A profound sense of loneliness and painful alienation stands at the center of this experience. A person finds himself rejected, entirely isolated, and unrecognized within his closest environment and his own family [ביאור שטיינזלץ]. The environment itself actively treats him as an outsider [רד״ק, מאירי, מצודת ציון]. This deep disconnect can stem from severe suffering that alters a person physically or mentally, changing him so much that even his own brothers cannot recognize him [אבן עזרא]. Alternatively, the family rift is caused by religious devotion. The individual argues with his brothers for failing to listen to God. In response, they join wicked people and mock him for his faith [מלבי״ם].
The separation within the family operates on different levels depending on the relationship. From a legal and conceptual standpoint, a foreigner from a distant land is considered further removed than a local outsider who is simply excluded from certain rights. Therefore, to his brothers from his father, he is merely an outsider who does not share in their inheritance. However, to his brothers from his mother, with whom he shares no inheritance rights at all, he is viewed as a complete foreigner [מלבי״ם]. Another perspective looks at this division through a spiritual lens. The brothers from his father, who have a stronger love for him, view him only as an outsider. They see him like someone who strayed from his religion but still retains a Jewish heart. In contrast, the brothers from his mother consider him a total foreigner, treating him as though he had turned completely to idol worship [אלשיך].
Beyond the personal and family struggle, many view this situation as a historical and national allegory for the people of Israel in exile. In this broader view, the brothers are not biological family members, but rather other nations that share historical roots with Israel. Some identify these brothers as the descendants of Esau [רש״י]. Others divide the relationships, seeing the paternal brothers as the descendants of Ishmael and the maternal brothers as the descendants of Esau [רד״ק, מצודת דוד]. The people of Israel spend most of their exile living among these nations, who come from the lineage of Abraham and Isaac. Yet, despite their historical and family ties, these nations turn their backs on Israel. They reject them because of their faith in God and treat them as complete strangers and foreigners [מאירי, מצודת דוד].