Tyler Dawn How Many Wives did Jacob Have? Joseph was the favorite son of his father, who made him a richly ornamented coat. When he. Joseph would have been approximately six years old when his family returned from Haran to Canaan. [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. 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. 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. Sign me up for that! 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. They stopped at Atad where they observed seven days of mourning. The composition of the story can be dated to the period between the 7th century BCE and the third quarter of the 5th century BCE, which is roughly the period to which scholars date the Book of Genesis. Their relationship is first mentioned in Genesis 41:45. 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. 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. 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. 23 Leah's sons were Reuben (Jacob's first-born), Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun. In analyzing Genesis Chapter 37, there are five different Hebrew names used to describe five different groups of people involved in the transaction of selling Joseph, according to Rabbi Judah and Rav Huna. 4) Judah was the next. Plan to Trick Jacob. I smiled. The family, including the Egyptians, mourned him seventy days. Joseph understood what they were saying and removed himself from their presence because he was caught in emotion. The first group identified, are Joseph's brothers when Judah brings up the idea of selling Joseph in verses 26 and 27. 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. Stories about Jacob in the Bible begin at Genesis 25:19. [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]. 4. One opinion holds that the Holy Spirit dwelt in Joseph from his childhood until his death (Pirke R. El. selling him to an Ishmaelite trade caravan. Who was the wife of Joseph son of Jacob? Nice going! After the (presumed) death of Joseph, we read, "All of his [Jacob's] sons and daughters got up to comfort him . Joseph is commemorated as one of the Holy Forefathers in the Calendar of Saints of the Armenian Apostolic Church on 26 July. 17:1; 1 Ne. Cindy Crawford's son Presley Gerber, 23, opens up about 'mistakes' he made during his battle with depression: 'I feel like it should be talked about a lot more than it is' He is presently pastor of the Evangelical Church of Archbold, Ohio. Old and nearly blind, Jacob is overwhelmed with joy, saying: "I never expected to see your face again, and now God has allowed me to see your children too" (Gen 48:11). Thank you. [16] Joseph requested that the cup-bearer mention him to Pharaoh to secure his release from prison,[17] but the cup-bearer, reinstalled in office, forgot Joseph. After 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. | Fact Sheet Index It is described in the Quran as the 'best of stories'. Jacob lived in the land of his father's sojournings, in the land of Canaan. 119a; comp. Pharaoh made Joseph governor over Egypt and all Pharaohs house. Our fathers found no food. Abravanel explains that she had accused other servants of the same crime in the past. Response: We read in Genesis 41:45 that Pharaoh gave Joseph Osnat daughter of Potiphera, priest of On, to be his wife. 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. Full Bible Timeline - section on the life of Jacob. This family, with its sordid history of deceit, jealousy, and . of Potiphera, priest of On, to be his wife, Jacob, before he died, gave his blessing to Josephs two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim. 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 How many children did Mary have after Jesus? 15 So Jacob went down to Egypt; and he died, he and our fathers. Despite his wealth, most rabbis represent him as very modest, and was not vain of his power (Ex. Then Israel called all of his sons in and prophesied their blessings or curses to all twelve of them in order of their ages. God punished him, therefore, by setting against him Potiphar's wife (Gen. R. 87:3). His prophetic powers are sited as an example of "faith" in Hebrews 11:22. 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. 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. 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 Sarah died when she was 127 (23:1) - so Abraham would have been 137 and Isaac would have been 37. The Haran controversy wrestles with the question of how long Abraham's grandson Jacob lived in Haran. 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). Joseph is 56 and Benjamin is about 40. 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. 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. Pharaoh was pleased with Joseph's interpretation and gave him authority to carry out the suggested policy (Gen. 41:46). 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 . Upon their return to Egypt with Benjamin, Joseph received them kindly and prepared a feast for them. To cite this article click here for a list of acceptable citing formats.The history of earlier contributions by wikipedians is accessible to researchers here: The history of this article since it was imported to New World Encyclopedia: Note: Some restrictions may apply to use of individual images which are separately licensed. Simeon had six sons, all of whom migrated to Egypt (Gen. xlvi. Even though I never watched either Big Love or Sister Wives, I knew about people who lived like this and I will bet that anyone who lives in certain parts of certain western states can tell you the same thing. It simply was a rarity. His father then remarked, "Now let me die, since I have seen your face, because you are still alive." 1. At this time, Joseph's father was 147 years old and bedridden. Tap a Lookup below to generate a list oflessons. Some of those women were also married to friends of his.Nov 11, 2014 Joseph placed his brothers in prison for three days. 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). . "Give me children, or I shall die," she says to Jacob (Genesis 30:1). Now we get to your verse if he sends her away and she has provided him with children despite the fact that he hates her he cannot treat her sons with contempt when it comes time to give the inheritance. He and his family took everything they owned. Jacob's sons, including Joseph, are listed at the end of this page. 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. 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. The community seems to confuse quite often what is description vs prescription. His story is told in . The majority opinion of the rabbis is that Joseph always kept in mind his father and brothers. He was Rachel's firstborn and Jacob's eleventh son. Both women had a crisis of identity Rachel wasnt a mother and Leah wasnt really a wife in her own eyes. Laws of Hammurabi: [144] If a man take a wife and this woman give her husband a maid-servant, and she bear him children, but this man wishes to take another wife, this shall not be permitted to him; he shall not take a second wife. The 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. 