Your email address will not be published. In the interim, Joseph's mother died giving birth to his brother, Benjamin. In Genesis 29:31-30:24 the birth . '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 . Then they informed their father that the Vizier demanded that Benjamin be brought before him to demonstrate that they were honest men. It also includes the marvelous story and time of Jacob's son Joseph (Genesis 35-50). He was the first of the two sons of Jacob and Rachel (Jacob's twelfth child and eleventh son). Isaac had one wife. The story of Joseph's near seduction by his master's wife bears a marked similarity to the Egyptian story of the Tale of Two Brothers, which was popular at the time of Pharaoh Seti II. 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. arose that night, and took his two wives, his two maidservants1 and his eleven children, and crossed the ford of the Jabbok. After correctly interpreting the dreams of Pharaoh, however, he rises to second-in-command in Egypt and saves Egypt during a famine. Judah, too, counseled against murder and convinced the brothers to sell Joseph to a company of Ishmaelite merchants, who bought him in exchange for 20 shekels of silver. Joseph or Yosef (Hebrew: , Arabic: , Yusuf; "The Lord increases") is a major figure in the Book of Genesis in the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament). 10God saved Joseph from all his afflictions, and gave him favor and wisdom before Pharaoh, king of Egypt. He kept the sacred records after Nephi (see 1 Ne. 2:1; 2 Ne. Joseph! Plan to Trick Jacob. This also created rivalries between their sons. Joseph was made a ruler over Egypt second to Pharoah. This was Joseph's full brother, Benjamin. The Haran controversy wrestles with the question of how long Abraham's grandson Jacob lived in Haran. 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. At the age 30, Joseph married Asenath, the daughter of the priest of Heliopolis. In Genesis 29:31-30:24 the birth of twelve of Jacob's children is recorded. Her father, Jacob, saw that his family was deeply ashamed of his new granddaughter. It served a specific societal function within a context that no longer exists (much like the need for Levirate marriage). In an essay posted without fanfare to its website in late October, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints said for the first time that Joseph Smith, founder of the Mormon church, had as many as 40 wives. 13When they went the second time Joseph was recognized by his brothers, and Josephs origins were revealed to Pharaoh. (Acts 7:9-13). 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. Am happy to have read this. "Pharaoh called Joseph by the name Tzafnat-Pa'neach and gave him as his wife Asenath the daughter of Poti-Fera priest of On. Joseph is commemorated as one of the Holy Forefathers in the Calendar of Saints of the Armenian Apostolic Church on 26 July. 2. 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. Conversations that Christians Must Have#MeToo and #BLM, Episode 82: Mark Part 24Cosmic Encounters 3The Woman with the Issue of Blood. 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. Modern critics have made various estimates of the historical worth of these narratives of Joseph. He persuaded them to throw Joseph into a pit and secretly planned to rescue him later. At that time Moses was born (Acts 7:17-19). No, he had two (and not by his choosing) wives and two concubines four women to whom he was connected through children. He also equipped a considerable army, with which he marched to help the Ishmaelites against the Tarshishites (Gen. R. 90:5). This sets up the climax of the story, which many regard to be the moment Joseph reveals his identity to his brothers (Gen 45:3). So, did Jacob have four legally wedded wives? 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. Elkannah had two women but again, one of them was barren so I suspect that Peninah was a concubine. When the Pharaoh's advisers failed to interpret these dreams, the cup-bearer remembered Joseph. She also bore Benjamin and was a faithful wife to Jacob. Both were hated by their brothers. A. degree from Wheaton College, and the B. D. and Th. Jacob loved Rachel more than Leah, and this made Leah sad. When Rachel had successfully provided Jacob with an heir, Leah felt her position was tenuous. The steward found the cup in Benjamin's sack - just as he had planted it the night before. [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. After bearing Judah, Leah stopped bearing children for a . As Joseph had foreseen, seven years of plenty came, during which he stored up a great abundance of grain in granaries built for the purpose. Required fields are marked *, nine = 27 .hide-if-no-js { Joseph had his father embalmed, a process that took forty days. 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. [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." J. M. Sel. Moreover, Inter. 42-45), Jacob, his sons, and all of his descendants moved to Egypt to be with Joseph. 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. Credit is due under the terms of this license that can reference both the New World Encyclopedia contributors and the selfless volunteer contributors of the Wikimedia Foundation. According to the Old Testament, Jacob was the younger twin brother of Esau, who was the ancestor of Edom . As Zipporah was a Midianite, calling her a Kusite makes absolute sense. The Wives of Jacob's Sons (xxxiv. in accordance with New World Encyclopedia standards. 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. Who was Leah's 4th son? 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 . 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. 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. (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. Moses threw a pebble into the water there and cried out: "Joseph! 'He shall add';[1] Standard: Ysef, Tiberian: Ysp; alternatively: ,[2][3] lit. 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. Not only did Joseph resemble his father in appearance, but the main incidents of their lives were parallel. 