The garment given to Joseph by his father was a dress coat, i.e., not
the cloaklike wrap that the man on the street wore. It was distinguished from
the usual ones by its length, and the length of its sleeves; it was a luxury
which only those who did not have to work could think of having (Gu.). The
garment is once again mentioned, significantly, as the garb of royal princesses
(2 Sam. 13:18 f.). The LXX and its dependent Vulgate have interpreted the
Hebrew word, whose meaning has not yet been satisfactorily explained, in the
sense of “variegated,” and the translation in the King James Version derives
from that. Thus the picture of the spoiled and preferred figure Joseph is
painted with very few strokes; he is the foil for the brothers who are
contriving evil. Verse 4bβ
cannot be translated for certain. If the text is in order, one can translate
either “they did not endure his friendly speech” or “they were not able to
speak peaceably to him.” (Gerhard von Rad, Genesis: A Commentary [The
Old Testament Library; Philadelphia: The Westminster Press, 1972], 351)
an ornamented tunic. The traditional “coat of many colors,”
and the variant “coat with sleeves” are sheer guesses from the context; nor is
there anything remarkable about either colors or sleeves. The phrase, Heb. ketonet passīm, occurs aside
from this section (also vss. 23, 32) only in 2 Sam 13:18 f., where it describes
a garment worn by daughters of kings. Cuneiform inventories may shed light on
the garment in question. Among various types of clothing listed in the texts,
there is one called kitû (or kutinnū) pišannu (cf. JNES 8 [1949], 177). The important thing there,
besides the close external correspondence with the Heb. phrase, is that the
article so described was a ceremonial robe which could be draped about statues
of goddesses, and had various gold ornaments sewed onto it. Some of these
ornaments would occasionally come undone and need to be sent to the proper
craftsman for repairs, hence the notation in the inventories. If the comparison
is valid—and there are several things in its favor—the second element in the
Heb. phrase, i.e., passīm, would be
an adaptation of Akk. pišannu, a
technical term denoting appliqué ornaments on costly vests and bodices. (E.
A. Speiser, Genesis: Introduction, Translation, and Notes [AYB 1; New
Haven: Yale University Press, 2008], 289-90)
Another reason for hating Joseph was that he [Jacob] made him a long robe with sleeves. The traditional
rendering is “coat of many colors,” which follows the Septuagint and the
Vulgate. Although the details are not certain, some understand it to have been
a garment worn next to the skin, and that covered the arms to the wrists and
the legs to the ankles (Koehler-Baumgartner). In 2 Sam 13:18 it is the garment
worn by a princess. By contrast the ordinary garment for males reached only to
the knees and did not cover the arms. Speiser finds support in cuneiform
inventories that suggest it was “an ornamented tunic,” that is, a tunic or robe
that was decorated by sewing ornaments to the cloth. Von Rad describes it as “a
luxury which only those who did not have to work could think of having.” In
summary the garment may refer to a robe, coat, or long shirt-like piece of
clothing. It was clearly a very special garment that gave Joseph a status not
shared by his brothers. Some typical translations are “a very pretty coat with
long arms” and “a special long jacket with full sleeves.” (William
David Reyburn and Euan McG. Fry, A
Handbook on Genesis [UBS Handbook Series; New York: United Bible Societies,
1998], 848)
Jacob’s love for Joseph is a doting love. Surely he was aware of the
potential for friction in a family where parental favoritism was blatant. He
knew personally the schism that results from such tactics. Nevertheless, he
proceeds to make clear to all his preferential concern for Joseph.
To that end he engages his tailoring skills (a reflection of Jacob as
an ʾîš tām, 25:27?), and makes a
special article of clothing for Joseph, a
long colorful tunic. The Hebrew phrase for this covering is keṯōneṯ passîm. There is no
problem with the translation of keṯōneṯ;
the use of “coat” or “long robe” or tunic
is quite acceptable, for this word describes a garment worn by a man or by a
woman. The problem is encountered with passîm,
which occurs only here (37:3, 23, 32, with passîm
preceded by the definite article in vv. 23 and 32), and in 2 Sam. 13:18, 19
(the only other instance of the phrase keṯōneṯ
[hap]passîm).
