Literary Devices – Bereshit 37/0

Literary Devices – Bereshit 37

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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 32). 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

Family Relations

• Tanakh Lab points out that the three words that appear most frequently in Bereshit 27 are אח, אב and בן, underscoring the tragic enmity and deception between close relatives that characterizes the story of the sale of Yosef.  These words appear most poignantly in Yosef’s declaration “I seek my brothers” and in Yehuda’s chilling statement: “Come, let us sell him to the Yishmaelites, and let our hands not be upon him, for he is our brother, our flesh.”
• See Tamar and Yosef by Professor Yonatan Grossman for analysis of the repetition of the word "אח", and specifically how Yehuda’s use of the word conveys that his actions may be even more immoral than those of his brothers. 

Character Titles

Yosef

• Yosef – Throughout most of the chapter Yosef is called by his name alone, without any relational epithets.
• "Our brother" – It is only in Yehuda's speech to his siblings that he is referred to in relationship to them, as their brother. Yehuda warns not to spill the blood of "our brother", but "only" to sell him as a slave. [See discussion above.]
• Son – In the last few verses of the chapter, when the brothers bring the bloodied coat to Yaakov and he concludes that Yosef must have been killed, the verses continuously refer to Yosef, not by name, but in relationship to Yaakov as "his/your/my son". The epithet highlights the tragedy; the loss of a son is always devastating to a parent.

The Brothers

• Yaakov's sons – In only two places in the chapter are the brothers referred to in relationship to Yaakov, as "his sons" (verses 3 and 38).
• Yosef's brothers – Throughout the rest of the chapter, they are referred to in relationship to Yosef, as "his/your brothers" (about 15 times!).  This relational epithet underscores the cruelty and animosity of the brothers’ actions [see discussion and literature cited above]. It might perhaps also emphasize that, despite their role, the brothers are really only secondary characters in the story, important only in relationship to Yosef.

Symbolism

Clothing

• Clothes are an important symbol in the Yosef story, with their bestowal and removal perhaps reflecting a change in status. In this chapter, Yosef is given a coat that represents Yaakov’s love, but his brothers later strip him of it and use it to deceive Yaakov. Yosef later again loses his clothes when Potiphar’s wife pulls them off of him. He is given new clothes when he is taken from prison to appear before Pharaoh, and again when he becomes Pharaoh’s viceroy. He later gives gifts of clothing to his brothers.
• Secondary Literature – For analysis of the meaning of clothing in the Yosef story, see Joseph and the Imagery of Clothing by Samuel Borodach, who suggests that in tehse stories clothing might reflect not just a change in status but also a change in character.

Pits

• Pits are symbolic in the story of Yosef, as are descents and ascents in general.  Yosef is thrown into a pit by his brothers, then rises to a position of power in Potiphar's house, but then descends again as he is thrown into jail (referred to as a בּוֹר, pit, in Bereshit 40:15) by Potiphar.²
• Secondary Literature –
• See The Prince and the Prison by R. Chanoch Waxman, who suggests that Yosef’s series of descents reflect the development of his character from a somewhat arrogant leader into a humble one.³
• 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 how character is developed in Tanakh.

Allusions

Our chapter contains several allusions to Bereshit 27:

• The goat and garment that the brothers use to deceive Yaakov are reminiscent of the goat and garment used by Yaakov to deceive Yitzchak in Bereshit 27.⁴
• Similarly, the brothers’ command to Yaakov to recognize his son’s cloak (“הַכֶּר נָא”), and his recognition thereof (verses 32-33) are reminiscent of Yitzchak’s inability to recognize (וְלֹא הִכִּירוֹ) Yaakov’s true identity when he disguised himself as Esav (Bereshit 27:23).

These are examples of the ways in which the stories of deceit and rivalry at the beginning of Yaakov’s life haunt him as well as his children, who continue the pattern of deception with the sale of Yosef.

Word Play

In describing his dream, Yosef says, "וְהִנֵּה אֲנַחְנוּ מְאַלְּמִים אֲלֻמִּים". The expected form of the noun would be "אֲלֻמָּה" / "אֲלֻמֹּת", in feminine, as found in the continuation of the verse and in its only other occurrence, in Tehillim 126:6.⁵  Da'at Mikra⁶ suggests that the unusual form was chosen to  make a word play with the verb מְאַלְּמִים.

¹ R. Alter, Genesis: Translation and Commentary, (New York, 1996): 210.

² R. Chanoch Waxman suggests that Yosef’s series of descents reflect the development of his character.  Yosef begins, in Ch. 37, as his father’s favored son, or “headman”, and is then thrown into a pit by his brothers.  He then becomes Potiphar’s headman -- a loss in status from his first position as favored among brothers -- and is ultimately thrown by Potiphar into the pit of prison.  He then becomes the headman of prison -- yet another degradation in status from his first two “headman” positions.  

We see the development of Yosef’s humility and leadership through these three episodes.  In Ch. 37, he speaks arrogantly to his brothers of his dreams.  In Potiphar’s house, he demonstrates moral fiber by rejecting the advances of Eshet Potiphar and mentions God once in that context, but also twice alludes to his own exalted position in Potiphar’s house.  Finally, in prison, he appears genuinely concerned with the emotional wellbeing of the butler and baker (verse 7)  and mentions God without mentioning his own talents.  We thus see Yosef’s development into a humble leader.

³ Yosef begins, in Chapter 37, as his father’s favored son, or “headman”, and is then thrown into a pit by his brothers.  He then becomes Potiphar’s headman -- a loss in status from his first position as favored among brothers -- and is ultimately thrown by Potiphar into the pit of prison.  He then becomes the headman of prison -- yet another degradation in status from his first two “headman” positions.
These three episodes portray a development in Yosef’s humility and leadership.  In Ch. 37, he speaks arrogantly to his brothers of his dreams.  In Potiphar’s house, though he demonstrates moral fiber by rejecting the advances of Eshet Potiphar and mentions God once in that context, he also twice alludes to his own exalted position, retaining a measure of arrogance. Finally, in prison, he appears genuinely concerned with the emotional well being of the butler and baker (verse 7)  and mentions God without mentioning his own talents.  We thus see Yosef’s development into a humble leader.

⁴ It should be noted, however, that Tanakh does not employ the same language for these items in both stories. Esav's cloak is referred to as "בִּגְדֵי עֵשָׂו הַחֲמֻדֹת" while Yosef wears a "כְּתֹנֶת".  While Rivka gives Yaakov "גְּדָיֵי הָעִזִּים", the brothers' plot involves a "שְׂעִיר עִזִּים".  As such, the allusion stems from the general connections between the stories more than from an intentional, explicit referring of the reader from one story to the other.

⁵ See the concordance.

⁶ See Da'at Mikra Bereshit, ed. Y. Keel (Jerusalem, 2000).