HONOR AND SHAME: GARMENT MOTIFS IN THE JOSEPH’S NARRATIVES

(GENESIS 37; 39; 41)

Vitho Kera (#0935)

1. INTRODUCTION

Cloth has been both an economic commodity and a social marker throughout human history.
According to R.A. Schwarz, ―humans address themselves, their community and the world by
the choice or style of their clothing.‖1 Victor H. Matthews also remarks that, ―its weave, its
color(s), its decoration and its style have all contributed to clothing‘s desirability as a trade
item and as an indicator of membership within a defined community.‖2 Clothing was not
mere body covering, but indicated one‘s role and status, and so it is best viewed in terms of
the values of honor and shame. As such, clothing is a means value serving to express the core
value of honor.3

In the Joseph‘s narratives, clothing explicitly serves as a device signaling status change. In
Gen. 37, the story relates to the young Joseph who is presented with a garment by Jacob;
loses it. In the development of the story, the morally upright but naïve Joseph loses his
garment at the hands of Potiphar‘s wife (Gen. 39). And finally, Joseph receives garments and
royal insignia from the king of Egypt (Gen. 41). In each incident, garments serve, explicitly
or implicitly, as status indicators—from favorite son-to servant-to prisoner-to favored
official.

The narratives (Gen, 37; 39; 41) contain other anthropological issues such as kinship,
conflicts, but this paper is narrowed and it deals only with honor and shame issues with
special emphasis on garment(s). In all the three narratives, garment(s) plays a significant role
in determining the markers of status. The paper also includes a short section on theological
reflection.

1
R.A. Schwarz, ―Uncovering the Secret Vice: Toward an Anthropology of Clothing,‖ in J.M. Cordwell and
R.A. Schwarz (eds.) The Fabrics of Culture: The Anthropology of Clothing and Adornment (The Hague:
Mouton, 1979), 24-25.
2
Victor H. Matthews, ―The Anthropology of Clothing in Joseph Narrative,‖ JSOT 65 (1995): 25.
3
Jerome H. Neyrey, ―Clothing,‖ in John J. Pilch & Bruce J. Malina (eds), Handbook of Biblical Social Values
(Peabody, Massachusetts: Hendrickson Publishers, 1993), 22.
1
2. HONOR AND SHAME

2.1. Episode 1: The long robe with sleeves (Gen. 37)

In the patriarchal world, not only is a father‘s favoritism of greater significance, but it also
takes on greater clarity. Joseph‘s identity forms the basis of the narrative—he is the favorite
son. And this definition reflects a major facet of ancient Israelite society. Bernhard Lang
states that the ancient Hebrews understood their society as a social formation based on
kinship: descent, lineage, and family defined an individual‘s membership of, and social
position in, the community. And much significance was attached to the love between father
and son.4 The relationship of father to son was seen as underpinning the whole of society and
as the basis of all wholesome growth and development. Westermann states that ―while we
would see this favoritism as an injustice, the old Israelite would reply that no one can love
two children equally.‖5 The narrative is showing us that the relationship between father and
son can be unique. The story‘s conflict starts when this special relationship between Jacob
and Joseph is expressed in a concrete action: ―and he had made him a long robe with sleeves
(Gen. 37:3).‖

In the LXX the Hebrew ketonet passim (many colored coat) is translated as ―multi-colored
robe,‖ as is the case in the Latin Vulgate and the Luther Bible. Majority of scholars prefers
the translation ―long robe with sleeves.‖6 The actual meaning is not known with entire
certainty. Matthews opines that ―its distinctive style (―long sleeves‖ in NRSV) is a good
parallel to the ‗long robe with sleeves‘ noted as a garment worn by the ‗virgin daughters of
the king‘ in 2 Sam. 13:18.‖7 According to Westermann, ―Jacob was doing more than simply
giving Joseph a nice gift; he was raising the boy to a level above that of his brothers.‖8
Persons are set aside as special by their costume, and all others recognize the power

