how many wives did joseph son of jacob have how many wives did joseph son of jacob have

Jacob lived in the land of his father's sojournings, in the land of Canaan. I have written six books on the ancient Near Eastern and First Century context of Scripture, including a family curriculum series. What is Jacob's new name? Joseph was the favorite son of his father, who made him a richly ornamented coat. Joseph did very well with God's help. Full Bible Timeline - section on the life of Jacob. Joseph's wife is considered to be an Egyptian. This was the legal world and social context of the time of the Patriarchs. This makes Jesus related to Adam, both as the son of God and . '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. 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. 5 Bibliography. Joseph understood what they were saying and removed himself from their presence because he was caught in emotion. 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. (Genesis 30:24).[10][11]. J. M. Sel. (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. His brothers' jealousy grew when Joseph told them of his two dreams (Gen. 37:11) in which all the brothers, as well as his parents, bowed down to him. Jacob's other children are between 56 and 63. ), and as recently as the reign of Pharaoh Merneptah about 1200 B.C.E. In the second year of famine,[20] Joseph's half brothers were sent to Egypt to buy goods. (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. So they immediately informed the steward of what had transpired. 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 However, it is instructive to note that only Dinah is mentioned (Genesis 30:19-21; 34:1-3; 46:15) . He interpreted the dream as seven years of abundance followed by seven years of famine, and advised the Pharaoh to store surplus grain. [h] It had been over twenty years since Joseph had last seen his father. According to most rabbinical authorities, Joseph's coffin was sunk in the Nile (Targ. Tap the title above, next to the arrow, to go to thatlesson with a link back to thispage. 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. 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. In icons, he is sometimes depicted wearing the nemes headdress of an Egyptian vizier. How long did Jacob in the Bible wait to marry his wife? 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. Then Israel called all of his sons in and prophesied their blessings or curses to all twelve of them in order of their ages. And Joseph brought a bad report of them to their father. 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 younger daughter of Laban and wife of Jacob, Rachel is the mother of Joseph and Benjamin, who become two of the twelve tribes of Israel ( Gen 35:24; Gen 46:15-18). 84, xl. Joseph prospered in Potiphar's household and was eventually made head of the servants. (Genesis 47:147:12) The family was then settled in Goshen. Of all the sons, Joseph was preferred by his father, who gave him a "long coat of many colors". Did Jacob have 4 wives? Although they had betrayed him in the past, Joseph greeted them . Isaac and Rebecca's son Jacob was sent there to avoid the wrath of his brother Esau. 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. An angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and he said; "Take Mary home as your wife.". Joseph's sons Manasseh and Ephraim were born before the years of famine. Sefer ha-Yashar, section Wayiggash). Josephs ability to interpret dreams got him out of jail and into great favour with Pharoah. 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. The word used by for echad in the LXX (Septuagint, the authorized Greek translation of the Tanach OT) and the NT (ie. I have questioned this over the years, but didnt understand the cultural context as well as you have laid out. Simeon in Apocryphal and Rabbinical Literature). When Jacob calls his wives to him in Gen thirty-one only Leah and Rachel are named. One opinion holds that the Holy Spirit dwelt in Joseph from his childhood until his death (Pirke R. El. Their relationship is first mentioned in Genesis 41:45. The Persian poet Firdowsi wrote an epic on this subject. Jacob, before he died, blessed each of his sons and two of his grandsons, the two sons of Joseph. Joseph interpreted this dream as the baker being hanged within three days and having his flesh eaten by birds. The Amidah and the New Testament I: Long Prayers and Vain Repetitions? She then had three more sons: Simeon, Levi and Judah. He admonished and forgave them, he sent also his garment which healed the patriarch's eyes as soon as it was cast unto his face. Jacob also had some daughters, but the Bible gives the name of only one of them. Notify me of follow-up comments by email. Unaware of this secondary intention, the others obeyed him first. [47] But in Islam they returned leaving behind Benjamin because the mizzen bowl of the king was found in his bag. [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. People just cherry pick with the descriptions to determine prescriptives without studying out the matter. When Joseph woke up, he did as the angel commanded him to do. Manasseh, Ephraim are between 19 and 26. 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. 3. 10God saved Joseph from all his afflictions, and gave him favor and wisdom before Pharaoh, king of Egypt. He then tested them further, by accusing Benjamin of theft. 23 Leah's sons were Reuben (Jacob's first-born), Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun. [48] Similarly, the eldest son of Jacob had decided not to leave the land because of the oath taken to protect Benjamin beforehand. Joseph interpreted this dream as the cup-bearer being restored as cup-bearer to the Pharaoh within three days. His story functions as an explanation for Israel's residence in Egypt. When the Vizier (Joseph) appeared, they gave him gifts from their father. The time of the promises to Abraham spans the generations of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. 