The historicity of Joseph's story is debated, with dates ranging from an early estimate beginning around 2000 B.C.E. Joseph (/dozf, -sf/; Hebrew: , lit. Response: We read in Genesis 41:45 that Pharaoh gave Joseph Osnat daughter of Potiphera, priest of On, to be his wife. One tradition holds that Jacob's other children came into the world only for Joseph's sake. Your email address will not be published. He also equipped a considerable army, with which he marched to help the Ishmaelites against the Tarshishites (Gen. R. 90:5). After they mentioned a younger brother at home, the Vizier (Joseph) demanded that he be brought to Egypt as a demonstration of their veracity. How many children did Mary have after Jesus? He then tested them further, by accusing Benjamin of theft. Required fields are marked *, nine = 27 .hide-if-no-js { well, that did go well. Israel (Jacob) agreed to his son's invitation to move to Egypt and began the journey to see Joseph. Particularly galling is Jacob's reaction to Rachel the wife whom he loves deeply when she cannot become pregnant. I smiled, and told them to listen again. Levirate marriage served two functions that a mans name would not cease to go forward and that a woman would not be bereft of support. Efforts to Bear Children. . 11Then a famine came over all the land of Egypt and Canaan, causing great affliction. Jacob did not wholly believe that Joseph was dead, because he could not forget him, while the dead are soon forgotten. Later we will learn a lot more about Joseph, because he became a very important person. [49] When Jacob learned their story after their return, he wept in grief till he lost his eyesight because of sorrow. [NOTE: Jacob is listed by Stephen individually.] Rather, he requested to be carried to the land of Canaan to be buried with his forefathers. Really Bilhahs and Zilpahs lives would have looked bleak but they would have accepted it as their lot in life in ancient times people firmly believed that their conditions and station in life were pre-determined by the gods and hardly worth complaining about or trying to get out of. What Leah knew was that her husband, although she had given him many sons, had no regard for her Jewish tradition even states that Jacob moved to Bilhahs tent after the death of Rachel (I dont think he ever got over that anger from the morning after the wedding). He was Rachel's firstborn and Jacob's eleventh son. The Pharaoh honored their stay and even proposed that if there were any qualified men in their house, then they may elect a chief herdsman to oversee Egyptian livestock. This would not be a true case of polygamy, because his intention was not to have two wives, but to provide for his sister-in-law it was considered a mitzvah towards the dead brother as well as to the woman to refuse to do this for her at her request would be to deprive her of her rights within the family. (clearly, the reference to a second wife shows that the concubine is not a wife), [145] If a man take a wife, and she bear him no children, and he intend to take another wife: if he take this second wife, and bring her into the house, this second wife shall not be allowed equality with his wife. Yes and No. The true faith in Jesus Christ stands the test and wins victory. A midrash asked, How many times was Joseph sold? Then he revealed to the Hebrews that he was in fact their brother, Joseph. Bah' commentaries have described these as metaphors with the garment implying the recognition of a manifestation of God. These were the 11 sons that were born to Jacob when he lived with Rachel's father Laban. 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. Finally, after 20 years of marriage, they were blessed with twin boys, Jacob and Esau. For an excellent read on many matters pertaining to women in the Bible (not all of which I agree with, of course), see Matthews, Victor H., Gender and Law in the Hebrew Bible and the Ancient Near East (1998) p 229 is directly relevant to this discussion. It was during this return to Egypt that Joseph disclosed his real identity to his brothers. On the third day, he brought them out of prison to reiterate that he wanted their youngest brother brought to Egypt to demonstrate their veracity. (obviously would not happen to a wife). What is Jacob's new name? After he had washed his face, he came out and, controlling himself, said, 'Serve the food'" (Gen 43:30-32). I love reading and studying from you. In his father's house, Joseph is the favored son: "Israel (another name for Jacob) loved Joseph more than all his sons since he was a child of his old age" (Genesis 37:3). The Hebrew word translated as "tender" means "soft, delicate, or lovely.". One of the hardest things there is, is to contemplate the possibility that our point of view has been utterly contaminated after all, they never taught ancient Near Eastern context in any of the churches I attended. This sets up the climax of the story, which many regard to be the moment Joseph reveals his identity to his brothers (Gen 45:3). He had fallen ill and lost most of his vision. 