The first thing I noticed regards one of Joseph's brothers, Simeon. Joseph's family is starving and Jacob sends his sons to Egypt to buy some of the food that the Egyptians have stored. Now I imagine that this wasn't just some simple trip to the grocery store. The Bible even refers to it as a 'journey' (45:23). It had to have taken a good while to get from the house of Jacob to Egypt. When the brothers arrive in Egypt, Joseph plays a little trick on his brothers, and orders Simeon put into jail until the other brothers bring Benjamin back with them. The rest of the brothers agree, and make the long journey home. Now you would think that if you're brother was in prison, and wouldn't be freed until you returned, you would try to get back as quickly as possible. But is that what Joseph's brothers did? Nope. They waited until they'd eaten all the food they'd bought before they even thought about going back (43:2). Once again this wasn't a simple trip to the grocery store. They had to have bought at least a couple weeks of food. This leaves Simeon sitting in a cell for weeks wondering what on earth happened to his brothers. This could possibly be explained by 49:5-7, when all the rest (for the most part) of Joseph's brothers are being blessed as Jacob dies, Simeon is cursed. Maybe no on e liked him.
The next thing that stuck out to me was 45:24. Joseph's brothers are going back home once again to tell Jacob how Joseph is still alive and all of the wonderful things that have happened to him. As the brothers are leaving, Joseph shouts out, "Don't quarrel on the way!". Was this a sarcastic referral to the end result of them quarreling before? "Hey guys! Remember that last time you all were really angry, and that stupid thing you did? You sold me into slavery! And now I'm second in command of Egypt! See ya, shepherds!"
The third thing that I found funny is probably due to my overactive imagination. What if Joseph had been doing laundry the day that Potiphar's wife grabbed his cloak as he ran off without it? We just might have the very first documented case of public streaking. I also thought it'd been funny if the sleeves were really tight, and he was able to get everything out but his hands as he's trying to run away while she's hanging on.
Lastly, and probably the most obvious source of humor in the book of Joseph, involves the baker. Joseph's just finished telling the cupbearer how awesome his life is about to get. The baker comes up to Joseph with this stupid grin on his face and all giddy as he tells his dream next, and eagerly awaits what Joseph has to say is going to happen to him. He's going to be hanged. Or as some translations put it, be impaled on a pole. Have you ever seen the face of someone who's bubble was not only just popped, but obliterated? It looks kinda like this:
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