1 AND Jacob dwelt in the land wherein his father was a stranger, in the land of Canaan.

2 These are the generations of Jacob. Joseph, being seventeen years old, was feeding the flock with his brethren; [ A little leading idea of what he is to become, his role. A type for Christ. ] 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. [ He tattles on his brothers,"evil report", in other words, Joseph returned deliberately unfavorable reports about his brothers to their father. What exactly they were doing with the flocks we are not told. Compare the "evil reports" of Num. 13:32 which were biased and innaccurate. Moses sends twelve spies to search land of Canaan--Ten of them bring an evil report, telling only of the strength of its inhabitants. Do you suppose that tattling all the time would make your brothers love you more or less? ]

3 Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his children, [ Not only is he the child of Jacob's old age, but he's the child of Rachel. His father flaunts his affection for him in his brother's face (v. 3). "coat of many colors", the JPS renders this "an ornamented tunic" The original Hebrew of that passage, "pargud mesuyyar is a paraphrase of passim, which accordingly is not to be translated 'a coat of many colors,' but 'an upper garment in which figures are woven.'" ] because he was the son of his old age: and he made him a coat of many colours. [ The coat was a mark of Jacob's not just love, but acceptance of Joseph as the birthright son. Hugh Nibley makes an interesting statement about this in some of his writings, he says, "This was not just a coat of many colors." but it was the priesthood garment that had been handed down in the family (Jewish tradition suggests that it is the same garment given to Adam in the garden. because it is so old it has been pieced together over time, and looks like it has many colors, textures, markings. ) and it had marks in it. And he said, instead of colors, it really is extra threads, extra embroidery that created the marks of the garment. So interesting. And they say that when the brothers bring the garment to Jacob stained with blood that Jacob was blind by then. And what he felt were the marks of the garment. And that's why he knew it was Joseph's. It was a very powerful symbol to everybody that Joseph was the child of promise in this family and was worthy of that birthright. In Alma chapter 46, where there's this really almost random story that if you read Genesis, you don't get this in Genesis. But Captain Moroni, it seems to have a story about Joseph's coat. He says, this is Alma 46:23. "Moroni said unto them, 'Behold, we are a remnant of the seed of Jacob, we are a remnant of the seed of Joseph, whose coat was rent by his brethren into many pieces. Now behold, let us remember to keep the commandments of God or our garments shall be rent by our brethren.'" And then he talks about this prophecy that's not in Genesis anywhere, this is verse 24, "Let's remember the words of Jacob before his death for behold he saw that a part of the remnant of the coat of Joseph was preserved and had not decayed." And he felt that that was a sign that a remnant of the seed of Joseph would be preserved by the hand of God. Again Hugh Nibley stated: "In the 10th century AD," I have no idea how to say this, "Mohamed Ibraham Atta," I'm sure I did not do that right, "A Muslim scholar gathered legends about many ancient biblical figures. He preserved one account, not found anywhere else about the coat of Joseph telling how it was torn and how it remained undecayed and what that meant. That lore," Hugh Nibley says, "Is preserved nowhere else, except our Alma 46. Nibley described it as a quote, "A test no forgery could pass." In 2 Sam. 13:18-19 the garment mentioned as the distinctive dress of virgin daughters of royalty. Josephus describes is as "a long-sleeved tunic reaching to the ankle". In Aramaic and rabbinic Hebrew pas means the palm of the hand and the sole of the foot. Radak took passim to mean "striped". The Septuagint and Vulgate rendered the Hebrew "a robe of many colors".

Ancient Near Eastern art may shed some light on the subject. An Egyptian tomb painting at Beni-hasan from about 1890 B.C.E. features a Semitic clan with the men and women wearing multicolored tunics draped over one shoulder and reaching below the knees. Another Egyptian tomb has a representation of Syrian ambassadors bringing tribute to Tutankhamen. They are dressed in elaborately designed long robes wrapped around the body and over the shoulders. A mural fresco in the palace of King Zimri-lim at Mari, in southeastern Syria, shows figures dressed in garments made of many small rectangular panels of multicolored cloth. ]

