Here Comes the Dreamer: The Joseph Story

By Shaul Bar

The Joseph story starts when he was seventeen years old and ends with his death at one hundred and ten. These years included near death experiences, hatred among brothers, jealousy, a bizarre world of dreams, temptation, imprisonment, and his rise to power as grand vizier of Egypt. All of these events led to a change--once an arrogant young man with grandiose dreams, now he became a down to earth man with a sense of humility and a basic sentiment of religion. There was no more hatred among brothers, but love, which led to their eventual reconciliation. Joseph's life as portrayed in the book of Genesis was the starting point of many legends and commentaries found in the Talmud, Midrashim, and medieval commentaries. His behavior was an exemplary prototype of a righteous man; it served as a model for how a person should conduct himself.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Wipf and Stock
• Release date: Jul 21, 2023
• ISBN: 9781666765533

Shaul Bar

Shaul Bar is Chair of Excellence in Judaic Studies at the University of Memphis, and is the author of A Letter That Has Not Been Read: Dreams in the Hebrew Bible (2001), I Deal Death and Give Life (2010), God's First King: The Story of Saul (2013), Daily Life of the Patriarchs (2014), A Nation Is Born: The Jacob Story (2016), The Samson Story: Love, Seduction, Betrayal, Violence, Riddles, Myth (2018), and Isaac: The Passive Patriarch (2019).

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Introduction

The Joseph stories are the longest and most detailed in the book of Genesis. They are not a collection of isolated, fragmentary stories but a continuous story with a beginning and end which starts with Joseph’s youth and ends with his death.¹ This contrasts with the patriarchal narrative which is not fully developed and described in an abbreviated form. Because of its significance to the history of the Israelite nation, the Joseph story is filled with details. It initiates the events that led to the descent to Egypt, the place where the Israelites would be enslaved and oppressed and later delivered by God.

The Joseph cycle is a secular narrative where there is no direct revelation by God or encounters with angels. Joseph does not build altars, nor is he associated with cult centers as the patriarchs are. In the patriarchal stories dreams are prophetic, containing a message from God (Gen 15:1, 12; 20:3–7, 26:24; 28:11–15; 31:24, 46:2).This is not so in the Joseph stories where dreams are symbolic, a riddle that needs interpretation. Despite its secular nature the guiding hand of God is prevalent in these stories. Joseph meets a man in the field who directs him to his brothers (Gen 37:15), at Potiphar’s house the Lord is with Joseph (39:2), and when he is in prison, the Lord is with him (39:21). In addition, Joseph utters Gods name at key stages: when he is confronted by Potiphar’s wife (39:9), interpreting the dreams of the butler and the baker (40:8), Pharaoh’s dreams (41:16), and also when he tests his brothers (42:18). And finally, when he reveals his identity to his brothers, he tells them, God has sent me ahead of you to ensure your survival on earth, and to save your lives in an extraordinary deliverance. So, it was not you who sent me here, but God (45:7–8). The story teaches us that the guiding hand of God is directing the ensuing events. There is a divine plan, and people are unknowingly acting upon it. God is rewarding the righteous and punishing the wicked.

Although different from the patriarchal narrative, the Joseph stories relate to the accounts of the patriarchs. The story shows awareness of the Abraham and Jacob narratives and includes the theme of blessings which is a recuring motif in those stories (Gen 41:52; 46:1–4; 47:27; 48:15–16; 50:24) and rivalry and deception (37:3–8, 31–32; 38:14, 25; 42:25; 44:1–2). That all the nations on earth will be blessed through the patriarchal family is exemplified by Joseph providing grains to all the countries (41:56–57; 47:13).² Famine, which is already mentioned in the Abraham and Isaac stories, is at the center stage of the Joseph story which leads to the migration of the Israelites to Egypt. There is continuation between the Jacob story and the Joseph story. Stories about Jacob are intertwined with Joseph’s stories and contain similar motifs. Both include family feuds which result from parental favoritism that leads to separation between brothers. One brother thrives in a foreign land, and at the end of the story the brothers are reunited and bury their father together. There are also some elements which are repeated. The skin of the kid which Jacob used to deceive his blind father Isaac, reappears in the brother’s deception of their father Jacob (27:16, 21–23; 37:31–32). Laban searched for the stolen idols while a search is done for Joseph’s cup (31:19, 34–35; 44: 1–17). In both incidents the death sentence was uttered once by Jacob and a second time by the brothers (31:32; 44:9). Jacob told Rachel Am I in the place of God?The same words are repeated by Joseph to his brothers (30:2; 50:19b).³

