Jacob's daughters, like too many Bible women, often go unnamed, are mentioned only in passing, or both. Her father, Jacob, saw that his family was deeply ashamed of his new granddaughter. 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. When Joseph and his mother bowed to Esau (Gen. 33:7), Joseph shielded his mother with his body (Targ. Every time a son was born I asked my boys to tell me who the sons belonged to and it worked fine until we got to Dan. Because she was now barren (for whatever reason), she was in the legal position to give her own maidservant to Jacob as another woman, concubine. It served a specific societal function within a context that no longer exists (much like the need for Levirate marriage). He is presently pastor of the Evangelical Church of Archbold, Ohio. The Egyptians would not dine with Hebrews at the same table, as doing so was considered loathsome, thus the sons of Israel were served at a separate table (Genesis 43:1644:34). In icons, he is sometimes depicted wearing the nemes headdress of an Egyptian vizier. Some of those women were also married to friends of his.Nov 11, 2014 Before he died, he made the children of Israel swear that when they left the land of Egypt they would take his bones with them, and on his death his body was embalmed and placed in a coffin in Egypt. [21] After questioning them, he accused them of being spies. And Joseph brought a bad report of them to their father. Her maid Bilhah is ancestor of two more ( Gen 35:25; Gen 46:23-24). They were rapacious, while Joseph never enjoyed anything that was not his (Zeb. (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. of Potiphera, priest of On, to be his wife, Jacob, before he died, gave his blessing to Josephs two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim. According to the Old Testament, Jacob was the younger twin brother of Esau, who was the ancestor of Edom . The words do not share the same lemma and so are unrelated. The sons by . Joseph likely also has this status because he is the eldest child of Jacob's favorite (deceased) wife, Rachel . (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. 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. popularly referred to as a "coat of many colors." Now why? It was after this that Isaac married Rebekah and Abraham took Keturah as a wife (possibly a concubine) (see Genesis 24 and 25:1). What is a forbidden marriage in the Bible? 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 . (Genesis 50:2226). 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. Joseph ordered the steward to go after the brothers and to question them about the "missing" silver cup. According to the Midrash, Joseph would have been immediately executed by the sexual assault charge against him by Potiphar's wife. 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. Leah. He withdrew to his chambers and wept. 139a; Gen. R. 94:25). Notify me of followup comments via e-mail. The favoritism Israel showed Joseph and the plot against him by his brothers were divine means of getting him into Egypt. is devoted to him, the only instance in the Quran in which an entire chapter is devoted to a complete story of a prophet. Joseph named his eldest Manasseh ('to forget' in Hebrew) because "God has made me forget all my trouble and all my father's household," while his younger son was named Ephraim ('to be fruitful') "because God has made me fruitful in the land of my suffering." (Genesis 41 . The coffin thereupon floated up (Ex. Jacob therefore let the wolf go. 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. The house of Israel acquired many possessions and multiplied exceedingly during the course of seventeen years, even through the worst of the seven-year famine. 21 . Finally, after 20 years of marriage, they were blessed with twin boys, Jacob and Esau. And as for Jacob, he never intended to have any other wife but Rachel and only ended up in this polygamous situation because of trickery he chose to be a polygamist because it would seem that a man who was willing to work a grand total of fourteen years for a woman evidently could not imagine living without her. 119a; comp. The children of Israel remembered their oath, and when they left Egypt during the Exodus, Moses took Joseph's bones with him. The steward put them at ease, telling them not to worry about the money, and brought out their brother Simeon. Later we will learn a lot more about Joseph, because he became a very important person. How many kids did Mary have? 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. In the time of the Exodus, Serah, daughter of Asher, showed Moses where the coffin was sunk. which references passages that point to Jacob having "daughters" (plural, more than one) such as Genesis 37:34-35. Israel declared that they would be heirs to the inheritance of the house of Israel, as if they were his own children, just as Reuben and Simeon were. (notice that she is given the same treatment as a wife but is not a wife), [147] If she have not borne him children, then her mistress may sell her for money. At this time, Joseph's father was 147 years old and bedridden. Part of the problem with that verse is that it is almost always separated from the context of the verses before it the case of the woman taken as a prisoner of war, brought into a mans home and taken as a wife. Ultimately, Joseph was sold to Potiphar, the captain of Pharaoh's guard (Genesis 37:36, Genesis 39:1). The composition of the story can be dated to the period between the 7th century BCE and the third quarter of the 5th century BCE, which is roughly the period to which scholars date the Book of Genesis. Genesis 41:45 says that after Joseph interpreted the dreams of Pharaoh 45 Pharaoh called Joseph's name Zaphnath-paaneah; and he gave him to wife Asenath the daughter of Potipherah priest of On. After Jacob's death, Joseph received the Pharaoh's permission to travel with a great caravan to Canaan in order to bury the patriarch. 