Kejadian 37:3-4

37:3 Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his sons ¹  because he was a son born to him late in life, ²  and he made a special ³  tunic for him. 37:4 When Joseph’s ⁴  brothers saw that their father loved him more than any of them, ⁵  they hated Joseph ⁶  and were not able to speak to him kindly. ⁷ 

Kejadian 37:25-28

37:25 When they sat down to eat their food, they looked up ⁸  and saw ⁹  a caravan of Ishmaelites coming from Gilead. Their camels were carrying spices, balm, and myrrh down to Egypt. ¹⁰  37:26 Then Judah said to his brothers, “What profit is there if we kill our brother and cover up his blood? 37:27 Come, let’s sell him to the Ishmaelites, but let’s not lay a hand on him, ¹¹  for after all, he is our brother, our own flesh.” His brothers agreed. ¹²  37:28 So when the Midianite ¹³  merchants passed by, Joseph’s brothers pulled ¹⁴  him ¹⁵  out of the cistern and sold him to the Ishmaelites for twenty pieces of silver. The Ishmaelites ¹⁶  then took Joseph to Egypt.

[37:3]  ¹ tn The disjunctive clause provides supplemental information vital to the story. It explains in part the brothers’ animosity toward Joseph.

[37:3]  sn The statement Israel loved Joseph more than all his sons brings forward a motif that played an important role in the family of Isaac – parental favoritism. Jacob surely knew what that had done to him and his brother Esau, and to his own family. But now he showers affection on Rachel’s son Joseph.

[37:3]  ² tn Heb “a son of old age was he to him.” This expression means “a son born to him when he [i.e., Jacob] was old.”

[37:3]  ³ tn It is not clear what this tunic was like, because the meaning of the Hebrew word that describes it is uncertain. The idea that it was a coat of many colors comes from the Greek translation of the OT. An examination of cognate terms in Semitic suggests it was either a coat or tunic with long sleeves (cf. NEB, NRSV), or a tunic that was richly embroidered (cf. NIV). It set Joseph apart as the favored one.

[37:4]  ⁴ tn Heb “his”; the referent (Joseph) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[37:4]  ⁵ tn Heb “of his brothers.” This is redundant in contemporary English and has been replaced in the translation by the pronoun “them.”

[37:4]  ⁶ tn Heb “him”; the referent (Joseph) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[37:4]  ⁷ tn Heb “speak to him for peace.”

[37:25]  ⁸ tn Heb “lifted up their eyes.”

[37:25]  ⁹ tn Heb “and they saw and look.” By the use of וְהִנֵּה (vÿhinneh, “and look”), the narrator invites the reader to see the event through the eyes of the brothers.

[37:25]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “and their camels were carrying spices, balm, and myrrh, going to go down to Egypt.”

[37:27]  ¹¹ tn Heb “let not our hand be upon him.”

[37:27]  ¹² tn Heb “listened.”

[37:28]  ¹³ sn On the close relationship between Ishmaelites (v. 25) and Midianites, see Judg 8:24.

[37:28]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “they drew and they lifted up.” The referent (Joseph’s brothers) has been specified in the translation for clarity; otherwise the reader might assume the Midianites had pulled Joseph from the cistern (but cf. NAB).

[37:28]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “Joseph” (both here and in the following clause); the proper name has been replaced both times by the pronoun “him” in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[37:28]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “they”; the referent (the Ishmaelites) has been specified in the translation for clarity.