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  • From: JimStinehart AT aol.com
  • To: b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: [b-hebrew] Joseph's Age II
  • Date: Thu, 13 Dec 2007 14:56:19 EST


We now return to our story of Joseph going up north to meet his older
half-brothers. At long last, we are starting to get to the points that you
specifically raised in your question.

(g) If Joseph were a grown adult, age 17 or 18 regular years or so, there is
no way that Joseph would have insisted that his older brothers must hear his
latest dream, which to his older brothers sounded as if Joseph is foretelling
that all of his older half-brothers will have to bow down to Joseph. Note
that relating that dream at Genesis 37: 9-11 makes sense for an innocent,
naïve
boy age 9 regular years, but would be obvious fighting words, and would
basically be dumb, if related by a grown man age 17 or 18 regular years.

(h) Jacob’s oldest son is Reuben, age 15 regular years. None of Jacob’s
sons has married yet. If Joseph were age 17 regular years, several of
Joseph’s
older half-brothers would be married and would have their own children, but
in
fact nothing along those lines has happened yet. Simeon and Levi in
particular do not have wives to calm them down, nor do they have their own
children,
which might have made them think twice about killing their own brother
Joseph.
Each of Simeon and Levi is awkward age 13 regular years, and acts it. If
Simeon and Levi were in their 20s, married with children, they would not be
acting like such hotheads.

(i) Jacob now determines that young Joseph should be sent up to Shechem to
see how Jacob’s other sons are doing with tending the valuable flock in Jacob’
s absence. Genesis 37: 12-14 Since the bloody Shechem incident has not
happened yet, Jacob does not forsee any trouble. Jacob naturally sends
several
servants with Joseph. There had been no trouble traveling south from Shechem
to
Hebron, so why should there be any trouble now, in going north from Hebron
back up to Shechem? Indeed, there are no problems on the road.

Jacob, consumed with his own worries, does not realize how angry his older
sons are with him and Joseph for Jacob’s obvious favoritism of Joseph. Nor
could Jacob have anticipated what plucky young Joseph went and did.

(j) Note the odd, but telling, detail that Joseph was sent up to Shechem to
meet up with his older half-brothers and the family flock, but Joseph does
not
actually meet his brothers until he has gone much farther north than that,
all the way past Shechem to Dothan. And the circumstances under which Joseph
finds out where his brothers have gone are odd. A man finds Joseph wandering
in
a field near Shechem. Genesis 37: 14-17 What must have happened is this.
Joseph must have been all alone, with his father’s servants some distance
away
in the field, when Joseph found out at Shechem that his brothers were tending
the flock at Dothan. Joseph, age 9½ regular years, thought he would play a
harmless prank, that would show his older half-brothers that young Joseph was
on
the cusp of becoming a man now, and did not have to be handled by servants
any longer. Joseph apparently tells that man in the field not to tell the
servants where Joseph’s brothers are. Plucky young Joseph then gives the
slip to
his father’s servants at Shechem, and lights out on the double for Dothan.
Joseph has at least a few hours’ lead time on the servants, who do not know
what
has happened, and who do not yet know where the family flock is being tended
by Joseph’s brothers.

Joseph then grandly waltzes into the Dothan area to see his older
half-brothers all by himself, wearing his infamous “coat of many colors”, and
having
given the slip to his father’s servants back at Shechem. Joseph is truly all
alone at this moment, with no servants around. This is the one moment of
opportunity for Simeon and Levi. If something bad happened to Joseph, there
were no
servants of Jacob around to see it, and to report back to Jacob. This was a
one-time opportunity, that would not likely come around again.

Here is the text:

“And Joseph went after his brethren, and found them in Dothan. And they saw
him afar off, and before he came near unto them, they conspired against him
to
slay him. And they said one to another: 'Behold, this dreamer cometh. Come
now therefore, and let us slay him, and cast him into one of the pits, and we
will say: An evil beast hath devoured him; and we shall see what will
become
of his dreams.'” Genesis 35: 17-20

Now here is the same text, to which I have added my editorial comments in
brackets:

“And Joseph[, having given the slip to his father’s servants back in
Shechem,] went after his brethren [all alone, without a single servant
accompanying
him at this point], and found them in Dothan. And they saw him afar off,
[waltzing into Dothan all alone, without a single servant, acting like a
big-shot
who, at the tender age of 9½ regular years, no longer considered that he
needed to be accompanied by servants,] and before he came near unto them,
they
conspired against him to slay him. And they said one to another: 'Behold,
this
dreamer cometh. [This is our one and only chance to kill young Joseph and
get
away with it, because there are no servants around, and such an opportunity
will probably never come around again. And behold, we must act very fast,
before our father’s servants find out that we are at Dothan and come looking
for
their wayward charge.] Come now therefore, and let us slay him, and cast him
into one of the pits, and we will say: An evil beast hath devoured him; and
we
shall see what will become of his dreams.'” Genesis 35: 17-20

I realize that this has been a much longer explanation than you bargained
for. But this is my considered view of how the author of the Patriarchal
narratives wants us to view this famous, chilling story. It really only
makes sense
if (i) Joseph is only age 9½ regular years (or else Joseph would never have
told those incendiary dreams to his older half-brothers, and then given his
father’s servants the slip in going to meet his older half-brothers), and
(ii) the
bloody Shechem incident has not happened yet (or else none of this story
would be happening in the Shechem area).

Jim Stinehart
Evanston, Illinois




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