JOSEPH. Joseph! An angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and he said; "Take Mary home as your wife.". 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 story of Joseph or Yusuf as it is told in Arabic literature has the same general outlines as the Biblical narrative; but in the Arabic account there is a wealth of accessory detail and incident. [g] Then he had their donkeys prepared with grain and sent the other brothers back to Canaan. 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). If Jacob, Joseph, and Joseph's two sons are added, then the total number is seventy (46:27). [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). One opinion holds that the Holy Spirit dwelt in Joseph from his childhood until his death (Pirke R. El. What is Jacob's new name? There Jacob worked for Laban, fathered eleven sons and daughter, Dinah, (Gen. 35:22-26; 46:15), and amassed livestock and wealth. Esau took a third wife to please his father Isaac (Genesis 28:6-9). He also equipped a considerable army, with which he marched to help the Ishmaelites against the Tarshishites (Gen. R. 90:5). What is a forbidden marriage in the Bible? whoa whoa whoa personal suite? When they met, they embraced each other and wept together for quite a while. The cup-bearer's dream was about a vine with three branches that was budding. . 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 . How long did Jacob in the Bible wait to marry his wife? Yet, from this answer in Quora. She named him Joseph. 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. Isaac and Rebecca's son Jacob was sent there to avoid the wrath of his brother Esau. These were Jacob's sons who were born to him while he . Joseph is 56 and Benjamin is about 40. Joseph, being seventeen years old, was pasturing the flock with his brothers. After this, his brothers plotted against him and would have killed him had not his brother Reuben intervened. Rachel is his mom, one of them gasped. . Some believe that he built the city of Memphis, and that he was instrumental in building the obelisks and pyramids. Sarah died when she was 127 (23:1) - so Abraham would have been 137 and Isaac would have been 37. Moses, led there by an ancient holy woman named Serach, was able by a miracle to raise the sarcophagus and to take it with him at the time of the Exodus. 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). J. M. Sel. 119a; comp. 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. Of all the sons, Joseph was preferred by his father, who gave him a "long coat of many colors". This mandate lasted until the days of Moses (Genesis 47:2031). How many wives did Joseph son of Jacob have? Christian Apologetics & Intelligence Ministry, Tyler Dawn How Many Wives 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. In the second year of famine,[20] Joseph's half brothers were sent to Egypt to buy goods. He was present at Jacob's famous reconciliation with his brother Esau. 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. Angered by his running away from her, she made a false accusation of rape, and thus assured his imprisonment[d] (Genesis 39:120). Cushan and Midian are equated with each other, as are tents and curtains and affliction and trembling. Joseph is represented as a perfectly righteous man (tzadik gamur) and as the counterpart of his father Jacob. 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. Others consider the story a semi-independent novella, which has been independently added to the biblical record. 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). He even forced them to throw out their babies to die. These are the generations of Jacob. ", "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". When he. I think Ill stick with my one wife (Staci) of 23 years. (7-14) Genesis 29:17. 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). }. The Lutheran ChurchMissouri Synod commemorates him as a patriarch on 31 March. Her father, Jacob, saw that his family was deeply ashamed of his new granddaughter. Later we read, "His . What happens when a man is required to take his dead brothers wife, if he is already married Deut 25:5? 12Jacob heard that there was grain in Egypt, so he sent our fathers there for the first time. Joseph would have been approximately six years old . 23 Leah's sons were Reuben (Jacob's first-born), Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun. 'He shall add';[1] Standard: Ysef, Tiberian: Ysp; alternatively: ,[2][3] lit. Did Jacob have 4 wives? | Fact Sheet Index When they came to Egypt, they stood before the Vizier but did not recognize him as their brother Joseph, who was now in his late 30s; but Joseph did recognize them and did not speak at all to them in his native tongue of Hebrew. Jacob's wife, were Joseph and Benjamin. The first group identified, are Joseph's brothers when Judah brings up the idea of selling Joseph in verses 26 and 27. Though Manasseh was the older brother, Jacob placed his right hand on Ephraim, the younger, and gave him the greater blessing. When Joseph and his mother bowed to Esau (Gen. 33:7), Joseph shielded his mother with his body (Targ. Yes, the Bible does indicate that Jacob had more than one daughter. 