36). The later reunion of Joseph with Jacob (Israel), though anti-climactic after two previous reunions with his brothers, is one of the most poignant in the Bible. This caused a stir amongst the brothers. 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. 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. Biblical context is very much important. Jacob should not have had more than one wife.) They were rapacious, while Joseph never enjoyed anything that was not his (Zeb. 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. 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. Christian Apologetics & Intelligence Ministry, Tyler Dawn How Many Wives did Jacob Have? 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. This tendency, although greatly diminished, was followed throughout late antiquity, the Medieval Era, and into the Reformation. Joseph prospered in Potiphar's household and was eventually made head of the servants. He Was the Son of Isaac. In Egypt, Joseph's character was antithetical to that of all the other slaves. Joseph and Asenath. During the seven years of abundance, Joseph ensured that the storehouses were full and that all produce was weighed. Joseph, in the Old Testament, son of the patriarch Jacob and his wife Rachel. 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. What is a forbidden marriage in the Bible? For Jacob however, a time came when his parents urged him to leave Canaan . Yusuf eventually obtains permission to marry her, she having lost none of her former beauty nor any of her first love for him. As Zipporah was a Midianite, calling her a Kusite makes absolute sense. 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. When the brothers claimed to the father that a wolf had eaten Joseph, he observed patience. "Pharaoh called Joseph by the name Tzafnat-Pa'neach and gave him as his wife Asenath the daughter of Poti-Fera priest of On. 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. 14Joseph sent for his father Jacob and his whole family, seventy-five souls, to come and live in Egypt. In Genesis 29:31-30:24 the birth . After they mentioned a younger brother at home, the Vizier (Joseph) demanded that he be brought to Egypt as a demonstration of their veracity. God richly bless you my sis. And Joseph brought a bad report of them to their father. Jacob's family travel to Egypt to escape the famine, and it is through him that they are given leave to settle in the Land of Goshen (the eastern part of the Nile Delta). | Servants of Grace Apologetics, Mishpatim in Context: Selling your daughter into slavery? 5 Bibliography. Potiphar believed that Joseph was incapable of such an act and petitioned Pharaoh to spare his life. I have questioned this over the years, but didnt understand the cultural context as well as you have laid out. 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. 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. Thus, "Joseph gathered up all the money that was in the land of Egypt, and in the land of Canaan, for the grain which they bought.". Then the Hebrew phrase shm midyanm srm in verse 28 describes Midianite traders. She gave birth to Joseph, one of the most important figures of the Old Testament, who saved the nation of Israel during a famine. Mary and Joseph ended up in Bethlehem where the birth took place. They thought that the missed transaction would somehow be used against them as way to induct them as slaves and to confiscate their possessions. In the Qur'an a whole chapter (sura xii) is devoted to Joseph; and Islamic commentators add many details to this "best of stories.". Joseph had his father embalmed, a process that took forty days. (7-14) Genesis 29:17. His death does not change the familys obligation towards her. A. degree from Wheaton College, and the B. D. and Th. The "seven lean years" has been taken to refer to a Middle Eastern famine documented at that time. (Genesis 37:35, Common English Bible). In Canaan, Rachel gave birth to Jacob's final son, Benjamin, but, tragically, she died in childbirth. So they immediately informed the steward of what had transpired. But Judah pleaded for Benjamin, offering himself as a slave instead. 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. Elkannah had two women but again, one of them was barren so I suspect that Peninah was a concubine. According to the Documentary Hypothesis Joseph's toy is a combination of two or more versions which were later combined into the current narrative. Moreover, Inter. It was a very large company." Joseph correctly predicted their futures: one would be reinstated in his post while the other would be executed. 12Jacob heard that there was grain in Egypt, so he sent our fathers there for the first time. Yet, from this answer in Quora. arose that night, and took his two wives, his two maidservants1 and his eleven children, and crossed the ford of the Jabbok. 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. 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. Judah (left) talking to Tamar (right) (1606-1669), by Rembrandt. The favoritism Israel showed Joseph and the plot against him by his brothers were divine means of getting him into Egypt. Israel (Jacob) agreed to his son's invitation to move to Egypt and began the journey to see Joseph. She gives birth to two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh. In the midrash, the selling of Joseph was part of God's divine plan for him to save his tribes. At the end of that period, the Pharaoh had a strange dream which none of his advisers could interpret. The coffin thereupon floated up (Ex. 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. [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. Paul even specifically said that male leadership within the Body was to be limited to those men who only had one wife (I Tim 3:2, 12; Titus 1:6). There Jacob worked for Laban, fathered eleven sons and daughter, Dinah, (Gen. 35:22-26; 46:15), and amassed livestock and wealth. Is Polygamy Really Biblical? [44] In the Quran the brothers ask Jacob ("Yaqub") to let Joseph go with them. Here is the list lifted from my answer to Who was Joseph in the Bible? (notice that she is given the same treatment as a wife but is not a wife), [147] If she have not borne him children, then her mistress may sell her for money. They commemorate him on the Sunday of the Holy Forefathers (two Sundays before Christmas) and on Holy and Great Monday (Monday of Holy Week). 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. He went into his private room and wept there. He was present at Jacob's famous reconciliation with his brother Esau. However, it is instructive to note that only Dinah is mentioned (Genesis 30:19-21; 34:1-3; 46:15) .
