Tamar and Joseph in Genesis 38 and 39

Abstract

This article argues that the contrasting attitudes toward tricksterism in Genesis 38 and 39 are relevant to the position of these chapters in the overlapping Jacob and Joseph narratives. The juxtaposition of Genesis 38 and 39 invites comparisons between the four main characters, but these characters have often been matched by gender—Judah and Joseph, Tamar and Potiphar's wife. For this reason, the contrast between Tamar and Joseph has been largely overlooked. The Jacob stories feature several prominent trickster tales, and Tamar is also celebrated as a trickster. In contrast, Joseph is presented as a ‘wisdom’ hero who maintains the status quo. Joseph's ‘victory’ over Potiphar's wife counterbalances Tamar's success in the previous chapter, therefore, which also contributes to the goal of taming the earlier tricksters of the Jacob narrative.