Joseph: A Pictorial
1. Joseph's Coat of Many Colors

Joseph was born when his father, Jacob, was already old. He was the eleventh of Jacob's twelve sons, and the firstborn son of Jacob's most beloved wife, Rachel, who died when Joseph was eight years old. Jacob loved Joseph more than any of his other children, and gave him a beautiful and precious present: a coat of many colors.

Although they envied him, Joseph's brothers might not have resented this so much if Joseph had not "brought evil report of his brothers to his father" (Genesis 37:2). This, in combination with his dreams about his whole family bowing down to him, made his brothers hate him, and later they would take revenge and sell him into slavery.

In this drawing Joseph looks happy. He shows his new mantle in a pastoral landscape surrounded by his father's flocks, which he and his brothers take care of. His parents gaze lovingly at him from under a green and lush tree in the right top corner, but his brothers, who tend the sheep, talk among themselves about how nasty and arrogant Joseph's behavior is towards them. The fish around Joseph are a symbol for his dreams and his imagination, and for his creative mind.