Genesis 37, Joseph and his Brothers: Sibling Rivalry and the Perils of Polygamy

In this podcast episode, we read Genesis chapter 37 from the Good News Translation, Today’s English Version. This story tells us how Joseph, Jacob’s favorite son, was sold into slavery by his jealous brothers. Envy and strife were connected to Jacob’s practice of polygamy. It was a longstanding ancient custom for Jewish men to have either more than one wife at a time, or more than one wife in succession. In the New Testament, both Jesus and the apostle Paul confronted these practices. Sadly, some patriarchal theologians take Paul’s words out of context, in an attempt to prevent women from sharing leadership positions in the church.