Joseph’s Technicolor Gender-Neutral Dreamcoat
God’s love is gender-inclusive and comes in a profusion of vibrant colors.
Something about Joseph’s multicolored coat struck me when I came across this Bible passage. Maybe it was because I too love flashy clothes or because I latched onto the idea of the coat represented something more: something about individuality and identity that my young mind knew intuitively, but didn’t have the words for. Joseph’s brothers left him in a pit because the coat was a sign of favoritism on his father’s part, but a part of me still asked: Why this coat? What did the coat say about Joseph? That had to have spoken volumes about Joseph. Otherwise, it wouldn’t be such a prominent symbol of fatherly love — or, in some cases, God’s love.
Interestingly enough, the original word for this garment (happassîm) is translated as “tunic”, “robe”, or “vest” and this clothing item shows up again in 2 Samuel when Tamar tore it and put ashes on her head. Tamar did after her brother, Amnon, raped her. The word happassîm essentially means “long-sleeved, colorful garment”. Such a garment represents high status and her tearing it represents the loss of her status as a virgin daughter of the king and trauma from rape. In Joseph’s case, the garment is a stand-in not only for his status as the favorite son but for his very dignity as a human being. After being stripped of his colorful garment and left in a pit, Joseph was sold as a slave and his coat was dipped in blood in order to convince his father that wild animals ate him.
Although ancient Israelites did wear differently-styled clothes depending on their gender, it is unclear if this long, multicolored garment was styled differently for men and women or if it had the same construction regardless of the gender of the wearer. However, both men and women did wear this garment. It was seen draped on a statue of a goddess during the time of Nebuchadnezzar II and on a priestess and a king-priest. The garment is also referred to as a k’tonet, the word used to describe the animal skins that Adam and Eve wore after Satan tricked them into eating the forbidden fruit. This word conveys aristocratic status, but it mainly conveys sacred status.
It is possible that the apparent gender nonconformity Joseph showed by wearing this garment was a factor in his brothers violently removing it from him and leaving him in a pit. This idea may not have any Biblical basis, but it does hit home with boys who have been bullied or ostracized for showing the slightest bit of perceived femininity. Not only that, Joseph’s coat was a reminder that Joseph’s father did not try to mold him into a societally ideal male whereas this may have been the case for his brothers. It is possible that, due to Joseph being the son of his old age, Joseph’s father made the mistake of repressing their feminine sides and then resented him for not doing the same to Joseph.
After being bought and working as a cupbearer and a baker, Joseph was arrested after being falsely accused of rape. He made his way out by interpreting dreams. By asking God to help him interpret dreams and through God being with him in prison, he became governor of a land in Egypt. His trust in God and character were ultimately rewarded while his brothers had to see the person that they left in a pit and tried to sell. In a way, God brought about a sort of poetic justice for Joseph. They had to see Joseph rightfully reclaim the thing that they tried to take from him by force. Joseph’s coat has come to represent God’s love throughout many years of studying this passage, but only recently does this peculiar garment show that any gender can don God’s covering and wear it with pride.
