He then gave his blessing upon all of his sons, and the blessing he gave to Joseph was the greatest of all: Joseph's sons Ephraim and Manasseh multiplied to become two separate tribes of Israel. Joseph is regarded as a saint by several Christian churches, including the Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod, which commemorates him as a patriarch on March 31. He was the son of Leah, Jacob's first wife. His brothers' jealousy grew when Joseph told them of his two dreams (Gen. 37:11) in which all the brothers, as well as his parents, bowed down to him. [6], The Bible offers two explanations of the name Ysf: first it is compared to the Hebrew root (-s-p), meaning "to gather, remove, take away":[7] "And she conceived, and bore a son; and said, God hath taken away my reproach" (Genesis 30:23);[8] Ysf is then identified with the similar root (y-s-p), meaning "to add":[9] "And she called his name Joseph; and said, The LORD shall add to me another son." There is much confusion about the word Cush in Scripture the first being that it does not actually refer to Ethiopia at all but instead a region more in the Sudan. When Joseph's half-brothers reached home after selling him, Jacob ordered them to arm themselves and capture the beast that had supposedly killed Joseph. Then he revealed to the Hebrews that he was in fact their brother, Joseph. He was Rachel's firstborn and Jacob's eleventh son. The text says that they are Jacobs wives, and yet wives would retain ownership over their own children, so how can they be actual wives?. She gave birth to Joseph, one of the most important figures of the Old Testament, who saved the nation of Israel during a famine. For example, just before his death he predicted that God would visit the children of Israel and lead them out of Egypt and into the promised land. Tsaphenath Paneach", "Allusions to the Joseph Narrative in the Synoptic Gospels and Acts: Foundations of a Biblical Type", The Story of Joseph in the Babi and Baha'i Faiths, "The New Media Bible: Book of Genesis (Video 1979)", "Jewish religious life in the Persian period", The Composition of Genesis 37: Incoherence and Meaning in the Exposition of the Joseph Story, "The Odyssey and the myth of Joseph; Autolykos and Jacob", "Strange Bedfellows: Politics and Narrative in Philo", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Joseph_(Genesis)&oldid=1142074895, 1979, New Media Bible Genesis Project (TV)-cap. At this time, Joseph's father was 147 years old and bedridden. [b] Upon imprisoning Joseph, the brothers saw a camel caravan carrying spices and perfumes to Egypt, and sold Joseph to these merchants. "-Genesis 41:45. 21-22; comp. He is the founder of the Israelite Tribe of Joseph. Joseph is commemorated as one of the Holy Forefathers in the Calendar of Saints of the Armenian Apostolic Church on 26 July. More rabbinical literature has been generated concerning him than any of the other sons of Jacob, and he is also a significant figure in Islamic tradition. His favourite, Joseph, walked closely with God, heard from Him and had great discernment. 14Joseph sent for his father Jacob and his whole family, seventy-five souls, to come and live in Egypt. Charles L. Zimmerman holds the B. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Please consider supporting this ministry, which is offered free of charge in order to help newcomers understand Biblical context and develop good spiritual fruit. Biblical context is very much important. "Pharaoh called Joseph by the name Tzafnat-Pa'neach and gave him as his wife Asenath the daughter of Poti-Fera priest of On. It is described in the Quran as the 'best of stories'. Here, Potiphar's wife (called Zuleika in later tradition) tried to seduce Joseph, which he refused. [18] After two more years, the Pharaoh dreamt of seven lean cows which devoured seven fat cows; and of seven withered ears of grain which devoured seven fat ears. Later we read, "His . Although this very well may offend our modern sensibilities, Zilpah and Bilhah had a better life than they had hoped for, in the end. But like everything else, modern context is not Biblical context we dont think the same way or have the same needs and therefore we dont live the same way; we certainly dont have the same expectations. Known for: Rachel was the younger daughter of Laban and Jacob's favored wife. Joseph then told him that the queen, who was about to be delivered of a child, would give birth to a son, but that at the same time another of the king's sons, two years of age, would dieall of which came to pass exactly as Joseph predicted. Nice going! Certain rabbis declared that Joseph was ready to yield to his mistress, but that his father's image suddenly appeared to him and called him to his duty (Sotah 36b; Gen. R. 87:9). Of all the sons, Joseph was preferred by his father, who gave him a "long coat of many colors". The Hebrew word translated as "tender" means "soft, delicate, or lovely.". The reason that Joseph selected Simeon may have been that the latter was the eldest after Reuben, who was spared by Joseph in return for his interference on Joseph's behalf many years before (Gen. xxxvii. He had fallen ill and lost most of his vision. Then the Hebrew phrase shm midyanm srm in verse 28 describes Midianite traders. R. 14:16). 