Swartz Dream Interpretation

THE REVELATION OF THE MISSIONAL GOD WHO TURNS EVIL INTO GOOD:
JOSEPH’S INTERPRETATION OF HIS FIRST DREAM (GEN 45:5-8 & 50:19-20)

1. Introduction
What is the genre of dream interpretation in the narrative of Joseph? Is it related to divination about one’s future or fate? Or is it a manner of the revelation of God? According to Michael Swartz in his volume titled, The Signifying Creator: Nontextual Sources of Meaning in Ancient Judaism; he made an interesting claim regarding the genre of dream interpretation, based on the context of divination traditions. First of all, he proposes two basic types of divination traditions in general:
We can also distinguish two basic types. Some diviners work through a fairly technical procedure using manuals

Likewise, dream interpretation is essential to the biblical narrative. Beginning with the stories of Jacob and Joseph, both biblical and post-biblical literature reflect the premise that dreams are indicators of otherwise unobtainable truths.” According to Swartz, the manner of Joseph’s dream interpretation is based on astrological techniques and the purpose of that is to know the future and

Though, since the revelation of His purpose to Joseph through the dream, God proceeds the dream even in the midst of evil by transforming evil to good and faithfully fulfills His good plan for salvation, characters in the narrative, particularly brothers of Joseph seem not to grasp the ultimate meaning of the first dream until the end of the narrative. Finally, through the two statements (Gen 45:5-8 and 50:19-20), Joseph presents his interpretation of the first two dreams (Gen 37:5-11). In this regard, the whole narrative of Joseph is all about the process of dream interpretation of the first dream, particularly about the genre of Joseph’s dream interpretation—not simply as a divination about Joseph (or Joseph’s family)’s future but as a revelation about God’s missional plan for all