1) Reuben was Jacob's firstborn. Then the Hebrew phrase shm midyanm srm in verse 28 describes Midianite traders. Sarah was ninety when Isaac was born and Abraham was 100 years old (21:5). The first group identified, are Joseph's brothers when Judah brings up the idea of selling Joseph in verses 26 and 27. He then sent them away with grain, retaining Simeon as a hostage (Gen. 42:1-25), while ordering them not to return without Benjamin, the only one of his brothers born of Joseph's own mother, Rachel. The time of the promises to Abraham spans the generations of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Muslim theologians, especially of the Sufi tradition, use this story to symbolize the spiritual love between God and the soul. 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. Then Joseph is summoned to interpret the dreams of Pharaoh himself. Genesis 35:21-27 gives a list of Jacob's sons and the various woman he had them with. 50 Before the year of famine came, Joseph had two sons, whom As'enath, the daughter of Poti'phera priest of On, bore to him. 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. 38). As with Bilhahs offspring, Zilpahs children are claimed and named by Leah as her own. Our President, Mr . 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. 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. God richly bless you my sis. Joseph's brothers were motivated by fear. Then Joseph buried Israel in the cave of Machpelah, the property of Abraham when he bought it from the Hittites. The Wives of Jacob's Sons (xxxiv. Joseph had good reasons not to have an affair with Potiphar's wife: he did not want to abuse his master's trust; he believed in the sanctity of marriage; and it went against his ethical, moral and religious principles taught to him by his father Jacob. After this, his brothers plotted against him and would have killed him had not his brother Reuben intervened. 4. They betrayed him by. Jacob is between 130 and 147 years old. 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. This caused a stir amongst the brothers. Joseph understood what they were saying and removed himself from their presence because he was caught in emotion. She then had three more sons: Simeon, Levi and Judah. It was during this return to Egypt that Joseph disclosed his real identity to his brothers. [31] However, punishment could not have been avoided because of her class status and limited public knowledge of her scheme. He then tested them further, by accusing Benjamin of theft. Rachel is his mom, one of them gasped. Jacob lives in Egypt for seventeen years after his arrival (Genesis 47:28). [51] The remaining verses describe the migration of Jacob's family to Egypt and the emotional meeting of Jacob and his long lost son, Joseph. They thought that the missed transaction would somehow be used against them as way to induct them as slaves and to confiscate their possessions. 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. Jacob is 147 years old. Who was the angel of [50] He thus charged his sons to go and inquire about Joseph and his brother and despair not of God's mercy. 15 So Jacob went down to Egypt; and he died, he and our fathers. Rabbah l.c). So they named this spot Abel Mizraim. Although this very well may offend our modern sensibilities, Zilpah and Bilhah had a better life than they had hoped for, in the end. Joseph! Known best for his coat of "many colors" and his God-given ability to interpret dreams, Joseph was sold into slavery by his jealous half-brothers. How many wives did Joseph have in the Bible? I have written six books on the ancient Near Eastern and First Century context of Scripture, including a family curriculum series. Is Polygamy Really Biblical? Tap the title above, next to the arrow, to go to thatlesson with a link back to thispage. yosef] to me another son." (Gen. 30:24) He was born in Padan-aram when Jacob was about 90 years old. Elkannah had two women but again, one of them was barren so I suspect that Peninah was a concubine. pseudo-Jonathan), protecting her from the lustful eyes of Esau (Gen. R. 78:13). Tap the title above, next to the arrow, to go to thatlesson with a link back to thispage. Nice going! Sign me up for that! [b] Upon imprisoning Joseph, the brothers saw a camel caravan carrying spices and perfumes to Egypt, and sold Joseph to these merchants. Joseph And His Brothers, The cultural impact of the Joseph story in early-modern times is discussed in, This page was last edited on 28 February 2023, at 10:50. Joseph, in the Old Testament, son of the patriarch Jacob and his wife Rachel. 