Joseph was 11th of 12 sons of a wealthy nomad Jacob and his second wife Rachel. After relaying his prophecies, Israel died. The majority opinion of the rabbis is that Joseph always kept in mind his father and brothers. 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. "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. I smiled. They thought that the missed transaction would somehow be used against them as way to induct them as slaves and to confiscate their possessions. Cushan and Midian are equated with each other, as are tents and curtains and affliction and trembling. 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. . 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. The twelve sons of Jacob (Israel) from oldest to youngest were as follows. Jacob is 147 years old. Jacob's family travel to Egypt to escape the famine, and it is through him that they are given leave to settle in the Land of Goshen (the eastern part of the Nile Delta). 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). 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. 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. In Egypt, Joseph's character was antithetical to that of all the other slaves. So, did Jacob have four legally wedded wives? It starts with the 12 tribes and ends with the 12 gates with 12 pearls representing the tribes and the 12 kinds of fruit. In the Qur'an a whole chapter (sura xii) is devoted to Joseph; and Islamic commentators add many details to this "best of stories.". The Hebrew word translated as "tender" means "soft, delicate, or lovely.". Modern critics have made various estimates of the historical worth of these narratives of Joseph. 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). 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! He wanted to know if they would be willing to risk danger in order to save their half brother Benjamin. Bah' commentaries have described these as metaphors with the garment implying the recognition of a manifestation of God. [54], This article is about the Joseph of the Book of Genesis. 14 Facts About Esau Everyone Should Know. Legacy. Yusuf eventually obtains permission to marry her, she having lost none of her former beauty nor any of her first love for him. Then Joseph is summoned to interpret the dreams of Pharaoh himself. Our fathers found no food. Of all the sons, Joseph was preferred by his father, who gave him a "long coat of many colors". He admonished and forgave them, he sent also his garment which healed the patriarch's eyes as soon as it was cast unto his face. They stopped at Atad where they observed seven days of mourning. the time has come for the Israelites to be rescued from their oppressors; come up and do not cause us any further delay!" The "seven lean years" has been taken to refer to a Middle Eastern famine documented at that time. The Pharaoh is said to have given Joseph, Asenath daughter of Potiphera, priest of On, as his wife. In the Elohist version it is Rueben intervenes on Joseph's behalf, while in the Yahwist version it is Judah that saves 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. The remaining brothers returned to their father in Canaan, and told him all that had transpired in Egypt. In Canaan, Rachel gave birth to Jacob's final son, Benjamin, but, tragically, she died in childbirth. 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. Jacob with Ephraim and Manasseh. Cause me to die as a Muslim and join me with the righteous" (Qur'an 12:101). [31] However, punishment could not have been avoided because of her class status and limited public knowledge of her scheme. Joseph likely also has this status because he is the eldest child of Jacob's favorite (deceased) wife, Rachel . When Rachel had successfully provided Jacob with an heir, Leah felt her position was tenuous. After the events of (Gen Ch. 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. | Bible Topics [g] Then he had their donkeys prepared with grain and sent the other brothers back to Canaan. 38). (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. He persuaded them to throw Joseph into a pit and secretly planned to rescue him later. 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. Then he brought the brothers into the house of Joseph and received them hospitably. 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. display: none !important; in accordance with New World Encyclopedia standards. She gives birth to two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh. (Genesis 47:2731), Later, Joseph came to visit his father having with him his two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh. He then tested them further, by accusing Benjamin of theft. 1) Reuben was Jacob's firstborn. Conversations that Christians Must Have#MeToo and #BLM, Episode 82: Mark Part 24Cosmic Encounters 3The Woman with the Issue of Blood. The steward put them at ease, telling them not to worry about the money, and brought out their brother Simeon. 