But he refused, and said unto his master’s wife:“Behold, my master, having me,
knoweth not what is in the house, and he hath put all that he hath into my hand;
he is not greater in this house than I; neither hath he kept back anything from me
but thee, because thou art his wife. How then can I do this great wickedness, and sin
against G-d?”And it came to pass, as she spoke to Joseph day by day, that he
hearkened not unto her, to lie by her, or to be with her. (Genesis 39:7–10)^12
Like the Bible, the Quranic story also emphasizes woman’s vice as the
husband recognizes the wife’s false accusation of Joseph and says,“This is
another instance of woman’s treachery: your treachery is truly great”
(Q12:28).^13 This has often been understood as a Quranic defamation of
women.^14 However, the indictment comes not from God, but from the
husband, who is not fully reliable: he is a pagan, and may also have
homosexual desire for his servant.^15
The Quranic elaboration of the banquet scene, short in Genesis, enables
a sympathetic interpretation of the wife, adopted as well in the Midrash
Tanhuma, compiled in the eighth to ninth centuries.^16
30 Some women of the city said,“The governor’s wife is trying to seduce her slave!
Love for him consumes her heart! It is clear to us that she has gone astray.” 31
When she heard their malicious talk, she prepared a banquet and sent for them,
giving each of them a knife. She said to Joseph,“Come out and show yourself to
them!”and when the women saw him, they were stunned by his beauty, and cut
their hands, exclaiming,“Great God! He cannot be mortal! He must be a precious
angel!”32 She said,“This is the one you blamed me for. I tried to seduce him and he
wanted to remain chaste, but if he does not do what I command now, he will be put
in prison and degraded.”(Q12:30–32)^17
Joseph prays to God to protect him not only from the women, but from his
own desire.“My Lord! I would prefer prison to what these women are
calling me to do. If you do not protect me from their treachery, I shall yield
to them and do wrong”(Q12:33).^18 The household recognizes his inno-
cence and decides to put him in prison. In the biblical account, this
imprisonment is the crux of the story, setting the stage for his prophetic
dreams. Yet it also points to a central narrative paradox: Joseph is simulta-
neously pure and lustful, innocent and yet also guilty.
(^12) Neusner, 1985 : 227. (^13) Abdel-Haleem, 2004 : 147. (^14) Merguerian and Najmabadi, 1997.
(^15) Neusner, 1985 : 222.
(^16) The question of whether the Midrash was informed by the emergence of the Quran is subject to
debate.
(^17) Abdel-Haleem, 2004 : 147. (^18) Abdel-Haleem, 2004 : 147.
Between Midrashic and Quranic Commentaries 227