42-45), Jacob, his sons, and all of his descendants moved to Egypt to be with Joseph. 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. Both were hated by their brothers. Muslim theologians, especially of the Sufi tradition, use this story to symbolize the spiritual love between God and the soul. 'Yahweh shall add'; Standard: Yhsef, Tiberian: Yhsp;[4] Arabic: , romanized:Ysuf; Ancient Greek: , romanized:Isph) is an important figure in the Bible's Book of Genesis. Joseph prospered in Potiphar's household and was eventually made head of the servants. Bilhah, they replied. Biblical context is very much important. He had fallen ill and lost most of his vision. 2:1; 2 Ne. is devoted to him, the only instance in the Quran in which an entire chapter is devoted to a complete story of a prophet. This makes Jesus related to Adam, both as the son of God and . [51] The remaining verses describe the migration of Jacob's family to Egypt and the emotional meeting of Jacob and his long lost son, Joseph. Now Jacob had twelve sons. Her name was Dinah. He is presently pastor of the Evangelical Church of Archbold, Ohio. Thus, Israel was able to bless the Pharaoh. The blessings of thy father have prevailed above the blessings of my progenitors unto the utmost bound of the everlasting hills. 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. 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). In the sixth year, Asenath bore two children to Joseph: Manasseh and Ephraim. Required fields are marked *, nine = 27 .hide-if-no-js { They returned with a wolf, but when Jacob began to reproach the beast for its cruelty, the wolf answered, in human language, that she had not committed the crime, and that she herself was searching for her lost cub. A fourth group in verse 36 is named in Hebrew as mdanm that is properly identified as Medanites. I smiled, and told them to listen again. Jacob's sons, including Joseph, are listed at the end of this page. In the Qur'an a whole chapter (sura xii) is devoted to Joseph; and Islamic commentators add many details to this "best of stories.". Answer (1 of 10): If you are talking about Jacob (Israel)'s son Joseph, then he had one wife. Jacob had 12 sons, at Hebron. This family, with its sordid history of deceit, jealousy, and . . At that time Moses was born (Acts 7:17-19). 5. Joseph placed his brothers in prison for three days. These were the 11 sons that were born to Jacob when he lived with Rachel's father Laban. 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. Jacob's daughters, like too many Bible women, often go unnamed, are mentioned only in passing, or both. .". 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. The "seven lean years" has been taken to refer to a Middle Eastern famine documented at that time. To sum up, true Biblical (as well as ancient Near Eastern) polygamy (having more than one wife on purpose) was really limited to Kings, and that was historically for the purpose of creating alliances and safety for the kingdom. 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. 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. 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). 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. The archers have sorely grieved him, and shot at him, and hated him: But his bow abode in strength, and the arms of his hands were made strong by the hands of the Mighty God of Jacob (From thence is the Shepherd, the Stone of Israel), Even by the God of your father who shall help thee; and by the Almighty who shall bless thee With blessings of heaven above, Blessings of the deep that lieth under, Blessings of the breasts and of the womb. Taking 130 and subtracting it from Joseph's age of 39 means Jacob was 91 when Joseph was born. Here is the list lifted from my answer to Who was Joseph in the Bible? The first mention of Ishmaelites (Yishma'elm) is in verse 25. The brothers conferred amongst themselves speaking in Hebrew, reflecting on the wrong they had done to Joseph. 20 And to Joseph in the land of Egypt were born Manasseh and Ephraim, whom Asenath, the daughter of Poti-Pherah priest of On, bore to him. 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. pseudo-Jonathan). 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. "Pharaoh called Joseph by the name Tzafnat-Pa'neach and gave him as his wife Asenath the daughter of Poti-Fera priest of On. The children of Israel remembered their oath, and when they left Egypt during the Exodus, Moses took Joseph's bones with him. It has also been suggested that there are similarities between the rise to power of Joseph, and Manethos' tale of Osarseph, who was Syrian born, and rose to be Vizier of Egypt, beginning his career under Pharaoh Merenptah and his son Seti II. He then tested them further, by accusing Benjamin of theft. He withdrew to his chambers and wept. 