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 . 119a; comp. 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. Both women had a crisis of identity Rachel wasnt a mother and Leah wasnt really a wife in her own eyes. The robotic sermon went on to relate the story of when Joseph, the son of Jacob, was reunited with his brothers after many years. Leah was "Tender Eyed". He is presently pastor of the Evangelical Church of Archbold, Ohio. The words do not share the same lemma and so are unrelated. 2) Simeon was next, and he was also a son of Leah. He withdrew to his chambers and wept. The motif of dreams/dream interpretation contributes to a strong story-like narrative. How many wives did Jacob have? . pseudo-Jonathan). [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." is devoted to him, the only instance in the Quran in which an entire chapter is devoted to a complete story of a prophet. Then he revealed to the Hebrews that he was in fact their brother, Joseph. 5:26; Jacob 1:2, 18-19). Joseph was then summoned. How many sons did Jacob have with bilhah? God punished him, therefore, by setting against him Potiphar's wife (Gen. R. 87:3). Rabbah l.c). Answer and Explanation: Joseph has one wife, Asenath the daughter of Potiphar the priest of On, whom he marries in Egypt. 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 . 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. 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. 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. [NOTE: Jacob is listed by Stephen individually.] Nice going! 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. After being beaten by his brethren, Joseph was thrown by Simeon into a pit, among serpents and scorpions; but Joseph prayed to God and the reptiles retired to their holes (Targ. This tendency, although greatly diminished, was followed throughout late antiquity, the Medieval Era, and into the Reformation. He even forced them to throw out their babies to die. Joseph is between 39 and 56 years old. 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. We think of it differently, because we simply cannot imagine a maidservant being willing or even eager to consent to such an arrangement but when we look at it in terms of the times you will see a poor woman who was a servant, probably sold by her impoverished father to Labans family because he had no money to get her married off not out of coldness but because if he died without seeing her provided for her only options were starvation or prostitution; she was resigned to perhaps never marrying, or if she did it would be to another servant, to give birth to servants. | Bible Topics | The Hub The Gadites would later be described as, "brave warriors, ready for battle and able to handle the shield and spear. Her name was Dinah. Such a blessing as always sis. Ephraim was one of the major northern tribes, just north of the territory of Judah. 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. Joseph, in the Old Testament, son of the patriarch Jacob and his wife Rachel. According to the Documentary Hypothesis Joseph's toy is a combination of two or more versions which were later combined into the current narrative. Confronting a Devastating Doctrine: Are Children Is Hand Washing Commanded? 13. 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. But Israel refused saying, "but truly his younger brother shall be greater than he," a declaration he made just as Israel himself was to his firstborn brother Esau. Edit: I have been getting some great questions so I will share my answers. The story begins in Canaan - modern day Palestine, Syria and Israel - around 1600 to 1700 BC. 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. Then Israel laid his left hand on the eldest Mannasseh's head and his right hand on the youngest Ephraim's head and blessed Joseph. (Genesis 45:128), Thus, Jacob (also known as Israel) and his entire house of seventy[22] gathered up with all their livestock and began their journey to Egypt. Both the term "Joseph" and the term "Ephraim" were also frequently used by the biblical writers to refer to the norther tribes generally or to the later northern kingdom, usually called Israel. Indeed the name Potiphar may even be a version of Merenptah's name (Poti = Ptah, Phar = Pharaoh). The cup-bearer took those grapes and squeezed them into Pharaoh's cup, and placed the cup in Pharaoh's hand. 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. 1653. Full Bible Timeline - section on the life of Jacob. Joseph ordered the steward to go after the brothers and to question them about the "missing" silver cup. What happens when a man is required to take his dead brothers wife, if he is already married Deut 25:5? Joseph And His Brothers, The cultural impact of the Joseph story in early-modern times is discussed in, This page was last edited on 28 February 2023, at 10:50. 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. 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. (Genesis 46:134). She became angry and told lies about him, so he was put in jail. Stories about Jacob in the Bible begin at Genesis 25:19. 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. which references passages that point to Jacob having "daughters" (plural, more than one) such as Genesis 37:34-35. The baker's dream was about three baskets full of bread for the Pharaoh, and birds were eating the bread out of those baskets. According to the Midrash, Joseph would have been immediately executed by the sexual assault charge against him by Potiphar's wife. Joseph is represented as a perfectly righteous man (tzadik gamur) and as the counterpart of his father Jacob. Joseph would have been approximately six years old . 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. 