36). If later he is disgusted with her (after all, she was from a pagan nation), he cannot treat her as a slave and simply sell her away but must treat her as he would treat a divorced wife. When we look at Jacobs situation, the >description< of it and how much sorrow and dysfunction followed, it's not for us to overlook all that and consider it as a prescription to do to our own family! [53] These come in the forms of allusions written by the Bb and Bah'u'llh. How many wives did Jacob have? It was during this return to Egypt that Joseph disclosed his real identity to his brothers. Plan to Trick Jacob. Great article Tyler! Joseph would have been approximately six years old . Is Polygamy Really Biblical? Joseph! As Joseph had foreseen, seven years of plenty came, during which he stored up a great abundance of grain in granaries built for the purpose. It simply was a rarity. As they approached Egyptian territory, Judah went ahead to ask Joseph where the caravan should unload. Joseph was fully trusted by his master, Potiphars wife took a fancy to Joseph, but he refused to sin with her. Answer (1 of 10): If you are talking about Jacob (Israel)'s son Joseph, then he had one wife. It starts with the 12 tribes and ends with the 12 gates with 12 pearls representing the tribes and the 12 kinds of fruit. Notify me of follow-up comments by email. Joseph, son of Jacob and Rachel, lived in the land of Canaan with ten half-brothers, one full brother, and at least one half-sister. Joseph, in the Old Testament, son of the patriarch Jacob and his wife Rachel. Elkannah had two women but again, one of them was barren so I suspect that Peninah was a concubine. He and his family took everything they owned. According to Josephus, Reuben tied a cord around Joseph and let him down gently into the pit. Who was the wife of Joseph son of Jacob? To add to the distinction within the family, in chapter thirty-seven, when Joseph goes tattling on his brothers, it specifically mentions that they are the sons of the neshe Bilhah and Zilpah. After being beaten by his brethren, Joseph was thrown by Simeon into a pit, among serpents and scorpions; but Joseph prayed to God and the reptiles retired to their holes (Targ. Posted by Tyler Dawn | Nov 19, 2015 | Biblical Context Studies, Women's issues | 6 |, (Note: Yes, I do understand that it is actually called polygyny when a man has multiple wives, and polygamy can be either male or female but for purposes of using a familiar term to everyone I am simplifying this by calling it polygamy). 84, xl. I want to point out something obvious about Joseph's wife Asenath I think many of us have a tendency to skip over without giving it much thought. [32], Jewish tradition holds that Joseph had his steward plant his personal silver cup in Benjamin's sack to test his brothers. One tradition holds that Jacob's other children came into the world only for Joseph's sake. When the Vizier (Joseph) appeared, they gave him gifts from their father. }. After his phenomenal rise to power, as he is passing through the street one day, his attention is attracted by a beggar woman whose bearing shows traces of former greatness. Bible References: Rachel's story is told Genesis 29:6-35:24, 46:19-25, 48:7 . He was present at Jacob's famous reconciliation with his brother Esau. Tyler Dawn How Many Wives did Jacob Have? The warden put Joseph in charge of the other prisoners,[14] and soon afterward Pharaoh's chief cup-bearer and chief baker, who had offended the Pharaoh, were thrown into the prison. After correctly interpreting the dreams of Pharaoh, however, he rises to second-in-command in Egypt and saves Egypt during a famine. Particularly galling is Jacob's reaction to Rachel the wife whom he loves deeply when she cannot become pregnant. ), and as recently as the reign of Pharaoh Merneptah about 1200 B.C.E. His death does not change the familys obligation towards her. However, they agreed to be escorted back to Egypt. The twelve sons of Jacob (Israel) from oldest to youngest were as follows. Your email address will not be published. They also discovered that all of their money sacks still had money in them, and they were dismayed. He wept so loudly that even the Egyptian household heard it outside. His prophetic powers are sited as an example of "faith" in Hebrews 11:22. . . Joseph was born the 11 th of 12 sons to his father Jacob. When he returned, the Vizier took Simeon and bound him as a hostage. When he. I am a fifty-something-year-old Bible teacher, wife of twenty-eight years to Mark, and mom of adult twin sons. The robotic sermon went on to relate the story of when Joseph, the son of Jacob, was reunited with his brothers after many years. 