how many wives did joseph son of jacob have

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. SIMEON - JewishEncyclopedia.com He Was the Son of Isaac. The two principle sources are the Yahwist and the Elohist versions, with a few details included as well from the Priestly source. Joseph is mentioned in the New Testament as an example of faith (Hebrews 11:22). 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). pseudo-Jonathan). Jacob lived in the land of his father's sojournings, in the land of Canaan. popularly referred to as a "coat of many colors." John 10:30) is hen and the word used by Paul in those instances is mia. And Jo. Joseph and Asenath. 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. The genealogy of Jesus in the New Testament traces Jesus' ancestry lineally, from Abraham to David, and then from David to Jesus. A fourth group in verse 36 is named in Hebrew as mdanm that is properly identified as Medanites. Jacob had 12 sons, at Hebron. JOSEPH. Our fathers found no food. As Joseph had foreseen, seven years of plenty came, during which he stored up a great abundance of grain in granaries built for the purpose. The "seven lean years" has been taken to refer to a Middle Eastern famine documented at that time. 11Then a famine came over all the land of Egypt and Canaan, causing great affliction. She told Jacob, "Here is my maid Bilhah. When Rachel did not have any children, she became upset. 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. 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 . The blessings of thy father have prevailed above the blessings of my progenitors unto the utmost bound of the everlasting hills. Who was the angel of 4) Judah was the next. This family, with its sordid history of deceit, jealousy, and . Elkannah had two women but again, one of them was barren so I suspect that Peninah was a concubine. The account of the birth of Jacob's children is found in Genesis 2930, 35. Later we will learn a lot more about Joseph, because he became a very important person. 3. So they immediately informed the steward of what had transpired. Joseph interpreted this dream as the baker being hanged within three days and having his flesh eaten by birds. According to the Documentary Hypothesis Joseph's toy is a combination of two or more versions which were later combined into the current narrative. Taking 130 and subtracting it from Joseph's age of 39 means Jacob was 91 when Joseph was born. What Does the Bible Say About How Many Wives Did Joesph Have Before He 3) Levi was the third of Jacob and Leah's children. Now Jacob had twelve sons. It simply was a rarity. Full Bible Timeline - section on the life of Jacob. It is later mentioned in Genesis 41:50 that before the years of famine, Joseph had two sons with Asenath. The Story of Joseph | My Jewish Learning 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. But you'd be wrong. 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. | Bible Topics Facts About Joseph (a son of Jacob) - A Simple Bible List Indeed, he blessed Joseph's sons before all the rest. In the second year of famine,[20] Joseph's half brothers were sent to Egypt to buy goods. Our President, Mr . How many children did Jacob have? Here, Potiphar's wife (called Zuleika in later tradition) tried to seduce Joseph, which he refused. 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. Could Paul have been saying that the husband and wife need to be one (Hebrew echad) instead of limiting a man to one wife? Tsaphenath Paneach", "Allusions to the Joseph Narrative in the Synoptic Gospels and Acts: Foundations of a Biblical Type", The Story of Joseph in the Babi and Baha'i Faiths, "The New Media Bible: Book of Genesis (Video 1979)", "Jewish religious life in the Persian period", The Composition of Genesis 37: Incoherence and Meaning in the Exposition of the Joseph Story, "The Odyssey and the myth of Joseph; Autolykos and Jacob", "Strange Bedfellows: Politics and Narrative in Philo", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Joseph_(Genesis)&oldid=1142074895, 1979, New Media Bible Genesis Project (TV)-cap. His favourite, Joseph, walked closely with God, heard from Him and had great discernment. Joseph was sworn to do as his father asked of him. 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's other children are between 56 and 63. 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. 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. selling him to an Ishmaelite trade caravan. Thank you. The brothers conferred amongst themselves speaking in Hebrew, reflecting on the wrong they had done to Joseph. Manasseh, Ephraim are between 19 and 26. 10God saved Joseph from all his afflictions, and gave him favor and wisdom before Pharaoh, king of Egypt. I think some translators/editors have erred when they separate the two sections. Am happy to have read this. If, however, to the sixty-six Stephen added the wives of Jacob's sons', he could have legitimately reckoned Jacob's household as numbering seventy-five, instead of seventy. These children are the offspring of four different women, Leah and Rachel, his wives, and Zilpah and Bilhah, their respective handmaids. 