Although Bilhahs and Zilpahs children ranked lower than Leahs biological children (as Joseph will prove with his behavior later on) and Rachels future children, they were officially counted as the sons of the wives, not as the sons of the concubines. It was during this return to Egypt that Joseph disclosed his real identity to his brothers. 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. 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. Bible References: Rachel's story is told Genesis 29:6-35:24, 46:19-25, 48:7 . Simeon had six sons, all of whom migrated to Egypt (Gen. xlvi. I have written six books on the ancient Near Eastern and First Century context of Scripture, including a family curriculum series. The majority opinion of the rabbis is that Joseph always kept in mind his father and brothers. What is Jacob's new name? I saw the tents of Cushan in affliction; the curtains of the land of Midian did tremble. The brothers were frozen and could not utter a word. 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. The sons by Leah (Jacob's first wife) were: Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Zebulun. 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. 19The new king took advantage of our people, and mistreated our fathers. He comforted them and their ties were reconciled. One tradition holds that Jacob's other children came into the world only for Joseph's sake. Jacob, before he died, blessed each of his sons and two of his grandsons, the two sons of Joseph. Jacob therefore let the wolf go. 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. Jacob's concubine Bilhah gave birth to Dan . Response: We read in Genesis 41:45 that Pharaoh gave Joseph Osnat daughter of Potiphera, priest of On, to be his wife. Leah was "Tender Eyed". 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. 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. It is described in the Quran as the 'best of stories'. Soon, the family took up residence in the town of Bethel and later moved to Hebron. 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. Answer (1 of 13): There are thirteen persons in the Bible who bear the name Joseph. When the famine came, it was so severe that people from surrounding nations came to Egypt to buy bread. (Gen. 30:24) He was born in Padan-aram when Jacob was about 90 years old. The favoritism Israel showed Joseph and the plot against him by his brothers were divine means of getting him into Egypt. How many kids did Mary have? A. degree from Wheaton College, and the B. D. and Th. The Lutheran ChurchMissouri Synod commemorates him as a patriarch on 31 March. 5:26; Jacob 1:2, 18-19). the time has come for the Israelites to be rescued from their oppressors; come up and do not cause us any further delay!" display: none !important; 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. The story tells of two servants of Pharaoh's household who were in jail with Joseph and asked him to interpret their dreams. 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. A fourth group in verse 36 is named in Hebrew as mdanm that is properly identified as Medanites. Particularly galling is Jacob's reaction to Rachel the wife whom he loves deeply when she cannot become pregnant. 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. 11Then a famine came over all the land of Egypt and Canaan, causing great affliction. 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. Some believe that he built the city of Memphis, and that he was instrumental in building the obelisks and pyramids. Tap a Lookup below to generate a list oflessons. 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 warden put Joseph in charge of the other prisoners,[14] and soon afterward Pharaoh's chief cup-bearer and chief baker, who had offended the Pharaoh, were thrown into the prison. 12Jacob heard that there was grain in Egypt, so he sent our fathers there for the first time. Loaded with knowledge and wisdom. He was present at Jacob's famous reconciliation with his brother Esau. Her maid Bilhah is ancestor of two more ( Gen 35:25; Gen 46:23-24). The sons of Leah; Reuben, Jacob's firstborn, and Simeon, and Levi, and Judah, and Issachar, and Zebulun: Genesis 29:32-35 And Leah conceived, and bare a son, and she called his name Reuben: for she said, Surely the LORD hath looked upon my affliction; now therefore my husband will love me When the Vizier (Joseph) appeared, they gave him gifts from their father. Home He kept the sacred records after Nephi (see 1 Ne. Then Joseph buried Israel in the cave of Machpelah, the property of Abraham when he bought it from the Hittites. 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! In the midrash, the selling of Joseph was part of God's divine plan for him to save his tribes. [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. 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? He even instructed them to take his bones with them. 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. Charles L. Zimmerman holds the B. At last Rachel was able to have a child. According to the Documentary Hypothesis Joseph's toy is a combination of two or more versions which were later combined into the current narrative. Joseph was brought from prison to interpret the king's dream. According to Josephus, Reuben tied a cord around Joseph and let him down gently into the pit. 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. At the end of that period, the Pharaoh had a strange dream which none of his advisers could interpret. 36). I had no idea about what dyadic social identity was all about, or concubinage, and although I did understand the importance of political marriages (Solomon did NOT need that many alliances, just sayin) I was way too caught up in idea that black Mormons (not meaning color, but it was just what they were called in my neck of the woods) represented a sort of an ideal Biblical model for what was going on in ancient times. (7-14) Genesis 29:17. His prophetic powers are sited as an example of "faith" in Hebrews 11:22. Afterward, Joseph's family personally met the Pharaoh of Egypt. 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. The latter third of the book of Genesis relates the complex and vola- tile relationship of the patriarch Jacob, his four wives, and their thirteen children (twelve sons, one daughter). So, did Jacob have four legally wedded wives? 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. Muhammad is believed to have once said, "One half of all the beauty God apportioned for mankind went to Joseph and his mother; the other one half went to the rest of mankind. 