Genesis 37:33

Jacob looked at the coat, and he knew that it belonged to Joseph. So he said, “Yes, that is my son’s coat.” And Jacob saw the blood on that coat, so he said, “I know what happened. A wild animal ate Joseph. Yes, that animal tore him into little bits.”

Plain English Version

In The King James Version

And he knew it, and said, It is my son’s coat; an evil beast hath devoured him; Joseph is without doubt rent in pieces.

In Context

32Then they went back home, and they took Joseph’s special coat, and they showed it to their father Jacob. They said to their father, “Look, we found this coat. Does it belong to your son?”

34So Jacob was really sad, because he thought that Joseph was dead. He was so sad that he tore his clothes. Then he put on some clothes made out of a rough cloth, called sack-cloth, and he cried. You see, in that culture, people sometimes tore their clothes and wore sack-cloth to show that they were sad. Jacob cried like that for lots of days.

Read all of Genesis 37

Cross References

Genesis 44:28One of those sons went away, and he never came back. So I said, “I know what happened. A wild animal tore my son into little bits.” And I never saw him again.

Matthew Henry on Genesis 37:32-36

31 And they took Joseph's coat, and killed a kid of the goats, and dipped the coat in the blood; 32 And they sent the coat of many colours, and they brought it to their father; and said, This have we found: know now whether it be thy son's coat or no. 33 And he knew it, and said, It is my son's coat; an evil beast hath devoured him; Joseph is without doubt rent in pieces. 34 And Jacob rent his clothes, and put sackcloth upon his loins, and mourned for his son many days. 35 And all his sons and all his daughters… Read the whole commentary →

This Verse In Other Editions

Study Genesis 37:33