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). So Genesis 30 is what I was teaching my boys yesterday morning. Israel. As for kings marriages were largely about political alliances (especially with David who was shoring up support with the various tribes as well as maintaining his connection with Sauls royal line), except for Solomon, who was. He received the same name as two great prophets, one past and one future: Joseph of Egypt and the Prophet Joseph Smith. What happens when a man is required to take his dead brothers wife, if he is already married Deut 25:5? During the seven years of abundance, Joseph ensured that the storehouses were full and that all produce was weighed. Her maid Bilhah is ancestor of two more ( Gen 35:25; Gen 46:23-24). Joseph would have been approximately six years old when his family returned from Haran to Canaan. After this, his brothers plotted against him and would have killed him had not his brother Reuben intervened. Ultimately, Joseph was sold to Potiphar, the captain of Pharaoh's guard (Genesis 37:36, Genesis 39:1). [29] Maimonides comments that even the villager in Shechem, about whom Joseph inquired his brother's whereabouts, was a "divine messenger" working behind the scene.[30]. Convinced of his brothers' repentance and overcome with emotion, Joseph finally revealed himself to them. 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. 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. How many years overall did he work for Laban? Now why? 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. Jacob was tricked into polygamy (Genesis 29:20-30) and later received two additional wives bringing the grand total of four wives (Genesis 30:4, 9). Unaware of this secondary intention, the others obeyed him first. 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. As a last resort, all of the inhabitants of Egypt, less the Egyptian priestly class, sold their properties and later themselves (as slaves) to Joseph for seed; wherefore Joseph set a mandate that, because the people would be sowing and harvesting seed on government property, a fifth of the produce should go to the Pharaoh. Joseph and Asenath. Stories about Jacob in the Bible begin at Genesis 25:19. This makes Jesus related to Adam, both as the son of God and . His prophetic powers are sited as an example of "faith" in Hebrews 11:22. [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]. Although they had betrayed him in the past, Joseph greeted them . Joseph's half-brothers were jealous of him; (Genesis 37:1820) wherefore, in Dothan, most of them plotted to kill him, with the exception of Reuben,[12][13] who suggested to have Joseph thrown into an empty cistern, intending to rescue Joseph himself. A midrash asked, How many times was Joseph sold? Joseph urged the first, a royal cupbearer, to get him out of prison once he was reinstated, but the cupbearer took no action on his behalf for two more years. 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. . 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. She also bore Benjamin and was a faithful wife to Jacob. 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. The following morning the brothers began their journey back to Canaan. After he had washed his face, he came out and, controlling himself, said, 'Serve the food'" (Gen 43:30-32). (obviously would not happen to a wife). When Jacob calls his wives to him in Gen thirty-one only Leah and Rachel are named. 1653. What is Jacob's new name? He wept so loudly that even the Egyptian household heard it outside. Sefer ha-Yashar, section Wayiggash). When Joseph woke up, he did as the angel commanded him to do. [50] He thus charged his sons to go and inquire about Joseph and his brother and despair not of God's mercy. [46], In the Bible, Joseph discloses himself to his brethren before they return to their father the second time after buying grain. 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. Deceptively, Joseph also ordered the steward to put his silver cup in Benjamin's sack. Sarah was ninety when Isaac was born and Abraham was 100 years old (21:5). I pray you will be preserved by our maker. The shrine called Joseph's Tomb in Nablus/Shechem is traditionally considered to be his tomb. 5:26; Jacob 1:2, 18-19). 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. ", "The bones of Joseph which the children of Israel had brought up from the land of Egypt, they buried at Shechem in the plot of ground that Jacob had purchased from the sons of Hamor". He Was the Son of Isaac. Jacob was 130 at this time (Gen 47:9). Joseph saw and inquired of Benjamin, and was overcome by emotion but did not show it. Simeon had six sons, all of whom migrated to Egypt (Gen. xlvi. Then Joseph buried Israel in the cave of Machpelah, the property of Abraham when he bought it from the Hittites. 8, 10). In the time of the Exodus, Serah, daughter of Asher, showed Moses where the coffin was sunk. 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. 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. The Persian poet Firdowsi wrote an epic on this subject. How many wives did Abraham have? Joseph (/dozf, -sf/; Hebrew: , lit. 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. We passed on to Zilpah, and they noticed it again Gad is Leahs son!, Very good, I smiled. Abraham then died at 175 years of age (25 . 