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. As Jacob's name became synonymous with all Israel, so that of Joseph was eventually equated with all the tribes that made up the northern kingdom. (Genesis 47:2731), Later, Joseph came to visit his father having with him his two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh. 17As the time of the promise drew near, the promise that God had sworn to Abraham, the people grew and multiplied in Egypt. yosef] to me another son." (Gen. 30:24) He was born in Padan-aram when Jacob was about 90 years old. The Haran controversy wrestles with the question of how long Abraham's grandson Jacob lived in Haran. Cushan and Midian are equated with each other, as are tents and curtains and affliction and trembling. It is described in the Quran as the 'best of stories'. 24 Rachel's sons were Joseph and Benjamin. In the Kitb-i-Aqdas, Bah'u'llh states that "from my laws, the sweet-smelling savour of my garment can be smelled" and, in the Four Valleys, states that "the fragrance of his garment blowing from the Egypt of Baha," referring to Joseph. "[43] The story has a lot in common with the biblical narrative, but with certain differences. These children are the offspring of four different women, Leah and Rachel, his wives, and Zilpah and Bilhah, their respective handmaids. Joseph became the slave of Potiphar a very high official in Egypt. Pharaoh made Joseph governor over Egypt and all Pharaohs house. So, did Jacob have four legally wedded wives? To cite this article click here for a list of acceptable citing formats.The history of earlier contributions by wikipedians is accessible to researchers here: The history of this article since it was imported to New World Encyclopedia: Note: Some restrictions may apply to use of individual images which are separately licensed. There are many examples of descriptions that we don't assume to be a prescription for us today living as nomads in tents, giving each wife her own tent (modern day equivalent would be that each wife has her own home or at minimum her own personal suite), digging our own wells, making alliances via sons and daughters, being without citizenship, for husbands to devote their first year of marriage being at home with their wives, etc. 8, 10). Could Paul have been saying that the husband and wife need to be one (Hebrew echad) instead of limiting a man to one wife? 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. But Judah pleaded for Benjamin, offering himself as a slave instead. They may have been: (1) the sons of Mary, the mother of Jesus, and Joseph (the most natural inference); (2) sons of the Mary named in Mark 15:40 as "mother of James and Joses", whom Jerome identified with the wife of Clopas and sister of Mary the mother of Jesus; or (3) sons of Joseph by a former marriage. 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. In the sixth year, Asenath bore two children to Joseph: Manasseh and Ephraim. Laws of Hammurabi: [144] If a man take a wife and this woman give her husband a maid-servant, and she bear him children, but this man wishes to take another wife, this shall not be permitted to him; he shall not take a second wife. Later we read, "His . Following the prediction, Joseph became Vizier, under the name of Zaphnath-Paaneah (Hebrew: pna Pana),[e][19] and was given Asenath, the daughter of Potipherah, priest of On,[f] to be his wife. Then Joseph is summoned to interpret the dreams of Pharaoh himself. He forgave them and sent for Jacob and the entire household to come to Egypt. yosef] to me another son." Joseph's story is recounted in some detail in the New Testament, during Saint Stephen's speech before the Sandhedrin in Acts 7. "Pharaoh called Joseph by the name Tzafnat-Pa'neach and gave him as his wife Asenath the daughter of Poti-Fera priest of On. 12Jacob heard that there was grain in Egypt, so he sent our fathers there for the first time. His favourite, Joseph, walked closely with God, heard from Him and had great discernment. 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. She also bore Benjamin and was a faithful wife to Jacob. Rachel had the perfectly acceptable legal recourse in those days to provide her husband with a surrogate, and according to the laws of the surrounding nations, any child borne by the concubine would be counted as coming from her which is exactly why Rachel, and not Bilhah, named the boys. During the seven years of abundance, Joseph ensured that the storehouses were full and that all produce was weighed. 118b); they were given to lust, while Joseph was chaste and resisted temptation. [16] Joseph requested that the cup-bearer mention him to Pharaoh to secure his release from prison,[17] but the cup-bearer, reinstalled in office, forgot Joseph. The remaining brothers returned to their father in Canaan, and told him all that had transpired in Egypt. The twelve sons of Jacob (Israel) from oldest to youngest were as follows. To Joseph, he gave a portion more of Canaanite property than he had to his other sons; land that he fought for against the Amorites. At their first meeting, the brothers did not recognize him. He is the favourite son of the patriarch Jacob, and his jealous brothers sell him into slavery in Egypt, where he eventually ends up incarcerated. When the famine came which Pharoah had dreampt of, and Joseph had predicted, Joseph's father, brothers, and their families, settled in Egypt where there was food. Moses, led there by an ancient holy woman named Serach, was able by a miracle to raise the sarcophagus and to take it with him at the time of the Exodus. Hope that makes sense. (Exodus 13:19) The bones were buried at Shechem, in the parcel of ground which Jacob bought from the sons of Hamor (Joshua 24:32), which has traditionally been identified with site of Joseph's Tomb, before Jacob and all his family moved to Egypt. However Jacob gave the greater blessing to the younger Ephraim, Moses, before he died, gave a similar blessing to the house of Joseph, which he called, Jospeh had great faith in God. He stored up in Egypt all the gold and silver of the world, and it was carried away by the Israelites when they left Egypt. 