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. However, Joseph was displeased that his father's right hand was not on the head of his firstborn, so he switched his father's hands. The Priestly source adds some statistics and gives a list of the people who went down to Egypt, while a later editor has supplied details to make the accounts appear as one, such as Joseph's subterfuge of sending the brothers back to Canaan first to get Benjamin, and later to get Jacob. Her maid Bilhah is ancestor of two more ( Gen 35:25; Gen 46:23-24). I smiled, and told them to listen again. What about the Ethiopian woman that Moses took as a wife in Numbers 12:1? 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. Joseph was the first son of Rachel and Jacob, and the 11th of Jacob's 12 sons (Genesis 30:22-24). Now why? (Genesis 30:24).[10][11]. 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. 13. A fourth group in verse 36 is named in Hebrew as mdanm that is properly identified as Medanites. Joseph was made a ruler over Egypt second to Pharoah. the time has come for the Israelites to be rescued from their oppressors; come up and do not cause us any further delay!" Full Bible Timeline - section on the life of Jacob. Her father contracted with her husbands father that she would be a wife in that house, that she would provide heirs to the house who would have rights to his share of the inheritance. 3) Levi was the third of Jacob and Leah's children. I have questioned this over the years, but didnt understand the cultural context as well as you have laid out. (Genesis 48:122). The sons by . 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. [47] But in Islam they returned leaving behind Benjamin because the mizzen bowl of the king was found in his bag. What is Jacob's new name? Jacob's favoritism for Joseph made his half-brothers so jealous that they were ready to murder him (see Genesis 37). Indeed, he blessed Joseph's sons before all the rest. They were directed into the province of Goshen and Joseph readied his chariot to meet his father there. 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. This tendency, although greatly diminished, was followed throughout late antiquity, the Medieval Era, and into the Reformation. Joseph was called into his father's house and Israel pleaded with his son that he not be buried in Egypt. That night, Joseph ordered his steward to load the brothers' donkeys with food and all their money. [50] He thus charged his sons to go and inquire about Joseph and his brother and despair not of God's mercy. He forgave them and sent for Jacob and the entire household to come to Egypt. Some of those women were also married to friends of his.Nov 11, 2014 Pharaoh was pleased with Joseph's interpretation and gave him authority to carry out the suggested policy (Gen. 41:46). This mandate lasted until the days of Moses (Genesis 47:2031). He is presently pastor of the Evangelical Church of Archbold, Ohio. Jacob is 147 years old. 139a; Gen. R. 94:25). .". Christian Apologetics & Intelligence Ministry, Tyler Dawn How Many Wives did Jacob Have? 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. Joseph would have been approximately six years old when his family returned from Haran to Canaan. 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! 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. 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. in accordance with New World Encyclopedia standards. 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. 2. Zilpah bore Jacob his seventh and eighth sons, Gad and Asher. Rachel is his mom, one of them gasped. It was the first successful production in the career of Andrew Lloyd Webber. of Potiphera, priest of On, to be his wife, Jacob, before he died, gave his blessing to Josephs two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim. After bearing Judah, Leah stopped bearing children for a . 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, being seventeen years old, was pasturing the flock with his brothers. 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). The steward put them at ease, telling them not to worry about the money, and brought out their brother Simeon. In Jewish tradition, Joseph was the progenitor of the northern tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh, named for his two sons. 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?. Is Polygamy Really Biblical? Because she was now barren (for whatever reason), she was in the legal position to give her own maidservant to Jacob as another woman, concubine. When they met, they embraced each other and wept together for quite a while. With Reuben and Judah's persistence, they persuaded their father to let Benjamin join them for fear of Egyptian retribution (Genesis 42:2943:15). 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. God blessed Leah with a firstborn son named Reuben. Could Paul have been saying that the husband and wife need to be one (Hebrew echad) instead of limiting a man to one wife? It is later mentioned in Genesis 41:50 that before the years of famine, Joseph had two sons with Asenath. His brothers did not understand his spirituality and saw him as a threat. Moses threw a pebble into the water there and cried out: "Joseph! How many wives did Joseph have in the Bible? 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. Notify me of followup comments via e-mail. And as it was budding, its blossoms came out and they produced grapes. 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. Finally, after 20 years of marriage, they were blessed with twin boys, Jacob and Esau. 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 (/dozf, -sf/; Hebrew: , lit. [28] Impressed with Joseph's interpretations, Pharaoh appoints him as second-in-command (Gen 41:41). | Servants of Grace Apologetics, Mishpatim in Context: Selling your daughter into slavery? 19The new king took advantage of our people, and mistreated our fathers. Isaac had one wife. Isaac and Rebecca's son Jacob was sent there to avoid the wrath of his brother Esau. 14. Who was Jacob's first wife? '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 . 