4 And when his brethren saw that their father loved him more than all his brethren, [ Some of this love was brought on by their own doings. For example: Reuben has defiled his father's bed with Bilhah explaining why Reuben, the firstborn of Leah, forfeited the birthright. Since Rachel was the second wife, her firstborn would then by right inherit the forfeited blessing - which included a double portion(to be used to take care of the widows and the orphans of the tribe). Joseph thus was the next legal heir in line, even though he was the eleventh son born. (1 Chronicles 5:1–3 specifically ties Reuben’s loss of the birthright to his transgression and shows how it went to Joseph.) The firstborn sons of the handmaids, Bilhah and Zilpah, would not be considered since they were the property of their mistresses and their children were also technically considered Rachel’s and Leah’s property. Old Testament Student Manual. ] they hated him, and could not speak peaceably unto him.

5 ¶ And Joseph dreamed a dream, and he told it his brethren: and they hated him yet the more. [ Why were they more angry than before? Because in his dream he suggests that his brothers will bow down to him. That I think would make most older brothers mad. ]

6 And he said unto them, Hear, I pray you, this dream which I have dreamed:

7 For, behold, we were binding sheaves in the field, and, lo, my sheaf arose, and also stood upright; and, behold, your sheaves stood round about, and made obeisance to my sheaf. [ We become more than shepherds, we plant seeds. You guys are going to bow down to me. Could he had been a little diplomatic and maybe just told that to his father? Joseph himself didn't even like the second dream where the sun and the moon bowed to his star as well, they're his mother and father. He is like, "Really, should my mother and I bow down to thee?" But then it says that he remembered those things, he kept them. So he knew that there was a prophecy coming in those dreams. And he knew that Joseph was this child of promise. He's a little irritated perhaps by the blunt nature of the dream and Joseph's not very wise. Good advice here, you don't have to tell people everything." . ]

8 And his brethren said to him, Shalt thou indeed reign over us? or shalt thou indeed have dominion over us? [ The stuff that no older brother wants to hear. Why you suppose that Josephs brothers were jealous? What are some of the ways we react when we are jealous...what are some of the things that we do because of jealousy? What can we do to overcome those feelings of jealousy toward family and friend? How do we do it? Examples? ] And they hated him yet the more for his dreams, and for his words.

9 ¶ And he dreamed yet another dream, and told it his brethren, and said, Behold, I have dreamed a dream more; and, behold, the sun and the moon and the eleven stars made obeisance to me. [ Joseph see's that through his seed the earth will be blessed. ]

10 And he told it to his father, and to his brethren: and his father rebuked him, [ In the next verse we see his father observing what Joseph has said. It does not appear to be a rebuke because he does not believe but maybe a warning to be a little humble in how and what you say to people. For your own good. ] and said unto him, What is this dream that thou hast dreamed? Shall I and thy mother and thy brethren indeed come to bow down ourselves to thee to the earth? [ So this dream that Joseph dreamed where he told his brothers and his parents that they would bow down and worship him did not go over very well with the family to say the least. From this can you see that there might be a reason for his brothers to get rid of him? ]

11 And his brethren envied him; but his father observed the saying.

12 ¶ And his brethren went to feed their father’s flock in Shechem. [ Did you catch that? Right back to the scene of the crime, for Dinah! How appropriate that they should be in Shechem when they again committed a vile deed. ]

13 And Israel said unto Joseph, Do not thy brethren feed the flock in Shechem? come, and I will send thee unto them. And he said to him, Here am I. [ We have heard this before from the Savior. How does Joseph respond? Remember that Shechem is about 45 miles away. ] [ Was it a good idea for Jacob to send Joseph to go check on his brothers? Was Jacob really that unaware that his brother's wanted to get rid of Joseph? Anyway, whatever the case is, there is prophecy to be fulfilled and God did have a plan. I want to mention this too, that God works through everybody, righteous and unrighteous. He uses the brothers to accomplish an amazing salvation of Israel. And these tribes that become the covenant people of the Lord. ]

14 And he said to him, Go, I pray thee, see whether it be well with thy brethren, and well with the flocks; and bring me word again. So he sent him out of the vale of Hebron, and he came to Shechem. [ Joseph goes to Shechem about 50 miles away from where he started. Joseph shows up and his brothers are simply infuriated with him and sick of him. At one point when the rest of the brothers are far from home pasturing the flocks, Jacob sends Joseph out to check out how things are going so he can report back to Jacob. ]

15 ¶ And a certain man found him, and, behold, he was wandering in the field: and the man asked him, saying, What seekest thou?