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 it went against his ethical, moral and religious principles taught to him by his father Jacob. 4) Judah was the next. The money they had brought was double what they had offered on the first trip. The Vizier broke down into tears. (7-14) Genesis 29:17. 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. 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. His father then remarked, "Now let me die, since I have seen your face, because you are still alive." 17:1; 1 Ne. We can have a conquering faith in Jesus though we are tested by many tribulations. How many kids did Mary have? A. degree from Wheaton College, and the B. D. and Th. Scripture doesn't tell us much about Asenath, the wife of Joseph, the son of Jacob. After correctly interpreting the dreams of Pharaoh, however, he rises to second-in-command in Egypt and saves Egypt during a famine. 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). Sign me up for that! pseudo-Jonathan), protecting her from the lustful eyes of Esau (Gen. R. 78:13). 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 Jewish tradition, Joseph was the progenitor of the northern tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh, named for his two sons. 2. As Jacob's favorite son, he received from his father a coat of many colors, which made his brothers jealous to . This was Joseph's full brother, Benjamin. 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. How many children did Mary have after Jesus? Unbeknownst to them, Joseph had also returned their money to their money sacks (Genesis 42:128). Moreover, Inter. Am happy to have read this. Conversations that Christians Must Have#MeToo and #BLM, Episode 82: Mark Part 24Cosmic Encounters 3The Woman with the Issue of Blood. Gad and Asher: On the heels of Rachel's entry into the battle of the babies, Leah decided to give her maid, Zilpah to Jacob ( Genesis 30:9-12 ). However there are two separate lands related to the epithet Cush. Kusiteand Kusan are both used and they are spelled almost exactly the same the only difference being a tav vs a nun at the end of the word. 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. Joseph settled Jacob's growing clan with Pharaoh's blessing in the Land of Goshen (Gen. 47:29). 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. 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! Although this very well may offend our modern sensibilities, Zilpah and Bilhah had a better life than they had hoped for, in the end. Yes, the Bible does indicate that Jacob had more than one daughter. From the various midrashim, a wondrous story emerges: You see, when Shechem abducted Dinah, she became pregnant with his child. Pseudo-Jonathan to Gen. 1:26). yosef] to me another son." (Gen. 30:24) He was born in Padan-aram when Jacob was about 90 years old. He was the son of Leah, Jacob's first wife. 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. [54], This article is about the Joseph of the Book of Genesis. Known for: Rachel was the younger daughter of Laban and Jacob's favored wife. Information much needed for understanding context. yosef] to me another son." How many children did Jacob have? Then they informed their father that the Vizier demanded that Benjamin be brought before him to demonstrate that they were honest men. .". After the (presumed) death of Joseph, we read, "All of his [Jacob's] sons and daughters got up to comfort him . Zilpah bore Jacob his seventh and eighth sons, Gad and Asher. [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. Charles L. Zimmerman holds the B. Joseph was called into his father's house and Israel pleaded with his son that he not be buried in Egypt. She named him Joseph. Joseph is regarded by Muslims as a prophet (Qur'an, suras vi. 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). . It is later mentioned in Genesis 41:50 that before the years of famine, Joseph had two sons with Asenath. After his phenomenal rise to power, as he is passing through the street one day, his attention is attracted by a beggar woman whose bearing shows traces of former greatness. Yusuf eventually obtains permission to marry her, she having lost none of her former beauty nor any of her first love for him. Notify me of followup comments via e-mail. Jacob became greatly distressed, feeling deprived of successive sons: Joseph, Simeon, and (prospectively) Benjamin. As the reputed ancestor of the tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh, he is regarded by some as altogether legendary or even mythical by some critics. "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. (Genesis 48:122). 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. Esau took a third wife to please his father Isaac (Genesis 28:6-9). Thus, Israel was able to bless the Pharaoh. [32], Jewish tradition holds that Joseph had his steward plant his personal silver cup in Benjamin's sack to test his brothers. He wept so loudly that even the Egyptian household heard it outside. 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). Here, their lamentation was so great that it caught the attention of surrounding Canaanites who remarked "This is a deep mourning of the Egyptians." 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). The Haran controversy wrestles with the question of how long Abraham's grandson Jacob lived in Haran. They commemorate him on the Sunday of the Holy Forefathers (two Sundays before Christmas) and on Holy and Great Monday (Monday of Holy Week). | Alpha Index JOSEPH. [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. Jacob's favoritism for Joseph made his half-brothers so jealous that they were ready to murder him (see Genesis 37). The Lutheran ChurchMissouri Synod commemorates him as a patriarch on 31 March. 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. 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 . In Hebrew Joseph means: increaser. 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.