Was Jacob wrong in giving the coat of many colors to Joseph?

Based on the mores of our society,I would say that it was an extreme show of favouritism; which may, or may not, have had any significance in the Hebrew culture.

The worst I would accuse Jacob of, (not knowing that society), would be bad judgement.

 

I don't think the Bible indicates that he was wrong. In fact, it seems to me to portray Jacob and Joseph in a positive light and the only ones who are really painted in a negative light are the jealous brothers. Even in the end, Joseph is elevated as the hero and his brothers are brought low.

Joseph Botwinick

 

Most accounts I have heard of portray Joseph poorly in this instance - in that he wasn't very charitable in the way he communicated this favor with his brothers. In other words, he could have done better in his dealings with his brothers.

 

Who are we to second-guess Jacob? God's plan was nevertheless fulfilled. Who impressed Jacob to do this would be a fuller question. Why?

 

It seems like we too often transfer modern day assumptions and psychological trappings to a different time and culture where these contemporary views do not apply. There is no indication Jacob was wrong in giving this coat to Joseph or that Joseph was wrong in telling his dreams to his brothers. The brothers were wrong in their reaction to what Joseph said, and that is clear from the Bible. As God often did in the OT, the younger is given honor over the older and the older don't like it.

 

I can't say he was wrong, but it is another example of him possibly being dense. Jacob didn't see the strife between his wives earlier and now here are his sons going at it over jelousy. Maybe Jacob was alittle disconnected from his family.

 

Jacob was not wrong in giving Joseph the coat of many colors.

The jealousy of his brothers was wrong.

Rufus

 

Yes, Jacob was wrong in showing favortism toward Joseph, thereby provoking his other children to wrath. However, God in his infinite wisdom knew how to take a weakness in the human nature, and use it for his glorious purpose later. Brings Romans 8:28 to mind. The action taken by Jacob went a long way in preventing some or all of the sons of Israel (including families) from starving to death. It would have been a different account if only 3 or 4 tribes entered in to take possession of the promised land. Sadder yet would have been if all of Israel had died in the famine, and there would not have been a line from Judah. Praise God for his wisdom.

 

Jacob never hid his favoritism for Rachel over Leah and that favoritism transferred to the two children they shared. The sibling rivalry and jealously within that family is not surprising, nor even that it eventually went to such extremes. It does seem that Joseph had a "rub it in your face" attitude with the dreams.

One point that is interesting to ponder is what kind of person would Joseph have ultimately become if he had not been tested so severely. I am persuaded the humility lessons he learned as a slave, before being elevated to the right hand of Pharoah, were as much part of God's plan and the key to Israel's survival as was his accension to power.

 

The first person to do wrong in the family situation was defenitely Laban!!!

When Joseph is talking to his brothers in the end, he says "You mean it for evil, but God meant it for good." It doesn't seem that he addressed his father and told him that he did wrong in giving the coat. I believe that of course he would favor Joseph and Benjamin b/c their mother is the one that he wanted to marry in the first place!!!

 

A thought has just struck me on this: Jacob was not wrong in giving the coat to Jacob, but the results of that -- jealousy, throwing Joseph in the pit, etc. -- were indirectly the result of Joseph having more than one wife. Having more than one wife was not in God's will -- and strife always resulted in the Biblical examples of this.

 

Please disregard my previous post -- I obviously scrambled the names up badly! Not sure where my brains are.

Here it is again in the corrected version:
Jacob was not wrong in giving the coat to Joseph, but the results of that -- jealousy, throwing Joseph in the pit, etc. -- were indirectly the result of Jacob having more than one wife. Having more than one wife was not in God's will -- and strife always resulted in the Biblical examples of this.

 

I agree - it started with the sin of Laban....

 

joyfulkeeperathome sez:

It was because of Jacob's deceipt/lying that he wound up at Laban's--It was because of Rebecca's partiality to Jacob that he deceived---####---it was because of pride that satan tempted Eve& Adam to rebel against God.

Here we have the ultimate beginning of ALL our problems; satan's pride, and God's creation that shared that pride & acted on it!