The coat implied Jacob’s intention of making Rachel’s older son his heir; now, Joseph’s dream was taken as an expression of his own intentions in the matter. They hated him, not only because of the dream, but also for his boldness in telling them about it (v. 8). Though it is not stated that Joseph’s dreams were of God (chs. 20:3-7; 28:12-15), the subsequent history of his life makes it virtually certain that this was so, and that they were not the reflection of any personal ambition on his part. Joseph’s dream shows that Jacob did not limit his pursuits to cattle and sheep raising, but was also engaged in agriculture, as his father Isaac had been before him (ch. 26:12). Such activity had been implied in Isaac’s paternal blessing (ch. 27:28).