It was during this return to Egypt that Joseph disclosed his real identity to his brothers. And after Joseph perished, the sons of Jacob took unto themselves wives. Jacob had 12 sons, at Hebron. He was also the first born of his mother Rachel, whom his father loved more than any of his wives and made Joseph Jacob's favorite son (Genesis 29-30:24; Genesis 37:1-4). 15So Jacob moved down into Egypt, and lived there till he died, as did our fathers. Then he prepared a great ceremonial journey to Canaan leading the servants of the Pharaoh, and the elders of the houses Israel and Egypt beyond the Jordan River. At the end of that period, the Pharaoh had a strange dream which none of his advisers could interpret. 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. He also equipped a considerable army, with which he marched to help the Ishmaelites against the Tarshishites (Gen. R. 90:5). After relaying his prophecies, Israel died. Pharaoh made Joseph governor over Egypt and all Pharaohs house. "Give me children, or I shall die," she says to Jacob (Genesis 30:1). [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. On the third day, he brought them out of prison to reiterate that he wanted their youngest brother brought to Egypt to demonstrate their veracity. I smiled. Joseph had his father embalmed, a process that took forty days. Recall that Jacob was born in the land of Canaan, the land God promised to Abraham, and where Jacob's father Isaac was born and lived his entire life. 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 . Here is the list lifted from my answer to Who was Joseph in the Bible? This was the legal world and social context of the time of the Patriarchs. The final group, where a transaction is made, is among the Egyptians in the same verse. 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. | Bible Topics Indeed, he blessed Joseph's sons before all the rest. After correctly interpreting the dreams of Pharaoh, however, he rises to second-in-command in Egypt and saves Egypt during a famine. 20-21). 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. It is later mentioned in Genesis 41:50 that before the years of famine, Joseph had two sons with Asenath. 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). Joseph is regarded by Muslims as a prophet (Qur'an, suras vi. 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. The narrative also indicates that they went straight to Joseph or were directed to him, even by the Pharaoh himself (Genesis 41:3757). Joseph interpreted this dream as the baker being hanged within three days and having his flesh eaten by birds. He was the son of Leah, Jacob's first wife. 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 the famine came, it was so severe that people from surrounding nations came to Egypt to buy bread. ISBN links support NWE through referral fees, https://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/p/index.php?title=Joseph,_son_of_Jacob&oldid=1017043, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License, More recently, Joseph figures prominently in Anita Diamant's novel. 17:1; 1 Ne. Joseph was sworn to do as his father asked of him. Jacob is 147 years old. Christian Apologetics & Intelligence Ministry, Tyler Dawn How Many Wives did Jacob Have? 12Jacob heard that there was grain in Egypt, so he sent our fathers there for the first time. Efforts to Bear Children. The account of the birth of Jacob's children is found in Genesis 2930, 35. He was a boy with the sons of Bilhah and Zilpah, his father's wives. [54], This article is about the Joseph of the Book of Genesis. Joseph and Asenath. God punished him, therefore, by setting against him Potiphar's wife (Gen. R. 87:3). Loads of love from me my sister Wisdom Speaks. 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. They were directed into the province of Goshen and Joseph readied his chariot to meet his father there. The community seems to confuse quite often what is description vs prescription. Jacob's daughters, like too many Bible women, often go unnamed, are mentioned only in passing, or both. 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. But you'd be wrong. Afterward, Joseph's family personally met the Pharaoh of Egypt. Thank you for your VERY well done teaching. God blessed Leah with a firstborn son named Reuben. Then Joseph is summoned to interpret the dreams of Pharaoh himself. To Joseph he declared: Joseph is a fruitful bough, even a fruitful bough by a well; whose branches run over the wall. And as it was budding, its blossoms came out and they produced grapes. The brothers conferred amongst themselves speaking in Hebrew, reflecting on the wrong they had done to Joseph. | Fact Sheet Index display: none !important; Half of Manasseh's tribe settled east of the Jordan, while the other half settled west of it. Israel. 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). Judah appealed to the Vizier begging that Benjamin be released and that he be enslaved in his stead, because of the silver cup found in Benjamin's sack. Abravanel explains that she had accused other servants of the same crime in the past. 