16 And he said, I seek my brethren: tell me, I pray thee, where they feed their flocks.

17 And the man said, They are departed hence; for I heard them say, Let us go to Dothan. And Joseph went after his brethren, and found them in Dothan. [ They ar enot where they said they would be, but what does Joseph do. He continues forward as that is what his father had asked him to do.Another 15 mile further from Shechem. ]

18 And when they saw him afar off, even before he came near unto them, they conspired against him to slay him.

19 And they said one to another, Behold, this dreamer cometh. [ Sign of real disrespect for Joseph by his brothers. ]

20 Come now therefore, and let us slay him, [ 10 older brothers start talking then it get's better and better what we can do. ] and cast him into some pit, and we will say, some evil beast hath devoured him: and we shall see what will become of his dreams. [ We will change the coarse of his life. ]

21 And Reuben heard it, and he delivered him out of their hands; [ Reuben says let's not be the one's that kill him, He is the oldest, maybe he is a little more mature? Reuben knows that he is also the one that will be responsible here, He is the one that is on the hook as the oldest. So let's not kill him, but we can rough him up enough that maybe he will change. We can put him in a pit for a bit then come back and get him, but not kill him. How did Reuben's reasons for sparing Joseph differ from Judah's? At first they want to kill Joseph, but decide instead to toss him into a pit and settle down to eat a meal while they decide what to do. In the distance they spot a band of Ishmeelites, and they have an idea -- let's sell him to the Ishmeelites, make some money, and be done with him. Reuben isn't quite as blinded by rage as are the others and he plans on a trick to preserve Joseph. Reuben suggest they just throw him into the pit in the wilderness and leave him there to die so they will not mudrer him themselves, all the while he is planning on rescuing him. ] and said, Let us not kill him. [ This is the beginning of some 13 years give or take of real trouble for Joseph. ]

22 And Reuben said unto them, Shed no blood, but cast him into this pit that is in the wilderness, and lay no hand upon him; that he might rid him out of their hands, to deliver him to his father again.

23 ¶ And it came to pass, when Joseph was come unto his brethren, that they stript Joseph out of his coat, his coat of many colours that was on him; [ They took the mantle from Joseph, as if to say that in their eyes he did not deserve it. If it really was a priestly garment this would have had significant meaning for both Joseph as well as his brother's. ]

24 And they took him, and cast him into a pit: and the pit was empty, [ Suggesting that this pit was apparently a well during the wet season, or was for water storage and was abandoned, and was therefore deep enough to keep him from escaping. ] there was no water in it.

25 And they sat down to eat bread: and they lifted up their eyes and looked, and, behold, a company of Ishmeelites [ Wherever the pit was, it was apparently far from Dothan where the brothers were camped with the flocks, for reasons we will see in a moment. Returning back from the pit to the camp they sit down to eat and see off in the distance an Ishmaelite caravan traveling to Egypt. ] came from Gilead with their camels bearing spicery and balm and myrrh, going to carry it down to Egypt.

26 And Judah said unto his brethren, What profit is it if we slay our brother, [ I find it interesting that Judah would be the one who would say that. Judas is the one who sells Jesus as well. ] and conceal his blood?

27 Come, and let us sell him to the Ishmeelites, [ Judah comes up with an idea to dispose of him without killing him, they'll sell him to this caravan going to Egypt. Although the narrative is not clear here, it appears that Jacob's sons got up from their meal to bargain with the Ishmeelites. ] and let not our hand be upon him; for he is our brother and our flesh. And his brethren were content.

