Literary Devices – Bereshit 40/0
Literary Devices – Bereshit 40
Binary Structure
In his commentary on Bereshit,1 Robert Alter points out that Yosef’s story is structured as a series of doublets (as was Yaakov’s story; see Literary Devices – Bereshit 23). Yosef and Paroh both have double dreams, the baker and butler present their dreams together, Yosef is thrown into a pit and then into prison, the brothers make two trips to Egypt, and their descent to Egypt parallels Yosef’s descent.
Key Words
"פקד"
- Though the root "פקד" appears onlyםמבק in the chapter, see the concordance that, with one exception, all appearances of the root (and the related noun פקיד) in Sefer Bereshit are found in the Yosef narratives,2 suggesting that the word might play an important role.
- Secondary Literature – Professor Yonatan Grossman, in his article Leitwort (III) discusses the repetition of the root, noting that it takes various forms with different meanings: “פקד” (to take account or remember), “הפקיד” (appoint), and “פקיד” (agent) . The various usages and different contexts3 underscore the theme of dual causality that is central to the story of Yosef, playing with the question: “Who is the ruler? Who is the agent?” (God or man?)
Wordplay
Yosef’s speeches to the butler and baker contain a punning parallel with the use of the phrase “Paroh will lift your head”:
- To the butler: בְּעוֹד שְׁלֹשֶׁת יָמִים יִשָּׂא פַרְעֹה אֶת רֹאשֶׁךָ וַהֲשִׁיבְךָ עַל כַּנֶּךָ
- To the baker: בְּעוֹד שְׁלֹשֶׁת יָמִים יִשָּׂא פַרְעֹה אֶת רֹאשְׁךָ מֵעָלֶיךָ וְתָלָה אוֹתְךָ
While similar language is used in both speeches, it has opposite meanings. In the first case, Yosef states that Paroh will reinstate the butler, while in the second case Yosef declares that Paroh will actually remove the baker’s head.4 The parallel creates suspense as one initially assumes the outcome will be the same.
Characterization
Tanakh rarely describes a personality outright; instead, it paints character through hints and dialogue.
- Invoking God – An example of this technique might be found in the Yosef narratives. Yosef's spiritual status is never explicitly described, but if one traces how he invokes the name of God throughout the stories, one can perhaps see a progression is his religiosity and character. In the context of his telling of his own dreams in Chapter 37, he does not mention Hashem at all. When he interprets the baker and butler’s dreams, he attributes the ability to God, mentioning Hashem once. When he interprets Pharaoh’s dreams in Chapter 41, he structures his whole speech around three mentions of Hashem.
- Secondary Literature
- See N. Leibowitz, עונים בספר בראשית (Jerusalem, 1992): 310-313 who traces and analyzes Yosef's various mentions of Hashem, noting how they highlight his religious and moral strength in the degrading environment of Egypt.
- See The Prince and the Prison by R. Chanoch Waxman in which he explores Yosef's development from a somewhat arrogant "favored son" to a humble leader, invoking God.
- See Robert Alter’s article, Character in the Bible, as well as his chapter on characterization in The Art of Biblical Narrative, for exploration of methods of characterization in Tanakh.
- For opinions who suggest that despite Yosef's invocation of Hashem, he might have begun to assimilate in Egypt, see Yosef's Religious Identity and sources and literature there.
Parallelism The doubled language is noted and explained by many commentaries including Rashi, Rashbam, Ibn Ezra, and Chizkuni.
The finality and completeness of the butler’s forgetting of Yosef is emphasized through the formal structure of parallelism:
- Verse 23 reads: וְלֹֽא־זָכַ֧ר שַֽׂר־הַמַּשְׁקִ֛ים אֶת־יוֹסֵ֖ף וַיִּשְׁכָּחֵֽהוּ.
