The eleventh son of Jacob and elder of the two sons Rachel (Genesis 30:23, 24). 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. Genesis 31:38-41. Elkannah had two women but again, one of them was barren so I suspect that Peninah was a concubine. Tap the title above, next to the arrow, to go to thatlesson with a link back to thispage. That night, Joseph ordered his steward to load the brothers' donkeys with food and all their money. Joseph was born the 11 th of 12 sons to his father Jacob. (Genesis 45:128), Thus, Jacob (also known as Israel) and his entire house of seventy[22] gathered up with all their livestock and began their journey to Egypt. SIMEON - JewishEncyclopedia.com 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. Upon their return to Egypt, the steward of Joseph's house received the brothers. Upon stopping to speak to her, he discovers Zulaikha, who has been left in misery at the death of her husband. They were survival oriented, and so when greeted with the opportunity to be something greater in the family, not wives but the mothers of some of the heirs of the House, that was a chance to have a much better life and better prospects for the future. This family, with its sordid history of deceit, jealousy, and . (Genesis 37:35, Common English Bible). It served a specific societal function within a context that no longer exists (much like the need for Levirate marriage). Joseph Born in the wilderness, he was the youngest son in the family. 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. How many wives did Jacob have? Zulaikha is the wife of Kitfir (the Biblical Potiphar), through whose accusations Yusuf is thrown into prison. Isaac had one wife. The steward found the cup in Benjamin's sack - just as he had planted it the night before. Jacob's favoritism for Joseph made his half-brothers so jealous that they were ready to murder him (see Genesis 37). 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 Judah pleaded for Benjamin, offering himself as a slave instead. Knowing that his brothers would come to buy grain, Joseph gave orders that nobody should be permitted to enter until he had given in writing his own and his father's names. 21 . On top of all this, Leah had stopped bearing children perhaps because Jacob was no longer performing his legal obligations to continue to provide her with marital relations (at one point, she actually had to buy a night with him from her sister). [50] He thus charged his sons to go and inquire about Joseph and his brother and despair not of God's mercy. 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. The narrative describes his emotional reaction upon seeing Benjamin: "Deeply moved at the sight of his brother, Joseph hurried out and looked for a place to weep. Joseph! 2) Simeon was next, and he was also a son of Leah. Your email address will not be published. Indeed the name Potiphar may even be a version of Merenptah's name (Poti = Ptah, Phar = Pharaoh). Nice going! 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. There are numerous mentions of Joseph in Bah' writings. Designed by Elegant Themes | Powered by WordPress, Judgment in Context: Honor, Shame, and the Command to Judge Not., Confessions of a Former Torah Terrorist Pt II. www.simplybible.com Copyright Ron Graham 2001 2018, "the ten thousands of Ephraim and the thousands of Manasseh", "By faith Joseph, when he was dying, said confidently that the children of Israel would leave Egypt. 34), and a whole chapter Yusuf (sura xii.) When they met, they embraced each other and wept together for quite a while. arose that night, and took his two wives, his two maidservants1 and his eleven children, and crossed the ford of the Jabbok. According to the Old Testament, Jacob was the younger twin brother of Esau, who was the ancestor of Edom . The Bible states that this name was given to Jacob as by God later in his life: "And he said, Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel: for as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed." (Genesis 32:28 . [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]. The merchants, meanwhile, brought Joseph to Egypt, where he was sold to Potiphar, an "officer of Pharaoh's, and captain of the guard" (Gen. 37:36). The favoritism Israel showed Joseph and the plot against him by his brothers were divine means of getting him into Egypt. If, however, to the sixty-six Stephen added the wives of Jacob's sons', he could have legitimately reckoned Jacob's household as numbering seventy-five, instead of seventy. I think some translators/editors have erred when