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. 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). 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. Information much needed for understanding context. Your email address will not be published. He was Jacob's eleventh son and Rachel's first. "Pharaoh called Joseph by the name Tzafnat-Pa'neach and gave him as his wife Asenath the daughter of Poti-Fera priest of On. 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 36). Who are the two concubines who have children with Jacob? Particularly galling is Jacob's reaction to Rachel the wife whom he loves deeply when she cannot become pregnant. How long did Jacob in the Bible wait to marry his wife? The story begins in Canaan - modern day Palestine, Syria and Israel - around 1600 to 1700 BC. The first born of this union is still his firstborn even after he marries another woman, loves her, and has children with her. It was a very large company." [31] However, punishment could not have been avoided because of her class status and limited public knowledge of her scheme. Genesis 35:23 The sons of Leah were Reuben the firstborn of Jacob Joseph, son of Jacob - New World Encyclopedia 2. [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. As the king's appointed viceroy, Joseph built himself a magnificent palace, placing in it a great number of slaves. 38). '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 . Scripture doesn't tell us much about Asenath, the wife of Joseph, the son of Jacob. Joseph was fully trusted by his master, Potiphars wife took a fancy to Joseph, but he refused to sin with her. Though Manasseh was the older brother, Jacob placed his right hand on Ephraim, the younger, and gave him the greater blessing. [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. In fact, this is all we learn about her: Genesis 41:45: "Pharaoh gave Joseph the name Zaphenath-Paneah and gave . Many of these amplifications have been borrowed by rabbinical tradition. Her father, Jacob, saw that his family was deeply ashamed of his new granddaughter. Some believe that he built the city of Memphis, and that he was instrumental in building the obelisks and pyramids. God richly bless you my sis. God blessed Leah with a firstborn son named Reuben. Pharaoh made Joseph governor over Egypt and all Pharaohs house. This is great, Tyler. Finally, after 20 years of marriage, they were blessed with twin boys, Jacob and Esau. 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. 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.". She gives birth to two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh. Deceptively, Joseph also ordered the steward to put his silver cup in Benjamin's sack. 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. 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. These years were followed by seven years of famine "over all the face of the earth," when "all countries came into Egypt to Joseph to buy grain" (Gen. 41:56, 57; 47:13,14). in accordance with New World Encyclopedia standards. The first mention of Ishmaelites (Yishma'elm) is in verse 25. I want to point out something obvious about Joseph's wife Asenath I think many of us have a tendency to skip over without giving it much thought. She has seen her sister Leah bear Jacob three sons (presumably within three years), and can no longer take the pain of being the barren wife. 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 thought that the missed transaction would somehow be used against them as way to induct them as slaves and to confiscate their possessions. He could not control himself any longer and so he sent the Egyptian men out of the house. [28] Impressed with Joseph's interpretations, Pharaoh appoints him as second-in-command (Gen 41:41). 118b); they were given to lust, while Joseph was chaste and resisted temptation. It also includes the marvelous story and time of Jacob's son Joseph (Genesis 35-50). With Reuben and Judah's persistence, they persuaded their father to let Benjamin join them for fear of Egyptian retribution (Genesis 42:2943:15). is devoted to him, the only instance in the Quran in which an entire chapter is devoted to a complete story of a prophet. the time has come for the Israelites to be rescued from their oppressors; come up and do not cause us any further delay!" Stories about Jacob in the Bible begin at Genesis 25:19. 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. How many kids did Mary have? When the Pharaoh's advisers failed to interpret these dreams, the cup-bearer remembered Joseph. 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 is Jacob's favorite (Genesis 37:3). 