Crafting A Coat Of Many Colors

The coat of many colors is a well-known concept with several interpretations. In the Bible, Joseph's father Jacob presents him with a coat of many colors, which represents Jacob's favouritism towards Joseph among his 12 sons. This coat is also referenced in the musical theatre production, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. In popular culture, the phrase is also associated with Dolly Parton's song and album, Coat of Many Colors, which refers to a coat stitched together by Parton's mother from rags given to the family. The song and album have been ranked among the greatest of all time by Rolling Stone and other publications.

Dolly Parton's song

In the song, Parton describes how she felt rich and loved, wearing the coat her mother made for her, despite having no money. She sings of how her mother sewed love into every stitch and how she felt her coat was worth more than all the other children's clothes.

The song's narrative continues with Parton's character rushing to school, excited to show off her new coat, only to be met with laughter and ridicule from her peers. She sings of her confusion at their reaction and her attempts to make them understand that poverty is a choice.

The original coat was used for various purposes, but Parton's mother crafted a new one for display in her Chasing Rainbows Museum at Dollywood. The song has been covered by numerous artists and was ranked #2 on Rolling Stone's list of the 50 best Dolly Parton songs. It also made it to #263 on Rolling Stone's list of the "Top 500 Greatest Songs of All Time".

The biblical story of Joseph

Soon, Joseph's brothers seized him and sold him to a party of Ishmaelites, or Midianites, who brought him to Egypt and sold him to Potiphar, the captain of Pharaoh's guard. In Egypt, Joseph found favor with Potiphar and successfully interpreted the dreams of two prisoners, correctly predicting that one would be released and the other hanged. Two years later, Joseph interpreted Pharaoh's dreams as a divine prediction of seven years of plenty followed by seven years of famine. Impressed, Pharaoh appointed Joseph as his viceroy, second only to himself.

Meanwhile, famine struck Canaan, and Joseph's brothers journeyed to Egypt to buy food. They did not recognize Joseph, who decided to test his brothers' characters. Using a succession of dramatic maneuvers, he observed whether they regretted selling him and were devoted to Benjamin, Joseph's only maternal brother. Once he saw their devotion, Joseph revealed his identity to his astonished siblings. Following this heartfelt reunion, Jacob and his family settled in Goshen, Egypt. Joseph ruled Egypt until his death at the age of 110.

Symbolism and meaning

The coat of many colors is a garment that appears in the Hebrew Bible, specifically in the book of Genesis. It was given to Joseph by his father, Jacob, as a gift and a sign of his favoritism towards him. This act of favoritism caused jealousy among Joseph's brothers, who plotted against him and ultimately sold him into slavery. The coat is also mentioned in 2 Samuel 13:18, where it is worn by Tamar, King David's daughter, as a royal robe.

The coat of many colors has been interpreted in various ways throughout history. In the Bible, it symbolizes Jacob's favoritism towards Joseph and the resulting familial conflict. It also represents the divine favor of God and all His divine grace, power, and love. The different colors in the coat are said to symbolize specific aspects of Jesus' character and mission, such as crimson for redemption, white for purity, green for life, and gold for healing virtue.

In Thomas Mann's tetralogy "Joseph and His Brothers," the coat of many colors is a central symbol. Mann studied its etymology and referred to it in German with translations that reflect both the many-colored and long-sleeved aspects of the garment. He also tied the coat back to the veil of Ishtar, associating Joseph with characters from other religious traditions.

In popular culture, the coat of many colors has been referenced in musical theater, such as the musical "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat", and in Dolly Parton's song "Coat of Many Colors," where she narrates her mother stitching a coat for her out of rags, mirroring the biblical story of Joseph.

Dolly Parton's coat

The coat was made from a baby blanket, and Dolly was initially proud of it. However, she changed her mind when she wore it to school and her classmates laughed and made fun of her.

Dolly Parton has said that the song "Coat of Many Colors", which she wrote and recorded, is her personal favourite out of all the songs she has written. The song was released in September 1971 as the second single and title track from the album of the same name. The album was nominated for Album of the Year at the 1972 CMA Awards and appeared on Time magazine's list of the 100 Greatest Albums of All Time.

In 2015, a made-for-television drama film based on Dolly Parton's upbringing in Tennessee's Great Smoky Mountains was released, titled *Dolly Parton's Coat of Many Colors*. In the film, baby Dolly's coat is made from the blanket of a baby brother who was born prematurely and died.

Other interpretations

The coat of many colors is referenced in the Hebrew Bible, where the colorful garment is gifted to Joseph by his father Jacob, resulting in envy from his brothers. This story has been interpreted in various ways, including:

Thomas Mann's "Joseph and His Brothers"

In Thomas Mann's tetralogy, the coat acts as a central symbol. Mann studied the etymology of the coat, referring to it in German with translations reflecting both the many-colored and long-sleeved aspects. He also calls it by the untranslated "ketonet passim". The coat appears at critical points in all four novels, and Mann alters the Biblical history to have the coat exist long before Joseph, symbolically tying the garment back to the veil of Ishtar in the narrative's prologue. The coat is covered in images that refer to ancient Mesopotamian myths, contributing to how Mann associates Joseph with characters from other religious traditions, such as the Buddha and Hermes.

Literary Criticism

Recent scholarship, especially among literary critics, has noted the exhortation to "identify" and the theme of recognition in Genesis 37:32–33, which also appears in 38:25–26 in the story of Judah and Tamar. This serves to connect the chapters and unify the narrative. Victor Hamilton calls these "intentional literary parallels," while Robert Alter suggests that the verb "identify" plays a crucial thematic role in the dénouement of the Joseph story when he confronts his brothers in Egypt, recognizing them, but they fail to recognize him.

Aryeh Kaplan's "The Living Torah"

Aryeh Kaplan's book gives a range of possible explanations, calling the coat a "royal garment". It notes that "passim" has been translated as 'colorful, embroidered, striped, or with pictures,' also suggesting that the word could mean a "long garment" reaching the hands and feet. The book also acknowledges that the word could refer to the material of the coat, which may have been wool or silk.

James Swanson

James Swanson suggests that the phrase indicates a "tunic or robe unique in design for showing special favour or relationship". He proposes that the robe was either very long-sleeved and extended to the feet, or a richly ornamented tunic with a special color design or gold threading, making it ornamental and not suitable for work.

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