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. In the Elohist version it is Rueben intervenes on Joseph's behalf, while in the Yahwist version it is Judah that saves him. [28] Impressed with Joseph's interpretations, Pharaoh appoints him as second-in-command (Gen 41:41). In Canaan, Rachel gave birth to Jacob's final son, Benjamin, but, tragically, she died in childbirth. Answer (1 of 10): If you are talking about Jacob (Israel)'s son Joseph, then he had one wife. According to another tradition, Joseph placed the gold and silver in three hidden treasuries, of which one was discovered by the Israelite villain Korah; one by the Roman Antoninus, son of Severus; and one yet undiscovered, which is being kept for the righteous in the future world (Pes. Bilhah, they replied. Jacob with Ephraim and Manasseh. [47] But in Islam they returned leaving behind Benjamin because the mizzen bowl of the king was found in his bag. At last Rachel was able to have a child. She named him 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). (Genesis 50:1521), Joseph lived to the age of 110, living to see his great-grandchildren. Sarah was ninety when Isaac was born and Abraham was 100 years old (21:5). Confronting Pseudo-archaeological memes Pt 4: Was Byblos the Goddess of Writing? How long did Jacob in the Bible wait to marry his wife? the time has come for the Israelites to be rescued from their oppressors; come up and do not cause us any further delay!" 1. He became the second most powerful man in all Egypt. Unbeknownst to them, Joseph had also returned their money to their money sacks (Genesis 42:128). God punished him, therefore, by setting against him Potiphar's wife (Gen. R. 87:3). As the king's appointed viceroy, Joseph built himself a magnificent palace, placing in it a great number of slaves. After the (presumed) death of Joseph, we read, "All of his [Jacob's] sons and daughters got up to comfort him . 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). Answer and Explanation: Joseph has one wife, Asenath the daughter of Potiphar the priest of On, whom he marries in Egypt. Through his father, he also has six half-brothers: Dan and Naphtali (whose . 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. 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? Joseph placed his brothers in prison for three days. How many sons did Jacob have with bilhah? Joseph is mentioned in the New Testament as an example of faith (Hebrews 11:22). [41], Joseph (Arabic: , Ysuf) is regarded by Muslims as a prophet (Quran, suras vi. Glad to hear from you Brian, I have received many heartbreaking messages from women whose husbands seem to think they can force them into this lifestyle when they havent even bothered to look at whether or not the reasons that existed then still exist now, which of course they do not. Now we get to your verse if he sends her away and she has provided him with children despite the fact that he hates her he cannot treat her sons with contempt when it comes time to give the inheritance. (Genesis 47:2731), Later, Joseph came to visit his father having with him his two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh. [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]. Joseph is regarded as a saint by several Christian churches, including the Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod, which commemorates him as a patriarch on March 31. If Jacob, Joseph, and Joseph's two sons are added, then the total number is seventy (46:27). However, it is instructive to note that only Dinah is mentioned (Genesis 30:19-21; 34:1-3; 46:15) . Joseph saw and inquired of Benjamin, and was overcome by emotion but did not show it. 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. How many wives did Jacob have? In the time of the Exodus, Serah, daughter of Asher, showed Moses where the coffin was sunk. 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). He wanted to know if they would be willing to risk danger in order to save their half brother Benjamin. 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. [15] Both men had dreams, and Joseph, being able to interpret dreams, asked to hear them. When Joseph interpreted Pharaoh's dreams, the king asked him for a sign by which he might know that his interpretation was true. 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. 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. 15 So Jacob went down to Egypt; and he died, he and our fathers. (Genesis 48:122). Israel. Later, Joseph became Potiphar's personal servant, and subsequently his household's superintendent. 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. Your email address will not be published. Cause me to die as a Muslim and join me with the righteous" (Qur'an 12:101). How many kids did Mary have? 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. Joseph is 56 and Benjamin is about 40. Cushan and Midian are equated with each other, as are tents and curtains and affliction and trembling. Yes and No. 14. Who was Jacob's first wife? 17As the time of the promise drew near, the promise that God had sworn to Abraham, the people grew and multiplied in Egypt. Particularly galling is Jacob's reaction to Rachel the wife whom he loves deeply when she cannot become pregnant. The Gadites would later be described as, "brave warriors, ready for battle and able to handle the shield and spear. [b] Upon imprisoning Joseph, the brothers saw a camel caravan carrying spices and perfumes to Egypt, and sold Joseph to these merchants. When they met, they embraced each other and wept together for quite a while. Jacob also had some daughters, but the Bible gives the name of only one of them. And as it was budding, its blossoms came out and they produced grapes. The story begins in Canaan - modern day Palestine, Syria and Israel - around 1600 to 1700 BC. Here, Potiphar's wife (called Zuleika in later tradition) tried to seduce Joseph, which he refused. 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. With Reuben and Judah's persistence, they persuaded their father to let Benjamin join them for fear of Egyptian retribution (Genesis 42:2943:15). The family prostrated before him hence the fulfilment of his dream aforetime.[52]. Jacob did not wholly believe that Joseph was dead, because he could not forget him, while the dead are soon forgotten. "[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. Biblical context is very much important. 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 ). 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. Jacob became greatly distressed, feeling deprived of successive sons: Joseph, Simeon, and (prospectively) Benjamin. (Genesis 37:35, Common English Bible). "[43] The story has a lot in common with the biblical narrative, but with certain differences. So Joseph supplied them Egyptian transport wagons, new garments, silver money, and twenty additional donkeys carrying provisions for the journey. 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. On top of all this, Leah had stopped bearing children perhaps because Jacob was no longer performing his legal obligations to continue to provide her with marital relations (at one point, she actually had to buy a night with him from her sister).
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