Lesson #16

The Fortunate Son

(39: 1 41: 57)

Lesson #15 begins the third panel in the Genesis triptych (Genesis 37: 1 50: 26), the story of Jacob and Joseph.
1. 2. Joseph is Jacobs most-loved son, the eldest son of his beloved Rachael, who died giving birth to Benjamin. As chapter 37 opens, Joseph is a self-absorbed, spoiled seventeen-year old, strutting about in his coat of many colors. Although sold into slavery in Egypt, Jacob believes that Joseph is dead. Judah, whose idea it was to sell Joseph, has left home, and is living for nearly 20 years with his buddy Hirah the Adulimite in the parallel chapter 38.

3. 4.

Although a slave in Egypt, young Joseph is handsome, smart . . . and he always lands on his feet. In the course of three chapters, 17-year old Joseph rises from a field slave to become manager of Potiphars household; in a stunning reversal, he is fired and ends up in prison, accused of assaulting Potiphars wife; within a few years Joseph becomes head trustee of the prison; and in thirteen years, by the time he is 30 years old, Joseph rises to the position of Prime Minister of Egypt, second only to Pharaoh himself. Thirteen years pass in our story and Joseph has done quite well for himself.

As Robert Alter points out, chapter 39 is the most elegantly symmetrical episode in Genesis:
1. Introductory narrative frame (vv. 1-6) 2. Closing narrative frame that echoes the introductory verses (vv. 20-23) 3. Central story of seduction, intricately linked to the framing verses by a network of recurring thematic key words: all, hand, house, blessing, succeed.

Guercino, Joseph and Potiphars Wife (oil on canvas), 1649. National Gallery of Art, Washington D.C.

1. All mammals dream. 2. In humans, dreams occur most vividly during the deepest 2 hours of REM sleep. 3. The average person has 3-5 dreams per night. 4. In ancient times, dreams were thought to be messages from the gods, or God, much like oracles. 5. In The Interpretation of Dreams, Sigmund Freud calls dreams the royal road to the unconscious.

Egyptian Dream Book, from Deir el-Medina, Egypt, 19th Dynasty, c. 1275 B.C. British Museum, London.

Rahotep and His Wife, Nofret. Egyptian Museum, Cairo

Wall painting. Temple of Sobek, Kom Umbo, Aswan, Egypt.

Photography by Ana Maria Vargas

Joseph dug canals from the Nile River to Fayoum, vastly expanding the western agricultural area, producing abundant crops in the years of plenty. [satellite imagery map]

Todays fertile fields of Fayoum, one of Egypts richest agricultural areas.

Photography by Ana Maria Vargas

Mud brick pyramid at Fayoum, built for the grandson of Senusret II, Josephs pharaoh..
Photography by Ana Maria Vargas

1. Why does Joseph refuse to have sex with Potiphars wife? 2. Potiphars wife utters two (strikingly lewd) words to Joseph; Joseph replies with a breathless 35 words in Hebrew. Why? 3. In the historical and cultural context of our story, what function do dreams serve? 4. The story of Joseph includes three dream sequences, each sequence consisting of two dreams. How does this pairing enhance the overall structure of the story? 5. By the time Joseph enters Pharaohs service, how has his character changed?

Copyright 2013 by William C. Creasy

All rights reserved. No part of this courseaudio, video, photography, maps, timelines or other mediamay be reproduced or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage or retrieval devices without permission in writing or a licensing agreement from the copyright holder.