Genesis 42, Ten Sons Go to Egypt

Joseph has been preparing the people of Egypt for a lengthy famine.  The famine spreads to Palestine where Jacob and his family begin to suffer. And so opens one of the most colorful and fascinating stories of the Old Testament.

Genesis 42: 1-4, Joseph's brothers sent to Egypt
When Jacob learned that there was grain in Egypt, he said to his sons, "Why do you just keep looking at each other?" He continued, "I have heard that there is grain in Egypt. Go down there and buy some for us, so that we may live and not die."

Then ten of Joseph's brothers went down to buy grain from Egypt. But Jacob did not send Benjamin, Joseph's brother, with the others, because he was afraid that harm might come to him.

The famine has become so severe that starvation and death are possible.  Jacob sends the ten older brothers to Egypt.  But believing he has already lost one of Rachel's sons, cannot spare sending his youngest son away.

Genesis 42: 5-8, Joseph pretends to be a stranger
So Israel's sons were among those who went to buy grain, for the famine was in the land of Canaan also. Now Joseph was the governor of the land, the one who sold grain to all its people. So when Joseph's brothers arrived, they bowed down to him with their faces to the ground. As soon as Joseph saw his brothers, he recognized them, but he pretended to be a stranger and spoke harshly to them. "Where do you come from?" he asked. 

"From the land of Canaan," they replied, "to buy food."

Although Joseph recognized his brothers, they did not recognize him.

In a beautiful piece of justice, Joseph's brothers come to him, begging him for food.  (Don't all of us fantasize, at some time, about a meeting like this with those who have wronged us?)

As foretold in a dream years ago, his brothers are bowing down to him!

Genesis 42: 9-16, Joseph accuses his brothers

Then he remembered his dreams about them and said to them, "You are spies! You have come to see where our land is unprotected."

"No, my lord," they answered. "Your servants have come to buy food. We are all the sons of one man. Your servants are honest men, not spies."

"No!" he said to them. "You have come to see where our land is unprotected."

But they replied, "Your servants were twelve brothers, the sons of one man, who lives in the land of Canaan. The youngest is now with our father, and one is no more."

Joseph said to them, "It is just as I told you: You are spies! And this is how you will be tested: As surely as Pharaoh lives, you will not leave this place unless your youngest brother comes here. Send one of your number to get your brother; the rest of you will be kept in prison, so that your words may be tested to see if you are telling the truth. If you are not, then as surely as Pharaoh lives, you are spies!"

I cannot blame Joseph for getting a bit of payback.  It is conceivable that he is not sure what to do with this situation. Who are these men? The last time he saw them he had to plead for his life. He recalss that Reuben slept with his father's concubine and Simeon and Levi massacred a village. Is his only true brother, Benjamin, even alive?  Joseph does not trust his ten step brothers, and so he tests them.

Genesis 42: 17-24, Joseph insists on seeing Benjamin
And he put them all in custody for three days.

On the third day, Joseph said to them, "Do this and you will live, for I fear God: If you are honest men, let one of your brothers stay here in prison, while the rest of you go and take grain back for your starving households. But you must bring your youngest brother to me, so that your words may be verified and that you may not die." This they proceeded to do.

Joseph threatens his brothers with imprisonment (maybe even death) and then negotiates for them to bring Benjamin to Egypt.  He and Benjamin were the only children of Rachel and the ten mistreated him -- how have they treated Benjamin?

Genesis 42: 17-20, Joseph in Potiphar's house
They said to one another, "Surely we are being punished because of our brother. We saw how distressed he was when he pleaded with us for his life, but we would not listen; that's why this distress has come upon us."

Reuben replied, "Didn't I tell you not to sin against the boy? But you wouldn't listen! Now we must give an accounting for his blood."

They did not realize that Joseph could understand them, since he was using an interpreter. He turned away from them and began to weep, but then turned back and spoke to them again. He had Simeon taken from them and bound before their eyes.

We learn here (points out Alter) that Joseph pleaded for his life long ago, when thrown into the pit.

Reuben has an opportunity to say, "I told you so!"  The ten are confessing their guilt to each other, unaware that Joseph is listening.

Genesis 42: 25-28, Joseph in Potiphar's house
 Joseph gave orders to fill their bags with grain, to put each man's silver back in his sack, and to give them provisions for their journey. After this was done for them, they loaded their grain on their donkeys and left.

    

At the place where they stopped for the night one of them opened his sack to get feed for his donkey, and he saw his silver in the mouth of his sack. "My silver has been returned," he said to his brothers. "Here it is in my sack." 

   

Their hearts sank and they turned to each other trembling and said, "What is this that God has done to us?"

Joseph continues to create small little events to remind his brothers of their vulnerability.  Those ten who so confidently sold their baby brother into slavery are now puppets in Joseph's (and God's) hands.

Genesis 42: 29-34, Brothers report to Jacob
When they came to their father Jacob in the land of Canaan, they told him all that had happened to them. They said, "The man who is lord over the land spoke harshly to us and treated us as though we were spying on the land.

    

But we said to him, `We are honest men; we are not spies. We were twelve brothers, sons of one father. One is no more, and the youngest is now with our father in Canaan.'

    

"Then the man who is lord over the land said to us, `This is how I will know whether you are honest men: Leave one of your brothers here with me, and take food for your starving households and go. But bring your youngest brother to me so I will know that you are not spies but honest men. Then I will give your brother back to you, and you can trade in the land.'"

The conversation in Egypt is repeated for Jacob.

Genesis 42: 35-38, Joseph in Potiphar's house
As they were emptying their sacks, there in each man's sack was his pouch of silver! When they and their father saw the money pouches, they were frightened. Their father Jacob said to them, "You have deprived me of my children. Joseph is no more and Simeon is no more, and now you want to take Benjamin. Everything is against me!"

    

Then Reuben said to his father, "You may put both of my sons to death if I do not bring him back to you. Entrust him to my care, and I will bring him back." 

But Jacob said, "My son will not go down there with you; his brother is dead and he is the only one left. If harm comes to him on the journey you are taking, you will bring my gray head down to the grave in sorrow."

We again have the surprise of silver in the sacks.  It is not clear if this merely repeats the earlier revelation or if these are new bars of silver at the bottom of their bags.  

Jacob counts the loss of two sons already, Joseph and Simeon.  Reuben offers his own two sons as ransom. Reuben's offer is enthusiastic but foolish and naive.  Why would Jacob, grieving the loss of sons, be comforted by the right to kill grandsons??

The word in verse 38 translated "grave" is the Hebrew sheol.

Genesis 41, Pharaoh's Dreams

The teenage Joseph received two dreams which he unwisely shared with his brothers.  Then in an Egyptian prison, he has interpreted two dreams.  Another pair of dreams are coming...

Genesis 41: 1-7, Pharaoh's dreams
When two full years had passed, Pharaoh had a dream: He was standing by the Nile, when out of the river there came up seven cows, sleek and fat, and they grazed among the reeds. After them, seven other cows, ugly and gaunt, came up out of the Nile and stood beside those on the riverbank.  And the cows that were ugly and gaunt ate up the seven sleek, fat cows. Then Pharaoh woke up.

He fell asleep again and had a second dream: Seven heads of grain, healthy and good, were growing on a single stalk. After them, seven other heads of grain sprouted--thin and scorched by the east wind.  The thin heads of grain swallowed up the seven healthy, full heads. Then Pharaoh woke up; it had been a dream.

Pharaoh has two strange and vivid dreams. Like the other pairs of dreams, these two have similar components.  That there are two similar dreams emphasizes the important prophetic nature of the dreams.

Alter points out the nightmarish aspects of the dreams: the cows suddenly become carnivores, turning and eating their herdmates.  In a like manner, the heads of grain turn and snap up the other heads. In both cases, Pharaoh probably wakes up in a cold sweat.

Genesis 41: 8-13, The cupbearer remembers
In the morning his mind was troubled, so he sent for all the magicians and wise men of Egypt. Pharaoh told them his dreams, but no one could interpret them for him.

Then the chief cupbearer said to Pharaoh, "Today I am reminded of my shortcomings. Pharaoh was once angry with his servants, and he imprisoned me and the chief baker in the house of the captain of the guard. Each of us had a dream the same night, and each dream had a meaning of its own. Now a young Hebrew was there with us, a servant of the captain of the guard. We told him our dreams, and he interpreted them for us, giving each man the interpretation of his dream. And things turned out exactly as he interpreted them to us: I was restored to my position, and the other man was hanged."

Finally, the cupbearer remembers Joseph.

Genesis 41: 14-16, Pharaoh calls for Joseph
So Pharaoh sent for Joseph, and he was quickly brought from the dungeon. When he had shaved and changed his clothes, he came before Pharaoh.

Pharaoh said to Joseph, "I had a dream, and no one can interpret it. But I have heard it said of you that when you hear a dream you can interpret it."

"I cannot do it," Joseph replied to Pharaoh, "but God will give Pharaoh the answer he desires."

Joseph, called to appear before the king, prepares himself in the culturally appropriate manner, shaving his beard and possibly his head.  He puts on clean clothers.  When questioned by Pharaoh, Joseph says that his ability as dream-master comes from God.  Again, possibly because of his teenage dreams, he appears confident that God has put him in this position.

Genesis 41: 17-24, Pharaoh's dream
Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, "In my dream I was standing on the bank of the Nile, when out of the river there came up seven cows, fat and sleek, and they grazed among the reeds. After them, seven other cows came up--scrawny and very ugly and lean. I had never seen such ugly cows in all the land of Egypt. The lean, ugly cows ate up the seven fat cows that came up first. But even after they ate them, no one could tell that they had done so; they looked just as ugly as before. Then I woke up.

"In my dreams I also saw seven heads of grain, full and good, growing on a single stalk. After them, seven other heads sprouted--withered and thin and scorched by the east wind. The thin heads of grain swallowed up the seven good heads. I told this to the magicians, but none could explain it to me."

Pharaoh describes his dream. It repeats the number seven. (The earlier dreams, of the king's two servants, dealt with three.)

Here, as in other places, the narrator records the speaker repeating the story in detail, so that we hear the dreams a second time. I suspect this is partially due to the fact that much of Old Testament scripture was read to an audience.  The listeners did not have the luxury that readers do, of pausing, backtracking, and rereading the events.

Genesis 41: 25-32, Joseph interprets Pharaoh's dream
Then Joseph said to Pharaoh, "The dreams of Pharaoh are one and the same. God has revealed to Pharaoh what he is about to do.

The seven good cows are seven years, and the seven good heads of grain are seven years; it is one and the same dream. The seven lean, ugly cows that came up afterward are seven years, and so are the seven worthless heads of grain scorched by the east wind: They are seven years of famine.

"It is just as I said to Pharaoh: God has shown Pharaoh what he is about to do. Seven years of great abundance are coming throughout the land of Egypt, but seven years of famine will follow them. Then all the abundance in Egypt will be forgotten, and the famine will ravage the land. The abundance in the land will not be remembered, because the famine that follows it will be so severe.

The reason the dream was given to Pharaoh in two forms is that the matter has been firmly decided by God, and God will do it soon.

Joseph interprets Pharaoh's dreams.  He makes it clear that only God reveals dreams and that he is relying on (the one) God.  (The Hebrew word translated "God" here is elohim, a more general term for God than YHWH. Presumably Pharaoh understands that Joseph is talking about Joseph's god but no specific name is given here.)

Genesis 41: 33-38, Advice to Pharaoh's
"And now let Pharaoh look for a discerning and wise man and put him in charge of the land of Egypt. Let Pharaoh appoint commissioners over the land to take a fifth of the harvest of Egypt during the seven years of abundance. They should collect all the food of these good years that are coming and store up the grain under the authority of Pharaoh, to be kept in the cities for food. This food should be held in reserve for the country, to be used during the seven years of famine that will come upon Egypt, so that the country may not be ruined by the famine."

The plan seemed good to Pharaoh and to all his officials. So Pharaoh asked them, "Can we find anyone like this man, one in whom is the spirit of God?"

Uninvited, Joseph suggests a response to the dream.  He appears to recognize the opportunity now granted him by God. 

(NIV footnotes: In verse 38 the phrase translated "the spirit of God" could be translated "the spirit of the gods.")

Genesis 41: 39-43, Pharaoh appoints Joseph to power
Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, "Since God has made all this known to you, there is no one so discerning and wise as you. You shall be in charge of my palace, and all my people are to submit to your orders. Only with respect to the throne will I be greater than you."

So Pharaoh said to Joseph, "I hereby put you in charge of the whole land of Egypt." Then Pharaoh took his signet ring from his finger and put it on Joseph's finger. He dressed him in robes of fine linen and put a gold chain around his neck. He had him ride in a chariot as his second-in-command, and men shouted before him, "Make way!" Thus he put him in charge of the whole land of Egypt.

Joseph is elevated to power.  Once again he has a change of clothes.  These garments are probably even better than the ornamental coat given him by his father!

Both the NIV footnotes and Alter's commentary react to the word translated "Make way!" in verse 43.  It is an Egyptian loan word, Abrekh. It is obviously an exclamation of honor, but the exact meaning is unknown.  The NIV suggests "bow down!" as an alternate translation.

Genesis 41: 44-49, Serving the Pharaoh
Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, "I am Pharaoh, but without your word no one will lift hand or foot in all Egypt." Pharaoh gave Joseph the name Zaphenath-Paneah and gave him Asenath daughter of Potiphera, priest of On, to be his wife. And Joseph went throughout the land of Egypt.

Joseph was thirty years old when he entered the service of Pharaoh king of Egypt. And Joseph went out from Pharaoh's presence and traveled throughout Egypt. During the seven years of abundance the land produced plentifully. Joseph collected all the food produced in those seven years of abundance in Egypt and stored it in the cities. In each city he put the food grown in the fields surrounding it. Joseph stored up huge quantities of grain, like the sand of the sea; it was so much that he stopped keeping records because it was beyond measure.

Joseph puts his plan into action. The stored grains are "beyond measure".  (How are the grains preserved? Do they worry about rats or spoilage?)

In verses 45 and 50, "On" is Heliopolis.

Genesis 41: 50-52, Manasseh and Ephraim
Before the years of famine came, two sons were born to Joseph by Asenath daughter of Potiphera, priest of On. Joseph named his firstborn Manasseh and said, "It is because God has made me forget all my trouble and all my father's household." The second son he named Ephraim and said, "It is because God has made me fruitful in the land of my suffering."

Unlike his mother Rachel, Joseph quickly has two sons.

(NIV footnotes: Manasseh sounds like and may be derived from the Hebrew for "forget"; Ephraim sounds like the Hebrew for "twice fruitful.")

Genesis 41: 53-57, Famine
The seven years of abundance in Egypt came to an end, and the seven years of famine began, just as Joseph had said. There was famine in all the other lands, but in the whole land of Egypt there was food.

When all Egypt began to feel the famine, the people cried to Pharaoh for food. Then Pharaoh told all the Egyptians, "Go to Joseph and do what he tells you."  When the famine had spread over the whole country, Joseph opened the storehouses and sold grain to the Egyptians, for the famine was severe throughout Egypt. And all the countries came to Egypt to buy grain from Joseph, because the famine was severe in all the world.

Famine arrives and storehouses are opened.  Joseph's dream interpretations are confirmed.

Genesis 40, Joseph in Prison

Joseph, accused of attempted rape, has been imprisoned.

Genesis 40: 1-8a, Joseph meets two men in prison
Some time later, the cupbearer and the baker of the king of Egypt offended their master, the king of Egypt.  Pharaoh was angry with his two officials, the chief cupbearer and the chief baker, and put them in custody in the house of the captain of the guard, in the same prison where Joseph was confined.

The captain of the guard assigned them to Joseph, and he attended them. 

After they had been in custody for some time, each of the two men--the cupbearer and the baker of the king of Egypt, who were being held in prison--had a dream the same night, and each dream had a meaning of its own. When Joseph came to them the next morning, he saw that they were dejected. So he asked Pharaoh's officials who were in custody with him in his master's house, "Why are your faces so sad today?"

"We both had dreams," they answered, "but there is no one to interpret them." 

Two imprisoned officials report strange dreams to the young dreamer.

Genesis 40: 8b-15, Joseph interprets the cupbearer's dream
Then Joseph said to them, "Do not interpretations belong to God? Tell me your dreams."

So the chief cupbearer told Joseph his dream. He said to him, "In my dream I saw a vine in front of me, and on the vine were three branches. As soon as it budded, it blossomed, and its clusters ripened into grapes. Pharaoh's cup was in my hand, and I took the grapes, squeezed them into Pharaoh's cup and put the cup in his hand."

"This is what it means," Joseph said to him. "The three branches are three days. Within three days Pharaoh will lift up your head and restore you to your position, and you will put Pharaoh's cup in his hand, just as you used to do when you were his cupbearer.

But when all goes well with you, remember me and show me kindness; mention me to Pharaoh and get me out of this prison. For I was forcibly carried off from the land of the Hebrews, and even here I have done nothing to deserve being put in a dungeon."

Joseph insists that dream interpretation is in the realm of God and demands to hear the dream.  He appears confident that God will provide him with the correct interpretation.  At the conclusion of his interpretation of the cupbearer's dream, he asks for help once the dream is fulfilled.

Alter points out the Hebrew word translated "dungeon" at the end of verse 15 is bore.  This word has not occurred previously in this chapter; it previously occurred in Genesis only in chapter 37 where it describes the pit into which his brothers confined him before selling him to the traders.  This is the second time Joseph has been in a pit.

Genesis 40: 16-19, Joseph interprets the chief baker's dream
When the chief baker saw that Joseph had given a favorable interpretation, he said to Joseph, "I too had a dream: On my head were three baskets of bread. In the top basket were all kinds of baked goods for Pharaoh, but the birds were eating them out of the basket on my head."

"This is what it means," Joseph said. "The three baskets are three days. Within three days Pharaoh will lift off your head and hang you on a tree. And the birds will eat away your flesh."

The second official hopes for a similar positive interpretation. His head too will be "lifted up."  But not in the same way.

NIV footnotes: "three baskets of bread" could be "three wicker baskets"; "hang you on a tree" could be "impale you on a pole".  Alter translates this passage as "impale you on a pole".

Genesis 40: 20-23, Dreams fulfilled
Now the third day was Pharaoh's birthday, and he gave a feast for all his officials. He lifted up the heads of the chief cupbearer and the chief baker in the presence of his officials: He restored the chief cupbearer to his position, so that he once again put the cup into Pharaoh's hand, but he hanged the chief baker, just as Joseph had said to them in his interpretation.

The chief cupbearer, however, did not remember Joseph; he forgot him.

The dreams are fulfilled. In the excitement of returning to power, the chief cupbearer forgets Joseph.

This story is remarkably told, with the two parallel dreams about the next three days and the fulfillment of those dreams. Despite the dramatic evidence of God's touch on Joseph, Joseph is immediately forgotten.

Genesis 39, Joseph in Potiphar's House

After the brief interlude about Judah and Tamar, we return to the story of Joseph.  The last 12 chapters of Genesis will describe the events that led the clan of Israel into Egypt. As our story of humanity focuses on a single man and his actions, we get considerable dialogue.

Genesis 39: 1-6a, Joseph in Potiphar's house
Now Joseph had been taken down to Egypt. Potiphar, an Egyptian who was one of Pharaoh's officials, the captain of the guard, bought him from the Ishmaelites who had taken him there.

The LORD was with Joseph and he prospered, and he lived in the house of his Egyptian master. When his master saw that the LORD was with him and that the LORD gave him success in everything he did,

Joseph found favor in his eyes and became his attendant. Potiphar put him in charge of his household, and he entrusted to his care everything he owned. From the time he put him in charge of his household and of all that he owned, the LORD blessed the household of the Egyptian because of Joseph. The blessing of the LORD was on everything Potiphar had, both in the house and in the field. So he left in Joseph's care everything he had; with Joseph in charge, he did not concern himself with anything except the food he ate. 

God blesses Joseph and his talents are recognized.  As God blesses Jacob, the blessing extends to his Egyptian master.

Genesis 39: 6b-10, Attempted seduction
Now Joseph was well-built and handsome, and after a while his master's wife took notice of Joseph and said, "Come to bed with me!"

But he refused. "With me in charge," he told her, "my master does not concern himself with anything in the house; everything he owns he has entrusted to my care. No one is greater in this house than I am. My master has withheld nothing from me except you, because you are his wife. How then could I do such a wicked thing and sin against God?"

And though she spoke to Joseph day after day, he refused to go to bed with her or even be with her.

But Potiphar's wife lusts after Joseph and tries to seduce him. Joseph declines, citing the trust Potiphar has placed upon him. Joseph's focus is on integrity.

Genesis 39: 11-15, Sex refused
One day he went into the house to attend to his duties, and none of the household servants was inside.  She caught him by his cloak and said, "Come to bed with me!" But he left his cloak in her hand and ran out of the house.

When she saw that he had left his cloak in her hand and had run out of the house, she called her household servants. "Look," she said to them, "this Hebrew has been brought to us to make sport of us! He came in here to sleep with me, but I screamed. When he heard me scream for help, he left his cloak beside me and ran out of the house."

A final refusal sets off a cry of attempted rape. The wife's complaint to the servants has a primary accusation of sexual assault but hints at a secondary complaint about her husband's choices, that her husband has brought a foreigner to take advantage of the wife and household staff. 

Genesis 39: 16-19, Falsely accused
She kept his cloak beside her until his master came home. Then she told him this story: "That Hebrew slave you brought us came to me to make sport of me. But as soon as I screamed for help, he left his cloak beside me and ran out of the house."

When his master heard the story his wife told him, saying, "This is how your slave treated me," he burned with anger.

Potiphar believes his wife's accusation. Note that she blames him for allowing the incident.

Genesis 39: 20-23, Prison!
Joseph's master took him and put him in prison, the place where the king's prisoners were confined. 

But while Joseph was there in the prison, the LORD was with him; he showed him kindness and granted him favor in the eyes of the prison warden. So the warden put Joseph in charge of all those held in the prison, and he was made responsible for all that was done there. The warden paid no attention to anything under Joseph's care, because the LORD was with Joseph and gave him success in whatever he did.

And so Joseph is imprisoned.  But even in prison, his talents are recognized and people benefit by his stewardshop. God has a long-term plan for Joseph, a plan stretching across more than a decade.

This chapter displays an Old Testament technique of inclusio (set of bookends). The story of Potiphar's wife is set off by these statements at the beginning and end of the chapter:

The Lord was with Joseph ... the Lord was with him and ... gave him success in everything he did,

and

 the Lord was with him...  the Lord was with Joseph and gave him success in whatever he did.

These bookends set aside the episode of Potiphar's wife from the rest of the Genesis scroll and provide a counterpoint to the abuse and defeat Joseph appears to be suffering.

Genesis 38, Tamar

Jacob has been sold to Egypt.  We will return to his story but must first look at a strange event involving Judah.

This is a fascinating chapter of sex, children, struggles and conflicts over inheritance and progeny. It gives insight into the ancient mideast culture, a culture very different from our modern world. In it we follow the life of Judah, eventual father of an Israelite tribe that will include David and Jesus.

Genesis 38: 1-5, Judah marries a Canaanite woman

At that time, Judah left his brothers and went down to stay with a man of Adullam named Hirah.  There Judah met the daughter of a Canaanite man named Shua. He married her and lay with her; she became pregnant and gave birth to a son, who was named Er. She conceived again and gave birth to a son and named him Onan. She gave birth to still another son and named him Shelah. It was at Kezib that she gave birth to him.

In quick succession, this passage tells of three sons born to Judah: Er, Onan and Shelah.  This story covers several decades and so may include time prior to the trafficking of Joseph.

Recall that Rebekah was not happy that Ishmael married Canaanites, a people that were known for their idolatry.

Genesis 38: 6-10, Onan's sin

Judah got a wife for Er, his firstborn, and her name was Tamar. But Er, Judah's firstborn, was wicked in the LORD's sight; so the LORD put him to death. 

Then Judah said to Onan, "Lie with your brother's wife and fulfill your duty to her as a brother-in-law to produce offspring for your brother."

But Onan knew that the offspring would not be his; so whenever he lay with his brother's wife, he spilled his semen on the ground to keep from producing offspring for his brother. What he did was wicked in the LORD's sight; so he put him to death also.

We don't know the wickedness of Er, but the wickedness of Onan is to refuse responsibility for extending his older brother's lineage.  The church has long used this passage to condemn male masturbation but that completely ignores the text and context. Onan is practicing "coitus interruptus", not allowing his semen into Tamar. He has the pleasure and release of sex while avoiding the cultural responsibility that put him in Tamar's bed.

John Walton, in his commentary on Genesis, points out that Onan had much to lose by siring a son through Tamar.  Since Er was the firstborn, the birthright would go to Er and his descendants. (Recall Esau and Jacob's fight over the birthright!) But if Er has no sons, then the birthright passes on to Onan. However, any children of Tamar, Er's widow, fall in the line of Er and so the birthright would divert to them, not Onan.  By siring sons with Tamar, Onan loses the birthright.

Genesis 38:11, Dismissal of Tamar

Judah then said to his daughter-in-law Tamar, "Live as a widow in your father's house until my son Shelah grows up." For he thought, "He may die too, just like his brothers." So Tamar went to live in her father's house.

Tamar stays with her own father and waits for a much later opportunity to have children and a lineage. Shelah is the youngest of the three sons and so expecting him to marry Tamar in time to give her a child seems a bit unreasonable.

Genesis 38:13-14, Death of Shua, scheme of Tamar

After a long time Judah's wife, the daughter of Shua, died. When Judah had recovered from his grief, he went up to Timnah, to the men who were shearing his sheep, and his friend Hirah the Adullamite went with him.

When Tamar was told, "Your father-in-law is on his way to Timnah to shear his sheep," she took off her widow's clothes, covered herself with a veil to disguise herself, and then sat down at the entrance to Enaim, which is on the road to Timnah. For she saw that, though Shelah had now grown up, she had not been given to him as his wife.

Tamar learns that Judah has lost a wife and is headed off to sheep-shearing.  Alter suggests that the time of sheep-shearing would have included some feasting and some drunken partying.  Tamar sees an opportunity to intervene and have a child, to have descendants.  

Genesis 38:15-18, Judah impregnates Tamar

When Judah saw her, he thought she was a prostitute, for she had covered her face. Not realizing that she was his daughter-in-law, he went over to her by the roadside and said, "Come now, let me sleep with you." 

"And what will you give me to sleep with you?" she asked.

"I'll send you a young goat from my flock," he said. 

"Will you give me something as a pledge until you send it?" she asked.

He said, "What pledge should I give you?" 

"Your seal and its cord, and the staff in your hand," she answered. 

So he gave them to her and slept with her, and she became pregnant by him.

Apparently a sign of prostitution, in that culture, was to wear a veil. The veil helps Tamar stay anonymous. Tamar is dressed this way for only Judah and they negotiate a price for her body.

Walton claims that in the surrounding Ugaritic culture, if the brother-in-law did not meet the requirements of siring a son with the widow, the father-in-law was obligated to step in.  This would not be the custom in later Israel, but it is possible that Tamar believes that that obligation falls to Judah.

Genesis 38:19-23, Tamar disappears

After she left, she took off her veil and put on her widow's clothes again. Meanwhile Judah sent the young goat by his friend the Adullamite in order to get his pledge back from the woman, but he did not find her. He asked the men who lived there, "Where is the shrine prostitute who was beside the road at Enaim?" 

"There hasn't been any shrine prostitute here," they said.

So he went back to Judah and said, "I didn't find her. Besides, the men who lived there said, `There hasn't been any shrine prostitute here.'"

Then Judah said, "Let her keep what she has, or we will become a laughingstock. After all, I did send her this young goat, but you didn't find her."

Note the commonality of shrine prostitutes. Judah views this as just a negotiation poorly completed.

Genesis 38:24-25, Tamar reveals the father

About three months later Judah was told, "Your daughter-in-law Tamar is guilty of prostitution, and as a result she is now pregnant." 

Judah said, "Bring her out and have her burned to death!"

As she was being brought out, she sent a message to her father-in-law. "I am pregnant by the man who owns these," she said. And she added, "See if you recognize whose seal and cord and staff these are."

What a cruel world for women!  Judah is willing to step aside for sex with a prostitute but, as the male in charge of Tamar's life, is willing to see her burned.

Genesis 38:26-30, Perez and Zerah
Judah recognized them and said, "She is more righteous than I, since I wouldn't give her to my son Shelah." And he did not sleep with her again.

When the time came for her to give birth, there were twin boys in her womb. As she was giving birth, one of them put out his hand; so the midwife took a scarlet thread and tied it on his wrist and said, "This one came out first."

 But when he drew back his hand, his brother came out, and she said, "So this is how you have broken out!" And he was named Perez. Then his brother, who had the scarlet thread on his wrist, came out and he was given the name Zerah.

Here we learn that Judah never gave Tamar to his son Shelah. 

According to the NIV footnotes, "Perez" means "breaking out" and "Zerah" can mean "scarlet" or "brightness."  This birth echoes the battle of twins, Jacob and Esau in Rebekah's womb.

Judah is no model hero for the Israelites!  But, following the customs of the time, Perez, through Tamar, receives the birthright of Judah.  That birthright passes on to the descendants of Perez ... including Boaz, King David and the eventual Messiah, Jesus. 

Genesis 37, Dreamer

After a brief interlude to track the descendants of Esau, we return to the story of Jacob/Israel and his sons.

Genesis 37:1-2, Young Joseph, a tattle-tail

Jacob lived in the land where his father had stayed, the land of Canaan. This is the account of Jacob. Joseph, a young man of seventeen, was tending the flocks with his brothers, the sons of Bilhah and the sons of Zilpah, his father's wives, and he brought their father a bad report about them.

Young Joseph, probably a teenager, is sure of himself, and brings a bad report to Jacob about his adult brothers.

Genesis 37:3-4, The coat of many colors                        t 

Now Israel loved Joseph more than any of his other sons, because he had been born to him in his old age; and he made a richly ornamented robe for him. When his brothers saw that their father loved him more than any of them, they hated him and could not speak a kind word to him.

The Hebrew adjective translated "richly ornamented" is unclear.  Old translations were "multi-colored".  Regardless, the coat was rich, elaborate and distinctive.

Genesis 37:5-8, Dream #1 (and boasting)

Joseph had a dream, and when he told it to his brothers, they hated him all the more. He said to them, "Listen to this dream I had: We were binding sheaves of grain out in the field when suddenly my sheaf rose and stood upright, while your sheaves gathered around mine and bowed down to it."

His brothers said to him, "Do you intend to reign over us? Will you actually rule us?" And they hated him all the more because of his dream and what he had said.

With immature enthusiasm, Joseph tells his dream to his brothers.  The brothers' response is to be expected.

Genesis 37: 9-11, Dream #2

Then he had another dream, and he told it to his brothers. "Listen," he said, "I had another dream, and this time the sun and moon and eleven stars were bowing down to me."

When he told his father as well as his brothers, his father rebuked him and said, "What is this dream you had? Will your mother and I and your brothers actually come and bow down to the ground before you?" His brothers were jealous of him, but his father kept the matter in mind.

Joseph describes a second dream and receives a reasonable rebuke from his father. The dream borders on blasphemy (says Alter) as no one but YHWH is worthy of worship by the heavenly bodies.

Genesis 37: 12-17, Joseph seeks his brothers

Now his brothers had gone to graze their father's flocks near Shechem, and Israel said to Joseph, "As you know, your brothers are grazing the flocks near Shechem. Come, I am going to send you to them." 

"Very well," he replied.

So he said to him, "Go and see if all is well with your brothers and with the flocks, and bring word back to me." Then he sent him off from the Valley of Hebron. 

When Joseph arrived at Shechem, a man found him wandering around in the fields and asked him, "What are you looking for?"

He replied, "I'm looking for my brothers. Can you tell me where they are grazing their flocks?"

"They have moved on from here," the man answered. "I heard them say, `Let's go to Dothan.'" 

So Joseph went after his brothers and found them near Dothan.

Joseph has been sent by his father to find his brothers. Shechem is the place where the brothers massacred a town.  

Genesis 37:18-24, Joseph attacked

But they saw him in the distance, and before he reached them, they plotted to kill him.

"Here comes that dreamer!" they said to each other. "Come now, let's kill him and throw him into one of these cisterns and say that a ferocious animal devoured him. Then we'll see what comes of his dreams."

When Reuben heard this, he tried to rescue him from their hands. "Let's not take his life," he said. "Don't shed any blood. Throw him into this cistern here in the desert, but don't lay a hand on him." Reuben said this to rescue him from them and take him back to his father.

 So when Joseph came to his brothers, they stripped him of his robe--the richly ornamented robe he was wearing--and they took him and threw him into the cistern. Now the cistern was empty; there was no water in it.

There are a pair of Hebrew words that the NIV translatrs as "dreamer".  They are,  bah'-al khal-ome', literally "dream master". This is surely a sarcastic term used to mock Joseph's arrogance over his previous two dreams.

That the sons can be violent is not in doubt.  They have already been involved in the massacre and looting of Shechem. But Reuben, the firstborn, the one who slept with his father's concubine, Bilhah, intervenes to prevent bloodshed.

Genesis 37: 25-28, Sold into slavery

As they sat down to eat their meal, they looked up and saw a caravan of Ishmaelites coming from Gilead. Their camels were loaded with spices, balm and myrrh, and they were on their way to take them down to Egypt.

Judah said to his brothers, "What will we gain if we kill our brother and cover up his blood? Come, let's sell him to the Ishmaelites and not lay our hands on him; after all, he is our brother, our own flesh and blood." His brothers agreed.

So when the Midianite merchants came by, his brothers pulled Joseph up out of the cistern and sold him for twenty shekels of silver to the Ishmaelites, who took him to Egypt.

Judah forestalls the killing of Joseph by suggesting that Joseph be sold to the "Ishmaelites".  (The traders are called Midianites later in this chapter.) According to the NIV footnotes, "twenty shekels" is about 8 ounces.

There is a raw violence and cruelty in the brothers of Joseph.  Here we see his life saved by Reuben and Judah, but neither is very likeable. (We will see more of the character of Judah in the next chapter.)

Genesis 37: 28-33, A lie to Jacob

When Reuben returned to the cistern and saw that Joseph was not there, he tore his clothes. He went back to his brothers and said, "The boy isn't there! Where can I turn now?"

Then they got Joseph's robe, slaughtered a goat and dipped the robe in the blood. They took the ornamented robe back to their father and said, "We found this. Examine it to see whether it is your son's robe."

He recognized it and said, "It is my son's robe! Some ferocious animal has devoured him. Joseph has surely been torn to pieces."

The brothers fall back on part of their original plan.  Jacob is devastated.  The deceptions he has practiced in his younger years has been passed down to his sons.  Jacob used a killed lamb for a meal and a lamb's coat to cover his arms, all in order to deceive his father. His sons kill a goat to bloody the ornamental coat and deceive him.

Genesis 37: 34-36, Jacob devastated

Then Jacob tore his clothes, put on sackcloth and mourned for his son many days. All his sons and daughters came to comfort him, but he refused to be comforted. "No," he said, "in mourning will I go down to the grave to my son." So his father wept for him.

Meanwhile, the Midianites sold Joseph in Egypt to Potiphar, one of Pharaoh's officials, the captain of the guard.

I see hints that Jacob has more than one daughter.

Fortunately for Jacob, he will later go down, not to the grave, but to Egypt to see his son.

The descriptions of the traders as Ishmaelites and then Midianites is a bit confusing. Midian was a half-brother of Ishmael, born through Keturah.  (According to the NIV footnotes the name "Midianites" in verses 28 and 36 follows the Samaritan Pentateuch, Septuagint, Vulgate and Syriac manuscripts; the Masoretic text has "Medanites.")

From the story of Cain and Abel to the betrayal of Joseph by his brothers, Genesis is full of stories of sibling rivalry and hatred.  A Hong Kong writer applies the story of Joseph to siblings today in this essay at Christianity Today.  (That article is also available in Chinese.)

The chapter ends on a natural cliff-hanger.  What will happen to young Joseph in Egypt?

Polygamy and Slavery in Old Testament Times

The Old Testament confronts us with an ancient culture.  Although there are a variety of good things about that culture, the modern reader will be repulsed by the violence, including a number of stories of rape and slaughter.  The author of the Torah adds almost no commentary to the history, merely reporting them.  (Be alert for those rare insertions of commentary into the historical accounts.)

Most of us realize that the violence is merely reported, that it is certainly not promoted and is rarely justified.  But there are several disturbing parts of the ancient culture that seem to be clearly accepted by the author of the Torah.  Are they justified?  Since many of us view the Torah as Scripture, there is a tendency to believe that the historical reports somehow validate the ancient culture.  But that is not so -- the ancient culture is merely reported, in historical context.  The author of the Torah neither condemns nor promotes these cultural beliefs, probably because they themselves were embedded within that culture.

There are three Old Testament cultural practices that I find particularly abhorrent: Polygamy, Slavery, and the treatment of women.  The third in the list is pervasive enough that others have written copiously about it -- the ancient Old Testament society is patriarchal, with men often treating women as possessions.  The patriarchy is pervasive enough in the ancient near east that those women who break out of it in various ways -- Tamar, some Israelite midwives, a pharaoh's daughter, Miriam, Deborah, Ruth, Esther... -- are memorable. Since patriarchal attitudes and misogyny appear in every culture, including my own, it may not leap out from the text as sharply as the stories of polygamy and slavery.

Polygamy

Polygamy occurs throughout the Old Testament and is never condemned.  However, as at least one commentator (Dr. James Allman, class on Genesis) has stressed, it is also never promoted.  Polygamy is the source of conflict: there are numerous stories of a favorite wife (often not fertile) and a less favorite wife (who seems to be fertile) and even women who are "concubines", who do not quite have the status of "wife" but are available as potential sex partners and mothers.  The Old Testament Law, as given to Moses, does not abolish polygamy but insists on a structure, forbidding adultery and "coveting" of women other than one's wife.

The ancient near east (ANE) emphasis on polygamy is a natural result of the ancient need for large families, where the children were eventually the work-force. Polygamy was also often used to create alliances with other family groups. This Wikipedia page elaborates further on polygamy, giving the term polygyny for marriages with one man and many wives.

In the New Testament, some 15 or more centuries closer to our time than Abraham, polygamy appears to be much less common.  And church leaders are instructed in several places (eg. here) to have (no more than) one wife.  See this article on Polygamy in the Bible (and What Jesus Said about it).

Slavery

Slavery is also a natural part of the ANE culture.  It appears as a natural part of that ancient culture and thus appears throughout the Old Testament.  The Old Testament Law, as given to Moses, does not abolish slavery but insists on modifying it so that the ebed is more of an indentured servant. Kidnapping was prohibited (Exodus 21:16), as was the sale of human beings, so one could not capture an ebed nor trade one. This means that slaves in Israel were bond-servants: presumably out of desperate poverty, they offered themselves in servitude in exchange for housing and food. (See Deuteronomy 15: 12-15.) The ebed was to be treated with care and had the opportunity (on a Sabbath year) to be free. If one were a slave in the ANE one would wish to be a slave in Israel.  

My American Twenty-first Century culture certainly finds polygamy, slavery, and misogyny repulsive. And so I react to the Old Testament stories with a bit of disgust. (This is especially strong in reading the book of Judges where even the ancient culture seems horrified by the violence, murder and rape!) There is nothing really wrong with my reaction to the Old Testament stories; it is after all history. The Torah and other writings do not promote polygamy or slavery, but simply appear to modify them.  

Slavery was common in New Testament times also and, indeed, one New Testament letter is written to a former slave-owner.  Like the Old Testament law, there is no aggressive opposition to slavery but it is clear that Paul (in his letter to Philemon) would prefer that Philemon give his slave his freedom.

Wikipedia has a web page on The Bible and Slavery.

When we get to Exodus and Deuteronomy, we will emphasize the importance of reading the Old Testament Law in light of the ancient near eastern culture it was modifying.  If one reads through the ancient Code of Hammurabi, translated here, it is obvious that slavery was a significant part of the ancient Near East.

Justice

Even as I recoil to some of the Old Testament stories, I am reminded that my insistence on justice, my beliefs that one must speak and act out against oppression (including slavery and the racist aftermath), my advocacy for refugees and immigrants -- all of these beliefs come from Old Testament teaching. I want to quote Psalm 82:3, "Give justice to the weak...", Isaiah 1:17, "Learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression...", Micah 6:8, "He has told you, O man, what is good, ..."  Martin Luther King Jr., among others, will quote from the Old Testament in their sermons on justice.