‘Jacob, my father’: The character of Judah in the Joseph <i>Novella</i> (Gen. 37–50)

This paper focuses on the remarkable journey of Judah’s character in the Joseph Novella (Gen. 37–50), by paying special attention to Judah’s two speeches in Gen. 44 (vv. 16 and 18–34). Facing the Egyptian vizier, Judah speaks on behalf of his brothers, confesses his guilt, manifests a surprising theological understanding of the circumstances in which he is living (v. 16), and tries to move Joseph to compassion (vv. 18–34). Through his words, Judah shows that he really is changed, because Jacob’s predilection for his beloved wife Rachel and for her two sons (v. 27) cannot erase the bond with his father, particularly evident thanks to the numerous repetitions of the expression ‘my father’ in vv. 24–34. The complex speeches in Gen. 44, thus, demonstrate that Judah’s evolution as a character leads him to understand God’s interventions in the history of his family, and that the recovery of his filial identity is an important part of this process.