Joseph: God’s man, not Pharaoh’s man …

Thoughts on Gen 41:42-45, nicely stated by John Walton: On the surface, Joseph is being "made" by Pharaoh.  Everything he is given comes from Pharaoh's hand: his office, status, privilege, name, wife - everything.  He is "reborn" as a servant of Pharaoh.  The irony is that from the standpoint of Genesis, it is not the …

Does “after” mean “since”? – A look at אחרי in Gen 41:39

[UPDATE: I've made some edits to this post in light of some good feedback in the comment box.  Of note was the comment of Wedas who reminded me that the English word "since" is not just causal but can also be used temporally.  I think I might have titled the post differently, maybe something like …

John Calvin on Pharaoh’s Chief Baker (Gen 40:16)

"And the chief baker saw that the interpretation was good, and he said to Joseph, "I also had a dream ...."  (Gen 40:16) וירא שר האפים כי טוב פתר ויאמר אל יוסף אף אני בחלומי Commentators almost universally see significance to the fact that the baker only shares his dream after he thinks that he …

The Evolution of a Hebrew Vision Formula?: נשא + עין + ראה + הנה

(Preliminary note: This post got a bit inductive, so if you want to see where I'm going from the get-go, scroll to the bottom: I've bolded & underlined my provisional hypothesis!) Since preaching on Genesis 37 (the sale of Joseph by his brothers), I've been puzzling over the range of use in the Old Testament …

The Old Testament for Everyone

Following the series, "The New Testament for Everyone" (authored by N.T. Wright), Westminster John Knox Press has launched the next installment entitled "The Old Testament for Everyone." Written by prolific OT scholar, John Goldingay of Fuller Theological Seminary, this looks to be a fascinating set of books.  I'm excited to see what he does in …