Thank you. (Gen 50:7-9). Joseph then told him that the queen, who was about to be delivered of a child, would give birth to a son, but that at the same time another of the king's sons, two years of age, would dieall of which came to pass exactly as Joseph predicted. Half of Manasseh's tribe settled east of the Jordan, while the other half settled west of it. As with Bilhahs offspring, Zilpahs children are claimed and named by Leah as her own. When he returned, the Vizier took Simeon and bound him as a hostage. 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. Joseph is regarded by Muslims as a prophet (Qur'an, suras vi. He went into his private room and wept there. How many wives did Jacob have? 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. The story of Joseph also inspired the popular autobiographical song "Coat of Many Colors," written and recorded early in the career of country icon. The money they had brought was double what they had offered on the first trip. 24 Rachel's sons were Joseph and Benjamin. well, that did go well. The narrative also indicates that they went straight to Joseph or were directed to him, even by the Pharaoh himself (Genesis 41:3757). Sign me up for that! In Egypt, Joseph's character was antithetical to that of all the other slaves. In the Yahwist version Joseph is sold to Ismaelites, while in the Elohist (E) narrative it is Midianites who buy him. Zulaikha is the wife of Kitfir (the Biblical Potiphar), through whose accusations Yusuf is thrown into prison. This family, with its sordid history of deceit, jealousy, and . He withdrew to his chambers and wept. The robotic sermon went on to relate the story of when Joseph, the son of Jacob, was reunited with his brothers after many years. 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. When Jacob calls his wives to him in Gen thirty-one only Leah and Rachel are named. 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. She then had three more sons: Simeon, Levi and Judah. 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). which references passages that point to Jacob having "daughters" (plural, more than one) such as Genesis 37:34-35. 19The new king took advantage of our people, and mistreated our fathers. "[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. 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. "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. These dreams, implying his supremacy, angered his brothers (Genesis 37:111) and made the brothers plot his demise. How many sons did Jacob have with bilhah? .". He was Jacob's eleventh son and Rachel's first. Others consider the story a semi-independent novella, which has been independently added to the biblical record. display: none !important; Some rabbis, however, charged Joseph with vanity, saying that, even before being sold, he took too much pains with his personal appearance (Gen. R. 84:7), and that he continued to do so as ruler over Potiphar's house, forgetting his father, who was mourning over his disappearance. An angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and he said; "Take Mary home as your wife.". So Genesis 30 is what I was teaching my boys yesterday morning. Israel (Jacob) agreed to his son's invitation to move to Egypt and began the journey to see Joseph. 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). 2) Simeon was next, and he was also a son of Leah. We passed on to Zilpah, and they noticed it again Gad is Leahs son!, Very good, I smiled. 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. Particularly galling is Jacob's reaction to Rachel the wife whom he loves deeply when she cannot become pregnant. [26][27] The plot begins by showing Joseph as a dreamer; this leads him into trouble as, out of jealousy, his brothers sell him into slavery. 14 Facts About Esau Everyone Should Know. Yusuf eventually obtains permission to marry her, she having lost none of her former beauty nor any of her first love for him. When they were brought to Joseph's house, they were apprehensive about the returned money in their money sacks. Leah. He even instructed them to take his bones with them. 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. One tradition holds that Jacob's other children came into the world only for Joseph's sake. The cup-bearer took those grapes and squeezed them into Pharaoh's cup, and placed the cup in Pharaoh's hand. Then the Hebrew phrase shm midyanm srm in verse 28 describes Midianite traders. 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. 5:26; Jacob 1:2, 18-19). [h] It had been over twenty years since Joseph had last seen his father. The problem lies in the fact that the Hebrew word for wife, isha, is also the generic word for woman (we see this same phenomenon in Greek), and so Bilhah and Zilpah were given to Jacob as women who were there for the express purpose of bearing children otherwise known as concubines. He was Rachel's firstborn and Jacob's eleventh son. Ephraim was one of the major northern tribes, just north of the territory of Judah. She became angry and told lies about him, so he was put in jail. It is later mentioned in Genesis 41:50 that before the years of famine, Joseph had two sons with Asenath. How many children did Jacob have? 