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. How many children did Jacob have? People just cherry pick with the descriptions to determine prescriptives without studying out the matter. Now Jacob had twelve sons. "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 reason that Joseph selected Simeon may have been that the latter was the eldest after Reuben, who was spared by Joseph in return for his interference on Joseph's behalf many years before (Gen. xxxvii. Joseph is represented as a perfectly righteous man (tzadik gamur) and as the counterpart of his father Jacob. Joseph had good reasons not to have an affair with Potiphar's wife: he did not want to abuse his master's trust; he believed in the sanctity of marriage; and . 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. This caused a stir amongst the brothers. Joseph's brothers were motivated by fear. So they immediately informed the steward of what had transpired. The blessings of thy father have prevailed above the blessings of my progenitors unto the utmost bound of the everlasting hills. Joseph interpreted this dream as the baker being hanged within three days and having his flesh eaten by birds. Joseph did very well with Gods help. As the king's appointed viceroy, Joseph built himself a magnificent palace, placing in it a great number of slaves. What happens when a man is required to take his dead brothers wife, if he is already married Deut 25:5? 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. Through his father, he also has six half-brothers: Dan and Naphtali (whose . The first born of this union is still his firstborn even after he marries another woman, loves her, and has children with her. Joseph is 56 and Benjamin is about 40. 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. 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. 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. 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. The final group, where a transaction is made, is among the Egyptians in the same verse. There are numerous mentions of Joseph in Bah' writings. When he returned, the Vizier took Simeon and bound him as a hostage. The family prostrated before him hence the fulfilment of his dream aforetime.[52]. How many wives did Jacob have? The first mention of Ishmaelites (Yishma'elm) is in verse 25. His favourite, Joseph, walked closely with God, heard from Him and had great discernment. She gave birth to Joseph, one of the most important figures of the Old Testament, who saved the nation of Israel during a famine. The steward found the cup in Benjamin's sack - just as he had planted it the night before. And Joseph brought a bad report of them to their father. So, did Jacob have four legally wedded wives? Though Manasseh was the older brother, Jacob placed his right hand on Ephraim, the younger, and gave him the greater blessing. 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 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. 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 . 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! She also bore Benjamin and was a faithful wife to Jacob. He even instructed them to take his bones with them. 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. Jacob's concubine Bilhah gave birth to Dan . Some declare that during the 22 years he was away from home he drank no wine (Shab. The "seven lean years" has been taken to refer to a Middle Eastern famine documented at that time. 10God saved Joseph from all his afflictions, and gave him favor and wisdom before Pharaoh, king of Egypt. 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. Loaded with knowledge and wisdom. 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. Response: We read in Genesis 41:45 that Pharaoh gave Joseph Osnat daughter of Potiphera, priest of On, to be his wife. Here, their lamentation was so great that it caught the attention of surrounding Canaanites who remarked "This is a deep mourning of the Egyptians." (Genesis 50:2226). 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. 23 Leah's sons were Reuben (Jacob's first-born), Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun. Zulaikha is the wife of Kitfir (the Biblical Potiphar), through whose accusations Yusuf is thrown into prison. He is presently pastor of the Evangelical Church of Archbold, Ohio. [18] After two more years, the Pharaoh dreamt of seven lean cows which devoured seven fat cows; and of seven withered ears of grain which devoured seven fat ears. Tap the title above, next to the arrow, to go to thatlesson with a link back to thispage. Unbeknownst to them, Joseph had also returned their money to their money sacks (Genesis 42:128). Taking 130 and subtracting it from Joseph's age of 39 means Jacob was 91 when Joseph was born. 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). Indeed the name Potiphar may even be a version of Merenptah's name (Poti = Ptah, Phar = Pharaoh). Plan to Trick Jacob. "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. The coffin thereupon floated up (Ex. [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). 20-21). Edit: I have been getting some great questions so I will share my answers. And after Joseph perished, the sons of Jacob took unto themselves wives. It was after this that Isaac married Rebekah and Abraham took Keturah as a wife (possibly a concubine) (see Genesis 24 and 25:1). Is Polygamy Really Biblical? Half of Manasseh's tribe settled east of the Jordan, while the other half settled west of it. 'He shall add';[1] Standard: Ysef, Tiberian: Ysp; alternatively: ,[2][3] lit. Sarah was ninety when Isaac was born and Abraham was 100 years old (21:5). Elkannah had two women but again, one of them was barren so I suspect that Peninah was a concubine. He was a boy with the sons of Bilhah and Zilpah, his father's wives. [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]. Later, Joseph became Potiphar's personal servant, and subsequently his household's superintendent. According to the Midrash, Joseph would have been immediately executed by the sexual assault charge against him by Potiphar's wife. The baker's dream was about three baskets full of bread for the Pharaoh, and birds were eating the bread out of those baskets. Sarah died when she was 127 (23:1) - so Abraham would have been 137 and Isaac would have been 37. His father then remarked, "Now let me die, since I have seen your face, because you are still alive." (Exodus 13:19) The bones were buried at Shechem, in the parcel of ground which Jacob bought from the sons of Hamor (Joshua 24:32), which has traditionally been identified with site of Joseph's Tomb, before Jacob and all his family moved to Egypt. If Jacob, Joseph, and Joseph's two sons are added, then the total number is seventy (46:27). During the seven years of abundance, Joseph ensured that the storehouses were full and that all produce was weighed. At their first meeting, the brothers did not recognize him. For the New Testament Joseph, see, Another possible translation is "coat with long sleeves" (. 