17:1; 1 Ne. The story begins in Canaan - modern day Palestine, Syria and Israel - around 1600 to 1700 BC. Joseph did very well with God's help. The story of Joseph or Yusuf as it is told in Arabic literature has the same general outlines as the Biblical narrative; but in the Arabic account there is a wealth of accessory detail and incident. Sarah died when she was 127 (23:1) - so Abraham would have been 137 and Isaac would have been 37. The account of the birth of Jacob's children is found in Genesis 2930, 35. JOSEPH. His father then remarked, "Now let me die, since I have seen your face, because you are still alive." (Genesis 50:1521), Joseph lived to the age of 110, living to see his great-grandchildren. When they were brought to Joseph's house, they were apprehensive about the returned money in their money sacks. In analyzing Genesis Chapter 37, there are five different Hebrew names used to describe five different groups of people involved in the transaction of selling Joseph, according to Rabbi Judah and Rav Huna. Now we get to your verse if he sends her away and she has provided him with children despite the fact that he hates her he cannot treat her sons with contempt when it comes time to give the inheritance. Could Paul have been saying that the husband and wife need to be one (Hebrew echad) instead of limiting a man to one wife? Israel (Jacob) agreed to his son's invitation to move to Egypt and began the journey to see Joseph. Her name was Dinah. The money they had brought was double what they had offered on the first trip. Rabbah l.c). After Joseph rejected the attempts of Potiphar's wife to seduce him, she accused him of attempted rape, and he was cast into the state prison (Gen. 39:40), where he became the most trusted inmate and remained for at least two years. At the end of that period, the Pharaoh had a strange dream which none of his advisers could interpret. Joseph interpreted this dream as the baker being hanged within three days and having his flesh eaten by birds. Her father, Jacob, saw that his family was deeply ashamed of his new granddaughter. Joseph settled Jacob's growing clan with Pharaoh's blessing in the Land of Goshen (Gen. 47:29). Some believe that he built the city of Memphis, and that he was instrumental in building the obelisks and pyramids. In the Qur'an a whole chapter (sura xii) is devoted to Joseph; and Islamic commentators add many details to this "best of stories.". At the age 30, Joseph married Asenath, the daughter of the priest of Heliopolis. It was the first successful production in the career of Andrew Lloyd Webber. The favoritism Israel showed Joseph and the plot against him by his brothers were divine means of getting him into Egypt. Mary and Joseph ended up in Bethlehem where the birth took place. Joseph was the first son of Rachel and Jacob, and the 11th of Jacob's 12 sons (Genesis 30:22-24). The Bible tells us twice that Jacob had daughters. Her maid Bilhah is ancestor of two more ( Gen 35:25; Gen 46:23-24). Since in the Bible, unlike in later Jewish law, ethnic identity is determined by the father, the fact that their mother is not an Israelite does not affect their status . Jacob, Hebrew Yaaqov, Arabic Yaqb, also called Israel, Hebrew Yisrael, Arabic Isrl, Hebrew patriarch who was the grandson of Abraham, the son of Isaac and Rebekah, and the traditional ancestor of the people of Israel. The Persian poet Firdowsi wrote an epic on this subject. When the Pharaoh's advisers failed to interpret these dreams, the cup-bearer remembered Joseph. In the Eastern Orthodox Church and those Eastern Catholic Churches which follow the Byzantine Rite, he is known as "Joseph the all-comely", a reference not only to his physical appearance, but more importantly to the beauty of his spiritual life. She also bore Benjamin and was a faithful wife to Jacob. Jacob's concubine Bilhah gave birth to Dan . They returned with a wolf, but when Jacob began to reproach the beast for its cruelty, the wolf answered, in human language, that she had not committed the crime, and that she herself was searching for her lost cub. As the reputed ancestor of the tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh, he is regarded by some as altogether legendary or even mythical by some critics. He received the same name as two great prophets, one past and one future: Joseph of Egypt and the Prophet Joseph Smith. Ephraim was one of the major northern tribes, just north of the territory of Judah. | Alpha Index (Genesis 30:24).