When Jacob calls his wives to him in Gen thirty-one only Leah and Rachel are named. [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 could not control himself any longer and so he sent the Egyptian men out of the house. Both were born after their mothers had been barren for a long time. "[43] The story has a lot in common with the biblical narrative, but with certain differences. (Genesis 48:122). Joseph would have been approximately six years old when his family returned from Haran to Canaan. 20. Biblical context is very much important. His brothers did not understand his spirituality and saw him as a threat. Jacob lives in Egypt for seventeen years after his arrival (Genesis 47:28). 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. Information much needed for understanding context. 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. She was no longer the mother of all of Jacobs children Rachel had a child now and she was the one who was truly regarded, by Jacob, as his wife. Elkannah had two women but again, one of them was barren so I suspect that Peninah was a concubine. 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). Joseph urged the first, a royal cupbearer, to get him out of prison once he was reinstated, but the cupbearer took no action on his behalf for two more years. Particularly galling is Jacob's reaction to Rachel the wife whom he loves deeply when she cannot become pregnant. Who is Dans mom? I asked. When he. These are the generations of Jacob. Finally, after 20 years of marriage, they were blessed with twin boys, Jacob and Esau. She then had three more sons: Simeon, Levi and Judah. (Genesis 50:1521), Joseph lived to the age of 110, living to see his great-grandchildren. 36). [h] It had been over twenty years since Joseph had last seen his father. He and his family took everything they owned. Genesis 31:38-41. 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, in the Old Testament, son of the patriarch Jacob and his wife Rachel. The cup-bearer took those grapes and squeezed them into Pharaoh's cup, and placed the cup in Pharaoh's hand. He withdrew to his chambers and wept. The merchants, meanwhile, brought Joseph to Egypt, where he was sold to Potiphar, an "officer of Pharaoh's, and captain of the guard" (Gen. 37:36). They commemorate him on the Sunday of the Holy Forefathers (two Sundays before Christmas) and on Holy and Great Monday (Monday of Holy Week). [26][27] The plot begins by showing Joseph as a dreamer; this leads him into trouble as, out of jealousy, his brothers sell him into slavery. .". In the Yahwist version Joseph is sold to Ismaelites, while in the Elohist (E) narrative it is Midianites who buy him. Despite his wealth, most rabbis represent him as very modest, and was not vain of his power (Ex. 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. As Zipporah was a Midianite, calling her a Kusite makes absolute sense. Tap the title above, next to the arrow, to go to thatlesson with a link back to thispage. But you'd be wrong. In Hebrew Joseph means: increaser. Is Polygamy Really Biblical? The brothers then dipped Joseph's coat in goat's blood and, returning home, showed it to their father, who concluded that Joseph had been torn apart by a wild beast. Jacob did not wholly believe that Joseph was dead, because he could not forget him, while the dead are soon forgotten. The house of Israel acquired many possessions and multiplied exceedingly during the course of seventeen years, even through the worst of the seven-year famine. One tradition holds that Jacob's other children came into the world only for Joseph's sake. Indeed the name Potiphar may even be a version of Merenptah's name (Poti = Ptah, Phar = Pharaoh). When Joseph interpreted Pharaoh's dreams, the king asked him for a sign by which he might know that his interpretation was true. Yusuf eventually obtains permission to marry her, she having lost none of her former beauty nor any of her first love for him. She also bore Benjamin and was a faithful wife to Jacob. 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. The brothers were frozen and could not utter a word. 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. Then Israel called all of his sons in and prophesied their blessings or curses to all twelve of them in order of their ages. Jacob became greatly distressed, feeling deprived of successive sons: Joseph, Simeon, and (prospectively) Benjamin. The remaining brothers returned to their father in Canaan, and told him all that had transpired in Egypt. 9The fathers, moved by jealousy against Joseph, sold him into Egypt as a slave; but God was with him. 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. This family, with its sordid history of deceit, jealousy, and . 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. Now Jacob had twelve sons. God punished him, therefore, by setting against him Potiphar's wife (Gen. R. 87:3). The Gadites would later be described as, "brave warriors, ready for battle and able to handle the shield and spear. 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. Full Bible Timeline - section on the life of Jacob. She named him Joseph. The shrine called Joseph's Tomb in Nablus/Shechem is traditionally considered to be his tomb. Judah (left) talking to Tamar (right) (1606-1669), by Rembrandt. 4) Judah was the next. 