One source of tension in Jacob's family was the favoritism he showed toward the sons of Rachel, his favorite wife. Jacob's special treatment of Joseph fueled the resentment of Joseph's brothers.
Genesis 37:3 explains that Jacob had a special coat made for Joseph. The traditional translation for the coat is "robe of many colors," but that may not be the best translation. The ESV offers the alternate translation "robe with long sleeves." Whatever the translation, the coat connoted status as well as favoritism. As commentator John Walton puts it, the coat signified that Joseph was "management, not labor." Jacob was grooming Joseph to be the future CEO of Israel Enterprises.
There were reasons, beyond favoritism, for Joseph to train for this position. He must have had obvious organizational skills, based on what happened later in Egypt. Whatever enterprise he was involved in, Joseph soon ended up in charge. Sharon Rimon suggests that this quality of Joseph's is reflected in his name, which means "may he add." For Rachel, the name expressed her desire for additional sons. For Joseph, it may mean that abundance and prosperity were added to those around him. Joseph's fruitfulness is expressed in Jacob's blessing to his tribe in Genesis 49.
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