothers.
"Jacob"s partiality for Rachel and for her two sons doomed his family to the same strife he had experienced in his father"s household." [2]
"The story of Jacob features rocks; that of Joseph features robes ( Genesis 37:3; Genesis 37:23; Genesis 39:12; Genesis 41:14). These palpable objects symbolize something of the characters" social and/or spiritual situations." [3]