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. According to the Midrash, Joseph would have been immediately executed by the sexual assault charge against him by Potiphar's wife. The musical Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat is about Joseph's story. Bah' commentaries have described these as metaphors with the garment implying the recognition of a manifestation of God. There Jacob worked for Laban, fathered eleven sons and daughter, Dinah, (Gen. 35:22-26; 46:15), and amassed livestock and wealth. As Jacob's favorite son, he received from his father a coat of many colors, which made his brothers jealous to . Rachel in the Bible - Jacob's Wife and Mother of Joseph - Learn Religions 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. This also created rivalries between their sons. Leah was "Tender Eyed". Pseudo-Jonathan to Gen. 1:26). (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. The Pharaoh is said to have given Joseph, Asenath daughter of Potiphera, priest of On, as his wife. The money they had brought was double what they had offered on the first trip. Full Bible Timeline - section on the life of Jacob. He interpreted the dream as seven years of abundance followed by seven years of famine, and advised the Pharaoh to store surplus grain. Joseph's sons born in Egypt by Asenath, daughter of Potipherah, Priest Rather, he requested to be carried to the land of Canaan to be buried with his forefathers. Joseph occupies a very important place in Rabbinical literature, and no patriarch was the subject of so many Midrashic traditional narratives. Who Are the Sons of Jacob? Importance of the 12 - Bible Study Tools 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. 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. Although this very well may offend our modern sensibilities, Zilpah and Bilhah had a better life than they had hoped for, in the end. This mandate lasted until the days of Moses (Genesis 47:2031). Home 5 Bibliography. "[40], In addition, some Christian authors have argued that this typological interpretation finds its origin in the speech of Stephen in Acts 7:9-15, as well as the Gospel of Luke and the parables of Jesus, noting strong verbal and conceptual collocation between the Greek translation of the portion of Genesis concerning Joseph and the Parable of the Wicked Tenants and the Parable of the Prodigal Son. You are my Guardian in this world and in the Hereafter. The Hebrew word translated as "tender" means "soft, delicate, or lovely.". In the Qayyumu'l-Asma', the Bb refers to Bah'u'llh as the true Joseph and makes an analogous prophecy regarding Bah'u'llh suffering at the hands of his brother, Mrz Yahy. Then they informed their father that the Vizier demanded that Benjamin be brought before him to demonstrate that they were honest men. At that time Moses was born (Acts 7:17-19). Her maid Bilhah is ancestor of two more ( Gen 35:25; Gen 46:23-24). In the second dream, the sun (father), the moon (mother), and eleven stars (brothers) bowed to Joseph himself. So they named this spot Abel Mizraim. Yet, from this answer in Quora. 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. The narrative also indicates that they went straight to Joseph or were directed to him, even by the Pharaoh himself (Genesis 41:3757). His story functions as an explanation for Israel's residence in Egypt. Others consider the story a semi-independent novella, which has been independently added to the biblical record. [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). He kept the sacred records after Nephi (see 1 Ne. Rachel: Bible | Jewish Women's Archive 84, xl. Known for: Rachel was the younger daughter of Laban and Jacob's favored wife. 20-21). Joseph was the first son of Rachel and Jacob, and the 11th of Jacob's 12 sons (Genesis 30:22-24). For Jacob however, a time came when his parents urged him to leave Canaan . Joseph did very well with Gods help. 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. Yes and No. When Joseph interpreted Pharaoh's dreams, the king asked him for a sign by which he might know that his interpretation was true. 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. So, did Jacob have four legally wedded wives? The motif of dreams/dream interpretation contributes to a strong story-like narrative. (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. 17:1; 1 Ne. I love reading and studying from you. The favoritism Israel showed Joseph and the plot against him by his brothers were divine means of getting him into Egypt. Genesis 24-36: The Covenant Line Continues with Isaac and Jacob [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]. 2:1; 2 Ne. 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. Yusuf eventually obtains permission to marry her, she having lost none of her former beauty nor any of her first love for him. 16Their remains were brought back to Shechem, and laid in the tomb that Abraham, for a price in silver, purchased from the children of Hamor in Shechem. (Acts 7:14-16). The Wives of Jacob's Sons (xxxiv. In Jewish tradition, Joseph was the progenitor of the northern tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh, named for his two sons. Jacob became greatly distressed, feeling deprived of successive sons: Joseph, Simeon, and (prospectively) Benjamin. [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. Moses threw a pebble into the water there and cried out: "Joseph! I saw the tents of Cushan in affliction; the curtains of the land of Midian did tremble. (Genesis 46:134). 