4
Bernhard Lang, Hebrew Life and Literature: Selected Essays of Bernhard Lang (Farnham: Ashgate Publishing
Limited. 2008), 93.
5
Claus Westermann, Joseph: Studies of the Joseph Stories in Genesis (Edinburgh: T&T Clark, 1996), 4-5.
6
Hermann Gunkel, Genesis (Macon, Georgia: Mercer University Press, 1997), 387. Also, Westermann, Joseph,
6, and Matthews, ―The Anthropology of Clothing in Joseph Narrative,‖ 30.
7
Matthews, ―The Anthropology of Clothing in Joseph Narrative,‖ 30.
8
Westermann, Joseph, 6. He states that, ―here we must keep in mind the social function of clothing, which
throughout the millennia has been one of the strongest and most conspicuous indexes of social status.‖
2
relationship symbolized by this garment.9 This special robe was a mark of regal status—
clearly, it was luxurious and a sign of singular favor.

The gift of the robe was an event for witnesses to see, and having seen it, the brothers finally
knew where they stood.10 Joseph‘s robe as a gift from his father was a sign of preference and
distinction.11 Joseph was elevated to an honorable status and the brothers were shamed. This
open display of the father‘s favor has earned Joseph the hate of his brothers. Westermann
asserts that ―the hatred of those who have been slighted is targeted far more vehemently
against the favored one than it is against the one who does the favoring, even when the
favored one should not be blamed.‖12 The parallel can be drawn from the primeval story of
Cain and Abel: Cain did not direct his hatred toward God, who favored Abel; instead, he
hated the person who was favored. By using this indicator of garment, the narrator highlights
the theme of Joseph‘s rise to a position of favor, thereby initiating a status change.

In the mounting cycle of shame and anger caused by their envy of Joseph, his brothers relieve
the tension by an act of physical violence.13 The first thing that the brothers did was the
stripping of Joseph‘s robe, the symbol of the favoritism which has provoked their shame and
anger. Matthews states that ―the stripping of Joseph‘s garment could be described as a
reversal of the investiture ceremony in which his father clothed in his special robe.‖14 The
blood stained robe thus serves as the prop they need to make their case (Gen. 37:31-33). The
loss of the garment transforms Joseph from an honorable person to a shamed person. His
honor is stripped along with the garment. He is lowered from the favored son and now,
labeled to slave.

2.2. Episode 2: Seduction and refusal (Gen. 39)

The new turn in events is manifested in the fact that Joseph finds a new affection and
kindness in his master‘s eyes. Just as he was the favored son to Jacob, even here the servant

9
Matthews, ―The Anthropology of Clothing in Joseph Narrative,‖ 30.
10
Westermann, Joseph, 7.
11
Lang, Hebrew Life and Literature, 95.
12
Westermann, Joseph, 9.
13
Thomas. Scheff and Suzanne.M. Retzinger, Emotions and Violence: Shame and Rage in Destructive Conflicts
(Lexington, MA: Lexington Books, 1991), 126. ―When a person has emotional reactions to their own emotions
and to those of the other party, both become caught in a ‗feeling trap‘ from which they cannot extricate
themselves ... (thus) leading to a conflict.‖
14
Matthews, ―The Anthropology of Clothing in Joseph Narrative,‖ 31.
3
has found something new, namely, favor.15 Joseph‘s status is elevated again to the position of
―overseer‖ in his master‘s house (Gen. 39:5). Gunkel remarks that such major-domos can
often be seen in Egyptian pictures, usually with a staff or the papyrus scroll in their hands.16
It is quite likely, although the text does not provide this detail, that he would have been given
a garment distinctively marking his entrance into this Egyptian official‘s service. Its weave or
color would have proclaimed to his entire bond to that household.17 Eventually, when he was
elevated to the position of overseer, the clothes would have become a ―form of power,‖18 an
outward sign of his authority and his superior role within Potiphar‘s house.

Moving to Gen. 39 with Potiphar's wife, Matthews states that when Potiphar's wife attempts
to seduce him, Joseph refuses her invitation, realizing both its honor-shattering implications
and the ―dependence‖ position sexual relations with his master‘s wife would create.19 The
woman miscalculates. Unaware of his power and his resolve (v.8), she grasps him (v.12). But
the grasp does not reach Joseph. Brueggemann remarks that in her miscalculation about
power, she brings her own humiliation.20 Joseph refuses to betray the trust which his master
has deposited in him. What Joseph says to his master‘s wife in reply to her proposition is
based on this argument: ―… nor has he kept back anything from me except yourself, because
you are his wife‖ (v.9). These introductory sentences demonstrate how comprehensive
Joseph‘s authority is.21 He has been granted wide discretionary powers.