[10][11]. He was also the first born of his mother Rachel, whom his father loved more than any of his wives and made Joseph Jacob's favorite son (Genesis 29-30:24; Genesis 37:1-4). Pseudo-Jonathan to Gen. 1:26). He was Rachel's firstborn and Jacob's eleventh son. (Genesis Rabbah 84:22). 5:26; Jacob 1:2, 18-19). What is Jacob's new name? What does Ex 22:16-17 tell us about the rape of Dinah in Genesis, Episode 164: Purim 2023Honor, Shame and Two Brave Queens, Episode 163: Sociology IIReligion, Weird Science, and Practical Linguistics, Episode 162 Sociology I: Groupthink, Holy/Profane and Clean/Unclean, Episode 161: The Advent of John the Baptist in Luke, Episode 160: Special Teaching #1The Advent of the Messiah in Matthew, Challenging the "Everything is Pagan" Meme Culture, Infertility, Barreness, Miscarriage, Stillbirth and Child Loss. arose that night, and took his two wives, his two maidservants1 and his eleven children, and crossed the ford of the Jabbok. The cupbearer took this opportunity to inform the king of Joseph's gift and recommended his services. is devoted to him, the only instance in the Quran in which an entire chapter is devoted to a complete story of a prophet. 1653. Joseph was made a ruler over Egypt second to Pharoah. How many sons did Jacob have with bilhah? In the Qayyumu'l-Asma', the Bb refers to Bah'u'llh as the true Joseph and makes an analogous prophecy regarding Bah'u'llh suffering at the hands of his brother, Mrz Yahy. lol does it come with a jetted jacuzi tub? Josephus claims that Potiphar fell for his wife's, Josephus refers to Potipherah (or Petephres) as the priest of, Josephus has Joseph meeting his father Jacob in, Last edited on 28 February 2023, at 10:50, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, "Strong's Hebrew Concordance - 622. asaph", "Strong's Hebrew Concordance - 3254. yasaph", "Strong's Hebrew Concordance - 6847. 14 Facts About Esau Everyone Should Know. The Pharaoh is said to have given Joseph, Asenath daughter of Potiphera, priest of On, as his wife. The levirate marriage was for the purpose of providing a woman with offspring and so if a man was already married, he could still perform the levirate function and she would be provided for with her dead husbands share of the inheritance, which then belongs to her son (or daughter, because the Torah also says that if a man dies and has only daughters they can inherit so that his name and inheritance will not pass from Israel). Moses followed Joseph's pattern in rising from slavery to a position of royal favor in the court of the pharaohs, and would later lead the Israelites out of Egypt and back to the land of Canaan. [48] Similarly, the eldest son of Jacob had decided not to leave the land because of the oath taken to protect Benjamin beforehand. Abraham had one wife, and then only took a concubine when she was still barren at 80; he took a second wife only after the death of his first. Jacob's wife, were Joseph and Benjamin. This is great, Tyler. [42] Joseph is said to have been extremely handsome, which attracted his Egyptian master's wife to attempt to seduce him. He was a boy with the sons of Bilhah and Zilpah, his father's wives. Jacob was 130 at this time (Gen 47:9). 24 Rachel's sons were Joseph and Benjamin. Thank you for your VERY well done teaching. We think of it differently, because we simply cannot imagine a maidservant being willing or even eager to consent to such an arrangement but when we look at it in terms of the times you will see a poor woman who was a servant, probably sold by her impoverished father to Labans family because he had no money to get her married off not out of coldness but because if he died without seeing her provided for her only options were starvation or prostitution; she was resigned to perhaps never marrying, or if she did it would be to another servant, to give birth to servants. Rachel is his mom, one of them gasped. Thus, "Joseph gathered up all the money that was in the land of Egypt, and in the land of Canaan, for the grain which they bought.". How many children did Mary have after Jesus? pseudo-Jonathan), protecting her from the lustful eyes of Esau (Gen. R. 78:13). She gives birth to two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh. Why did Jacob go to paddan? Joseph placed his brothers in prison for three days. Joseph was 11th of 12 sons of a wealthy nomad Jacob and his second wife Rachel. Joseph was sold by his brothers into slavery in Egypt (Genesis 