The source of AV “coat of many colors” is LXX chitṓna poikílon, “a multicolored frock,” and Vulg. tunicam polymitam. The source behind RSV
“a long robe with sleeves” is Aquila’s rendering of passîm by astrágalōn, “(a
frock) reaching to the ankles).”
Support for this second reading may be found in two areas. One way is
to connect passîm with postbiblical pas, which means the “flat of the hand”
(i.e., the palm) and “the flat of the foot” (i.e., the sole). pas as “palm” appears in the Aramaic of
Daniel (Dan. 5:5, 24). Thus a keṯōneṯ
passîm would be a covering extending to the palms and soles. Furthermore, 2
Sam. 13:18 (LXX) renders keṯōneṯ
passîm as chitṓn karpōtós, “a
frock with sleeves extending to the wrists.”
Another attempt has been made to connect Heb. passîm with ʾep̄es, “end,
extremity,” and with ʾop̄sāyim,
“ankles” (cf. Ezek. 47:3). Thus, a keṯōneṯ
passîm is a garment extending to the extremities of one’s body (hands and
feet). Support for the equation of pas
and ʾep̄es may be found in the place
name Ephes-dammim (1 Sam. 17:1), which is called Pas-dammim in 1 Chr. 11:13.
Those who appeal to cognate languages for elucidation of passîm have been less than convincing in
their proposals. For example, G. Mendenhall appeals to Ugaritic, and in
particular to the Baal-Yamm conflict in which Yamm’s messengers say to the
assembled pantheon
Deliver, O gods, the one whom you obey,
whom the multitudes obey;
Deliver Baʿal and his ʿanan,
The son of Dagon, I shall succeed to his paz [or paḏ].
Scholars have translated the last two lines quite differently: (1)
“Give up Baal [and his partisans];
Dagon’s Son, so that I may inherit his gold”;
(2) “Give Baal [to me to lord over],
Dagon’s son whose spoil I’ll
possess”; (3) “Give up Baal [and his lackeys],
the son of Dagon that I may possess his gold.”
Mendenhall avoids either “gold” or “spoil” for paḏ, and prefers to connect it with Akk. melammū and puluḫtu, that
glory surrounding the deity which provokes fear or awe. For Mendenhall, then,
the robe given to Joseph is to be associated with social or political status.
The “dazzling” robe marks Joseph as a superior to his brothers. As appealing as
Mendenhall’s suggestion is, it falls principally on the ground that the
equation of Heb. pas with Ugar. paḏ is most unlikely due to the lack of
correspondence between Heb. s and
Ugar. ḏ, to say nothing of the
uncertain nature surrounding the actual meaning of paḏ.
Speiser links keṯōneṯ
passîm with Akk. kitu pišannu, a
ceremonial robe draped about statues of goddesses and studded with gold
ornaments. This background may provide some basis for the translation “coat of
many colors.” Also possibly related is Phoenician ps, “tablet, piece,” suggesting a garment made of pieces of
material sewn together. Finally, we note the possible connection with Akk. paspasu, “brightly colored bird.”
Ancient Mediterranean art provides us with ample illustrations of
richly colored clothing. One thinks of the clay figures from Ur, some of which
were “human figures clad in a garment composed of a pointed hat and a long robe
painted with scales.” The Beni-hasan tomb painting (ca. 1800 b.c.) picturing
thirty-seven Semites, all dressed in bright, colorful garments, on their way to
Egypt is worthy of consideration here.
A mural fresco from the palace of Zimri-Lim at Mari (ca. 18th century b.c.)
