member of the family, the inconsolable grief of the father, the guilty secret shared by the brothers, and, above all, the uncertainty which hangs over the fate of Joseph, appeal irresistibly to the romantic instinct of the reader, who feels that all this is the prelude to some signal manifestation of divine providence in the working out of Joseph's destiny.
Sources.—Vv.1. 2 belong to P (v.i.).—The analysis of the rest of the
chapter may start from 25-30, where evidences of a double recension are
clearest. In one account, Joseph is sold to Ishmaelites on the advice of
Judah; in the other, he is kidnapped by passing Midianites, unknown
to the brethren, and to the dismay of Reuben, who had hoped to save
him (see the notes). The former is J (cf. 454f.), the latter E (4015).
Another safe clue is found in the double motive assigned for the envy
of the brethren: 3. 4 (the sleeved tunic) || 5-11 (the dreams): the dream-motive
is characteristic of E throughout the narrative, and 3f. are from
J because of (
Hebrew characters) (cf. 13, and ct. (Hebrew characters) in 34). Smaller doublets can be
detected in 12-14; in {18-20}, in {21f.}, and in 34f.. The analysis has been worked
out with substantial agreement amongst critics; and, with some finishing
touches from the hand of Gu. (353 ff.), the result is as follows: J = 3. 4. 13a.
14b. 18b. 21. 23. 25-27. 28a[Greek: g] ((Hebrew characters) to (Hebrew characters), 31. 32a[Greek: ag]b. 33a[Greek: a]b. 34b. 35a.; E = 5-11. 13b. 14a. 15-17.
18a. 19. 20. 22. 24. 28a[Greek: ab] (to (Hebrew characters))b. 29. 30. 32a[Greek: b]. 33a[Greek: b]. 34a. 35b. 36. This may be accepted
as the basis of the exposition, though some points are open to question,
particularly the assumption that all references to a tunic of any kind are
to be ascribed to J.
1-11. The alienation between Joseph and his brethren.—1, 2. Three disjointed fragments of P, of which
v.1 is the original continuation of 366-8 (see p. 429); and 2a[Greek: a] is
a heading from the Book of Tôledôth (see p. 40 f.), which ought
to be followed by a genealogy,—perhaps 3522b-26,[1] which we
have seen to stand out of its proper connexion (p. 423):
2a[Greek: bg]b then introduces P's history of Joseph, which has been
mostly suppressed by the redactor.—The clause (Hebrew characters) is
difficult. As a parenthesis (Dri.) it is superfluous after the
1. (Hebrew characters) (178) and (Hebrew characters) (but see p. 474) are characteristic of P.—2.
(Hebrew characters)] 'like verbs of governing' (Str.); so 1 Sa. 1611 1734.—(Hebrew characters)]
Gu. suggests (Hebrew characters) (Niph. [root] (Hebrew characters): cf. Jer. 622 etc., and the Hithpal.
in Jb. 178), or (Hebrew characters) (= 'kept company with'),—neither proposal just
convincing.—(Hebrew characters) (so Nu. 1437)] lit. 'brought the report of them evil,'
(Hebrew characters) being second acc., or tertiary pred. (Da. § 76). A bad sense is inherent
in (Hebrew characters), which is a late word, in Hex. confined to P (Nu. 1332 1436f.).
- ↑ Rather than 468ff., as suggested by Kurtz (quoted by Hupf. Qu. 216).
