Queerying Narrative 103

Pace Warfield-May queeries the Narrative Lectionary reading.

Genesis 39:1-23
¹After Joseph was sold into slavery by his brothers, he was taken to Egypt where Potiphar, an Egyptian officer of the Pharaoh and the captain of the guard bought him from the Ishmaelites who had brought him there. ²The Becoming One was present with Joseph, leading Joseph to become successful in the house of his Egyptian master. ³His master saw that the Becoming One was alongside Joseph and that the Becoming One caused all that Joseph did to prosper in his hands. ⁴So Joseph became Potiphar's favorite and attended to him; Potiphar made Joseph the overseer of the house and put him in charge of all his finances and possessions. ⁵The Becoming One made all that Joseph touched prosper, leading Potiphar to prosper as well, so that Joseph would be taken care of. ⁶So Potiphar left all of his possessions in Joseph’s care, and with Joseph in charge of the household, Potiphar was able to rely on Joseph's labor for all things so that all Potiphar had to worry about was what to eat.

Now Joseph was very, stunningly attractive. ⁷ And after a time his master’s wife saw Joseph and said, "Sleep with me." ⁸ But Joseph refused and said to his master’s wife, "Look, with me here, my master Potiphar has no concern about anything in the house, and he has put everything that he has under my control. ⁹ As a result, he sees me almost as his equal and he hasn't kept back anything from me except yourself, because you are his wife. How then could I do this awful deed and cause harm against God?" ¹⁰And although she asked Joseph day after day, he would not consent to lie beside her let alone sleep with her. ¹¹One day, however, when Joseph went into the house to do his work, and he was alone in the house, ¹²she caught hold of his clothes saying, "Sleep with me!" In his hurry to leave, she was able to keep hold of his clothes as he ran away, leaving them with her. ¹³ When she realized his clothes had torn off and were in her hand as he ran outside, ¹⁴she called out to the members of her household and said to them, “See, my husband has brought among us a Hebrew to insult us! He came in to my room to rape me, and I cried out with a loud voice, ¹⁵and when he heard me raise my voice and cry out for help, he left his clothes beside me and fled outside." ¹⁶Then she kept his clothes by her until his master, Potiphar, came home, ¹⁷and she told him the same story, saying, "The Hebrew slave, whom you have brought among us, came in to me to rape me, ¹⁸ but as soon as I raised my voice and cried out for help, he left his clothes beside me and fled outside."

¹⁹When his master heard the words that his wife spoke to him, saying, "This is the way your slave treated me," he became enraged. ²⁰And Joseph’s master took him and put him in the prison where the Pharaoh's prisoners were confined; Joseph remained there in prison. ²¹But the Becoming One remained faithful to Joseph and showed him steadfast love, which in turn gave Joseph favor with the chief jailer. ²²The chief jailer committed to Joseph’s care all the prisoners who were in the prison, and whatever was done there, Joseph was the one who did it. ²³The chief jailer gave Joseph free reign over the prison because the Becoming One was with Joseph, and whatever Joseph did, the Becoming One made it prosper.

Queeries for the text:
What is this passage building on?
What is the accompanying text?
Where is this headed?
Does God have favorites?
In what ways is Joseph's story queer?
How do prejudice, power, and racism play into this narrative?
Who has agency in this passage?
Why does God reward Joseph's masters?

What are your queeries?