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. Christian Apologetics & Intelligence Ministry, Tyler Dawn How Many Wives did Jacob Have? 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). And after Joseph perished, the sons of Jacob took unto themselves wives. [47] But in Islam they returned leaving behind Benjamin because the mizzen bowl of the king was found in his bag. 139a; Gen. R. 94:25). 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). These are the generations of Jacob. When he regained control of himself, he returned and ordered a meal to be served. Then Joseph buried Israel in the cave of Machpelah, the property of Abraham when he bought it from the Hittites. When the steward caught up with the brothers, he seized them and searched their sacks. The children of Israel remembered their oath, and when they left Egypt during the Exodus, Moses took Joseph's bones with him. After correctly interpreting the dreams of Pharaoh, however, he rises to second-in-command in Egypt and saves Egypt during a famine. When the brothers claimed to the father that a wolf had eaten Joseph, he observed patience. After this, his brothers plotted against him and would have killed him had not his brother Reuben intervened. The eleventh son of Jacob and elder of the two sons Rachel (Genesis 30:23, 24). 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. The word used by for echad in the LXX (Septuagint, the authorized Greek translation of the Tanach OT) and the NT (ie. (Gen. 28:3, 4) This explains why Jacob when nearly 100 years old did everything in his power to obtain God's blessing; he even wrestled with a materialized angel. 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. }. Thank you for your VERY well done teaching. She was no longer the mother of all of Jacobs children Rachel had a child now and she was the one who was truly regarded, by Jacob, as his wife. Joseph wept as they spoke and told them that what had happened was God's purpose to save lives and the lives of his family. I pray you will be preserved by our maker. Pharaoh made Joseph governor over Egypt and all Pharaohs house. Hope that makes sense. These were the 11 sons that were born to Jacob when he lived with Rachel's father Laban. Joseph! She gave birth to Joseph, one of the most important figures of the Old Testament, who saved the nation of Israel during a famine. As a result, he was envied by his half-brothers. Mary and Joseph ended up in Bethlehem where the birth took place. Modern critics have made various estimates of the historical worth of these narratives of Joseph. Josephs ability to interpret dreams got him out of jail and into great favour with Pharoah. He was the first of the two sons of Jacob and Rachel (Jacob's twelfth child and eleventh son). This mandate lasted until the days of Moses (Genesis 47:2031). They were directed into the province of Goshen and Joseph readied his chariot to meet his father there. 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'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. 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. 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 . 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. Isaac had one wife. J. M. Sel. 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. 20-21). . 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. At that time Moses was born (Acts 7:17-19). 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. Did Jacob have 4 wives? Joseph's brothers were motivated by fear. Then Israel called all of his sons in and prophesied their blessings or curses to all twelve of them in order of their ages. 'He shall add';[1] Standard: Ysef, Tiberian: Ysp; alternatively: ,[2][3] lit. During the seven years of abundance, Joseph ensured that the storehouses were full and that all produce was weighed. 26 Leah's servant Zilpah's sons were Gad and Asher. (Genesis 47:2731), Later, Joseph came to visit his father having with him his two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh. [45] Joseph is thrown into a well, and was taken as a slave by a passing caravan. 2. 5. Here, Potiphar's wife (called Zuleika in later tradition) tried to seduce Joseph, which he refused. Jacob did not wholly believe that Joseph was dead, because he could not forget him, while the dead are soon forgotten. [41], Joseph (Arabic: , Ysuf) is regarded by Muslims as a prophet (Quran, suras vi. the time has come for the Israelites to be rescued from their oppressors; come up and do not cause us any further delay!" yosef] to me another son." As we progress through the stories about Jacob and his family, you will notice that his wives are respectfully addressed by name while Bilhah and Zilpah are repeatedly called, the maidservants. Culturally, they were never elevated to the level of either Leah or Rachel and they probably never expected to be. Joseph is commemorated as one of the Holy Forefathers in the Calendar of Saints of the Armenian Apostolic Church on 26 July. [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." 