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. (note that the second wife is only permissibly taken in response to barrenness), [146] If a man take a wife and she give this man a maid-servant as wife and she bear him children, and then this maid assume equality with the wife: because she has borne him children her master shall not sell her for money, but he may keep her as a slave, reckoning her among the maid-servants. Loads of love from me my sister Wisdom Speaks. She then had three more sons: Simeon, Levi and Judah. Here, Potiphar's wife (called Zuleika in later tradition) tried to seduce Joseph, which he refused. Response: We read in Genesis 41:45 that Pharaoh gave Joseph Osnat daughter of Potiphera, priest of On, to be his wife. yosef] to me another son." (Gen. 30:24) He was born in Padan-aram when Jacob was about 90 years old. His father then remarked, "Now let me die, since I have seen your face, because you are still alive." They commemorate him on the Sunday of the Holy Forefathers (two Sundays before Christmas) and on Holy and Great Monday (Monday of Holy Week). 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. Information much needed for understanding context. Tap the title above, next to the arrow, to go to thatlesson with a link back to thispage. As for kings - marriages were largely about political alliances (especially with . Pseudo-Jonathan to Gen. 1:26). 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. Through his father, he also has six half-brothers: Dan and Naphtali (whose . Convinced of his brothers' repentance and overcome with emotion, Joseph finally revealed himself to them. 21 . Jacob, before he died, blessed each of his sons and two of his grandsons, the two sons of Joseph. 9The fathers, moved by jealousy against Joseph, sold him into Egypt as a slave; but God was with him. Some declare that during the 22 years he was away from home he drank no wine (Shab. 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. His story is told in . When the famine came which Pharoah had dreampt of, and Joseph had predicted, Joseph's father, brothers, and their families, settled in Egypt where there was food. Plan to Trick Jacob. In Hebrew Joseph means: increaser. He worked under the Egyptian official Potiphar but was freed and became the chief adviser (vizier) to the Egyptian Pharaoh. 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. (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. Although they had betrayed him in the past, Joseph greeted them . Jacob's other children are between 56 and 63. So if someone is pushing polygamy, know that according to Paul (an expert in the Law and in the Scriptures) they have disqualified themselves for leadership rendering their opinion merely an opinion. When Jacob calls his wives to him in Gen thirty-one only Leah and Rachel are named. 26 Leah's servant Zilpah's sons were Gad and Asher. In Genesis 29:31-30:24 the birth . No, he had two (and not by his choosing) wives and two concubines four women to whom he was connected through children. 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. According to the Midrash, Joseph would have been immediately executed by the sexual assault charge against him by Potiphar's wife. Leah was "Tender Eyed". As the king's appointed viceroy, Joseph built himself a magnificent palace, placing in it a great number of slaves. Scripture doesn't tell us much about Asenath, the wife of Joseph, the son of Jacob. (Genesis 37:35, Common English Bible). '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 . As Bilhah and Zilpah were almost undoubtedly purchased by Laban as young girls from fathers who either needed to pay debts or who could not afford to provide dowries, this term does make sense again, these were women of a special class. Jacob was 130 at this time (Gen 47:9). When he regained control of himself, he returned and ordered a meal to be served. He wept so loudly that even the Egyptian household heard it outside. He was the first of the two sons of Jacob and Rachel (Jacob's twelfth child and eleventh son). Yes and No. Bible References: Rachel's story is told Genesis 29:6-35:24, 46:19-25, 48:7 . This was the legal world and social context of the time of the Patriarchs. 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. 8, 10). Modern critics have made various estimates of the historical worth of these narratives of Joseph. Tap a Lookup below to generate a list oflessons. 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! 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. She told Jacob, "Here is my maid Bilhah. [NOTE: Jacob is listed by Stephen individually.] Both were met by angels at various times (Gen. R. 84:6; Num. He has humbled her (had sexual relations with her) and cannot sell her to another man, he must allow her to go out for nothing (she came in with no dowry). 