Genesis 37:3

Genesis 37:3 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his children, because he was the son of his old age: and he made him a coat of many colours.
• New International Version (NIV)Now Israel loved Joseph more than any of his other sons, because he had been born to him in his old age; and he made an ornate robe for him.
• English Standard Version (ESV)Now Israel loved Joseph more than any other of his sons, because he was the son of his old age. And he made him a robe of many colors.
• New King James Version (NKJV)Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his children, because he was the son of his old age. Also he made him a tunic of many colors.

Context of Genesis 37:3

1Jacob continued to live in the land of Canaan, where his father had lived. 2This is the account of Jacob and his descendants. Joseph was a seventeen-year-old young man. He took care of the flocks with the sons of Bilhah and Zilpah, his father’s wives. Joseph told his father about the bad things his brothers were doing. Israel loved Joseph more than all his sons because Joseph had been born in Israel’s old age. So he made Joseph a special robe with long sleeves. 4Joseph’s brothers saw that their father loved him more than any of them. They hated Joseph and couldn’t speak to him on friendly terms. 5Joseph had a dream and when he told his brothers, they hated him even more.

Genesis 37:3 word by word

וְיִשְׂרָאֵ֗ל אָהַ֤ב אֶת־יוֹסֵף֙ מִכָּל־בָּנָ֔יו כִּֽי־בֶן־זְקֻנִ֥ים ה֖וּא ל֑וֹ וְעָ֥שָׂה ל֖וֹ כְּתֹ֥נֶת פַּסִּֽים׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• Now Israelיִשְׂרָאֵלyiώrâ'êl · IsraelH3478
• lovedאָהֵב'âhab 'âhêb · to love: loverH157
• Josephיוֹסֵףyôsêph · JosephH3130
• more than all his childrenבֵּןbên · son: childH1121
• of his old ageזְקֻנִיםzâqûn · extreme ageH2208
• and he madeעָשָׂה‛âώâh · to makeH6213
• him a coatכֻּתֹּ֫נֶתkethôneth kûttôneth · tunicH3801
• coloursפַּסpas · long-sleevedH6446

Cross-references for Genesis 37:3

• John 3:35The Father loves his Son and has put everything in his power.
• John 13:22The disciples began looking at each other and wondering which one of them Jesus meant.
• Genesis 44:20We answered, ‘We have a father who is old and a younger brother born to him when he was already old. The boy’s brother is dead, so he’s the only one of his mother’s sons left, and his father loves him.’
• Genesis 37:23So when Joseph reached his brothers, they stripped him of his special robe with long sleeves.
• Judges 5:30“They’re really finding and dividing the loot: A girl or two for each soldier, colorful clothes for Sisera, colorful, embroidered clothes, and two pieces of colorful, embroidered cloth for the neck of the looter.”
• 2 Samuel 13:18(She was wearing a long-sleeved gown. The king’s virgin daughters wore this kind of robe.) So his servant took her out and bolted the door behind her.
• Psalms 45:13The daughter of the king is glorious inside ⌞the palace⌟. Her dress is embroidered with gold.
• Ezekiel 16:16You took some of your clothes and made your worship sites colorful. This is where you acted like a prostitute. Such things shouldn’t happen. They shouldn’t occur.

Commentaries on Genesis 37:3

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 3A coat of many colors - פסים כתנת kethoneth passim, a coat made up of stripes of differently colored cloth. Similar to this was the toga praetexta of the Roman youth, which was white, striped or fringed with purple; this they wore till they were seventeen years of age, when they changed it for the toga virilis, or toga pura, which was all white. Such vestures as clothing of distinction are worn all over Persia, India, and China to the present day. It is…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 1-36Verses 1-36 - Joseph Was Sold into Egypt 17. דתין dotayı̂n Dothain, “two wells?” (Gesenius) 25. נכאת neko't “tragacanth” or goat‘s-thorn gum, yielded by the “astragalus gummifer”, a native of Mount Lebanon. צרי tsērı̂y “opobalsamum,” the resin of the balsam tree, growing in Gilead, and having healing qualities. לט loṭ ͂ lēdon “ledum, ladanum,” in the Septuagint ́ staktē The former is a gum produced from the cistus rose. The latter is a gum resembling…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 3Israel (or Jacob): See also 37:13. Israel loved Joseph more than his other children. Joseph was born when Israel was old. He was the first son of Israel's favorite wife, Rachel. Israel gave Joseph a beautiful robe to show he planned to give him the largest share of the inheritance.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 33. son of his old age--Benjamin being younger, was more the son of his old age and consequently on that ground might have been expected to be the favorite. Literally rendered, it is "son of old age to him"--Hebrew phrase, for "a wise son"--one who possessed observation and wisdom above his years--an old head on young shoulders. made him a coat of many colors--formed in those early days by sewing together patches of colored cloth, and considered a dress of…Read the comment

Topics related to Genesis 37:3

• Children
• Favoritism
• Jacob
• Joseph
• Parents

In the dictionaries

• Israel
• Israel, Israelites
• Jacob, Israel
• Child
• Coat
• Conceal
• Deceitfully
• Devour
• Doubt
• Dress

Commentaries on Genesis 37

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Rashi on Tanakh
• Calvin’s Commentaries
• Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
• John Wesley’s Notes
• Darby Translation Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
• Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings