The Composition of Genesis 37: Incoherence and Meaning in the Exposition of the Joseph StoryGenesis 37 is the exposition of the biblical Joseph Story and narrates the basis of Israel's descent into Egypt. From the beginning of critical research into the Pentateuch, literary tensions and contradictions encountered in this chapter, including the question of who sold Joseph to whom, have given rise to several incompatible explanations. At present, no solution to its complex problems enjoys agreement. On top of a thorough history of research, Matthew C. Genung provides a fresh literary critical analysis of Genesis 37, treated passage by passage, and guided by the literary tensions in the narrative in dialogue with the most important solution models. This method has led to a new explanation of the compositional history of Genesis 37 that contributes to an understanding of the meaning of the actual text, solves its elements of tension and incoherence, and identifies their originating historical milieu. |
Contents
History of Research | 1 |
Form Criticism | 8 |
Unity | 15 |
Synchronic Readings | 22 |
Analysis | 30 |
Gen 371830 and the Sale of Joseph | 37 |
Proposed Diachronic Solutions | 43 |
Toward a New Solution to Gen 371830 | 85 |
Toward A New Solution to Gen 3714 | 137 |
Conclusion | 164 |
Solutions Proposed | 170 |
Toward a Conclusion | 180 |
Toward a Conclusion | 193 |
The Nature of the Redactional Insertions | 202 |
Indications of Provenance and Dating | 204 |
Appendix | 217 |
Proposed Diachronic Solutions | 95 |
Toward a New Solution to Gen 37511 | 114 |
Common terms and phrases
according action actual text addressee allocated Baden base layer Biblical Hebrew Biblical Story Bilhah BLUM book of Genesis bowing brothers Canaan chapter cistern coherent composition considered context contradiction disunity Documentary Hypothesis doublets Egypt Elohist exegetes father father's name father's predilection garment Genesis 37 Gunkel Gunkel's source hatred Hebrew Hebron Ilgen interpretation Ishmaelites Israel Jacob Joseph Story Joseph to Egypt Joseph's dreams Josephsgeschichte KEBEKUS literary material Midianites motif motive narrated narrative notice Nichtpriesterliche original narrative passage patriarchal Pentateuch Potiphar priestly problems proposal question rebuke recounted redactional insertion redactional layer redactor REDFORD Reuben layer scene Schmitt seems seph Shechem sold Joseph solution source criticism source reconstruction special tunic speech Story of Joseph stylistic tensions tion traditions Ugaritic unified unity variant Vätergeschichte verb verses wayyiqtol Weimar WELLHAUSEN Yahwist Zilpah אָבִיו אחיו אֶת־יוֹסֵף אֹתוֹ בו הַזֶּה אֲשֶׁר וְהִנֵּה וַיֹּאמֶר חֲלוֹם יוסף כִּי לוֹ עוֹד רָעָה שָׁנָה