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. The steward put them at ease, telling them not to worry about the money, and brought out their brother Simeon. Our fathers found no food. The steward found the cup in Benjamin's sack - just as he had planted it the night before. . 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. Rather, he requested to be carried to the land of Canaan to be buried with his forefathers. Jacob lives in Egypt for seventeen years after his arrival (Genesis 47:28). Cindy Crawford's son Presley Gerber, 23, opens up about 'mistakes' he made during his battle with depression: 'I feel like it should be talked about a lot more than it is' The story tells of two servants of Pharaoh's household who were in jail with Joseph and asked him to interpret their dreams. You can also subscribe without commenting. Gad and Asher: On the heels of Rachel's entry into the battle of the babies, Leah decided to give her maid, Zilpah to Jacob ( Genesis 30:9-12 ). Pharaoh was pleased with Joseph's interpretation and gave him authority to carry out the suggested policy (Gen. 41:46). Her name was Dinah. The genealogy of Jesus in the New Testament traces Jesus' ancestry lineally, from Abraham to David, and then from David to Jesus. Unbeknownst to them, Joseph had also returned their money to their money sacks (Genesis 42:128). ), and as recently as the reign of Pharaoh Merneptah about 1200 B.C.E. 4. He could not control himself any longer and so he sent the Egyptian men out of the house. Joseph, son of Jacob and Rachel, lived in the land of Canaan with ten half-brothers, one full brother, and at least one half-sister. 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. Taking 130 and subtracting it from Joseph's age of 39 means Jacob was 91 when Joseph was born. 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. 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. After relaying his prophecies, Israel died. His prophetic powers are sited as an example of "faith" in Hebrews 11:22. The musical Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat is about Joseph's story. 17As the time of the promise drew near, the promise that God had sworn to Abraham, the people grew and multiplied in Egypt. Certain rabbis declared that Joseph was ready to yield to his mistress, but that his father's image suddenly appeared to him and called him to his duty (Sotah 36b; Gen. R. 87:9). She gives birth to two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh. A fourth group in verse 36 is named in Hebrew as mdanm that is properly identified as Medanites. During this period of famine, Joseph's brothers, except for Benjamin, also came down to Egypt to buy grain. In the midrash, the selling of Joseph was part of God's divine plan for him to save his tribes. Joseph prospered in Potiphar's household and was eventually made head of the servants. Deceptively, Joseph also ordered the steward to put his silver cup in Benjamin's sack. Joseph was fully trusted by his master, Potiphars wife took a fancy to Joseph, but he refused to sin with her. Confronting a Devastating Doctrine: Are Children Is Hand Washing Commanded? Unaware of this secondary intention, the others obeyed him first. Cause me to die as a Muslim and join me with the righteous" (Qur'an 12:101). 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. [5], In rabbinic tradition, he is considered the ancestor of a second Messiah called "Mashiach ben Yosef", who will wage war against the forces of evil alongside Mashiach ben David and die in combat with the enemies of God and Israel. Joseph was sold by his brothers into slavery in Egypt (Genesis 37). In Canaan, Rachel gave birth to Jacob's final son, Benjamin, but, tragically, she died in childbirth. Bah' commentaries have described these as metaphors with the garment implying the recognition of a manifestation of God. One opinion holds that the Holy Spirit dwelt in Joseph from his childhood until his death (Pirke R. El. Joseph was brought from prison to interpret the king's dream. . The story of Yusuf and Zulaikha was a favorite love song in the Near East. According to Josephus, Reuben tied a cord around Joseph and let him down gently into the pit. In Jewish tradition, Joseph was the progenitor of the northern tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh, named for his two sons. Is Polygamy Really Biblical? Now why? I smiled. There are numerous mentions of Joseph in Bah' writings. Your email address will not be published. Since Joseph and Benjamin were born from Rachel, this test was necessary to reveal if they would betray Benjamin as they did with Joseph when he was seventeen. Of all the