Journal: Bulletin for Biblical Research
Volume: BBR 17:2 (NA 2007)
Article: The Use of Genesis 42:18 (not Leviticus 18:5) in Luke 10:28: Joseph and the Good Samaritan
Author: Preston M. Sprinkle

BBR 17:2 (2007) p. 193

The Use of Genesis 42:18 (not Leviticus 18:5) in Luke 10:28: Joseph and the Good Samaritan

Preston M. Sprinkle

Cedarville University

This article seeks to accomplish two goals: (1) to correct the common assumption that the OT text being alluded to in Luke 10:28 is Lev 18:5, and (2) to set forth a proposal that Luke is drawing from the Joseph story (Gen 37-50) to supply various raw materials for constructing the Parable of the Good Samaritan. In order to carry out this examination, I will first demonstrate that Gen 42:18, rather than Lev 18:5, is the actual text being alluded to in Luke 10:28. After establishing this, I will then probe the possible function that the Joseph story might have in the Parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:30-37).

Key Words: Good Samaritan, parable, Christology, Joseph, Joseph Story, Genesis, lawyer, allusion

Though many scholars have examined the OT background to the Parable of the Good Samaritan,1 possible allusions to the Joseph story rarely are noted. Our primary starting point, then, concerns the apparent allusion to the OT in Luke 10:28: “do this and you will live.” While some scholars make no mention of an allusion here,2 others simply locate it in Lev 18:5

BBR 17:2 (2007) p. 194

before moving on to the parable (10:30-37).3 What many scholars have failed to notice, however, is the possibility that Gen 42:18, not Lev 18:5, is the actual text to which Luke alludes.

The presence of Gen 42:18 has been noticed only by a few interpreters, including Kenneth Bailey, who notes that Luke 10:28 is a quotation from Gen 42:18 and that the term “will live” in the Genesis context points to a “near future” event. Thus, Bailey argues that Jesus was not speaking about an “afterlife” in Luke 10:28 but “widens the discussion to all of life.”You must have a subscription and be logged in to read the entire article.
Click here to subscribe