Outside of Genesis not much is said about Joseph. In Exodus there is reference to his death and his service to the Egyptians (1:6, 8) and Moses’ fulfilment of Joseph’s wish to be buried in Canaan (13:19). The book of Joshua records the burial of his remains in Shechem (24:32). His sale into slavery is mentioned in Ps 105:17. In another Psalms passage there is reference to Joseph, but the meaning is unclear, and it is possible that it refers to all of Israel (81:6). The other mention of Joseph is to the tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh (Gen 49:22, 26; Deut 27:12, 33:13; Ezek 47:13, 48:32), or to the northern Israelite Kingdom (Ezek 37:16, 19; Amos 5:15, 6:6; Ps 78:67), which is also referred to as the House of Joseph (Amos 5:6; Obad 1:18; Zech 10:6; Judg 1:22, 23, 35; 2 Sam 19:21; 1 Kgs 11:28).⁴

It was suggested by scholars that the Joseph story is mainly the composition of J and E, and P’s part is secondary and marginal.⁵ This can be detected by repetition and duplication of the narrative material. Joseph’s brothers appear as the sons of Israel (J) while in other passages they appear as the sons of Jacob (E). At the sale of Joseph both Reuben (E) and Judah (J) intervene to rescue Joseph. Joseph is sold to the Ishmaelites (J) and to the Midianites (E). Joseph became a slave to an unnamed Egyptian whose wife tries to seduce him (J) or the slave of Potiphar, the head of the prison (E). Joseph oversees the land of Egypt (J), but we read that he is responsible for Pharaoh’s household (E). When the brothers arrived in Egypt, Joseph accused them of seeking advantage in Egypt (J) and of being spies (E). Twice the brothers found the money in their sacks on their way home (J) and when they arrived at home (E). The brothers are invited to settle in Egypt by Joseph (E) and by Pharoah (J).

In recent years scholars have abandoned source criticism and advocated a unified work. Coats, for example, interpreted the Joseph story as a work of one hand, probably by J, that includes Gen 37:1—47:27, except the Judah and Tamar story in chapter 38 and 47:13–26. He pointed out that we have one author who used repetition for emphasis or perhaps for variety.⁶ To explain doublets and inconsistencies in the texts it was suggested that the story is a unified composition that went through several stages of redaction. The changes were the result of the sociopolitical realities where the nation of Israel was split in two. Redford, for example, suggested three stages to the development of the Joseph narrative. At first it was the Reuben version, which was changed by a pro-Judah expansion, and then additions (37:1–2; 38, 46:8–27; 49) by the Genesis Editor.⁷ According to him, the Reuben version is a variation of the common motif of a boy who dreamed great things. The second stage develops the story that describes the Jacob’s family descent, and the third stage sets the story within the patriarchal history.⁸

Since the story takes place in Egypt, not surprisingly Egyptian motifs and flavor are found in the story. The episode of Potiphar’s wife has its parallel with the Egyptian story of the two brothers. Joseph’s elevation as second to Pharaoh coincides with the Egyptian material that is available to us. The description of his investiture as Grand Vizier of Egypt is in accordance with Egyptian customs: Pharaoh’s officer titles, the use of Egyptian names, the king’s birthday, the mention of the courtiers, priests, and Joseph’s position. In addition, the description of the agrarian policy, the use of granaries, and the famine motif of seven years all have an Egyptian background. The embalming of Jacob and later Joseph is a practice that is only mentioned in the book of Genesis. This practice was well-known in Egypt and played a key role in Egyptian religion. Placing the dead in the coffin and dying at the age of 110 is characteristically Egyptian. De Vaux pointed out that the narrator of the Joseph story was not writing in Egypt for the Egyptians. He wrote from the vantage-point of a Palestinian who was fascinated by his country’s powerful neighbor.⁹

As for the dating of the Joseph stories, two questions needed to be raised: 1. When was the story was composed? 2. In what period is the Joseph story set? These are difficult questions since Egyptians’ customs changed very slowly. Many elements from the Joseph stories can be attributed from 2000 BCE to the Christian era.¹⁰ The information that is presented by scholars is not conclusive. More so, no document mentioned Joseph and his brothers by name. Kitchen, for example, suggested that Joseph’s rise to power overlapped with the Hyksos dynasty c. 1650–1540 BCE when they ruled for about hundred years. Semite officials were appointed to high offices at that time which coincide with Joseph’s appointment to high office.¹¹ Vergote suggested to date Joseph to the eighteenth Egyptian dynasty, 1550/1549 to 1292. The title given to Joseph in 41:40–41and 45:8 is suitable for the eighteenth dynasty.¹² The Ramesside flavor that was added to the story suggests that it was Moses who wrote it.¹³ A later date was offered by Redford, who said, "Several episodes in the narrative, and the plot motifs themselves, find some parallel in Saite, Persian, or Ptolemaic Egypt. It is the sheer weight of evidence, and not the argument from silence, that leads to the conclusion that the seventh century BCE is the terminus a quo for the Egyptian background for the Joseph story. If we assign the third quarter of the fifth century BCE as the terminus ante quem, we are left with a span of two and a half centuries, comprising in terms of Egyptian history the Saite and early Persian period.¹⁴ Redford pointed to terms and customs that are mentioned in the story such as magicians," Zahenath-Paneah, and the investiture which he suggested are appropriate to a late composition. But as noted by scholars his arguments are not decisive.¹⁵ Similar is the case with Vergote, who suggested that Moses wrote the story, but his evidence is not definite; in fact, he points to the fact that the story was revised in Canaan. De Vaux suggested that based on the literary genre, the content of the story, and using Egyptians’ personal names, the story could not have been composed before the Solomon era. There is nothing, according to him, which could point to a later period. Although the author’s knowledge about Egypt is not complete, he knew more than the wise men who were living in Jerusalem. Solomon married an Egyptian princess who more than likely came with an entourage to Jerusalem, and they probably spoke about Egypt. Solomon had commercial ties with Egypt, so people went back and forth from Egypt. All of these factors suggest that it was written during Solomon era.¹⁶