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. Here, Potiphar's wife (called Zuleika in later tradition) tried to seduce Joseph, which he refused. He was the son of Leah, Jacob's first wife. After identifying the Hebrew names, Rabbi Judah claims that Joseph was sold four times: First his brothers sold Joseph to the Ishmaelites (Yishma'elm), then the Ishmaelites sold him to the Midianite traders (shm midyanm srm), the Midianite traders to the Medanites (mdanm), and the Medanites into Egypt. the time has come for the Israelites to be rescued from their oppressors; come up and do not cause us any further delay!" Confronting Pseudo-archaeological memes Pt 4: Was Byblos the Goddess of Writing? This makes Jesus related to Adam, both as the son of God and . Notify me of follow-up comments by email. [24] Its redaction history may have included a first "Reuben version" originating in the northern kingdom of Israel and intended to justify the domination by the "house of Joseph" over the other tribes, this was followed by a later "Judah-expansion" (chapters 38 and 49) elevating Judah as the rightful successor to Jacob, and finally various embellishments so that the novella would function as the bridge between the Genesis and the story of Moses and the Exodus.[25]. Esau took a third wife to please his father Isaac (Genesis 28:6-9). [g] Then he had their donkeys prepared with grain and sent the other brothers back to Canaan. He is also a type of manly beauty; so that one often finds the expression "a second Joseph," meaning one extraordinarily beautiful. "All Pharaoh's officials accompanied himthe dignitaries of his court and all the dignitaries of Egyptbesides all the members of Joseph's household and his brothers and those belonging to his father's household Chariots and horsemen also went up with him. [15] Both men had dreams, and Joseph, being able to interpret dreams, asked to hear them. | Servants of Grace Apologetics, Mishpatim in Context: Selling your daughter into slavery? Jacob was 130 at this time (Gen 47:9). [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." The first mention of Ishmaelites (Yishma'elm) is in verse 25. According to the Old Testament, Jacob was the younger twin brother of Esau, who was the ancestor of Edom . 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. In the midrash, the selling of Joseph was part of God's divine plan for him to save his tribes. 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. Paul even specifically said that male leadership within the Body was to be limited to those men who only had one wife (I Tim 3:2, 12; Titus 1:6). Elkannah had two women but again, one of them was barren so I suspect that Peninah was a concubine. Who is Dans mom? I asked. And as it was budding, its blossoms came out and they produced grapes. Moreover, Inter. The eleventh son of Jacob and elder of the two sons Rachel (Genesis 30:23, 24). As Bilhah and Zilpah were almost undoubtedly purchased by Laban as young girls from fathers who either needed to pay debts or who could not afford to provide dowries, this term does make sense again, these were women of a special class. J. M. Sel. It has also been suggested that there are similarities between the rise to power of Joseph, and Manethos' tale of Osarseph, who was Syrian born, and rose to be Vizier of Egypt, beginning his career under Pharaoh Merenptah and his son Seti II. The word until speaks of a change to the first action . Joseph is mentioned in the New Testament as an example of faith (Hebrews 11:22). In one Talmudic story, Joseph was buried in the Nile river, as there was some dispute as to which province should be honored by having his tomb within its boundaries. 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. 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. Jacob with Ephraim and Manasseh. Moses threw a pebble into the water there and cried out: "Joseph! . The favoritism Israel showed Joseph and the plot against him by his brothers were divine means of getting him into Egypt. As a result, he was envied by his half-brothers. Then he commanded them to go and bring their father and his entire household into Egypt to live in the province of Goshen, because there were five more years of famine left. In the ancient Near East, according to the laws of many of the surrounding nations, a woman had two years to bear a child to her husband and if she didnt, she could legally be divorced. A fourth group in verse 36 is named in Hebrew as mdanm that is properly identified as Medanites. Rabbah l.c). Is Polygamy Really Biblical? His story is told in . Later, Joseph became Potiphar's personal servant, and subsequently his household's superintendent. It was after this that Isaac married Rebekah and Abraham took Keturah as a wife (possibly a concubine) (see Genesis 24 and 25:1).
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