What does Genesis 37:32 mean?

To cover up selling their brother Joseph to slave traders (Genesis 37:18–30), Joseph's older brothers have stained his ornate coat (Genesis 37:3–4) in goat's blood to simulate an attack from a wild animal. Now, having returned home, they bring the ruined coat to Jacob and ask him to identify whether this was Joseph's coat or not.

Of course, they know the answer. There is no question whose robe this is, and that Jacob will recognize it. The question is deeply cruel. For their scheme to hold up, they need to Jacob to believe with certainty that Joseph is truly dead. They pose the identification of the robe as a question only he can answer, as if they were unsure.

As one might expect, Jacob will not take the news well (Genesis 37:33–35). In a poignant twist, Jacob's shattered reaction to this news will influence Judah—mastermind of the plot—to avoid grieving his father again. Years later, he will offer himself as collateral to protect another of Jacob's sons by Rachel (Genesis 44:18, 30–34).