2) Simeon was next, and he was also a son of Leah. A fourth group in verse 36 is named in Hebrew as mdanm that is properly identified as Medanites. He was present at Jacob's famous reconciliation with his brother Esau. Notify me of follow-up comments by email. How many wives did Joseph son of Jacob have? He was Rachel's firstborn and Jacob's eleventh son. In Egypt, Joseph's character was antithetical to that of all the other slaves. Joseph's sons Manasseh and Ephraim were born before the years of famine. He brought them closer and relayed to them the events that had happened and told them not to fear, that what they had meant for evil, God had meant for good. Joseph is also extolled by the rabbis for being a prophet, and for supporting his brothers. Though Manasseh was the older brother, Jacob placed his right hand on Ephraim, the younger, and gave him the greater blessing. 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! And after Joseph perished, the sons of Jacob took unto themselves wives. As Jacob's favorite son, he received from his father a coat of many colors, which made his brothers jealous to . Edit: I have been getting some great questions so I will share my answers. The brothers conferred amongst themselves speaking in Hebrew, reflecting on the wrong they had done to Joseph. Old and nearly blind, Jacob is overwhelmed with joy, saying: "I never expected to see your face again, and now God has allowed me to see your children too" (Gen 48:11). Joseph did very well with Gods help. These were Jacob's sons who were born to him while he . When they were brought to Joseph's house, they were apprehensive about the returned money in their money sacks. When Joseph interpreted Pharaoh's dreams, the king asked him for a sign by which he might know that his interpretation was true. His story functions as an explanation for Israel's residence in Egypt. lol does it come with a jetted jacuzi tub? When Rachel had successfully provided Jacob with an heir, Leah felt her position was tenuous. Both were met by angels at various times (Gen. R. 84:6; Num. 23 Leah's sons were Reuben (Jacob's first-born), Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun. | Bible Topics How many years overall did he work for Laban? The money they had brought was double what they had offered on the first trip. 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. Joseph correctly predicted their futures: one would be reinstated in his post while the other would be executed. Required fields are marked *, nine = 27 .hide-if-no-js { How many sons did Jacob have with bilhah? Others consider the story a semi-independent novella, which has been independently added to the biblical record. He wanted to know if they would be willing to risk danger in order to save their half brother Benjamin. Joseph is 56 and Benjamin is about 40. She also bore Benjamin and was a faithful wife to Jacob. 84, xl. during the Egyptian Middle Kingdom, to a later time during the Hyksos Era (16481540 B.C.E. After the events of (Gen Ch. Joseph is between 39 and 56 years old. The cup-bearer's dream was about a vine with three branches that was budding. [g] Then he had their donkeys prepared with grain and sent the other brothers back to Canaan. Joseph was brought from prison to interpret the king's dream. Joseph had good reasons not to have an affair with Potiphar's wife: he did not want to abuse his master's trust; he believed in the sanctity of marriage; and . 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. In Jewish tradition, Joseph was the progenitor of the northern tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh, named for his two sons. Particularly galling is Jacob's reaction to Rachel the wife whom he loves deeply when she cannot become pregnant. Because the Pharaoh had such a high regard for Joseph, practically making him his equal,[23] it had been an honor to meet his father. 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. He kept the sacred records after Nephi (see 1 Ne. 26 Leah's servant Zilpah's sons were Gad and Asher. I think Ill stick with my one wife (Staci) of 23 years. When he. | Servants of Grace Apologetics, Mishpatim in Context: Selling your daughter into slavery? At the age 30, Joseph married Asenath, the daughter of the priest of Heliopolis. Answer (1 of 10): If you are talking about Jacob (Israel)'s son Joseph, then he had one wife. As Zipporah was a Midianite, calling her a Kusite makes absolute sense. It simply was a rarity. Short answer: Jacob worked 7 years for Laban before he married his two wives, Leah and Rachel.Long answer: Jacob worked 7 years to pay . Pharaoh made Joseph governor over Egypt and all Pharaohs house. The family, including the Egyptians, mourned him seventy days. [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. 5:26; Jacob 1:2, 18-19). I smiled, and told them to listen again. [53] These come in the forms of allusions written by the Bb and Bah'u'llh. After they mentioned a younger brother at home, the Vizier (Joseph) demanded that he be brought to Egypt as a demonstration of their veracity. 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. 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). What about the Ethiopian woman that Moses took as a wife in Numbers 12:1? [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 family prostrated before him hence the fulfilment of his dream aforetime.