they separate the two sections. Joseph is commemorated as one of the Holy Forefathers in the Calendar of Saints of the Armenian Apostolic Church on 26 July. In the second dream, the sun (father), the moon (mother), and eleven stars (brothers) bowed to Joseph himself. The genealogy of Jesus in the New Testament traces Jesus' ancestry lineally, from Abraham to David, and then from David to Jesus. Moreover, Inter. Required fields are marked *, nine = 27 .hide-if-no-js { Similar theories are propounded to explain confusion in the narrative's parallel accounts of his slavery and imprisonment, as well as his and reunion(s) with his brothers, with Benjamin present in one, and absent in another. 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. I have written six books on the ancient Near Eastern and First Century context of Scripture, including a family curriculum series. Soon, the family took up residence in the town of Bethel and later moved to Hebron. The majority of modern scholars agree that the Joseph story is a Wisdom novella constructed by a single author and that it reached its current form in the 5th century BCE at the earliest. His brothers did not understand his spirituality and saw him as a threat. 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. Upon their return to Egypt with Benjamin, Joseph received them kindly and prepared a feast for them. How many wives did Abraham have? You are my Guardian in this world and in the Hereafter. 14. Who was Jacob's first wife? When they came to Egypt, they stood before the Vizier but did not recognize him as their brother Joseph, who was now in his late 30s; but Joseph did recognize them and did not speak at all to them in his native tongue of Hebrew. [42] Joseph is said to have been extremely handsome, which attracted his Egyptian master's wife to attempt to seduce him. ASENATH, mysterious wife of Joseph of Egypt - Women In The Bible The final group, where a transaction is made, is among the Egyptians in the same verse. Joseph's brothers were motivated by fear. The following morning the brothers began their journey back to Canaan. Joseph was then summoned. When they flee Laban in chapter thirty-two, verse twenty-two specifically mentions two wives and two female servants, and again in thirty-three verse one, Leah and Rachel are named, along with the two female servants. In chapter thirty-five, after Rachels death, Reuben is specifically stated to have had sexual relations with his fathers concubine. Then Joseph is summoned to interpret the dreams of Pharaoh himself. Israel is another name for Jacob as, son of Isaac as. She has seen her sister Leah bear Jacob three sons (presumably within three years), and can no longer take the pain of being the barren wife. [47] But in Islam they returned leaving behind Benjamin because the mizzen bowl of the king was found in his bag. Both women had a crisis of identity Rachel wasnt a mother and Leah wasnt really a wife in her own eyes. | The Hub These years were followed by seven years of famine "over all the face of the earth," when "all countries came into Egypt to Joseph to buy grain" (Gen. 41:56, 57; 47:13,14). It was a very large company." 2:1; 2 Ne. He had fallen ill and lost most of his vision. This tendency, although greatly diminished, was followed throughout late antiquity, the Medieval Era, and into the Reformation. Even John Calvin, sometimes hailed as the father of modern grammatico-historical exegesis,[39] writes "in the person of Joseph, a lively image of Christ is presented. His story is told in . Her father contracted with her husbands father that she would be a wife in that house, that she would provide heirs to the house who would have rights to his share of the inheritance. Jacob therefore let the wolf go. The shrine called Joseph's Tomb in Nablus/Shechem is traditionally considered to be his tomb. The baker's dream was about three baskets full of bread for the Pharaoh, and birds were eating the bread out of those baskets. These are the generations of Jacob. She became angry and told lies about him, so he was put in jail. 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. By way of background, the Bible tells us that God created the first man, Adam, out of dust, and then created Eve out of Adam's ribs (Genesis 2:7,22). Tap the title above, next to the arrow, to go to thatlesson with a link back to thispage. Joseph correctly predicted their futures: one would be reinstated in his post while the other would be executed. Plan to Trick Jacob. Joseph is between 39 and 56 years old. 36). The latter third of the book of Genesis relates the complex and vola- tile relationship of the patriarch Jacob, his four wives, and their thirteen children (twelve sons, one daughter). 