Jacob never intended for this coat to be functional. Rather, it represented Joseph's favored position in the family. It was symbolic of the fact that Jacob was letting everyone know that he was planning to treat Joseph as his firstborn with all the rights and privileges—namely, that he was entitled to a double portion of the inheritance and he would be the one who would carry on the leadership of the family. It's easy to see how this would threaten and anger Joseph's carnal brothers. Even if they