Several suggestions were given to explain the creation of the story and its purpose. Von Rad, for example, termed the Joseph story as a wisdom novella which mirror the wisdom ideals of the Hebrew wise men during the time of Solomon’s court.¹⁷ According to him the story is an example of cultural enlightenment, which was the result of Egyptian influence. It provided a model for young men who modeled their life after Joseph. He had to be outspoken, skilled with language, giving counsel to the king, and displaying modesty restraints. These characteristics exhibited the ideal of a wise man. This, however, is only hypothetical. Nevertheless, Joseph is depicted as a model administrator who is hard-working, wise, and honest, qualities that contributed to his rise. J. A. Soggin also suggested that the story is a novella that was composed in the late-postexilic period. Its aim was to help the Jews cope with questions of faith and their continued struggles for independence. The message that the story sends is that as God helped the Israelites during the time of Joseph in Egypt, he would also help them during the current difficult times.¹⁸ M. Noth pointed to the independent nature of the Joseph story. According to him the story is a later explanation which came to clarify how Jacob and his sons went down to Egypt.¹⁹ Indeed, one of the main motifs in the Joseph stories that is repeated from its start to its end is descend and ascend. The brothers are going down to Egypt and coming up from Egypt which is exemplified by the verbs Yārad and ʿĀlāh. The story ends with a hint about the future. Joseph’s bones will be brought up and the Israelite will be back in the land of Canaan. Although the Joseph story takes place in a foreign country it always has the future in sight, on the future land which would become the land of Israel.²⁰

In this book, our main goal is to rediscover Joseph, to have a better understanding of his personality, his achievements, and failures. We will look at his personal growth and transformation from a young youth who had big dreams to a person who became second to Pharaoh. To achieve this goal, we will describe Joseph from different facets. The synchronic method will be applied, analyzing the chapters in the book of Genesis as they appear. Many works were written on the Joseph story in addition to exegetical commentaries on the book of Genesis. Hence, contemporary views will be considered. In addition, material found in the Talmud, the midrashim, and the Jewish medieval commentators, which are less noted in the main scholarly works on Joseph, will be studied. Joseph occupies a very important place in the Haggadah, and many midrashic legends were devoted to him. The Talmud contains a vast amount of aggadot—stories. The midrash includes anthologies and compilations of homilies, including biblical exegesis and public sermons. The various sects and currents in Judaism left their mark on the Genesis stories, and almost everything that Jews thought during a period of more than a thousand years can be found there. Though the interpretative methods of the medieval commentators vary, we still can find that they compromised between the literal and the midrashic interpretations of the biblical text. In addition, they pursue philological-contextual interpretations with a logical and scientific perspective.

Chapter one will examine the theme of family strife, which is already found in the patriarchal narrative. It was customary for the oldest son to be considered as the legitimate heir, but Jacob changed the order in his own family by favoring Joseph first, then Benjamin, and later putting Ephraim before Manasseh. This pattern of preferring the younger over the older repeats itself in the biblical narrative: Abel over Cain, David over his brothers, and Solomon over Adonijah. The outcome of this change was animosity and hatred among brothers. The relationship between Joseph and his brothers, Joseph and his father Jacob, and the brothers with their fathers will be scrutinized. This will lead us to examine the symbolism behind the act of deception that was carried by the brothers and Jacob’s reaction to it. In addition, we will try to answer whether Joseph was sold to the Midianites or the Ishmaelites.

Chapter two contains a study of the subject of dreams. In the Joseph cycle, dreams come in pairs: Joseph’s two dreams, the two dreams of the butler and baker, and Pharaoh’s two dreams. All of these play a weighty role in the Joseph stories. They are major themes in the plot, they link the individual episodes into a unified whole, and they create palpable dramatic tension. Readers are eager to find out whether the dreams will come true. In symbolic dreams of the Joseph cycle, human beings see tableaux or actions that stand as signs and have a hidden meaning. Although the deity does not appear in the dreams, we shall consider to what extent the hidden meaning contains a divine message.