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! The younger daughter of Laban and wife of Jacob, Rachel is the mother of Joseph and Benjamin, who become two of the twelve tribes of Israel ( Gen 35:24; Gen 46:15-18). ), and as recently as the reign of Pharaoh Merneptah about 1200 B.C.E. To sum up, true Biblical (as well as ancient Near Eastern) polygamy (having more than one wife on purpose) was really limited to Kings, and that was historically for the purpose of creating alliances and safety for the kingdom. The Priestly source adds some statistics and gives a list of the people who went down to Egypt, while a later editor has supplied details to make the accounts appear as one, such as Joseph's subterfuge of sending the brothers back to Canaan first to get Benjamin, and later to get Jacob. 4. Joseph predicted seven years of plenty to be followed by seven years of famine and advised the Pharaoh to appoint someone to store up surplus grain. So if someone is pushing polygamy, know that according to Paul (an expert in the Law and in the Scriptures) they have disqualified themselves for leadership rendering their opinion merely an opinion. According to most rabbinical authorities, Joseph's coffin was sunk in the Nile (Targ. (Genesis 50:1521), Joseph lived to the age of 110, living to see his great-grandchildren. Abraham then died at 175 years of age (25 . [48] Similarly, the eldest son of Jacob had decided not to leave the land because of the oath taken to protect Benjamin beforehand. "-Genesis 41:45. In the Elohist version it is Rueben intervenes on Joseph's behalf, while in the Yahwist version it is Judah that saves him. When the Vizier (Joseph) appeared, they gave him gifts from their father. 16Their remains were brought back to Shechem, and laid in the tomb that Abraham, for a price in silver, purchased from the children of Hamor in Shechem. (Acts 7:14-16). The later reunion of Joseph with Jacob (Israel), though anti-climactic after two previous reunions with his brothers, is one of the most poignant in the Bible. 51 Joseph called the name of the first-born Manas'seh, "For," he said, "God has made me forget all my hardship and all my father's house." 52 The name of the second he called E'phraim, "For God has . Isaac had one wife. Even though I never watched either Big Love or Sister Wives, I knew about people who lived like this and I will bet that anyone who lives in certain parts of certain western states can tell you the same thing. For the New Testament Joseph, see, Another possible translation is "coat with long sleeves" (. 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. He is also a type of manly beauty; so that one often finds the expression "a second Joseph," meaning one extraordinarily beautiful. He became the second most powerful man in all Egypt. The majority opinion of the rabbis is that Joseph always kept in mind his father and brothers. 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. Joseph settled Jacob's growing clan with Pharaoh's blessing in the Land of Goshen (Gen. 47:29). 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. Ultimately, Joseph was sold to Potiphar, the captain of Pharaoh's guard (Genesis 37:36, Genesis 39:1). Joseph was the first son of Rachel and Jacob, and the 11th of Jacobs 12sons, Joseph was sold by his brothers into slavery in Egypt, Joseph became the slave of Potiphar a very high official in Egypt. 15So Jacob moved down into Egypt, and lived there till he died, as did our fathers. 14Joseph sent for his father Jacob and his whole family, seventy-five souls, to come and live in Egypt. How movie 'Shakespeare in Love' almost fell apart when original star What is Jacob's new name? At last Rachel was able to have a child. 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. 