Heath Dewrell, «How Tamar's Veil Became Joseph's Coat», Vol. 97 (2016) 161-174
The phrase 'ysp(h) tntk' appears in two biblical narratives: the Joseph story (Genesis 37) and the Tamar and Amnon story (2 Samuel 13). While the phrase is usually translated 'coat of many colours' or 'long-sleeved garment', this examination argues that the original significance of the term is to be found in its context in 2 Samuel 13, where it is said to be a garment worn by virgin princesses, an argument supported by comparative material from the Middle Assyrian Laws. The garment's appearance in the Joseph narrative is likely secondary, ultimately deriving from the Tamar and Amnon story.
How Tamar’s Veil Became Joseph’s Coat:
The meaning of ~ysp(h) tntk
The nature of Joseph’s “coat of many colours” (KJV; Gen 37,3.23.
32) has long been a topic of scholarly discussion. The Hebrew phrase
is ~ysp(h) tntk. The first element, tntk, is straightforward; it is a well-
attested Hebrew word meaning “garment” 1. The second element,
~ysp(h), is more difficult. It is typically understood as a plural qall-
type noun built on √ssp, with the article attached in some cases. The
term is only attested here in the Joseph story and in 2 Sam 13,18-19,
where it again appears as part of the phrase ~ysp(h) tntk. The Septu-
agint of Genesis renders the phrase citw.n poiki,loj (“multicolored gar-
ment”), apparently connecting ~ysp to Aramaic sp “strip, stripe” (see
Jastrow 1191). The Greek translations of Samuel, however, opt
for citw.n karpwto,j (“garment reaching to the wrist”; LXXB) or citw.n
avstragalwto,j (“garment reaching to the ankle”; LXXL), presumably
assuming a connection to Aramaic sp “palm” (see Dan 5,5). While
there have been a few other creative suggestions concerning the orig-
inal meaning of the phrase — Speiser links the term to Akkadian kitû
pišannu 2 and Mendenhall points to ugaritic pḏ 3 (neither suggestion is
particularly convincing) — today most scholars follow the example of
the Greek translators of Samuel and understand ~ysp as referring to
either the palms and/or soles in particular or to the extremities in general,
in either case meaning something like “a long-sleeved garment” 4.
1 Gen 3,21; Exod 28,4.39.40; 29,5.8; 39,27; 40,14; Lev 8,7.13; 10,5; 16,4;
2 Sam 13,18.19; 15,32; Isa 22,21; Job 30,18; Song 5,3; Ezra 2,69; Neh 7,69.71.
2 E.A. SPEISER, Genesis (AB 1; Garden City, Ny 1964) 289-290. See also
CAD P 427.
3 G.E. MENDENHALL, The Tenth Generation. The origins of the Biblical Tradi-
tion (Baltimore, MD 1973) 54-55. The meaning of ugaritic pḏ is itself obscure.
Mendenhall understands it as a type of garment, but this is by no means certain. For
an overview of the various possibilities, see M.S. SMITH, The Ugaritic Baal Cycle
1 (New york 1994) 293-294. Smith himself opts for “gold” (so also DULAT 1 664).
4 So S.R. DRIVER, The Book of Genesis (WC; London 91913) 322; J. SKINNER,
Genesis (ICC; Edinburgh 21963) 444; P.K. MCCARTER, II Samuel (AB 9; Garden
City, Ny 1984) 325-326; C. WESTERMANN, Genesis 37–50 (CC; Minneapolis, MN
1986) 37; A.A. ANDERSoN, 2 Samuel (WBC 11; Dallas, TX 1989) 175; A.G. AuLD,
I & II Samuel (oTL; Louisville, Ky 2011) 476, as well as BDB 821, HALOT 946,
and the NRSV.
BiBlica 97.2 (2016) 161-174
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