Genesis 37:32Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

Why do you fool yourselves? While you might be able to mislead your father, you cannot elude the vigilant gaze of the One before whom you should have the greatest reverence. This reflects the essence of humanity and highlights the negligence of many individuals. They focus solely on the fear of human judgment in this life, neglecting the impending dreadful judgement and unending torment that awaits them; their primary concern is avoiding the scorn of others. This is the mindset of those who chose to deceive their father.

They stained their vibrant clothing with the blood of a goat and presented it to their father, fabricating deceitful and flattering statements.

Instead of bringing news of Joseph, his brothers chose to send their father his robe, which they had stained with blood. After selling Joseph, they quickly killed a goat and used its blood to mark his tunic. They then went to their father that very hour, claiming, "We found this robe lying in the mountains; we immediately recognized it as belonging to our brother. We are all grieving for him. Since we could not find our brother, we are sending you, father, this colorful robe of Joseph. Please check for yourself if it truly belongs to your son, as we all believe it is Joseph's."

What benefit did the brothers gain from killing the goat and lying to their father? Behold, Joseph has been exalted as ruler in Egypt. Why do you tarnish your colorful robe with the blood of the goat, misleading and misrepresenting the events that occurred due to your own actions? The father accepted your claim that it belonged to his son and hardly endured the grief of what had happened (Genesis 37:33-34).... Then the foreign Ishmaelites purchased him, taking him to Egypt, where he would be imprisoned, have visions interpreted, and be examined by Pharaoh. He would rise to become the king of Egypt, entrusted with the second throne, gathering abundant grain and storing it.

They dispatched her back to her father with a challenging inquiry, “We have discovered this; please investigate whether it is indeed your son’s garment or not.”