28 Then there passed by Midianites merchantmen; and they drew and lifted up Joseph out of the pit, [ The Midianites merchantmen; lifted Joseph out of the pit, and sold Joseph to the Ishmeelites for twenty pieces of silver: who then brought Joseph into Egypt. However, while the brothers are away from the pit eating lunch and so forth, some Midianite traders just happen to pass by the pit and pull Joseph out of it. They bring him to Egypt to be sold into slavery. It is often said that Joseph's brothers "sold him into slavery." We can see that this is not exactly so -- they planned to sell him, but he was rescued and kidnapped before they could get the chance! Returning to the pit, Reuben finds it empty and honestly doesn't know what has become of Joseph. So they tear his coat, cover it with blood, and return to their father with the news that Joseph is dead. ] and sold Joseph to the Ishmeelites for twenty pieces of silver: [ Christ was sold for 30 pieces of silver. They only got 20 pieces of silver because of his age. The going price of a slave that was under 20. 30 pieces was that going rate for a slave over 20 years old. ] and they brought Joseph into Egypt. [ Good example here. As a Bishop I often heard the question "Why" Why? And they really get stuck in asking, " Why would this happen to me? Why would God allow this to happen to me?". Did Joseph know his whole story and the reson for what seemed like personal punishment for being good, no he did not understand at the time. However; because he was faithful through the process he was a source of much good for his family in the future. some things don't fully optimize unless they are stressed. Muscle, he mentions, use it or lose it with muscle. If you don't use your muscles, they atrophy. Bone, and as we get older, they keep telling us, "You need to do weight-bearing exercise." Walk and jog, putting some stress on those bones so that they can maintain their strength. His third example, muscle, bone, children. Now, that's a powerful thought. I love that thought. And really, it's not just children. It's the human creature. The child of God is made antifragile. We are created to grow under stress. And we don't optimize, if we're not stressed. We just don't. We become weak. A quote from the book Antifragile, The Coddling of the American Mind. Written by Jonathan Haidt, "Systems that are antifragile become rigid, weak, and inefficient, when nothing challenges them or pushes them to respond vigorously. The modern obsession with protecting young people from feeling unsafe is, we believe, one of the several causes of the rapid rise in the rates of adolescent depression, anxiety, and suicide." That's some powerful thinking right there. And I believe it. Because God set up the world to be a big spiritual weight room. That's what it is. Are we going to build spiritual muscle? ]

29 ¶ And Reuben returned unto the pit; and, behold, Joseph was not in the pit; and he rent his clothes. [ Meanwhile, while the other brothers are eating lunch and so forth, Reuben sneaks off back to the pit to save Joseph only to discover that he was missing . And, Joseph had probably been yelling for help and the passing Midianites heard him and had the same idea as did Judah, namely to sell him as a slave. Now, this pit Joseph was in must have been some distance from the brother's camp otherwise they would have spotted and stopped the Midianite traders from pulling him out of the pit. Also, the pit must have been far way or Reuben's ploy to free him would have been in vain as he would not have been able to rescue him in their presence. ]

30 And he returned unto his brethren, and said, The child is not; [ There is a big age gap between Reuben and Joseph. He naturally does not know what has happened to Joseph so he laments his fate, probably fearing the worst. ] and I, whither shall I go? [ As the oldest he knows who is going to take the heat from his father. You are the oldest you should have known better... Is he more concerned about what happened to Joseph or what his father is going to say or do to them. ]

31 And they took Joseph’s coat, and killed a kid of the goats, and dipped the coat in the blood; [ The brothers not knowing what happened to him go ahead with the original plan and tell Jacob that he was killed in the wilderness by a lion or something or other and all that is left is the bloody tunic. ]

32 And they sent the coat of many colours, and they brought it to their father; and said, This have we found: know now whether it be thy son’s coat or no. [ Trying to show they are innocent, they ask their father can you identify this coat because we are not sure if it is Joseph's or someone else's. ]