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. Jacob should not have had more than one wife.) Afterward, Joseph's family personally met the Pharaoh of Egypt. In the midrash, the selling of Joseph was part of God's divine plan for him to save his tribes. Jacob | Hebrew patriarch | Britannica Joseph understood what they were saying and removed himself from their presence because he was caught in emotion. , romanized: Rl, lit. A. degree from Wheaton College, and the B. D. and Th. They betrayed him by. This was Joseph's full brother, Benjamin. The word until speaks of a change to the first action . The story of Yusuf and Zulaikha was a favorite love song in the Near East. He had fallen ill and lost most of his vision. The Amidah and the New Testament I: Long Prayers and Vain Repetitions? 'He shall add';[1] Standard: Ysef, Tiberian: Ysp; alternatively: ,[2][3] lit. He persuaded them to throw Joseph into a pit and secretly planned to rescue him later. They were rapacious, while Joseph never enjoyed anything that was not his (Zeb. When the famine came, it was so severe that people from surrounding nations came to Egypt to buy bread. Joseph would have been approximately six years old when his family returned from Haran to Canaan. One tradition holds that Jacob's other children came into the world only for Joseph's sake. 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' 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. 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. Loaded with knowledge and wisdom. Joseph, being seventeen years old, was pasturing the flock with his brothers. Both women had a crisis of identity Rachel wasnt a mother and Leah wasnt really a wife in her own eyes. 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. Simeon in Apocryphal and Rabbinical Literature). 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. yosef] to me another son." (Gen. 30:24) He was born in Padan-aram when Jacob was about 90 years old. Zilpah bore Jacob his seventh and eighth sons, Gad and Asher. "[43] The story has a lot in common with the biblical narrative, but with certain differences. Tap the title above, next to the arrow, to go to thatlesson with a link back to thispage. Moses followed Joseph's pattern in rising from slavery to a position of royal favor in the court of the pharaohs, and would later lead the Israelites out of Egypt and back to the land of Canaan. Esau took a third wife to please his father Isaac (Genesis 28:6-9). He then tested them further, by accusing Benjamin of theft. Deut 21:15 says that if a man has two wives, one loved and one unloved that he cannot disinherit the child of the unloved wife doesnt this say that men can have two wives? He went into his private room and wept there. 41-6: Why did God allow Joseph to marry an Egyptian-a daughter from the }. Answer and Explanation: Joseph has one wife, Asenath the daughter of Potiphar the priest of On, whom he marries in Egypt. 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. At last Rachel was able to have a child. [g] Then he had their donkeys prepared with grain and sent the other brothers back to Canaan. The family, including the Egyptians, mourned him seventy days. 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. Convinced of his brothers' repentance and overcome with emotion, Joseph finally revealed himself to them. Jacob's wife, were Joseph and Benjamin. Joseph (Genesis) - Wikipedia 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. The Bible's original love triangle: Jacob, Leah, and Rachel - Culture Tap the title above, next to the arrow, to go to thatlesson with a link back to thispage. How many wives did Joseph son of Jacob have? 2. Who was the wife of Joseph son of Jacob? As with Bilhahs offspring, Zilpahs children are claimed and named by Leah as her own. It was the first successful production in the career of Andrew Lloyd Webber. How movie 'Shakespeare in Love' almost fell apart when original star . And as it was budding, its blossoms came out and they produced grapes. 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. His estranged brothers later reunited with him when they came to Egypt to buy grain during a famine, and thus Joseph became the central figure to lead the children of Israel (Jacob) during their course of exile in Egypt. The eleventh son of Jacob and elder of the two sons Rachel (Genesis 30:23, 24). We passed on to Zilpah, and they noticed it again Gad is Leahs son!, Very good, I smiled. The sons by Leah (Jacob's first wife) were: Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Zebulun.