The removal of garment in Gen. 37 is accomplished in the most forceful manner (v.23) with
the brothers stripping their father‘s favorite of his precious robe, leaving the reader with the
lingering image of clothing tattered and torn. The text here in Gen. 39 is somewhat
ambiguous as to how, but not why, Joseph lost his garment. Did he leave it whole in the
hands of the frustrated seductress, seeing that he could not otherwise escape her grasp (v. 12),
or was she left holding only a portion of it?22 Huddlestun states that her (Potiphar‘s wife) act
of grabbing the garment implies a forceful removal and thereupon reminds the reader of the

15
Westermann, Joseph, 24.
16
Gunkel, Genesis, 407.
17
Matthews, ―The Anthropology of Clothing in Joseph Narrative,‖ 31.
18
Walter Brueggemann, Genesis (Atlanta: John Knox Press, 1982), 315.
19
Matthews, ―The Anthropology of Clothing in Joseph Narrative,‖ 32.
20
Brueggemann, Genesis, 315.
21
Westermann, Joseph, 25.
22
John R. Huddlestun, ―Divestiture, Deception, and Demotion: The Garment Motif in Genesis 37-39,‖ JSOT 98
(2002): 55.
4
shredded clothing of Gen. 37; thus, the focus on actions related to wardrobe in Gen. 37 could
well influence one‘s reading of Gen. 39.23

Being shamed, Potiphar‘s wife subsequently uses the robe that Joseph left behind as an
evidence of rape. Here again, Joseph‘s status, and presumably his clothing, are exchanged
once again to reflect his new role as a prisoner (v.20). Kenneth A. Matthews also remarks
that the word ―cloak‖ is central to the plot of the story, occurring six times in this chapter (vv.
12 [2X], 13, 15, 16, 18).24 The idea of ―clothing‖ in Gen. 37 and Gen. 39 has implications for
Joseph‘s difficulties. The garment in both narratives is the specious evidence presented by his
adversaries that result in his unjust imprisonments.25 The garment, which has provided an
element of honor to Joseph‘s status as a slave, now becomes the basis for his shame.26 Joseph
is again relabeled for a second time, from ―servant‖ to ―prisoner.‖ Joseph is stripped of his
status-marker and the symbol of his role and power within that community. It is a garment
which brings public attention to what had been a very private event. It is ripped away from
Joseph by the woman who loves and desires him and with this act hurls Joseph into the
depths.27

The similarity between this stripping away of honor along with the garment in this episode
and the similar occurrence in Episode 1 is not coincidence. It is an artful use of a societal
element to reinforce a literary theme.28

2.3. Episode 3: Elevation in Pharaoh’s Court (Gen. 41)

After spending an unspecified period of time in prison and distinguishing himself there,
Joseph becomes a ―trustee‖ (Gen. 39.21-23). Matthew states that although the text does not
mention that Joseph was given a special prison garment, it seems likely that he wore

23
Huddlestun, ―Divestiture, Deception, and Demotion,‖ 55-56.
24
Kenneth A. Matthews, ―Genesis 11:27-50:26,‖ in E. Ray Clendenen (ed) NAC vol. 1b (Nashville, Tennessee:
Broadman & Holman Publishers, 2005), 735.
25
Matthews, ―Genesis 11:27-50:26,‖ 735.
26
Matthews, ―The Anthropology of Clothing in Joseph Narrative,‖ 32.
27
Westermann, Joseph, 28-29.
28
Matthews, ―The Anthropology of Clothing in Joseph Narrative,‖ 32.
5
something that marked him as a prisoner, replacing the garment taken from him by Potiphar's
wife.29

Now Joseph is not only able to interpret dreams; he demonstrates his superior wisdom
immediately offering solution to the economic crisis. After Joseph has proved his superiority,
it is marked with pomp and ceremony: his period of metaphorical nakedness coming to an
end, he is shaved and receives new clothing, his masculinity being restored, he is given a
wife.30 Pharaoh also confers a new name on him. Joseph, now firmly grafted into Egyptian
society, attains the position of governor. Joseph, as a skilled interpreter of dreams led him to
freedom and personal survival. It will also be the means for insuring the survival of his
family.31 He was elevated to an honorable position by making him in charge of both the
palace (v.40) and the country (v.41, 43), second in command only to Pharaoh, with wide
range of authority.32

