Thoughts on Joseph, part 2

My last post was about Joseph and how the prophecies about the arc of the House of Israel map pretty cleanly onto the story of Joseph and his brothers.

In today's post, I'd like to go into some depth on the nature of Joseph's famous "coat of many colors." We'll talk about how it probably wasn't a "coat of many colors" and what it symbolizes.  We'll also talk about how the coat/garment is a very ancient symbol that can teach us quite a lot about Jesus Christ -- what He's done for us since before the foundation of the world, and how we go about binding ourselves to Him.

The Coat of Many Colors -- (Hebrew 'ketonet passim')

I don't know about you, but just hearing that phrase conjures an image of Donny Osmond on Broadway in my mind.

 

However, the translation of the Hebrew 'ketonet passim' suggests that we should probably think about this coat a little bit differently:

The familiar rendering “a coat of many colours” … is certainly incorrect. It is literally “a tunic of palms,” i.e. reaching to the palms of the hands and the soles of the feet, differing from an ordinary tunic by having sleeves, and by reaching to the feet. The same word is used in 2 Samuel 13:18 of a dress worn by a princess … (Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges, my emphasis added)

And he made him פּסּים כּתנת: a long coat with sleeves …, i.e., an upper coat reaching to the wrists and ankles, such as noblemen and kings' daughters wore, not "a coat of many colours"  (Keil and Delitzsch Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament, my emphasis added)

Although some scholars favor an interpretation that the coat was actually a patchwork of different fabrics passed down since Adam, I think it's most helpful if we think of Joseph's coat as a symbol of nobility or favored status.  He wore a garment suitable for a royal court, not the clothing of a laborer in the field.

A Symbol of the Knowledge of Divine Heritage

I don't know how Joseph felt about his coat, but when I think about his coat, I liken it to a knowledge of my divine heritage.  We are strangers here in mortality, gifted with a deep sense that we belong to something much grander than this fallen world. The coat is the symbol of this.

To expound on this point, I could go into tremendous detail about all the various ways this coat symbolizes elements of the grand design of God and our role in that design. Instead, in an effort to keep this post from becoming book-length, I'll limit my focus to just two key points, both of which can best be understood in the context of the clothing worn by the high priest of Israel:

Make sacred garments for your brother Aaron, to give him dignity and honor (Exodus 28:2)

If you have difficulty connecting Joseph's coat to the temple, consider the Israelite High Priest's attire, which is described in exquisite detail in the Old Testament. This clothing included:

• White linen undergarments (a symbol of holiness, discussed in more detail below)
• A blue cloth robe (colored with a very expensive dye and woven to resemble a coat of mail). The robe had cloth pomegranates and golden bells along the bottom.
• An ephod (waistband and golden chains running over the shoulders). The chains held stones over the priest's shoulder containing the names of the twelve tribes.
• A breastplate with pouches for the Urim and Thummim.
• A turban with a golden plate upon which was inscribed the words: "Holiness to the Lord."

(An excellent source summarizing the priestly clothing is found here.)

The connection seems pretty clear to me. Like so many other aspects of the covenant, the symbolism of the sacred clothing flows two ways -- from God to man and from man to God.

1. In the sense that it is given by God to those with whom He covenants, the coat is a symbol of God's promises to the faithful.

Here are a few thoughts of mine about this first point.

• God promises great things to those who love Him -- things which cannot be discerned by the natural senses. The ornate coat is a symbol of this.
• God made coats of skins for Adam and Eve as they were being expelled from the Garden of Eden. The skins must have come from somewhere.  The association of the coats of skin with the principle of sacrifice is undeniable.
• Many centuries later, the symbol of the coat as a token of the covenant between God and His covenant people remained deeply engrained in Nephite culture. Alma 46 is a great example of this (see this post for more details).

2. In the sense that it is worn by faithful covenant keepers as a sign of their fidelity to that covenant, the coat is a symbol of a person's devotion to God.

The royal clothing is a reminder that we are 'strangers and pilgrims' on the earth. We don't belong here and this isn't our final destination. Paul teaches this beautifully when he teaches about the faith of Abraham and Sarah:

13 All these people died in faith without receiving the promises, but they saw the promises from a distance and welcomed them. They confessed that they were strangers and immigrants on earth. 14 People who say this kind of thing make it clear that they are looking for a homeland. 15 If they had been thinking about the country that they had left, they would have had the opportunity to return to it. 16 But at this point in time, they are longing for a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore, God isn’t ashamed to be called their God—he has prepared a city for them. (Hebrews 11, CEB)

I think of this royal clothing as an outward sign that a person is seeking the "heavenly country" that God has prepared those who will have Him to be their God.

Those who embrace their covenant with God understand it as a promise of protection.  It's literally a covering from destruction and other curses.  The Hebrew word for atonement is 'kafar,' which has reference to a covering or a close embrace.  Hugh Nibley explains:

The basic word for atonement is kafar, which has the same basic meaning in Hebrew, Aramaic, and Arabic—that being “to bend, arch over, cover; 2) [to pass over with one’s palm &c., to wipe out, rub] … to deny, … to forgive, … to be expiated, … renounce.”  The Arabic kafara puts the emphasis on a tight squeeze, such as tucking in the skirts, drawing a thing close to oneself. Closely related are Aramaic and Arabic kafata, meaning a close embrace, which are certainly related to the Egyptian hpt, the common ritual embrace written with the ideogram of embracing arms. Hpt may be cognate with the Latin capto and the Persian kaftan, a monk’s robe and hood completely embracing the body.  ... Most interesting is the Arabic kafata, as it is the key to a dramatic situation. It was the custom for one fleeing for his life in the desert to seek protection in the tent of a great sheik, crying out, “Ana dakhiluka,” meaning “I am thy suppliant,” whereupon the host would place the hem of his robe over the guest’s shoulder and declare him under his protection...In reply, according to the ancient custom, the Master would then place the hem of his robe protectively over the kneeling man’s shoulder (kafata). This puts him under the Lord’s protection from all enemies. They embrace in a close hug, as Arab chiefs still do; the Lord makes a place for him and invites him to sit down beside him—they are at-one. (source)

We'll end this post with the poetic words of Nephi, who encapsulates the beauty of the symbol of the heavenly garment and the protection and promise it offers:

O Lord, wilt thou encircle me around in the robe of thy righteousness! O Lord, wilt thou make a way for mine escape before mine enemies! (2 Nephi 4:33)