The Lord commanded Jacob to return to Beth-el (house of God). In preparation to approach the house of God (or temple), he tells his household, “Put away the strange gods that are among you, and be clean, and change your garments: And let us arise, and go up to Beth-el; and I will make there an altar unto God” (Genesis 35:2-3).
Changing of apparel rituals have been discovered in various cultures such as Egyptian, African, Incan, Indian, and Christian, just to name a few. The symbolism involved purification, transition to a new status, or preparation for divine encounters. In Christian circles, “putting on” sacred vestments meant “putting on Christ” or putting on righteousness. The apostle Paul said, “For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ” (Galatians 3:27). The Greek word for put on is endyo, a root of the English word endowment. Endyo means to be invested in sacred clothing or to sink into a garment. The opposite act of unclothing is found in the Parable of the Good Samaritan. The victim in the parable “fell among thieves, which stripped him of his raiment” (Luke 10:30). The entire phrase, “stripped of raiment,” is the Greek word ekdyo, which also has a figurative meaning of “putting off the body, or the clothing of the soul.” Thus, the process of “putting off the natural man” (Mosiah 3:19) and “putting on Christ,” can be expressed with an ekdyo followed by an endyo.
Robes are a symbolic representation of righteousness. In the Book of Mormon, Jacob contrasts the states of nakedness and being properly clothed:
“Wherefore, we shall have a perfect knowledge of all our guilt, and our uncleanness, and our nakedness; and the righteous shall have a perfect knowledge of their enjoyment, and their righteousness, being clothed with purity, yea, even with the robe of righteousness.” (2 Nephi 9:14)
In Genesis 37, Joseph receives a “coat of many colors.” The Hebrew words for coat (kethoneth) and colors (pac) suggest that this could be a robe or tunic extending to the wrists and ankles and would be worn by the noble class. Interestingly, the Hebrew text does not mention anything about colors. This appears to have been added with the Septuagint and Vulgate translations. At least eleven Bible translations do not mention color. (I actually just learned this today while researching the subject.)
Perhaps this special coat was given as a symbol of the birthright being given to Joseph. Reuben should have received the birthright, but he committed incest with Bilhah, Jacob’s concubine, thereby forfeiting his right. Under the birthright, Joseph received a double portion of the inheritance and added responsibility to care for the family. We see this in later chapters as Joseph saves the family of Israel from famine. Joseph received a double portion of the land inheritance with both Ephraim and Manasseh getting allotments.
We know names are important in the temple. The name Joseph is of particular interest. His name is explained in the footnote for Genesis 30:24: “’Joseph’ relates both to the Hebrew root yasaph, ‘to add,’ and to asaph, meaning both ‘to take away’ and ‘to gather.’ The context plays upon all of these meanings.” In Egypt, “Joseph gathered corn (grain) as the sand of the sea” (Genesis 41:49). The significance of Joseph Smith’s name is manifest in 2 Nephi 3. As Prophet of the Restoration, he helped initiate the gathering of the house of Israel. The temple is key to the gathering of Israel. D&C 128:18 speaks of the “dispensation of the fulness of times . . . welding together (gathering) dispensations, keys, and powers, and glories” and new revelations “which never have been revealed from the foundation of the world.”
The tribe of Joseph has a responsibility to gather Israel as stated in Deuteronomy 33:17:
“His glory is like the firstling of his bullock, and his horns are like the horns of unicorns: with them he shall push the people together to the ends of the earth: and they are the ten thousands of Ephraim, and they are the thousands of Manasseh.” Latter-day revelation emphasizes the responsibility placed on the descendants of Ephraim to gather and bless the house of Israel: “And there shall they fall down and be crowned with glory, even in Zion, by the hands of the servants of the Lord, even the children of Ephraim” (D&C 133:32).
This could be part of the symbolism behind Joseph’s dream with his sheaf standing upright, while his brothers’ sheaves made obeisance (Genesis 37:7). The sheaves are gathered into the garners (see Alma 26:5). Elder David A. Bednar said the garners in this analogy are temples.
In so many ways, Joseph is a type of Jesus Christ. The jealous brothers stripped Joseph of his coat of many colors. They kill a goat “and dipped the coat in the blood” to make it appear to Jacob that a beast had killed Joseph. In the Book of Revelation, John describes the Savior:
“And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God.
“And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, King of Kings, and Lord of Lords.” (Revelation 19:13,16)
Ironically, Joseph’s coat dipped in blood was supposed to be a symbol of death, while the vesture of Jesus Christ is a symbol of His atoning grace and mercy. Our garments are “purified until they are cleansed from all stain, through the blood of (Jesus Christ)” (Alma 5:21).
Eventually, Pharaoh put Joseph in charge of all the land of Egypt. “And Pharaoh took off his ring from his hand, and put it upon Joseph’s hand, and arrayed him in vestures of fine linen, and put a gold chain about his neck” (Genesis 41:42). The ring represents the sealing power. The king’s ring had a signet and an official seal for legal documents. “The writing which is written in the king’s name, and sealed with the king’s ring, may no man reverse” (Esther 8:8).
I am grateful for the ordinances of the temple and the power that seals families forever. I am grateful for the ordinances of the gospel that “seal (us) up unto eternal life” (D&C 131:5).