[52]. Joseph was sworn to do as his father asked of him. Thus, Israel was able to bless the Pharaoh. Joseph was called into his father's house and Israel pleaded with his son that he not be buried in Egypt. Zulaikha is the wife of Kitfir (the Biblical Potiphar), through whose accusations Yusuf is thrown into prison. 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). 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! Who is Dans mom? I asked. According to Josephus, Reuben tied a cord around Joseph and let him down gently into the pit. "[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. Joseph is represented as a perfectly righteous man (tzadik gamur) and as the counterpart of his father Jacob. What is Jacob's new name? To Joseph he declared: Joseph is a fruitful bough, even a fruitful bough by a well; whose branches run over the wall. 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. Simeon had six sons, all of whom migrated to Egypt (Gen. xlvi. When the Vizier (Joseph) appeared, they gave him gifts from their father. We passed on to Zilpah, and they noticed it again Gad is Leahs son!, Very good, I smiled. , romanized: Rl, lit. Who was the wife of Joseph son of Jacob? 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). Joseph's wife is considered to be an Egyptian. People just cherry pick with the descriptions to determine prescriptives without studying out the matter. Here, their lamentation was so great that it caught the attention of surrounding Canaanites who remarked "This is a deep mourning of the Egyptians." R. 1:7). The historicity of Joseph's story is debated, with dates ranging from an early estimate beginning around 2000 B.C.E. Yes and No. Why did Jacob go to paddan? When Rachel did not have any children, she became upset. Jacob should not have had more than one wife.) 84, xl. "-Genesis 41:45. Loaded with knowledge and wisdom. 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. Some believe that he built the city of Memphis, and that he was instrumental in building the obelisks and pyramids. Abraham then died at 175 years of age (25 . Joseph is commemorated as one of the Holy Forefathers in the Calendar of Saints of the Armenian Apostolic Church on 26 July. 1653. Shechem was in the land which was allocated by Joshua to the Tribe of Ephraim, one of the tribes of the House of Joseph, after the conquest of Canaan. He received the same name as two great prophets, one past and one future: Joseph of Egypt and the Prophet Joseph Smith. 34), and a whole chapter Yusuf (sura xii.) She became angry and told lies about him, so he was put in jail. 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? Joseph is mentioned in the New Testament as an example of faith (Hebrews 11:22). 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. 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). So Joseph supplied them Egyptian transport wagons, new garments, silver money, and twenty additional donkeys carrying provisions for the journey. display: none !important; This makes Jesus related to Adam, both as the son of God and . Joseph was sold by his brothers into slavery in Egypt (Genesis 37). 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. Joseph and Asenath. [45] Joseph is thrown into a well, and was taken as a slave by a passing caravan. yosef] to me another son." The community seems to confuse quite often what is description vs prescription. Joseph was then summoned. Many of these amplifications have been borrowed by rabbinical tradition. 14 Facts About Esau Everyone Should Know. 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. 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. He comforted them and their ties were reconciled. At the end of that period, the Pharaoh had a strange dream which none of his advisers could interpret. [NOTE: Jacob is listed by Stephen individually.] Moreover, Inter. 'He shall add';[1] Standard: Ysef, Tiberian: Ysp; alternatively: ,[2][3] lit. However, it is instructive to note that only Dinah is mentioned (Genesis 30:19-21; 34:1-3; 46:15) . 42-45), Jacob, his sons, and all of his descendants moved to Egypt to be with Joseph. Joseph interpreted this dream as the baker being hanged within three days and having his flesh eaten by birds. | The Hub well, that did go well. 14Joseph sent for his father Jacob and his whole family, seventy-five souls, to come and live in Egypt. They commemorate him on the Sunday of the Holy Forefathers (two Sundays before Christmas) and on Holy and Great Monday (Monday of Holy Week). Such a blessing as always sis. 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. The Pharaoh is said to have given Joseph, Asenath daughter of Potiphera, priest of On, as his wife. As a result, he was envied by his half-brothers. After bearing Judah, Leah stopped bearing children for a . 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. . 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. Because the 12 sons of Jacob became the 12 tribesGod's covenantal peoplethe 12 stones on the high priest's breastplate of course represent God's promise to them ( Genesis 28:12-15 ). 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).
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