Verses 41-44 describe an act of installation. Pharaoh opens and closes with a formal
statement of Joseph‘s authority (v. 41, 44).33 And as a result of this high-ranking position and
his status change, the symbol of his new position is marked by the presentation of Pharaoh's
signet ring (with Pharaoh‘s own ―signature,‖ cf., Gen. 38:18), garments of fine linen, a gold
chain, and a retinue. Fretheim remarks that his clothing may mirror the robe given him by his
father.34 Similarly, Matthew also opines that this investiture ceremony (Gen. 41:42-43)
completes the inclusio initiated by the scene in which Joseph's father had clothed him in his
special robe (Gen. 37:3).35

The radical change in appearance affected by these new robes of office, and the other gifts
given to him by the pharaoh (his new name, and his Egyptian wife) transforms Joseph from a
prisoner into a courtier. Joseph‘s physical transformation into an Egyptian makes him
acceptable at the Egyptian court and it reflects his own acceptance of a new identity within
the power structure of a foreign culture. It also aids in his deception of his brothers when they

29
Matthews, ―The Anthropology of Clothing in Joseph Narrative,‖ 33.
30
Lang, Hebrew Life and Literature, 100.
31
Matthews, ―The Anthropology of Clothing in Joseph Narrative,‖ 33.
32
Terence E. Fretheim, ―The Book of Genesis,‖ in Leander E. Keck (ed) NIB vol. 1 (Nashville, Tennessee:
Abingdon Press, 1994), 622.
33
Fretheim, ―The Book of Genesis,‖ 622.
34
Fretheim, ―The Book of Genesis,‖ 622.
35
Matthews, ―The Anthropology of Clothing in Joseph Narrative,‖ 33.
6
come to purchase grain during the famine. In fact, it is difficult for him to convince them of
his identity when he finally reveals himself (Gen. 45:3-4).36 He has adopted not only the
costume, but also the mannerisms of an Egyptian of high social status and authority, thereby
distinguishing himself in their eyes as a foreign ruler.37 This demonstrates how behavior is a
reflection of and a reaction to social action and social understanding. Because Joseph is
dressed as an Egyptian and acts like an Egyptian, he is unreservedly taken to be an Egyptian
and the brothers do not even consider the possibility of a deception. By this action, Joseph is
able to re-establish his kinship role while at the same time retaining his position as a ―ruler
over all the land of Egypt.‖38

Gen. 41 stands at the center of the Joseph story. At the beginning stood the testy question of
the brothers, ―are you going to be king over us …? (Gen. 37:8ff) … here comes this dreamer
(Gen. 37:19).‖ Joseph‘s actions transform this mocking title to a title of honor.39 At the end,
the breach in the family of Jacob which arose from this question is healed; the measures that
Joseph takes by virtue of his royal commission also save the life of his family. The change of
status in the life of an insignificant slave from a foreign land leads the change of fate of a
whole people faced with famine.40

3. THEOLOGICAL REFLECTION

The story of Joseph is staged in various ways. From the above study we see that Joseph‘s
different changes of fortune/status are symbolized in his clothing. His famous and elaborate
robe, which focuses the hatred of his brothers in Gen. 37:3ff, is dipped in blood in Gen.
37:23–32, thus symbolizing Joseph‘s alienation from his family. Then, in Gen. 39:12–18 his
ill-fated encounter with Potiphar‘s wife is imaged in the loss of the cloak used as evidence to
imprison him. His eventual release from prison again involves a change of clothing in Gen.
41:14, and finally a whole new wardrobe symbolizes his new state in Gen. 41:42.