sons, Joseph was preferred by his father, who gave him a "long coat of many colors". Here, their lamentation was so great that it caught the attention of surrounding Canaanites who remarked "This is a deep mourning of the Egyptians." To add to the distinction within the family, in chapter thirty-seven, when Joseph goes tattling on his brothers, it specifically mentions that they are the sons of the neshe Bilhah and Zilpah. "Pharaoh called Joseph by the name Tzafnat-Pa'neach and gave him as his wife Asenath the daughter of Poti-Fera priest of On. Yes and No. He is also a type of manly beauty; so that one often finds the expression "a second Joseph," meaning one extraordinarily beautiful. According to Legend of the Jews, the name of Potiphar's wife is Zuleikha and when she was enticing Joseph to give up to her sinful passion, God appeared unto him, holding the foundation of earth (Eben Shetiyah), that He would destroy the world if Joseph touched her. If Jacob, Joseph, and Joseph's two sons are added, then the total number is seventy (46:27). Edit: I have been getting some great questions so I will share my answers. Joseph interpreted this dream as the baker being hanged within three days and having his flesh eaten by birds. 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. Notify me of follow-up comments by email. Then Joseph is summoned to interpret the dreams of Pharaoh himself. Tap a Lookup below to generate a list oflessons. The sons by . I saw the tents of Cushan in affliction; the curtains of the land of Midian did tremble. Joseph or Yosef (Hebrew: , Arabic: , Yusuf; "The Lord increases") is a major figure in the Book of Genesis in the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament). Rabbah l.c). Answer and Explanation: Joseph has one wife, Asenath the daughter of Potiphar the priest of On, whom he marries in Egypt. Then Israel laid his left hand on the eldest Mannasseh's head and his right hand on the youngest Ephraim's head and blessed Joseph. [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). Tsaphenath Paneach", "Allusions to the Joseph Narrative in the Synoptic Gospels and Acts: Foundations of a Biblical Type", The Story of Joseph in the Babi and Baha'i Faiths, "The New Media Bible: Book of Genesis (Video 1979)", "Jewish religious life in the Persian period", The Composition of Genesis 37: Incoherence and Meaning in the Exposition of the Joseph Story, "The Odyssey and the myth of Joseph; Autolykos and Jacob", "Strange Bedfellows: Politics and Narrative in Philo", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Joseph_(Genesis)&oldid=1142074895, 1979, New Media Bible Genesis Project (TV)-cap. They thought that the missed transaction would somehow be used against them as way to induct them as slaves and to confiscate their possessions. 18A new Pharaoh arose in Egypt, who knew nothing of Joseph. When Rachel had successfully provided Jacob with an heir, Leah felt her position was tenuous. . Joseph understood what they were saying and removed himself from their presence because he was caught in emotion. 12Jacob heard that there was grain in Egypt, so he sent our fathers there for the first time. He had fallen ill and lost most of his vision. Cushan and Midian are equated with each other, as are tents and curtains and affliction and trembling. Joseph placed his brothers in prison for three days. I smiled, and told them to listen again. 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 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. 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). Answer (1 of 10): If you are talking about Jacob (Israel)'s son Joseph, then he had one wife. 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. [42] Joseph is said to have been extremely handsome, which attracted his Egyptian master's wife to attempt to seduce him. According to the Midrash, Joseph would have been immediately executed by the sexual assault charge against him by Potiphar's wife. And Joseph brought a bad report of them to their father. 36). At last Rachel was able to have a child. 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. There is much confusion about the word Cush in Scripture the first being that it does not actually refer to Ethiopia at all but instead a region more in the Sudan. He interpreted the dream as seven years of abundance followed by seven years of famine, and advised the Pharaoh to store surplus grain. 34), and a whole chapter Yusuf (sura xii.) Yet, from this answer in Quora. Rachel is his mom, one of them gasped. 'ewe') was a Biblical figure, the favorite of Jacob's two wives, and the mother of Joseph and Benjamin, two of the twelve progenitors of the . Pseudo-Jonathan to Gen. 1:26). 42-45), Jacob, his sons, and all of his descendants moved to Egypt to be with Joseph. The coffin thereupon floated up (Ex. After the events of (Gen Ch. Many of these amplifications have been borrowed by rabbinical tradition.
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