37). Indeed, he blessed Joseph's sons before all the rest. Thus, Israel was able to bless the Pharaoh. Jacob had 12 sons, at Hebron. According to another tradition, Joseph placed the gold and silver in three hidden treasuries, of which one was discovered by the Israelite villain Korah; one by the Roman Antoninus, son of Severus; and one yet undiscovered, which is being kept for the righteous in the future world (Pes. Finally, after 20 years of marriage, they were blessed with twin boys, Jacob and Esau. But Israel refused saying, "but truly his younger brother shall be greater than he," a declaration he made just as Israel himself was to his firstborn brother Esau. Our fathers found no food. (7-14) Genesis 29:17. Joseph is also extolled by the rabbis for being a prophet, and for supporting his brothers. [28] Impressed with Joseph's interpretations, Pharaoh appoints him as second-in-command (Gen 41:41). He comforted them and their ties were reconciled. Now why? | Bible Topics According to the biblical account, Joseph was the son of Jacob by Rachel, the patriarch's favorite wife (Gen. 30:23, 24), who, on the occasion of Joseph's birth, said, "The Lord shall add [Heb. | Fact Sheet Index 118b); they were given to lust, while Joseph was chaste and resisted temptation. The sons by Leah (Jacob's first wife) were: Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Zebulun. Then he prepared a great ceremonial journey to Canaan leading the servants of the Pharaoh, and the elders of the houses Israel and Egypt beyond the Jordan River. Jacob lived in the land of his father's sojournings, in the land of Canaan. 20 And to Joseph in the land of Egypt were born Manasseh and Ephraim, whom Asenath, the daughter of Poti-Pherah priest of On, bore to him. The two principle sources are the Yahwist and the Elohist versions, with a few details included as well from the Priestly source. These are the generations of Jacob. A midrash asked, How many times was Joseph sold? The story concludes by Joseph praying, "My lord you have indeed bestowed upon me of the sovereignty and taught me something of the interpretation of dreams- the (only) creator of heavens and the earth! Deut 21:15 says that if a man has two wives, one loved and one unloved that he cannot disinherit the child of the unloved wife doesnt this say that men can have two wives? I have questioned this over the years, but didnt understand the cultural context as well as you have laid out. Joseph wept as they spoke and told them that what had happened was God's purpose to save lives and the lives of his family. When Joseph and his mother bowed to Esau (Gen. 33:7), Joseph shielded his mother with his body (Targ. So the final birth order of Jacob's thirteen children by these four women was: Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Dan, Naphtali, Gad, Asher, Issachar, Zebulun, Dinah, Joseph, and Benjamin. They shall be on the head of Joseph, And on the crown of the head of him that was separate from his brethren. In Genesis 29:31-30:24 the birth of twelve of Jacob's children is recorded. Jacob became greatly distressed, feeling deprived of successive sons: Joseph, Simeon, and (prospectively) Benjamin. When the famine came, it was so severe that people from surrounding nations came to Egypt to buy bread. Recall that Jacob was born in the land of Canaan, the land God promised to Abraham, and where Jacob's father Isaac was born and lived his entire life. And Joseph brought a bad report of them to their father. His story is told in . After they had consumed all of the grain that they brought back from Egypt, Jacob told his sons to go back to Egypt for more grain. Joseph correctly predicted their futures: one would be reinstated in his post while the other would be executed. Joseph, son of Jacob and Rachel, lived in the land of Canaan with ten half-brothers, one full brother, and at least one half-sister. Jacob is between 130 and 147 years old. His estranged brothers later reunited with him when they came to Egypt to buy grain during a famine, and thus Joseph became the central figure to lead the children of Israel (Jacob) during their course of exile in Egypt. However, it is instructive to note that only Dinah is mentioned (Genesis 30:19-21; 34:1-3; 46:15) . The Lutheran ChurchMissouri Synod commemorates him as a patriarch on 31 March. Judah is the fourth son of the patriarch Jacob and his first wife, Leah: his full brothers are Reuben, Simeon and Levi (all older), and Issachar and Zebulun (younger), and he has one full sister, Dinah. (Gen. 28:3, 4) This explains why Jacob when nearly 100 years old did everything in his power to obtain God's blessing; he even wrestled with a materialized angel. When Rachel did not have any children, she became upset.