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. In Genesis 29:31-30:24 the birth of twelve of Jacob's children is recorded. As Jacob's favorite son, he received from his father a coat of many colors, which made his brothers jealous to . In response, Judah pleaded with the Vizier that Benjamin be allowed to return to his father, and that he himself be kept in Benjamin's place as a slave (Genesis 44). The two halves of Manasseh were often treated as two separate units in the biblical account. The narrative also indicates that they went straight to Joseph or were directed to him, even by the Pharaoh himself (Genesis 41:3757). Abraham then died at 175 years of age (25 . Rav Huna adds one more sale by concluding that after the Medanites sold him to the Egyptians, a fifth sale occurred when the Egyptians sold him to Potiphar. 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 . Genesis 35:21-27 gives a list of Jacob's sons and the various woman he had them with. How many wives did Jacob have? When they met, they embraced each other and wept together for quite a while. Half of Manasseh's tribe settled east of the Jordan, while the other half settled west of it. 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. The musical Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat is about Joseph's story. 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. (Genesis 47:2731), Later, Joseph came to visit his father having with him his two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh. If Jacob, Joseph, and Joseph's two sons are added, then the total number is seventy (46:27). God richly bless you my sis. Their relationship is first mentioned in Genesis 41:45. The cup-bearer's dream was about a vine with three branches that was budding. The genealogy of Jesus in the New Testament traces Jesus' ancestry lineally, from Abraham to David, and then from David to Jesus. These were Jacob's sons who were born to him while he . Jacob with Ephraim and Manasseh. (Genesis 37:35, Common English Bible). For example, just before his death he predicted that God would visit the children of Israel and lead them out of Egypt and into the promised land. Deceptively, Joseph also ordered the steward to put his silver cup in Benjamin's sack. Both were met by angels at various times (Gen. R. 84:6; Num. He is also a type of manly beauty; so that one often finds the expression "a second Joseph," meaning one extraordinarily beautiful. , romanized: Rl, lit. In addition to honoring him, there was a strong tendency in the patristic period to view his life as a typological precursor to Christ. Confronting Pseudo-archaeological memes Pt 4: Was Byblos the Goddess of Writing? How many wives did Joseph son of Jacob have? 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. Others consider the story a semi-independent novella, which has been independently added to the biblical record. How long did Jacob in the Bible wait to marry his wife? 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). This mandate lasted until the days of Moses (Genesis 47:2031). [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). 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. His story functions as an explanation for Israel's residence in Egypt. The remaining brothers returned to their father in Canaan, and told him all that had transpired in Egypt. 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. Conversations that Christians Must Have#MeToo and #BLM, Episode 82: Mark Part 24Cosmic Encounters 3The Woman with the Issue of Blood. 42-45), Jacob, his sons, and all of his descendants moved to Egypt to be with Joseph. 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 ). 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. Sefer ha-Yashar, section Wayiggash). It simply was a rarity. We passed on to Zilpah, and they noticed it again Gad is Leahs son!, Very good, I smiled. yosef] to me another son." 24 Rachel's sons were Joseph and Benjamin. Joseph saw and inquired of Benjamin, and was overcome by emotion but did not show it. She also bore Benjamin and was a faithful wife to Jacob. The word until speaks of a change to the first action . For Jacob however, a time came when his parents urged him to leave Canaan . Your email address will not be published. This was the legal world and social context of the time of the Patriarchs. According to the Old Testament, Jacob was the younger twin brother of Esau, who was the ancestor of Edom . He also equipped a considerable army, with which he marched to help the Ishmaelites against the Tarshishites (Gen. R. 90:5). This was Joseph's full brother, Benjamin. 25 Rachel's servant Bilhah's sons were Dan and Naphtali. M. degrees from Grace Theological Seminary. 21 . [46], In the Bible, Joseph discloses himself to his brethren before they return to their father the second time after buying grain. I put up the white board and I was marking out the family tree of the patriarchs. | Alpha Index Here is the list lifted from my answer to Who was Joseph in the Bible? 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. [53] These come in the forms of allusions written by the Bb and Bah'u'llh. ), and as recently as the reign of Pharaoh Merneptah about 1200 B.C.E. Our fathers found no food. Joseph's own remains were reportedly taken by Moses with the Israelites during the Exodus (Exodus 13:19) and later buried at Shechem (Joshua 24:32). 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. When Joseph and his mother bowed to Esau (Gen. 33:7), Joseph shielded his mother with his body (Targ. [b] Upon imprisoning Joseph, the brothers saw a camel caravan carrying spices and perfumes to Egypt, and sold Joseph to these merchants. 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. In Genesis 29:31-30:24 the birth . 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 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. Joseph and Asenath. Her father, Jacob, saw that his family was deeply ashamed of his new granddaughter. Is Polygamy Really Biblical? The next two instances of dream interpretation establish his reputation as a great interpreter of dreams; first, he begins in a low place, interpreting the dreams of prisoners. In the Yahwist version Joseph is sold to Ismaelites, while in the Elohist (E) narrative it is Midianites who buy him. "-Genesis 41:45. is devoted to him, the only instance in the Quran in which an entire chapter is devoted to a complete story of a prophet. Jacob should not have had more than one wife.) (obviously would not happen to a wife). popularly referred to as a "coat of many colors." The Vizier broke down into tears. Joseph is represented as a perfectly righteous man (tzadik gamur) and as the counterpart of his father Jacob. 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