14 Facts About Esau Everyone Should Know - Chabad.org Joseph interpreted this dream as the cup-bearer being restored as cup-bearer to the Pharaoh within three days. This was the legal world and social context of the time of the Patriarchs. After this, his brothers plotted against him and would have killed him had not his brother Reuben intervened. Joseph did very well with Gods help. After the events of (Gen Ch. Seeing only the powerful minister who controlled their lives and fortunes, they "bowed themselves before him with their faces to the ground" (Gen. 42:6), thus fulfilling in part his earlier prophetic dream. In Egypt, Joseph's character was antithetical to that of all the other slaves. Others consider the story a semi-independent novella, which has been independently added to the biblical record. Jacob's Sons and the 12 Tribes of Israel | Bible Story - JW.ORG The Persian poet Firdowsi wrote an epic on this subject. (Genesis 49:3350:14), After their father died, the brothers of Joseph feared retribution for being responsible for Joseph's deliverance into Egypt as a slave. When the brothers claimed to the father that a wolf had eaten Joseph, he observed patience. So Joseph supplied them Egyptian transport wagons, new garments, silver money, and twenty additional donkeys carrying provisions for the journey. R. 1:7). These were Jacob's sons who were born to him while he . 12 Sons of Jacob - Who They Were + Importance - Christianity.com According to Josephus, Reuben tied a cord around Joseph and let him down gently into the pit. [45] Joseph is thrown into a well, and was taken as a slave by a passing caravan. He was Jacob's eleventh son and Rachel's first. He could not control himself any longer and so he sent the Egyptian men out of the house. Sarah was ninety when Isaac was born and Abraham was 100 years old (21:5). He comforted them and their ties were reconciled. Who Was Asenath - The Wife to Joseph in the Bible - Crosswalk.com Unaware of this secondary intention, the others obeyed him first. Joseph was made a ruler over Egypt second to Pharoah. Home Jacob had twelve sons | Bibleview Her maid Bilhah is ancestor of two more ( Gen 35:25; Gen 46:23-24). The archers have sorely grieved him, and shot at him, and hated him: But his bow abode in strength, and the arms of his hands were made strong by the hands of the Mighty God of Jacob (From thence is the Shepherd, the Stone of Israel), Even by the God of your father who shall help thee; and by the Almighty who shall bless thee With blessings of heaven above, Blessings of the deep that lieth under, Blessings of the breasts and of the womb. Rachel in the Bible - Jacob's Wife and Mother of Joseph - Learn Religions "[43] The story has a lot in common with the biblical narrative, but with certain differences. The Amidah and the New Testament I: Long Prayers and Vain Repetitions? 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. Cushan and Midian are equated with each other, as are tents and curtains and affliction and trembling. 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. He received the same name as two great prophets, one past and one future: Joseph of Egypt and the Prophet Joseph Smith. R. 14:16). Not only did Joseph resemble his father in appearance, but the main incidents of their lives were parallel. The remaining brothers returned to their father in Canaan, and told him all that had transpired in Egypt. Pharaoh was pleased with Joseph's interpretation and gave him authority to carry out the suggested policy (Gen. 41:46). 10God saved Joseph from all his afflictions, and gave him favor and wisdom before Pharaoh, king of Egypt. Bilhah, they replied. Finally, after 20 years of marriage, they were blessed with twin boys, Jacob and Esau. of Potiphera, priest of On, to be his wife, Jacob, before he died, gave his blessing to Josephs two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim. How old was Benjamin when Joseph was sold into slavery? - JesusAlive.cc And after Joseph perished, the sons of Jacob took unto themselves wives. Through his father, he also has six half-brothers: Dan and Naphtali (whose . The Lutheran ChurchMissouri Synod commemorates him as a patriarch on 31 March. Your email address will not be published. The Haran controversy wrestles with the question of how long Abraham's grandson Jacob lived in Haran. during the Egyptian Middle Kingdom, to a later time during the Hyksos Era (16481540 B.C.E. Response: We read in Genesis 41:45 that Pharaoh gave Joseph Osnat daughter of Potiphera, priest of On, to be his wife. 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). When Rachel did not have any children, she became upset. Leah. Simeon had six sons, all of whom migrated to Egypt (Gen. xlvi. Here, their lamentation was so great that it caught the attention of surrounding Canaanites who remarked "This is a deep mourning of the Egyptians." Joseph, being seventeen years old, was pasturing the flock with his brothers. Joseph is represented as a perfectly righteous man (tzadik gamur) and as the counterpart of his father Jacob. As with Bilhahs offspring, Zilpahs children are claimed and named by Leah as her own. When he regained control of himself, he returned and ordered a meal to be served. In the sixth year, Asenath bore two children to Joseph: Manasseh and Ephraim. 