Chapter three examines the story of Joseph and Potiphar’s wife. The story of a young handsome man and an older woman in whose house he resides is a well-known motif from the literature of the ancient world. The woman is attracted to the young man and tries to seduce him, but he refuses. As a result, the woman turns to her husband and accuses the young man of assaulting her. The husband believes his wife and sends the man to prison or punishes him. Following the punishment, the young man is found blameless and rises to a position of power. The story of the attempted seduction of Potiphar’s wife is repeated three times in the Hebrew Bible: 1. First as the story appears (Gen 39:7–13), 2. Potiphar’s wife repeats the story to the men of her household (vv. 14–16), 3. She tells the story to her husband (vv. 17–19). Examination of the three versions reveals that there are major additions and omissions in the text; hence we will point to these changes and explain the reasons for them. In addition, it has long been noted that there are affinities between the biblical story and the Egyptian myth in the tale of the two brothers. Therefore, we will compare the stories to see how close or different they are.

Chapter four describes the investiture of Joseph and his rise to power. His elevation bears a resemblance to Egyptian material which is available to us. The office into which Joseph was being inducted was that of vizier—was it possible for a non-Egyptian to rise to such a prominent role? In addition, Joseph was given an Egyptian name and an Egyptian wife who, according to the story, was the daughter of the priest of On. The fact that Joseph married a non-Israelite troubled the sages; hence, we will see how the sages resolved this predicament. Joseph offered his advice to Pharaoh on how to overcome the famine. Therefore, Joseph’s agrarian policy and its implementation will be examined. More so, can these policies shed some light on the time frame of the Joseph story composition?

Chapter five examines the nature of the tests that Joseph put his brothers through and the reconciliation between them. Joseph spoke harshly to them accused them of spying and incarcerated them. He allowed them to return home but held Simon in prison, forcing them to bring Benjamin. He instructed his attendants to put money in their bags and later put the goblet in Benjamin’s bag. It’s true the brothers acted maliciously against him, but still his old father was waiting in agony for the return of his sons from Egypt. So how can we justify his behavior?

In chapter six the nature of the reconciliation between Joseph and his brothers will be examined. After the death of Jacob, the brothers confronted Joseph. They were afraid that he would take revenge and punish them for their crime, and out of respect to their father he delayed it. This implies that the initial reconciliation was not complete (Gen 45:1–8, 15). We will demonstrate that Joseph was sensitive to his brothers’ feelings and fears; he tried to remove their anxieties. Despite his power and all his successes, he recognizes his limitation. This aspect of Joseph’s persona is stressed in the midrashim which describes his humility. He tried to remove any bad feelings between himself and his brothers by encouraging and inspiring them.

The story of Joseph also contains the story of Judah. He was the fourth son of Jacob, who rises to prominence in the Joseph narrative, where he became the brothers’ leader instead of Reuben. It was Judah who offered to sell Joseph into slavery (37:26), who served as the spokesman of the brothers to their father (43:3–5, 8–10), who spoke on behalf of the brothers in Egypt (44:14–16), and, in a masterful speech, who pleaded for Benjamin’s release (44:18–34). Lastly, he is selected by Jacob to lead the migration to Egypt (46:28). A whole chapter, the story of Judah and Tamar, is devoted to him; therefore, we will see how this chapter relates to the Joseph story. In the blessing of Jacob, he receives proper acknowledgment and validation. Hence, in chapter seven, we will track the growth and expansion of Judah’s character and its place within the Joseph story.

Chapter eight examines the life of Jacob. Half of the book of Genesis is devoted to describing his life (Gen 25–50). This is not a coincidence, because Jacob became the forefather of the nation called Israel. Intertwined within the Joseph cycle is the continuing story of Jacob and the description of his last years. From the sale of Joseph into slavery until Jacob’s reunion with his son Joseph, we read of the hard life that Jacob endured. In this part of the book of Genesis, the patriarch Jacob is no longer the main character; instead, he is overshadowed by his son Joseph. He plays a secondary role. His relationship with his sons, the meeting with his beloved son Joseph, and the meeting with Pharaoh will be discussed. In addition, the blessing of Manasseh and Ephraim and the Testament of Jacob will be examined.

After Adam disobeyed the divine injunction and ate from the Tree of Knowledge, God punished him: For dust you are, and to dust you shall return (Gen 3:19). In this last chapter, we will study the death stories of Jacob and Joseph. Was it believed that death is the final station of the human journey from which there is no return, or whether the stories allude to some form of continuity after death? The practice of embalming is mentioned with Jacob and Joseph, and Joseph’s burial in a coffin is