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. [49] When Jacob learned their story after their return, he wept in grief till he lost his eyesight because of sorrow. [35] This tendency is represented in John Chrysostom who said that Joseph's suffering was "a type of things to come",[36] Caesarius of Arles who interpreted Joseph's famous coat as representative of the diverse nations who would follow Christ,[37] Ambrose of Milan who interpreted the standing sheaf as prefiguring the resurrection of Christ,[38] and others. He worked under the Egyptian official Potiphar but was freed and became the chief adviser (vizier) to the Egyptian Pharaoh. During the seven years of abundance, Joseph ensured that the storehouses were full and that all produce was weighed. [44] In the Quran the brothers ask Jacob ("Yaqub") to let Joseph go with them. The eleventh son of Jacob and elder of the two sons Rachel (Genesis 30:23, 24). For Jacob however, a time came when his parents urged him to leave Canaan . I think Ill stick with my one wife (Staci) of 23 years. (Genesis Rabbah 84:22). Afterward, Joseph's family personally met the Pharaoh of Egypt. Answer (1 of 10): If you are talking about Jacob (Israel)'s son Joseph, then he had one wife. 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. During this period of famine, Joseph's brothers, except for Benjamin, also came down to Egypt to buy grain. 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. Upon stopping to speak to her, he discovers Zulaikha, who has been left in misery at the death of her husband. [46], In the Bible, Joseph discloses himself to his brethren before they return to their father the second time after buying grain. Jacob should not have had more than one wife.) How many years overall did he work for Laban? He is presently pastor of the Evangelical Church of Archbold, Ohio. Then he brought the brothers into the house of Joseph and received them hospitably. Joseph would have been approximately six years old . , romanized: Rl, lit. To add to the distinction within the family, in chapter thirty-seven, when Joseph goes tattling on his brothers, it specifically mentions that they are the sons of the neshe Bilhah and Zilpah. He then tested them further, by accusing Benjamin of theft. 13. Though Manasseh was the older brother, Jacob placed his right hand on Ephraim, the younger, and gave him the greater blessing. Joseph is represented as a perfectly righteous man (tzadik gamur) and as the counterpart of his father Jacob. (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. Joseph likely also has this status because he is the eldest child of Jacob's favorite (deceased) wife, Rachel . 14 Then Joseph sent and called his father Jacob and all his relatives to him, seventy-five people. Bah' commentaries have described these as metaphors with the garment implying the recognition of a manifestation of God. Some believe that he built the city of Memphis, and that he was instrumental in building the obelisks and pyramids. lol does it come with a jetted jacuzi tub? well, that did go well. The blessings of thy father have prevailed above the blessings of my progenitors unto the utmost bound of the everlasting hills. Required fields are marked *, nine = 27 .hide-if-no-js { 2:1; 2 Ne. Not only did Joseph resemble his father in appearance, but the main incidents of their lives were parallel. . In an essay posted without fanfare to its website in late October, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints said for the first time that Joseph Smith, founder of the Mormon church, had as many as 40 wives. "-Genesis 41:45. Joseph's wife is considered to be an Egyptian. In the interim, Joseph's mother died giving birth to his brother, Benjamin. Designed by Elegant Themes | Powered by WordPress, Judgment in Context: Honor, Shame, and the Command to Judge Not., Confessions of a Former Torah Terrorist Pt II. Known best for his coat of "many colors" and his God-given ability to interpret dreams, Joseph was sold into slavery by his jealous half-brothers. It was during this return to Egypt that Joseph disclosed his real identity to his brothers. arose that night, and took his two wives, his two maidservants1 and his eleven children, and crossed the ford of the Jabbok. Jacob's favoritism for Joseph made his half-brothers so jealous that they were ready to murder him (see Genesis 37). So, did Jacob have four legally wedded wives? (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. 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?. He also equipped a considerable army, with which he marched to help the Ishmaelites against the Tarshishites (Gen. R. 90:5). These children are the offspring of four different women, Leah and Rachel, his wives, and Zilpah and Bilhah, their respective handmaids. 84, xl. He forgave them and sent for Jacob and the entire household to come to Egypt. 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. From the various midrashim, a wondrous story emerges: You see, when Shechem abducted Dinah, she became pregnant with his child. They thought that the missed transaction would somehow be used against them as way to induct them as slaves and to confiscate their possessions. J. M. Sel. . Jacob, Hebrew Yaaqov, Arabic Yaqb, also called Israel, Hebrew Yisrael, Arabic Isrl, Hebrew patriarch who was the grandson of Abraham, the son of Isaac and Rebekah, and the traditional ancestor of the people of Israel. Who was Leah's 4th son? If Jacob, Joseph, and Joseph's two sons are added, then the total number is seventy (46:27). This is great, Tyler. 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. 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 In his father's house, Joseph is the favored son: "Israel (another name for Jacob) loved Joseph more than all his sons since he was a child of his old age" (Genesis 37:3). 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. 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).
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