Coat Of Many Blessings

How I Love My Coat of Many Colors, Joseph is a song from the musical Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice. The song tells the story of Joseph, the favourite son of Jacob, who receives a magnificent coat of many colours as a gift from his father. The coat is described as elegant, tasteful, and dazzling, with colours including red, yellow, green, brown, blue, scarlet, black, and gold. Joseph's brothers, who are already jealous of him, become even more envious when they see the coat, leading to a plot to sell Joseph into slavery. Despite the conflict it causes, Joseph loves and admires his coat, seeing it as a symbol of his father's love and favour.

Jacob's favouritism towards Joseph

There were several reasons for Jacob's partiality. Firstly, Joseph was the son of Jacob's beloved wife, Rachel, whom he had worked for seven years to marry. Jacob's love for Rachel was well-known, and so it followed that he would favour her son. Secondly, Joseph was born to Jacob in his old age, and this may have made him more precious to the patriarch.

Jacob made his favouritism obvious by giving Joseph a special coat. This was a multicoloured garment, a sign of nobility and wealth. It was not a work garment like those worn by his brothers, but an elaborate work of art designed to stand out. This coat was a physical reminder of Jacob's preference for Joseph, and it enraged Joseph's half-brothers. They hated Joseph because he received their father's undivided attention and affection.

The favouritism resulted in a dangerous schism among the brothers. The older boys plotted to kill Joseph, but eventually sold him into slavery in Egypt, telling their father that he had been killed by a wild animal. They also ripped up Joseph's coat and dipped it in blood to support this story.

Joseph's brothers' jealousy

Joseph's coat of many colors, a gift from his father, Jacob, was a source of jealousy for his brothers, who were already resentful of the favoritism shown to Joseph by their father. The coat, described as elegant and tastefully styled, was a visual reminder of their father's preference for Joseph. The Bible tells us that when Joseph's brothers saw how much their father loved him, they hated him.

The coat was not the only reason for their jealousy. Joseph also had vivid dreams that indicated he would rule over his brothers, and he shared these dreams with his family. This angered his brothers further, as they were already working in the fields while Joseph stayed home.

The feelings of jealousy led Joseph's brothers to take drastic action. They threw him into a pit and then sold him to strangers passing by, who took him away to a foreign country. The brothers even killed a goat and dipped Joseph's coat in its blood, presenting it to their father as evidence that Joseph had been killed by a wild beast.

The story of Joseph and his coat of many colors highlights the dangers of jealousy and how it can lead to destructive actions. It is a cautionary tale, teaching us the importance of avoiding jealousy and its potential consequences.

Joseph, however, went on to be favored by Pharaoh, the ruler of Egypt. With God's help, he interpreted Pharaoh's dreams, predicting seven years of good harvest followed by seven years of famine. As a result, Joseph was put in charge of storing food during the plentiful years, preparing for the famine. Eventually, his brothers came to Egypt seeking food during the famine, and Joseph, now in a position of power, tested them to see if they regretted their actions.

The coat's design and colours

The coat of many colours, or the "coat of many colours", is referenced in the Hebrew Bible as a garment given to Joseph by his father, Jacob. This act of favouritism caused Joseph's brothers to resent him and plot his ruin.

The coat is described as "elegant", "tasteful", and "the ultimate in good design". It is said to have been a "dazzling coat of many colours", with a "fine cut". The coat is also described as a "walking work of art".

The exact colours of the coat are not specified in the Bible, but various sources, including the song "Joseph's Coat" from the musical "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat", list the colours as:

> "It was red and yellow and green and brown and blue, scarlet and black and ochre and peach, ruby and olive and violet and fawn, lilac and gold and chocolate and mauve, cream and crimson and silver and rose, azure and lemon and russet and grey, purple and white and pink and orange, and blue."

The Septuagint translation of the Bible passage describes the coat as "ποικίλος" ("poikilos"), which means "many-coloured". The Jewish Publication Society of America Version also uses the phrase "coat of many colours". However, other translations, such as the Revised Standard Version and the Revised English Bible, describe the coat as "a long robe with sleeves", while the New International Version translates it as "a richly ornamented robe".

Aryeh Kaplan, in "The Living Torah", suggests that the coat was a "royal garment", and that the word "passim" could refer to a coat that is "colourful, embroidered, striped, or with pictures". Kaplan also suggests that the coat could have been made of wool or silk. James Swanson describes the coat as a "tunic or robe unique in design for showing special favour or relationship". He proposes that the coat was either "very long-sleeved and extending to the feet" or "a richly ornamented tunic, either of special colour design or gold threading, both ornamental and not suitable for working".

The coat as a status symbol

Coats have long been associated with status and power. In the biblical story of Joseph and his coat of many colors, Jacob, Joseph's father, buys him a multicolored coat to show the world how much he loves his son and to signify his special status. The coat is described as elegant and tastefully styled, so much so that it "caught the eye of a king."

The coat of many colors can be compared to a coat of arms, which has been used as a status symbol among the nobility since the Middle Ages. A coat of arms is a visual language steeped in ancient traditions, with each color and symbol contributing to the overall meaning. For example, the color red often denotes courage and valor, while blue indicates truth and loyalty. In modern times, universities, cities, and countries continue to use coats of arms as symbols of their history, culture, and values.

In addition to its historical context, the coat of arms has also seen a resurgence in popularity among the ultra-wealthy, partially due to the influence of hit TV shows like "Game of Thrones." Today, newly wealthy individuals, particularly those outside of Europe, are commissioning personalized coat-of-arms designs to display on yachts or personal stationery. This trend reflects a desire to be recognized and to create a family emblem that can be passed down through generations.

The coat, therefore, serves as an outer garment that not only protects the body but also conveys a message about the wearer's status, power, and identity. Whether it is the colorful coat of a beloved son or the heraldic emblem of a noble family, the coat has been and continues to be a symbol of distinction and prestige.

Joseph's dreams

Joseph had two inspired dreams when he was about 17 years old. In the first dream, he saw himself gathering grain in a field with his brothers. His brothers' bundles of grain bowed down to his taller bundle. In the second dream, Joseph saw the sun, moon, and 11 stars bowing down to him. These dreams angered Joseph's brothers, as they signalled that Joseph would rule over the family. They also disturbed Joseph's father, Jacob, who rebuked him.

The meaning of these dreams was clear and incited Joseph's brothers to plot against him. They took his coat, threw him into a pit, and sold him as a slave to travellers going to Egypt. Joseph's dreams set the narrative in motion and pointed to its destination—his ascension to a position of power in Egypt.

While in Egypt, Joseph interpreted the dreams of two fellow prisoners, the king's cupbearer and baker, which led to his interpretation of Pharaoh's dreams. Pharaoh had two symbolic dreams that troubled him: in one, he saw seven fat cows devoured by seven skinny cows, and in the other, seven full heads of grain consumed by seven scorched heads of grain. Joseph interpreted these dreams as foretelling seven years of plenty in Egypt, followed by seven years of famine. Pharaoh was so impressed that he elevated Joseph to second-in-command over the land, making him "discerning and wise" and in charge of managing Egypt during this period.

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