“Special King of Hatred”

Genesis 37: 4: “And his brothers saw that their father loved Joseph more than all his brothers; and so they hated him and could not speak to him on friendly terms.” Of all the excuses for hatred, one of the most common—and most petty—is jealousy. It was no fault of Joseph’s that he was more favored in his father’s sight, and that he received preferential treatment. In a way, Joseph was mistreated because of his success. No wonder it is said that jealousy is “crueler than the grave.”