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. [46], In the Bible, Joseph discloses himself to his brethren before they return to their father the second time after buying grain. He is also a type of manly beauty; so that one often finds the expression "a second Joseph," meaning one extraordinarily beautiful. Then Joseph is summoned to interpret the dreams of Pharaoh himself. They commemorate him on the Sunday of the Holy Forefathers (two Sundays before Christmas) and on Holy and Great Monday (Monday of Holy Week). 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. (Genesis 49:3350:14), After their father died, the brothers of Joseph feared retribution for being responsible for Joseph's deliverance into Egypt as a slave. 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. Jacob's sons, including Joseph, are listed at the end of this page. The shrine called Joseph's Tomb in Nablus/Shechem is traditionally considered to be his tomb. Later we read, "His . Answer (1 of 10): If you are talking about Jacob (Israel)'s son Joseph, then he had one wife. Joseph, in the Old Testament, son of the patriarch Jacob and his wife Rachel. The narrative also indicates that they went straight to Joseph or were directed to him, even by the Pharaoh himself (Genesis 41:3757). Great article Tyler! 5:26; Jacob 1:2, 18-19). These children are the offspring of four different women, Leah and Rachel, his wives, and Zilpah and Bilhah, their respective handmaids. 21 . After Jacob's death, Joseph received the Pharaoh's permission to travel with a great caravan to Canaan in order to bury the patriarch. Jacob should not have had more than one wife.) 1653. As Jacob's favorite son, he received from his father a coat of many colors, which made his brothers jealous to . One opinion holds that the Holy Spirit dwelt in Joseph from his childhood until his death (Pirke R. El. When they were brought to Joseph's house, they were apprehensive about the returned money in their money sacks. [31] However, punishment could not have been avoided because of her class status and limited public knowledge of her scheme. 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). This article incorporates text from the 19011906 Jewish Encyclopedia, a publication now in the public domain. 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). No, he had two (and not by his choosing) wives and two concubines four women to whom he was connected through children. Sefer ha-Yashar, section Wayiggash). Abraham married Sarah, who was his niece; Isaac married Rebekah, who was his first cousin once removed; and Jacob married Leah and Rachel, who were his first cousins. 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. 18A new Pharaoh arose in Egypt, who knew nothing of Joseph. It simply was a rarity. An angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and he said; "Take Mary home as your wife.". (Genesis 50:1521), Joseph lived to the age of 110, living to see his great-grandchildren. She told Jacob, "Here is my maid Bilhah. 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. The historicity of Joseph's story is debated, with dates ranging from an early estimate beginning around 2000 B.C.E. [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]. The Vizier broke down into tears. The words do not share the same lemma and so are unrelated. According to most rabbinical authorities, Joseph's coffin was sunk in the Nile (Targ. It was a very large company." Joseph had his father embalmed, a process that took forty days. Here, Potiphar's wife (called Zuleika in later tradition) tried to seduce Joseph, which he refused. Yes, the Bible does indicate that Jacob had more than one daughter. Rather, he requested to be carried to the land of Canaan to be buried with his forefathers. Esau. (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 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. In Genesis 29:31-30:24 the birth of twelve of Jacob's children is recorded. (Genesis 46:134). The family, including the Egyptians, mourned him seventy days. 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. At this time, Joseph's father was 147 years old and bedridden. , romanized: Rl, lit. His story is told in . The Persian poet Firdowsi wrote an epic on this subject. Moreover, Inter. How many wives did Joseph son of Jacob have? It was during this return to Egypt that Joseph disclosed his real identity to his brothers. The eleventh son of Jacob and elder of the two sons Rachel (Genesis 30:23, 24). 25 Rachel's servant Bilhah's sons were Dan and Naphtali. Charles L. Zimmerman holds the B. When he regained control of himself, he returned and ordered a meal to be served. www.simplybible.com Copyright Ron Graham 2001 2018, "the ten thousands of Ephraim and the thousands of Manasseh", "By faith Joseph, when he was dying, said confidently that the children of Israel would leave Egypt. Jacob's daughters, like too many Bible women, often go unnamed, are mentioned only in passing, or both. 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. They thought that the missed transaction would somehow be used against them as way to induct them as slaves and to confiscate their possessions. 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. Joseph would have been approximately six years old . Joseph was brought from prison to interpret the king's dream. So Joseph was reunited with his family, Stephen provided a brief summary of Josephs Story, Pharaoh gave Joseph the name Zaphenath-Paneah and gave him Asenath, daughter [54], This article is about the Joseph of the Book of Genesis. 5. 42-45), Jacob, his sons, and all of his descendants moved to Egypt to be with Joseph. Thus, Joseph was indeed a "child of Isaac's old age" (Gen 37:3). When Joseph woke up, he did as the angel commanded him to do. The scene is a fitting resolution to Jacob's own drama, in which his father, Isaac, had been old and blind when Jacob himself deceived deceived him in order to obtain his blessing, meant for Esau. 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). John 10:30) is hen and the word used by Paul in those instances is mia. [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.
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