reveals a garment made of small rectangular panels of multicolored cloth sewn
together into a wide strip and wound around the body like a sari. The next
distinctive men’s garment style after this was a sari-like robe edged with fur
(16th-15th century b.c.). The parallel between the Mari garment and Joseph’s keṯōneṯ passîm argues,
indirectly at least, for an early date for the Joseph story. (Victor
P. Hamilton, The Book of Genesis, Chapters 18-50 [The New International
Commentary on the Old Testament; Grand Rapids, Mich.: Eerdmans, 1995], 407-9)
With respect to פַּס, here is how HALOT defines the term (with reference to Gen
37:3):
7641 פַּס
*פַּס: probably a primary noun; SamP. Gn 373
fassÝm; MHeb. and JArm. פס,
פסא, פסתא
palm of the hand, sole of the foot, piece, tax; JArm. פסא piece, mouthful, lot; similarly Syr. passÝtaÒ, BArm. ï פַּס; Pun. פס
tablet )Lidzbarski Handbuch 352; Jean-H. Dictionnaire
230; Hoftijzer-Jongeling Dictionary 921, ps II); cf. Ug. *ps,
pl. psm (Gordon Textbook §19:2074; Aistleitner 2238) in
Dietrich-L.-S. Texte 4, 205:5: lbsë psm rq; perhaps connected
with EgArm. פַּס, Kraeling Arm. Pap. 10:7, 9; 12:9,
18; Nab. ps part, portion )Jean-H. Dictionnaire
230; Hoftijzer-Jongeling Dictionary 921 ps I(; Syr. pessaÒ, pessÝtaÒ lot; CPArm. pstÀ
tax: pl. פַּסִּים: כְּתֹנֶת פַּסִּים Gn 373 2S 1318 and הַפַּ׳ כְּ׳ Gn 3723.32 2S 1319:
meaning disputed, with uncertainty already in the versions, on which see esp.
Dillmann, Genesis6 (1892) 393: 1. cf. Sept. Gn 373.23.32
χιτὃν ποι>, Vulg. tunica polymita a tunic
made from different pieces of coloured material )KBL, with a question-mark(;
similarly Speiser Genesis 289f )Oppenheim JNES 8 )1949( 177(:
פַּסִּים a word to indicate decorative needlework
on valuable garments. 2. cf. Sept. 2S 1318f χιτὃν > (from > carpal-bone), Vulg. tunica talaris a robe
reaching right down to the ankles (H.P. Müller ZA 66 (1977) 310), more
precisely, a garment reaching to the wrists and the ankles, cf. Gesenius-B.;
König Wb.; Zorell Lex.; Dalman Arbeit 5:215; also KBL; see
Pritchard Pictures page 14f for illustrations of Syrian dress, esp.
plate 43. 3. פַּ׳ כְּ׳ a wrap-around garment, the overlapping layers of which seem
like “tablets”, cf. Pun. פס
see above )BRL2 186b(, cf. Albright BA 36 )1973( 31f; Parrot Sumer plates 346, 348
etc.; cf. place name פַּס דַּמִּים
Josephus Ἐρασαμός )Schalit Namenwörterbuch 140( 1C 1113 = ) אֶפֶס דַּמִּיםHAL
77a = English edition 79b(
see Eissfeldt Kl. Schr. 2:456f and Stoebe KAT 8/1:316. †
The following is
from The Dictionary of Classical
Hebrew, ed. David J. A. Clines, 8
vols. (Sheffield, England: Sheffield Academic Press; Sheffield Phoenix
Press, 2011), 6:722:
[פַּס] I 5 n.m. palm,
sole (unless פַּס
II variously coloured material or III
coloured stuff)—pl. פַּסִּים—<cstr> כְּתֹנֶת פַּסִּים tunic of palms and soles, i.e. reaching down to wrists and ankles
Gn 37:3, 23, 32 (both הַפַּסִּים)
2 S 13:18, 19 (הַפֵּסִּים).
*[פַּס] II 5 n.m. variously coloured material, in ref. to tunic composed of
variegated pieces (unless פַּס
I palm, sole or III coloured stuff)—pl. פַּסִּים—<cstr> כְּתֹנֶת פַּסִּים tunic of variously coloured material Gn 37:3, 23, 32 (both הַפַּסִּים) 2 S 13:18, 19 (הַפַּסִּים).
► (?) פַּס דַּמִּים Pas-dammim.
*[פַּס] III 5 n.m. coloured stuff (unless פַּס
I palm, sole or II variously coloured material)—pl. פֵּסִּים—<cstr> כִּתֹנֶת פַּסִּים tunic of coloured stuff Gn 37:3, 23, 32 (both הַפַּסִּים) 2 S 13:18, 19 (הַפַּסִּים).
