Thematic similarities between the story of Jocasta in Greek mythology (specifically Oedipus Rex) and various narratives in the Old Testament, particularly concerning themes of incest, forbidden relationships, and the "hero" figure. While the Oedipus story is centered on an accidental, taboo mother-son relationship leading to tragedy, the Old Testament includes instances of close-kin sexual relationships and "disordered" domestic scenarios. 

Key Similarities and Comparisons:

• Incest and Taboo Relationships (Lot's Daughters): The most direct thematic similarity regarding parent-child incest is found in Genesis 19:32–35, where the daughters of Lot, believing they are the last people on earth, get their father drunk and seduce him to bear children. Like Jocasta’s situation, this involves a parent and child, though in Lot’s case, it is intentional (on the part of the daughters) rather than accidental.

• Wife-Sister/Kin Marriage (Abraham and Lot): The Old Testament records early, close-kin marriages that would later be forbidden by Mosaic Law. Abraham marries his half-sister Sarah (Genesis 20:12), and Lot’s daughters marry their father.

• Prophecy and Unwitting Actions: Similar to how Jocasta and Laius try to defy a prophecy (resulting in the abandonment of Oedipus), Old Testament figures sometimes try to subvert divine or prophetic expectations, resulting in unforeseen consequences.

• The "Tragic Queen" Role: Similar to Jocasta’s position as a woman dealing with a broken family structure and the loss of children, women like Tamar (in 2 Samuel 13) or Bathsheba experience severe disruption to their family life and are victims of violent or royal transgressions.

• Interrupted Motherhood: Jocasta’s story, which involves her abandoning her child, shares themes of interrupted motherhood and royal drama with the story of Queen Athaliah, who destroyed all royal descendants to seize power, or Hagar, who leaves her child to die in the wilderness. 

While the Oedipus story is a tragedy driven by absolute fate where the characters are "doomed" from the start, Old Testament stories of sin or brokenness often allow for divine intervention, repentance, and resolution (e.g., King Manasseh’s redemption in 2 Chronicles 33)

Jocasta from Sophocles' Oedipus Rex shares thematic similarities with several figures in the Old Testament, particularly regarding themes of unintentional sin, incestuous relationships, the consequences of trying to evade divine will, and interrupted motherhood. 

• Parental Misjudgment/Favoritism: Esau is the favored son of Isaac, just as Oedipus (Jocasta's son/husband) is caught in a fatal dynamic regarding his parents (Laius and Jocasta) trying to avoid prophecy.

• Lot's Daughters (Genesis 19:30-38): The most direct parallel to the unintentional incestuous relationship is the story of Lot’s daughters, who conceive children by their father. Like Jocasta, they are involved in a situation involving familial relations, though in their case it is intentional, while Jocasta’s is unknown until the end.

• Sarah (Genesis 20:12): Abraham and Sarah were half-siblings, and while not mother-son, their marriage highlights the prevalence of high-stakes, close-kinship marriages within the patriarchal tradition of the Old Testament that contrast with later religious laws.

• Reuben (Genesis 35:22): Reuben, Jacob's son, commits incest by sleeping with his father’s concubine (Bilhah). This shares the theme of the defilement of a father's house, resulting in severe guilt and familial turmoil.

• Judah and Tamar (Genesis 38:6-26): This narrative involves a man unknowingly having a sexual relationship with a close relative (his daughter-in-law, Tamar), paralleling the theme of sexual sin arising from lack of recognition.

• Lot's Wife (Genesis 19:26): While not in the same scenario, Lot's wife shares a similar fate of suffering because of a connection to a doomed, sinful city (Sodom) and an inability to let go of the past, paralleling Jocasta's victimization by circumstances and her ultimate destruction. 

Key Parallel Themes:

• The Unintentional Transgressor: Like many Old Testament figures, Jocasta is a "noble but misguided" woman (as she is described in some analyses) who acts without full knowledge of the consequences, yet must bear the ultimate penalty.

• Reversal of Fortune: Like King David, who falls from grace due to his sin with Bathsheba, Jocasta and her husband-son Oedipus face a "reversal" (peripeteia) where their attempts to control their fate lead to their destruction.

• Interrupted Motherhood: Jocasta's act of abandoning her child (Oedipus) due to a prophecy echoes other narratives of distressed mothers in familial crises

Jocasta from Greek mythology (Oedipus Rex) and Rebekah from the Bible (Genesis) belong to entirely different contexts, there are limited thematic similarities centered on their roles as strong-willed matriarchs, their connection to prophecy, and their complex relationships with their children. However, their stories diverge significantly, particularly regarding their moral actions and ultimate fates. 

Similarities:

• Active Mother Figures and Manipulators: Both Jocasta and Rebekah are proactive mothers who take extreme, behind-the-scenes actions to manage their families' destinies. Rebekah orchestrates a complex deception to ensure her favorite son, Jacob, receives the blessing instead of Esau. Similarly, Jocasta, though unknowingly, is the center of her family's fate, trying to manage the threat of prophecy, and later, trying to stop the investigation into her marriage.

• Relationship to Prophecy/Divine Word: Both women act based on knowledge of a divine or prophetic word regarding their children. Rebekah receives a prophecy that "the older shall serve the younger" before her twins are born, leading her to action. Jocasta is part of a family defined by the prophecy that her son would kill her husband.

• Favoritism and Domestic Conflict: Both are central to stories of intense conflict within their households. Rebekah favors Jacob over Esau, creating a deep familial rift. Jocasta, as queen and mother, is at the center of the catastrophic unraveling of her family's life.

• "Mother's Household" Influence: In both tales, the woman's role within the private sphere of the home (or "mother's tent" for Rebekah) is emphasized as a place of decision-making and influence. 

• Intent and Morality: Rebekah acts to fulfill a prophecy she believes is God’s will, even if her methods are manipulative. Jocasta acts to avoid a fate, and her ultimate tragedy is the result of unwitting, forbidden actions (incest).

• Fate and Legacy: Rebekah's deception leads to the continuation of the covenant; she is a revered Matriarch in biblical tradition. Jocasta’s actions lead to devastation and her own suicide upon discovering the truth.

• Fidelity: Rebekah is noted in Jewish tradition for her unwavering marital fidelity to Isaac. Jocasta's tragedy is defined by her "second" marriage to her own son

https://www.greekmythology.com/Myths/Mortals/Jocasta/jocasta.html

https://jwa.org/encyclopedia/article/rebekah-bible