14 Facts About Esau Everyone Should Know. Manasseh, Ephraim are between 19 and 26. Indeed, he blessed Joseph's sons before all the rest. As for kings - marriages were largely about political alliances (especially with . The two principle sources are the Yahwist and the Elohist versions, with a few details included as well from the Priestly source. Joseph did very well with God's help. Isaac and Rebecca's son Jacob was sent there to avoid the wrath of his brother Esau. The scene is a fitting resolution to Jacob's own drama, in which his father, Isaac, had been old and blind when Jacob himself deceived deceived him in order to obtain his blessing, meant for Esau. 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. Angered by his running away from her, she made a false accusation of rape, and thus assured his imprisonment[d] (Genesis 39:120). 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. Jacob and His 12 Sons - Life, Hope & Truth He Was the Son of Isaac. 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. He and his family took everything they owned. He also equipped a considerable army, with which he marched to help the Ishmaelites against the Tarshishites (Gen. R. 90:5). Jacob should not have had more than one wife.) [c] Thereafter the guilty brothers painted goat's blood on Joseph's coat and showed it to Jacob, who therefore believed Joseph had died (Genesis 37:1235). 41-6: Why did God allow Joseph to marry an Egyptian-a daughter from the And Joseph brought a bad report of them to their father. I am a fifty-something-year-old Bible teacher, wife of twenty-eight years to Mark, and mom of adult twin sons. Tyler Dawn How Many Wives did Jacob Have? display: none !important; 14 Then Joseph sent and called his father Jacob and all his relatives to him, seventy-five people. . Rachel: Bible | Jewish Women's Archive (obviously would not happen to a wife). The time of the promises to Abraham spans the generations of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. What is the birth order of Jacob's thirteen children? I smiled, and told them to listen again. Abravanel explains that she had accused other servants of the same crime in the past. The story of Yusuf and Zulaikha was a favorite love song in the Near East. [a] When Joseph was seventeen years old, he shared with his brothers two dreams he had had: in the first dream, Joseph and his brothers gathered bundles of grain, of which those his brothers gathered, bowed to his own. Then they informed their father that the Vizier demanded that Benjamin be brought before him to demonstrate that they were honest men. 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. These children are the offspring of four different women, Leah and Rachel, his wives, and Zilpah and Bilhah, their respective handmaids. Joseph was fully trusted by his master, Potiphars wife took a fancy to Joseph, but he refused to sin with her. The first mention of Ishmaelites (Yishma'elm) is in verse 25. Convinced of his brothers' repentance and overcome with emotion, Joseph finally revealed himself to them. It is described in the Quran as the 'best of stories'. "[40], In addition, some Christian authors have argued that this typological interpretation finds its origin in the speech of Stephen in Acts 7:9-15, as well as the Gospel of Luke and the parables of Jesus, noting strong verbal and conceptual collocation between the Greek translation of the portion of Genesis concerning Joseph and the Parable of the Wicked Tenants and the Parable of the Prodigal Son. The "unloved" Leah bore seven of Jacob's childrensix sons, Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun, as well as a daughter, Dinah. Is Polygamy Really Biblical? The cup-bearer took those grapes and squeezed them into Pharaoh's cup, and placed the cup in Pharaoh's hand. Legacy. 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 . The next two instances of dream interpretation establish his reputation as a great interpreter of dreams; first, he begins in a low place, interpreting the dreams of prisoners. I had no idea about what dyadic social identity was all about, or concubinage, and although I did understand the importance of political marriages (Solomon did NOT need that many alliances, just sayin) I was way too caught up in idea that black Mormons (not meaning color, but it was just what they were called in my neck of the woods) represented a sort of an ideal Biblical model for what was going on in ancient times.
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