17 September 2022 draft-bible
2. These are the generations. As in 2:4.
3. tunic of many colors. The Hebrew expression is k__ᵉtonet passim, a phrase of unclear meaning. What is clear is that term ‘tunic’. What exactly it means for a tunic to be passim is harder to say. The term kᵉtonet passim appears only in the tale of Joseph and in 2 Samuel 13:8, 9. It would appear from the two mentions that it was a clothing item of some prestige. While I do not think ‘of many colors’ is likely to be correct, I am leaving the wording as is due to the lack of a well-evidenced alternative.
8. said. Hebrew ʾamar. WEB reads “asked”, perhaps trying to vary things up a bit.
11. matter. Hebrew dabar. ASV, WEB read “saying”.
17. Dothan. A town, now Tell Dotha or Tel Dotan, about fourteen miles north of Shechem.
18-36. This chapter is often discussed as an example of the sorts of analysis underpinning the Documentary Hypothesis. In fact, the introduction to Joel Baden’s The Composition of the Pentateuch begins with a discussion of this chapter. As in many other places, there are repetitions and irregularities in the narrative caused by the combination of sources. As Baden sees it (pp. 37-38), verses 18-36 consist of two interwoven stories: “Story A” consisting of verses 19, 20, 23, 25-27, 31-35; and “Story B”, of verses 18, 21, 22, 24, 25, 28-30, 36. For a fuller accounting of the irregularities in the text that lead to this conclusion, and for a discussion of other attempts to handle the issues, I recommend that the interested reader consult Baden’s Composition, pages 1-12 and 34-44.
28. Midianites. One of the puzzles of this story is the sudden appearance of Midianites, when the brothers were expecting Ishmaelites. One attempt to solve this issue is to suppose that Midianites suddenly arrived, took Joseph out of the pit, and sold him to Ishmaelites. Another attempt is to read the Midianites and Ishmaelites as being the same people. Finally, the Documentary Hypothesis sees this as a trace of the redaction of two different stories – one in which it is Ishmaelites, and another in which it is Midianites, who take possession of Joseph.
28. And they brought Joseph. The WEB reads “The merchants brought Joseph”. The only people to whom the term “merchants” has been applied so far is the Midianites, but it is the Ishmaelites who have bought Joseph. It would seem that the WEB is interpreting the Midianites and Ishmaelites are the same people, and then imposing that reading on the English translation. In such a hotly contested passage, I would prefer not to see the translator put their thumb on the scale, and so my recommendation is to read, as the ASV does, “they brought Joseph”, and allow the reader to form whatever opinion they might about how to take that language.
32. And they sent … and brought [it]. The two verbs here raise the question – did the brothers send the tunic, or did they bring it? One option is a proposal mentioned in BHS (1997). If one takes the Masoretic Text’s wayyabi__ʾu (“they brought”), and emends it to wayyaboʾu (“they came”), then we have an understandable scenario in with the brothers first send the tunic ahead of them, and then arrive themselves.
Some interpreters seem to be doing away with the perhaps troublesome word “sent” altogether, such as the translators of the NIV and NET. The WEB replaces “sent”with “took”. The NHEB, on the other hand, rejects the WEB solution and reverts to the difficult “sent … brought” reading, as I have also here.
Finally – and this is speculation on my part – I wonder whether it might be best to keep the Masoretic Text as is and read wayyabi__ʾu, but interpret it not as ‘bring’ but as ‘cause to be brought’. Perhaps it is this train of thought that motivates where instead of both Hebrew verbs, there is simply one English verb, such NJPS, which reads “They had the ornamented tunic taken”.
36. And the Midianites. The Hebrew reads wᵉha-mᵉdani__m, “And the Medanites”. It seems likely that a single yod has dropped out of the text here, and that “And the Midianites” is the intended reading. Still, whether Midianites or Medanites, this verse adds a new difficulty to the story, as the last foreigners who had possession of Joseph were Ishmaelites, and now he is, without explanation, being sold by Midianites or Medanites.
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