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. They thought that the missed transaction would somehow be used against them as way to induct them as slaves and to confiscate their possessions. During the seven years of abundance, Joseph ensured that the storehouses were full and that all produce was weighed. 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). 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. 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. Judah (left) talking to Tamar (right) (1606-1669), by Rembrandt. 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? Esau. 5:26; Jacob 1:2, 18-19). M. degrees from Grace Theological Seminary. Pharaoh was pleased with Joseph's interpretation and gave him authority to carry out the suggested policy (Gen. 41:46). Legacy. 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. Both were hated by their brothers. 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). The name of Reuben's wife is 'Ad 1 and the name of Simeon's wife is 'Adb'a, a Canaanite; 1 and the name of Levi's wife is Mlk, 2 of the daughters of Aram, of the seed of the sons of Terah; and the name of Judah . The time of the promises to Abraham spans the generations of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Our fathers found no food. They were rapacious, while Joseph never enjoyed anything that was not his (Zeb. The baker's dream was about three baskets full of bread for the Pharaoh, and birds were eating the bread out of those baskets. Tyler Dawn How Many Wives did Jacob Have? We passed on to Zilpah, and they noticed it again Gad is Leahs son!, Very good, I smiled. Joseph was sold by his brothers into slavery in Egypt (Genesis 37). I think Ill stick with my one wife (Staci) of 23 years. Rabbah l.c). In Genesis 29:31-30:24 the birth of twelve of Jacob's children is recorded. 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. (Genesis 30:24).[10][11]. Cushan and Midian are equated with each other, as are tents and curtains and affliction and trembling. Joseph saw and inquired of Benjamin, and was overcome by emotion but did not show it. The blessings of thy father have prevailed above the blessings of my progenitors unto the utmost bound of the everlasting hills. Joseph, in the Old Testament, son of the patriarch Jacob and his wife Rachel. | The Hub 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. 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. Isaac and Rebecca's son Jacob was sent there to avoid the wrath of his brother Esau. 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. For Jacob however, a time came when his parents urged him to leave Canaan . Joseph placed his brothers in prison for three days. The Hebrew word translated as "tender" means "soft, delicate, or lovely.". Thats an interesting word, because although the lemma is the same isha as I discussed above neshe is tied in to the idea of a debt. 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! Their relationship is first mentioned in Genesis 41:45. In Canaan, Rachel gave birth to Jacob's final son, Benjamin, but, tragically, she died in childbirth. 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. To Joseph, he gave a portion more of Canaanite property than he had to his other sons; land that he fought for against the Amorites. That night, Joseph ordered his steward to load the brothers' donkeys with food and all their money. Israel is another name for Jacob as, son of Isaac as. He withdrew to his chambers and wept. Indeed the name Potiphar may even be a version of Merenptah's name (Poti = Ptah, Phar = Pharaoh). [44] In the Quran the brothers ask Jacob ("Yaqub") to let Joseph go with them. A midrash asked, How many times was Joseph sold? Elkannah had two women but again, one of them was barren so I suspect that Peninah was a concubine. Bilhah, they replied. . When Joseph woke up, he did as the angel commanded him to do. Convinced of his brothers' repentance and overcome with emotion, Joseph finally revealed himself to them. 19The new king took advantage of our people, and mistreated our fathers. (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. ACTS 7:13-15 13 And the second time Joseph was made known to his brothers, and Joseph's family became known to the Pharaoh. popularly referred to as a "coat of many colors." When the steward caught up with the brothers, he seized them and searched their sacks. 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 . Required fields are marked *, nine = 27 .hide-if-no-js { 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. 18:7, 19; 2 Ne. Joseph's wife is considered to be an Egyptian. [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]. 2. Jacob did not wholly believe that Joseph was dead, because he could not forget him, while the dead are soon forgotten. Biblical context is very much important. So they named this spot Abel Mizraim. The first born of this union is still his firstborn even after he marries another woman, loves her, and has children with her. What is Jacob's new name? Moses followed Joseph's pattern in rising from slavery to a position of royal favor in the court of the pharaohs, and would later lead the Israelites out of Egypt and back to the land of Canaan. One tradition holds that Jacob's other children came into the world only for Joseph's sake. 