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. 24 Rachel's sons were Joseph and Benjamin. 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. During this period of famine, Joseph's brothers, except for Benjamin, also came down to Egypt to buy grain. Joseph understood what they were saying and removed himself from their presence because he was caught in emotion. After they had consumed all of the grain that they brought back from Egypt, Jacob told his sons to go back to Egypt for more grain. How many sons did Jacob have with bilhah? 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). Am happy to have read this. Isaac, the son of Abraham , was married to Rebecca for many years before being blessed with children. 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. [48] Similarly, the eldest son of Jacob had decided not to leave the land because of the oath taken to protect Benjamin beforehand. He wanted to know if they would be willing to risk danger in order to save their half brother Benjamin. Joseph ordered the steward to go after the brothers and to question them about the "missing" silver cup. 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 . Habakkuk 3:7, in a paralellism (a literary device where something is said twice, slightly differently, in such a way as to equate two concepts), says this of Cushan. His death does not change the familys obligation towards her. 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. Joseph became the slave of Potiphar a very high official in Egypt. [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. These dreams, implying his supremacy, angered his brothers (Genesis 37:111) and made the brothers plot his demise. One tradition holds that Jacob's other children came into the world only for Joseph's sake. 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. They were directed into the province of Goshen and Joseph readied his chariot to meet his father there. This article incorporates text from the 19011906 Jewish Encyclopedia, a publication now in the public domain. 1) Reuben was Jacob's firstborn. Jacob is between 130 and 147 years old. Stories about Jacob in the Bible begin at Genesis 25:19. As with Bilhahs offspring, Zilpahs children are claimed and named by Leah as her own. He was the son of Leah, Jacob's first wife. 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. 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. pseudo-Jonathan), protecting her from the lustful eyes of Esau (Gen. R. 78:13). "Give me children, or I shall die," she says to Jacob (Genesis 30:1). Joseph interpreted this dream as the cup-bearer being restored as cup-bearer to the Pharaoh within three days. The steward put them at ease, telling them not to worry about the money, and brought out their brother Simeon. 19The new king took advantage of our people, and mistreated our fathers. , romanized: Rl, lit. Manasseh, Ephraim are between 19 and 26. 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. His brothers did not understand his spirituality and saw him as a threat. Joseph is mentioned in the New Testament as an example of faith (Hebrews 11:22). A. degree from Wheaton College, and the B. D. and Th. The narrative also indicates that they went straight to Joseph or were directed to him, even by the Pharaoh himself (Genesis 41:3757). Joseph is commemorated as one of the Holy Forefathers in the Calendar of Saints of the Armenian Apostolic Church on 26 July. Joseph had his father embalmed, a process that took forty days. Zilpah bore Jacob his seventh and eighth sons, Gad and Asher. Jacob did not wholly believe that Joseph was dead, because he could not forget him, while the dead are soon forgotten. Joseph and Asenath. The majority opinion of the rabbis is that Joseph always kept in mind his father and brothers. Joseph is between 39 and 56 years old. 25 Rachel's servant Bilhah's sons were Dan and Naphtali. The two halves of Manasseh were often treated as two separate units in the biblical account. Tap the title above, next to the arrow, to go to thatlesson with a link back to thispage. God punished him, therefore, by setting against him Potiphar's wife (Gen. R. 87:3). [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]. Is the word Bible pagan? Her maid Bilhah is ancestor of two more ( Gen 35:25; Gen 46:23-24). When Joseph's half-brothers reached home after selling him, Jacob ordered them to arm themselves and capture the beast that had supposedly killed Joseph. Deceptively, Joseph also ordered the steward to put his silver cup in Benjamin's sack. The coffin thereupon floated up (Ex. The cup-bearer took those grapes and squeezed them into Pharaoh's cup, and placed the cup in Pharaoh's hand. In Jewish tradition, Joseph was the progenitor of the northern tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh, named for his two sons.