Matthew Henry Commentary Genesis 37:31-36

"And they took Joseph`s coat, and killed a he-goat, and dipped the coat in the blood; and they sent the coat of many colors, and they brought it to their father, and said, This have we found: know now whether it is thy son`s coat or not. And he knew it, and said, It is my son`s coat: an evil beast hath devoured him; Joseph is without doubt torn in pieces. And Jacob rent his garments, and put sackcloth upon his loins, and mourned for his son many days. And all his sons and all his daughters rose up to comfort him; but he refused to be comforted; and he said, For I will go down to Sheol to my son mourning. And his father wept for him. And the Midianites sold him into Egypt unto Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh`s, the captain of the guard." — Genesis 37:31-36 (ASV)

When Satan has taught people to commit one sin, he then teaches them to try to conceal it with another, such as hiding theft and murder with lying and false oaths. But whoever covers their sin will not prosper for long. Joseph's brothers kept their secret among themselves for some time, but their wickedness eventually came to light, and it is now published to the world. To grieve their father, they sent him Joseph's coat of many colors; and upon seeing the bloody coat, he hastily concluded that Joseph had been torn to pieces.

Let those who know a parent's heart imagine poor Jacob's agony. His sons despicably pretended to comfort him, but they were all miserable, hypocritical comforters. If they had truly wanted to comfort him, they could have done so immediately by telling the truth. The heart is strangely hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. Jacob refused to be comforted.

Great affection for any person or thing prepares one for correspondingly greater affliction when that person or thing is taken from us or made bitter to us; undue love commonly ends in undue grief. It is wise for parents not to raise children too indulgently, as they do not know what hardships their children may face before they die. Throughout this chapter, we see with wonder the ways of Providence. The malicious brothers seem to have achieved their goals; the merchants, who do not care what they trade in as long as they profit, have also achieved theirs; and Potiphar, having acquired a fine young slave, has also achieved his!

But God's designs are, by these means, being set in motion. This event will ultimately lead to Israel's going down to Egypt; that, in turn, to their deliverance by Moses; that to the establishment of the true religion in the world; and that to its spread among all nations through the gospel. Thus the wrath of man shall praise the Lord, and the remainder thereof will he restrain.