This verse illustrates how envy can lead people to do extreme harm and then plot even further, hoping to keep their wrongdoing concealed.
When Scripture describes the scene, it says, “So they took Joseph’s tunic, and slaughtered a male goat and dipped the tunic in the blood” (v.31). Joseph’s brothers carry out a deceitful plan in the land of Canaan, a region located between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River in the ancient Near East. This action comes right after they have cast Joseph, who was the eleventh son of Jacob (also called Israel), into a pit out of jealousy toward him (Genesis 37:24). Jacob (1860-1710 BC, approximately) was a key patriarch who fathered the twelve tribes of Israel, and his special love for Joseph stirred envy among the other sons (Genesis 37:3). By dipping Joseph’s tunic in the blood of a goat, they intend to deceive their father into believing that Joseph has been killed by a wild animal.
The tunic itself was a symbol of Joseph’s favored status in his father’s household. “So they took Joseph’s tunic” (v.31) reflects how that piece of clothing, initially a sign of Jacob’s favor, is now used as an instrument of falsehood. The brotherly betrayal foreshadows a pattern echoed later in Scripture, where innocent blood or symbols of innocence are misused. Joseph’s story parallels the life of Christ in some ways, for Jesus was also betrayed and falsely accused, suffering under the schemes of those around Him (Matthew 26:15). The male goat’s blood is intended to give weight to their false story, imagining a scenario of gruesome violence that never happened.
By “slaughtering a male goat” (v.31), the brothers commit an act that seems small in comparison to their larger trick, but it actually symbolizes destructive intentions and calculated cruelty. They believe that evidence of blood will suffice to prove Joseph’s demise. Historically, Joseph’s timeline sits around 1914-1805 BC, fitting him into the broader narrative of the patriarchs, where God’s covenant continues through Jacob’s family line despite their human failings. The elaborate cover-up reveals a deeper moral problem in Jacob’s family: a cycle of deception that began with Jacob’s own cunning against his brother Esau (Genesis 27).
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Genesis 37:31 meaning
When Scripture describes the scene, it says, “So they took Joseph’s tunic, and slaughtered a male goat and dipped the tunic in the blood” (v.31). Joseph’s brothers carry out a deceitful plan in the land of Canaan, a region located between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River in the ancient Near East. This action comes right after they have cast Joseph, who was the eleventh son of Jacob (also called Israel), into a pit out of jealousy toward him (Genesis 37:24). Jacob (1860-1710 BC, approximately) was a key patriarch who fathered the twelve tribes of Israel, and his special love for Joseph stirred envy among the other sons (Genesis 37:3). By dipping Joseph’s tunic in the blood of a goat, they intend to deceive their father into believing that Joseph has been killed by a wild animal.
The tunic itself was a symbol of Joseph’s favored status in his father’s household. “So they took Joseph’s tunic” (v.31) reflects how that piece of clothing, initially a sign of Jacob’s favor, is now used as an instrument of falsehood. The brotherly betrayal foreshadows a pattern echoed later in Scripture, where innocent blood or symbols of innocence are misused. Joseph’s story parallels the life of Christ in some ways, for Jesus was also betrayed and falsely accused, suffering under the schemes of those around Him (Matthew 26:15). The male goat’s blood is intended to give weight to their false story, imagining a scenario of gruesome violence that never happened.
By “slaughtering a male goat” (v.31), the brothers commit an act that seems small in comparison to their larger trick, but it actually symbolizes destructive intentions and calculated cruelty. They believe that evidence of blood will suffice to prove Joseph’s demise. Historically, Joseph’s timeline sits around 1914-1805 BC, fitting him into the broader narrative of the patriarchs, where God’s covenant continues through Jacob’s family line despite their human failings. The elaborate cover-up reveals a deeper moral problem in Jacob’s family: a cycle of deception that began with Jacob’s own cunning against his brother Esau (Genesis 27).