https://doi.org/10.26142/stgd-2021-018
The article discusses the literary ways of presenting the consequences of Jacob’s special love for his younger son Joseph for his brothers, the way in which the seduction of Potiphar's wife is presented in relation to Joseph, who held a subordinate position in Potiphar's house, Joseph's arguments for refusing her persuasion and the strategy of her lying in revenge for the rejection. The analysis of the use of the semantic field of love and lust and the way of literary representation of the complexity of interpersonal family relations reveals the possibilities and limitations of interpretation. Special attention is paid to the psychology of Joseph’s brothers’ hostile response to Joseph’s special position in the heart of their father Jacob, the contrasting behaviour of Potiphar’s wife, and similar cases in 2 Samuel 13 and Gen. 34. The limits of interpretation are manifested primarily in attempts to explain the psychology of envy, lust, and the devastating consequences of acting out of lust. The most important finding of the article is that the full meaning of the narrative in chapters 37 and 39 can only be seen in the context of the whole of Joseph’s story in Genesis 37-50. The article is thus part of a more extensive study of Joseph’s story as a whole.
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English