33  And he knew it, [ Jacob recognized it because he had memorized the markings inside of the garment. Think of the grief that they put on their father here. ] and said, It is my son’s coat; an evil beast hath devoured him; [ The story would lead us to believe here that at this point Jacob has lost hope. But we find in Alma 46:4 that Captain Moroni claims that this was not so, for in seeing the garment he had hope that his son Joseph was still alive. Jacob is convinced that Joseph is dead, "without a doubt." But the History of Joseph, a Syriac manuscript first publicized in 1923, says that the garment was "preserved," like the Book of Mormon claims. Another Muslim source, Muhammad ibn Ibrahim ath-Tha'labi, reports that Jacob knows it is Joseph's garment by the "three marks or tokens" it bears. Jacob feels the tokens and recognizes a garment that Joseph would not likely take off. However other account suggest that Jacob becomes suspicious: Behold, if the beast had eaten him he surely he would have rent his garment, and since he would naturally have fled towards the gate, verily the garment should have been torn behind. (Nibley Approach pp 186-188) The Muslim account agrees with the account in the Book Of Mormon version in Alma 46. That Jacob wasn't fooled: It suggests that "What a merciful wolf ate up my beloved son without tearing his shirt! Nay! But your ownselves have made up a tale. So for me patience is more fitting. (Qur'an 12:18) The Slavonic account agrees, too. Jacob is on to their plot: Joseph! But your clothes they embarrass me; I see; your clothes are not torn, but removed by human hands; the beast does not have the habit of first taking off [clothes] and then eating; if you were eaten by a beast, your clothes would be torn into many pieces; but now, I don't see any traces of teeth or tears from claws on it; if the beast had stripped you, your clothes would not have been bloody. (Paleya p.86c-d) The Book of Jasher even depicts Jacob as sending his sons into Egypt specifically to look for his allegedly dead son: "And I also commanded them to go about Egypt to seek for my son Joseph, perhaps they might find him there."(Jasher 52:32) The Book of Mormon account of Joseph's garment goes a step further. Still playing on the metaphor that the garment represents Israel, the Nephites declare, "Surely God shall not suffer that we, who are despised because we take upon us the name of Christ, shall be trodden down and destroyed." (Alma 46:18) They then covenant: We shall be destroyed, even as our brethren in the land northward, if we shall fall into transgression; yea, he may cast us at the feet of our enemies, even as we have cast our garments at thy feet to be trodden under foot, if we shall fall into transgression. (Alma 46:22) Whence all this talk of trampling Joseph's garment? I's not from traditional Genesis, but comes from the plates of brass. In Genesis, the brothers aren't so creative: And they took Joseph's coat, and killed a kid of the goats, and dipped the coat in the blood; and trampled it in the dust. And they sent the coat of many colours, and they brought it to their father. (Genesis 37:31-32) (See Jasher 43:13 for additional commentary. Nibley An Approach to the Book Of Mormon Pg 187-188 https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/mi/12/) Of coarse since Judah was the one who sold his brother into slavery, so of coarse the narrative told by the jewish scribes needed to be favorable to those of the tribe of Judah. These scribes could not handle the associated guilt. ] Joseph is without doubt rent in pieces.

34 And Jacob rent his clothes, and put sackcloth upon his loins, and mourned for his son many days. [ This went on for some time, and during this time the boy's just let their father suffer. Not one stepped forward and told what had really happened. ]

35 And all his sons and all his daughters rose up to comfort him; but he refused to be comforted; and he said, For I will go down into the grave unto my son mourning. Thus his father wept for him.

36 And the Midianites sold him into Egypt unto Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh’s, and captain of the guard. [ The Hebrew phrase which is translated as “captain of the guards” literally means “chief of the butchers or slaughterers.” From this meaning some scholars have thought that he was the chief cook or steward in the house of the pharaoh, but other scholars believe that butcher or slaughterer is used in the sense of executioner, and thus Potiphar was the “commanding officer of the royal body-guard, who executed the capital sentences ordered by the king” (Keil and Delitzsch, Commentary, 1:1:338). Either way, Potiphar was an important man, but the latter position especially would give him great power and status in Egypt. So what is the point of the story? Is it merely intended to portray some history that puts Joseph's presence in Egypt into perspective? Maybe. I would guess it has more to do with Divine Engineering though. God is well aware of the bad feelings his brothers have with Joseph, and its not like they aren't deserved. This being the case, and His knowing that drought was imminent, He took advantage of a bad situation to have Joseph placed in Egypt in circumstances that would cure his lousy attitude, as well as provide a means of saving the rest of the family when the drought hit. Thus, even though the family was not exactly a bunch of righteous zealots, God was still working with them in order to fulfil his covenant with Abraham. Is there anything that we can we extract from this story that can help us in our lives today? ]