Genesis 37:23

23 When Joseph reached his brothers, they ripped off the fancy coat he was wearing,

Genesis 37:23 Meaning and Commentary

Genesis 37:23

And it came to pass, when Joseph was come unto his brethren,
&c.] To the very place where they were, and had, in a kind and obliging manner, asked of their welfare, and related their father's concern for them, who had sent him on this errand:

that they stripped, Joseph out of [his] coat; his coat of [many]
colours, that [was] on him;
according to Jarchi and Aben Ezra, this was not one and the same coat, but divers, and that the sense is, that with his coat of many colours, and besides that, they stripped him of his lower garment, which was next to his skin, his shirt; so that he was quite naked when they cast him into the pit, and this they did as soon as he came up to them, so cruel and hardhearted were they.

Genesis 37:23 In-Context

21 Reuben heard the brothers talking and intervened to save him, "We're not going to kill him.
22 No murder. Go ahead and throw him in this cistern out here in the wild, but don't hurt him." Reuben planned to go back later and get him out and take him back to his father.
23 When Joseph reached his brothers, they ripped off the fancy coat he was wearing,
24 grabbed him, and threw him into a cistern. The cistern was dry; there wasn't any water in it.
25 Then they sat down to eat their supper. Looking up, they saw a caravan of Ishmaelites on their way from Gilead, their camels loaded with spices, ointments, and perfumes to sell in Egypt.
Published by permission. Originally published by NavPress in English as THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language copyright 2002 by Eugene Peterson. All rights reserved.