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. In the midrash, the selling of Joseph was part of God's divine plan for him to save his tribes. The word used by for echad in the LXX (Septuagint, the authorized Greek translation of the Tanach OT) and the NT (ie. However, Joseph was displeased that his father's right hand was not on the head of his firstborn, so he switched his father's hands. Jacob, before he died, blessed each of his sons and two of his grandsons, the two sons of Joseph. Upon stopping to speak to her, he discovers Zulaikha, who has been left in misery at the death of her husband. Pharaoh made Joseph governor over Egypt and all Pharaohs house. [42] Joseph is said to have been extremely handsome, which attracted his Egyptian master's wife to attempt to seduce him. [NOTE: Jacob is listed by Stephen individually.] Afterward, Joseph's family personally met the Pharaoh of Egypt. He was the first of the two sons of Jacob and Rachel (Jacob's twelfth child and eleventh son). 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. 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. He interpreted the dream as seven years of abundance followed by seven years of famine, and advised the Pharaoh to store surplus grain. 84, xl. Families desperately needed heirs, and the dyadic social identity of a woman depended on her being not only a wife, but also a mother it simply didnt matter if your husband loved you best, if you had no children Rachel knew that (so did Sarah, Rebekah, Hannah and Elizabeth). Yes, the Bible does indicate that Jacob had more than one daughter. "Pharaoh called Joseph by the name Tzafnat-Pa'neach and gave him as his wife Asenath the daughter of Poti-Fera priest of On. 42-45), Jacob, his sons, and all of his descendants moved to Egypt to be with Joseph. pseudo-Jonathan), protecting her from the lustful eyes of Esau (Gen. R. 78:13). When they were brought to Joseph's house, they were apprehensive about the returned money in their money sacks. 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). (Genesis 48:122). Moreover, Inter. . lol does it come with a jetted jacuzi tub? Angered by his running away from her, she made a false accusation of rape, and thus assured his imprisonment[d] (Genesis 39:120). 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. R. 14:16). 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. From the various midrashim, a wondrous story emerges: You see, when Shechem abducted Dinah, she became pregnant with his child. At their first meeting, the brothers did not recognize him. However, it is instructive to note that only Dinah is mentioned (Genesis 30:19-21; 34:1-3; 46:15) . Joseph is mentioned in the New Testament as an example of faith (Hebrews 11:22). Joseph's brothers were motivated by fear. The genealogy of Jesus in the New Testament traces Jesus' ancestry lineally, from Abraham to David, and then from David to Jesus. Why did Jacob go to paddan? (Genesis Rabbah 84:22). is devoted to him, the only instance in the Quran in which an entire chapter is devoted to a complete story of a prophet. 2. The Bible tells us twice that Jacob had daughters. In Genesis 29:31-30:24 the birth . 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 . The first mention of Ishmaelites (Yishma'elm) is in verse 25. A fourth group in verse 36 is named in Hebrew as mdanm that is properly identified as Medanites. How many sons did Jacob have with bilhah? 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. 24 Rachel's sons were Joseph and Benjamin. 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 . Her name was Dinah. well, that did go well. arose that night, and took his two wives, his two maidservants1 and his eleven children, and crossed the ford of the Jabbok. Well, thats what I thought for many years as well and it was no wonder I was looking through a lens colored by modern movies, television shows, and ten years spent living in uber-Mormon southern Idaho. Plan to Trick Jacob. 2) Simeon was next, and he was also a son of Leah. 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. Is the word Bible pagan? They also discovered that all of their money sacks still had money in them, and they were dismayed. Bilhah, they replied. The other polygamists in Scripture were Lamech (a descendant of Cain who killed a guy) and Esau (who well he was Esau, nuff said) we dont see any of the twelve sons of Jacob having mutliple wives, Moses, Joshua, Caleb, the Judges (not even Sampson) or the prophets. Her father, Jacob, saw that his family was deeply ashamed of his new granddaughter. He even instructed them to take his bones with them. An angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and he said; "Take Mary home as your wife.". 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. Particularly galling is Jacob's reaction to Rachel the wife whom he loves deeply when she cannot become pregnant. Joseph had his father embalmed, a process that took forty days. 18:7, 19; 2 Ne. 13. His story functions as an explanation for Israel's residence in Egypt. Finally, after 20 years of marriage, they were blessed with twin boys, Jacob and Esau. [47] But in Islam they returned leaving behind Benjamin because the mizzen bowl of the king was found in his bag. To the modern proponents of polygamy (as opposed to Biblical polygamy, which was entirely different), our forefather Jacob is the shining example after all, he had four wives right? Tap a Lookup below to generate a list oflessons. Joseph would have been approximately six years old . Joseph is commemorated as one of the Holy Forefathers in the Calendar of Saints of the Armenian Apostolic Church on 26 July.