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. Yes, the Bible does indicate that Jacob had more than one daughter. ), and as recently as the reign of Pharaoh Merneptah about 1200 B.C.E. The money they had brought was double what they had offered on the first trip. .". When the brothers claimed to the father that a wolf had eaten Joseph, he observed patience. The genealogy of Jesus in the New Testament traces Jesus' ancestry lineally, from Abraham to David, and then from David to Jesus. Joseph's story is recounted in some detail in the New Testament, during Saint Stephen's speech before the Sandhedrin in Acts 7. the time has come for the Israelites to be rescued from their oppressors; come up and do not cause us any further delay!" When the Vizier (Joseph) confronted them about the silver cup, he demanded that the one who possessed the cup in his bag become his slave. He even instructed them to take his bones with them. These children are the offspring of four different women, Leah and Rachel, his wives, and Zilpah and Bilhah, their respective handmaids. It was the first successful production in the career of Andrew Lloyd Webber. 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. In Jewish tradition, Joseph was the progenitor of the northern tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh, named for his two sons. 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. 5. The story begins in Canaan - modern day Palestine, Syria and Israel - around 1600 to 1700 BC. 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). In the interim, Joseph's mother died giving birth to his brother, Benjamin. Joseph did very well with God's help. 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. Yes and No. : > 1. You are my Guardian in this world and in the Hereafter. pseudo-Jonathan), protecting her from the lustful eyes of Esau (Gen. R. 78:13). The words do not share the same lemma and so are unrelated. 24 Rachel's sons were Joseph and Benjamin. The cup-bearer took those grapes and squeezed them into Pharaoh's cup, and placed the cup in Pharaoh's hand. The remaining brothers returned to their father in Canaan, and told him all that had transpired in Egypt. How many wives did Abraham have? It was after this that Isaac married Rebekah and Abraham took Keturah as a wife (possibly a concubine) (see Genesis 24 and 25:1). which references passages that point to Jacob having "daughters" (plural, more than one) such as Genesis 37:34-35. 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. Later we will learn a lot more about Joseph, because he became a very important person. | Servants of Grace Apologetics, Mishpatim in Context: Selling your daughter into slavery? Joseph is between 39 and 56 years old. I have questioned this over the years, but didnt understand the cultural context as well as you have laid out. 34), and a whole chapter Yusuf (sura xii.) 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. The first mention of Ishmaelites (Yishma'elm) is in verse 25. In the Elohist version it is Rueben intervenes on Joseph's behalf, while in the Yahwist version it is Judah that saves him. [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]. In icons, he is sometimes depicted wearing the nemes headdress of an Egyptian vizier. The text says that they are Jacobs wives, and yet wives would retain ownership over their own children, so how can they be actual wives?. [NOTE: Jacob is listed by Stephen individually.] But like everything else, modern context is not Biblical context we dont think the same way or have the same needs and therefore we dont live the same way; we certainly dont have the same expectations. How many years overall did he work for Laban? (obviously would not happen to a wife). [46], In the Bible, Joseph discloses himself to his brethren before they return to their father the second time after buying grain. [16] Joseph requested that the cup-bearer mention him to Pharaoh to secure his release from prison,[17] but the cup-bearer, reinstalled in office, forgot Joseph. His prophetic powers are sited as an example of "faith" in Hebrews 11:22. When he regained control of himself, he returned and ordered a meal to be served. Answer (1 of 10): If you are talking about Jacob (Israel)'s son Joseph, then he had one wife. 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. In Hebrew Joseph means: increaser. He comforted them and their ties were reconciled. The steward put them at ease, telling them not to worry about the money, and brought out their brother Simeon. 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. 26 Leah's servant Zilpah's sons were Gad and Asher. . Notify me of follow-up comments by email. 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. Then he brought the brothers into the house of Joseph and received them hospitably. They betrayed him by. 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. 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. He was Jacob's eleventh son and Rachel's first.
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