While God‘s direction of events in the Joseph account consists in the providential oversight
of human activity, we also note a special emphasis on the divine management, as it were,
36
Matthews, ―The Anthropology of Clothing in Joseph Narrative,‖ 34.
37
U.R. von Ehrenfels, ―Clothing and Power Abuse,‖ in Cordwell and Schwarz (eds) The Fabrics of Culture,
401.
38
Matthews, ―The Anthropology of Clothing in Joseph Narrative,‖ 35.
39
Hillel J. Chiel, ―Joseph, the Master of Dreams,‖ in Tradition 39:1 (2005): 16.
40
Claus Westermann, Genesis: 37-50 (Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2002), 98.
7
even of sinful activity. This story is a fine illustration of God‘s ability to bring good from
evil. So the wise and forgiving Joseph can announce to his sinful brothers: ―and now do not
be distressed, or angry with yourselves, because you sold me here; for God sent me before
you to preserve life‖ (Gen. 45:5; also v.7), and later: ―even though you intended to do harm to
me, God intended it for good …‖ (Gen. 50:20).

The story of Joseph, then, is an account of divine providence. In everything that happens to
Joseph, God is ―with‖ him (Gen. 39:3, 5, 21–23). This affirmation of divine providence in the
Joseph story is not only implied in the text but also made explicit by its chief character.
Moreover, Joseph‘s insights into God‘s working in history are explicitly regarded as coming
from the Spirit of God (Gen. 41:38).

This faithful reliance on God‘s providential guidance of history is the secret of Joseph‘s inner
life. It explains both his patience in misfortune and his ready forgiveness of enemies. Even as
a slave, even in prison, Joseph was an inwardly free/honorable man. He was perpetually and
prayerfully mindful of the presence of God.

4. CONCLUSION

As we have seen from the above study, clothing has an important social function in every
human community. Their appearance, shape, decoration and style are all part of a symbolic
language which expresses personal identity, group membership and social status. In the
Joseph narrative, garment(s) emphasizes the markers of status and authority. Joseph's loss of
his robe, the symbol of his favored status, signals a change of fortune, from preferred son to
household slave. Later, his ill-fated encounter with Potiphar‘s wife results in his
downgrading—from favored servant to prisoner. As we have noted earlier, in these two
incidences, Joseph was stripped of his honor along with the garment. Finally, he was clothed
back to his honor. In all these events, clothing continues, although sometimes implicitly, to
serve as a signal of status change and favor within the setting of the story. The social context
of these narratives are better understood when we apply the principles of the anthropology.

8
BIBLIOGRAPHY

Brueggemann, Walter. Genesis. Atlanta: John Knox Press, 1982.

Chiel, Hillel J. ―Joseph, the Master of Dreams,‖ in Tradition 39:1 (2005): 5-19.

Fretheim, Terence E. ―The Book of Genesis,‖ in Leander E. Keck (ed) NIB vol. 1. Nashville,
Tennessee: Abingdon Press, 1994.

Gunkel, Hermann. Genesis. Macon, Georgia: Mercer University Press, 1997.

Huddlestun, John R. ―Divestiture, Deception, and Demotion: The Garment Motif in Genesis
37-39,‖ JSOT 98 (2002): 47-62.

Lang, Bernhard. Hebrew Life and Literature: Selected Essays of Bernhard Lang. Farnham:
Ashgate Publishing Limited. 2008.

Matthews, Kenneth A. ―Genesis 11:27-50:26,‖ in E. Ray Clendenen (ed) NAC vol. 1b.
Nashville, Tennessee: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 2005.

Matthews, Victor H. ―The Anthropology of Clothing in Joseph Narrative,‖ JSOT 65 (1995):

25-36.

Neyrey, Jerome H. ―Clothing,‖ in John J. Pilch & Bruce J. Malina (eds), Handbook of
Biblical Social Values. Peabody, Massachusetts: Hendrickson Publishers, 1993.

Schwarz, R.A. ―Uncovering the Secret Vice: Toward an Anthropology of Clothing,‖ in J.M.
Cordwell and R.A. Schwarz (eds.) The Fabrics of Culture: The Anthropology of
Clothing and Adornment. The Hague: Mouton, 1979.

Scheff, Thomas and Suzanne.M. Retzinger. Emotions and Violence: Shame and Rage in
Destructive Conflicts. Lexington, MA: Lexington Books, 1991.

Westermann, Claus Genesis: 37-50. Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2002.

Westermann, Claus. Joseph: Studies of the Joseph Stories in Genesis. Edinburgh: T&T Clark,
1996.