Joseph and Potiphar's wife

by StarTrekAngel 18 Replies latest watchtower bible

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  Billy the Ex-Bethelite

  My opinion:
  

  I think the story is written to portray women as morally inferior, not able to control their desires and urges.

  And, she's Egyptian. The OT stories were written to portray other countries and cultures as immoral and displeasing to the "true" god.
  

  Put those two together, particularly in light of the fact that the Egyptian civilization gave women far more rights than the Mosaic Law did, and a fable like this presents the "moral" that Egyptians, particularly their women, are sexually immoral, liars, and completely wicked people.
  
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  stuckinarut2

  It was just sex...relax witnesses!....

  Seriously...
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  TheListener

  according to some Jewish scholars he did the deed. Check out jbq.jewishbible.org
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  cofty

  I agree with the OP and with Billy. Women are portrayed as possessions of men. They are also the cause of sexual sins committed by men.

  “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, nor his male servant, nor his female servant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that is your neighbor’s.”

  Notice that wife comes between house and donkey in the list of men's possessions.

  
  
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  DATA-DOG

  He's obviously gay.

  
  
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  sowhatnow

  well, maybe he feared for his life because she did not really like him, was a b i t c h and would have lied and accused him or rape, and had him hung.
  

  or he did bang her a few times got tired of her and she was p 'd off because he turned her down.

  or he saw another man get his head cut off for doing it with her, and ran from her.
  
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  JWdaughter

  Whether or not there was "god's law" in place, that doesn't mean that morality was not a concept. And yes women WERE property and there are some things that are just "not right" no matter where/when you are from. Even folks without religon usually have the concept of sexual morality in a marriage relationship.

  Women were (and are) bargaining chips. You don't mess with that if you value your life. It was a man with great power. Even now, infidelity is not treated lightly and many people do not subscribe to biblical morality. (such as it is)
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  Half banana

  I can't remember the actual source of this myth at the moment but this tale of seduction by a high ranking female, like most of the Bible, it is not original and not historical. I think I have come across this before, possibly to be found in the writings of the Egyptian Sinuhe but I'll look it up.

  The tease of this story must be that women were possessions of the male but here was a woman made powerful by her marriage to a state official and a moral dilemma for the Israelite.

  So Billy, I don't quite agree with you. It was not written for the purpose you say but it was borrowed, copied and bound into the portfolio of scrolls labelled 'sacred' by Jews for the reasons you give. There is a difference and this difference denies the text being God's pure unadulterated word.
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  menrov

  He mentions to her that his master entrusted him with "all his belongings" - that is my view as well why he did not accept the "invitation". A wife has an owner. Wen married, a women is 'owned' by the husband. Like he would not date to steal anything else that belonged to the master, he would also not take the woman.

  I do not believe it was because of the sexual morality as in those times, where were no specific rules, But ownership was already a familiar term.