how many wives did joseph son of jacob have

how many wives did joseph son of jacob have

The Hebrew word translated as "tender" means "soft, delicate, or lovely.". Loaded with knowledge and wisdom. But like everything else, modern context is not Biblical context we dont think the same way or have the same needs and therefore we dont live the same way; we certainly dont have the same expectations. [NOTE: Jacob is listed by Stephen individually.] Who was Leah's 4th son? He worked under the Egyptian official Potiphar but was freed and became the chief adviser (vizier) to the Egyptian Pharaoh. 20-21). Edit: I have been getting some great questions so I will share my answers. How many wives did Joseph have in the Bible? 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. 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. 'He shall add';[1] Standard: Ysef, Tiberian: Ysp; alternatively: ,[2][3] lit. I smiled, and told them to listen again. 14Joseph sent for his father Jacob and his whole family, seventy-five souls, to come and live in Egypt. Joseph was born the 11 th of 12 sons to his father Jacob. Because the 12 sons of Jacob became the 12 tribesGod's covenantal peoplethe 12 stones on the high priest's breastplate of course represent God's promise to them ( Genesis 28:12-15 ). In response, Judah pleaded with the Vizier that Benjamin be allowed to return to his father, and that he himself be kept in Benjamin's place as a slave (Genesis 44). 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. Joseph was made a ruler over Egypt second to Pharoah. So Genesis 30 is what I was teaching my boys yesterday morning. 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. Nice going! Yes and No. Manasseh, Ephraim are between 19 and 26. As with Bilhahs offspring, Zilpahs children are claimed and named by Leah as her own. The story tells of two servants of Pharaoh's household who were in jail with Joseph and asked him to interpret their dreams. 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. R. 1:7). 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. | Fact Sheet Index 14. Who was Jacob's first 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?. Pseudo-Jonathan to Gen. 1:26). 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. The name of Reuben's wife is 'Ad 1 and the name of Simeon's wife is 'Adb'a, a Canaanite; 1 and the name of Levi's wife is Mlk, 2 of the daughters of Aram, of the seed of the sons of Terah; and the name of Judah . He then sent them away with grain, retaining Simeon as a hostage (Gen. 42:1-25), while ordering them not to return without Benjamin, the only one of his brothers born of Joseph's own mother, Rachel. The words do not share the same lemma and so are unrelated. In Egypt, Joseph's character was antithetical to that of all the other slaves. When Rachel did not have any children, she became upset. At last Rachel was able to have a child. When Rachel had successfully provided Jacob with an heir, Leah felt her position was tenuous. The two principle sources are the Yahwist and the Elohist versions, with a few details included as well from the Priestly source. I saw the tents of Cushan in affliction; the curtains of the land of Midian did tremble. They commemorate him on the Sunday of the Holy Forefathers (two Sundays before Christmas) and on Holy and Great Monday (Monday of Holy Week). Zilpah bore Jacob his seventh and eighth sons, Gad and Asher. Moreover, Inter. 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. How many wives did Jacob have? Joseph was sworn to do as his father asked of him. 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. How many wives did Joseph son of Jacob have? 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' The true faith in Jesus Christ stands the test and wins victory. Taking 130 and subtracting it from Joseph's age of 39 means Jacob was 91 when Joseph was born. At the age 30, Joseph married Asenath, the daughter of the priest of Heliopolis. Bah' commentaries have described these as metaphors with the garment implying the recognition of a manifestation of God. [a] When Joseph was seventeen years old, he shared with his brothers two dreams he had had: in the first dream, Joseph and his brothers gathered bundles of grain, of which those his brothers gathered, bowed to his own. Joseph became the slave of Potiphar a very high official in Egypt. 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. 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. 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. For Jacob however, a time came when his parents urged him to leave Canaan . Ephraim was one of the major northern tribes, just north of the territory of Judah. (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. The "unloved" Leah bore seven of Jacob's childrensix sons, Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun, as well as a daughter, Dinah. In fact, this is all we learn about her: Genesis 41:45: "Pharaoh gave Joseph the name Zaphenath-Paneah and gave . During the seven years of abundance, Joseph ensured that the storehouses were full and that all produce was weighed. 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. They thought that the missed transaction would somehow be used against them as way to induct them as slaves and to confiscate their possessions. 2) Simeon was next, and he was also a son of Leah. Your email address will not be published. Elkannah had two women but again, one of them was barren so I suspect that Peninah was a concubine. In icons, he is sometimes depicted wearing the nemes headdress of an Egyptian vizier. 2:1; 2 Ne. [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. The sons by . In the Eastern Orthodox Church and those Eastern Catholic Churches which follow the Byzantine Rite, he is known as "Joseph the all-comely", a reference not only to his physical appearance, but more importantly to the beauty of his spiritual life. Abravanel explains that she had accused other servants of the same crime in the past. It served a specific societal function within a context that no longer exists (much like the need for Levirate marriage). In the Elohist version it is Rueben intervenes on Joseph's behalf, while in the Yahwist version it is Judah that saves him. Jacob lives in Egypt for seventeen years after his arrival (Genesis 47:28). "[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. Then Joseph buried Israel in the cave of Machpelah, the property of Abraham when he bought it from the Hittites. I put up the white board and I was marking out the family tree of the patriarchs. (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. Joseph had his father embalmed, a process that took forty days. Hope that makes sense. Israel (Jacob) agreed to his son's invitation to move to Egypt and began the journey to see Joseph. 36). New World Encyclopedia writers and editors rewrote and completed the Wikipedia article This also created rivalries between their sons. 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 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. Joseph would have been approximately six years old . Her maid Bilhah is ancestor of two more ( Gen 35:25; Gen 46:23-24). Jacob should not have had more than one wife.) As they approached Egyptian territory, Judah went ahead to ask Joseph where the caravan should unload. As Jacob's name became synonymous with all Israel, so that of Joseph was eventually equated with all the tribes that made up the northern kingdom. 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. Joseph prospered in Potiphar's household and was eventually made head of the servants. Plan to Trick Jacob. The baker's dream was about three baskets full of bread for the Pharaoh, and birds were eating the bread out of those baskets. Joseph was 11th of 12 sons of a wealthy nomad Jacob and his second wife Rachel. He became the second most powerful man in all Egypt. These were the 11 sons that were born to Jacob when he lived with Rachel's father Laban. Angered by his running away from her, she made a false accusation of rape, and thus assured his imprisonment[d] (Genesis 39:120). His prophetic powers are sited as an example of "faith" in Hebrews 11:22. In one Talmudic story, Joseph was buried in the Nile river, as there was some dispute as to which province should be honored by having his tomb within its boundaries. The genealogy of Jesus in the New Testament traces Jesus' ancestry lineally, from Abraham to David, and then from David to Jesus. She gives birth to two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh. He was a boy with the sons of Bilhah and Zilpah, his father's wives. Here is the list lifted from my answer to Who was Joseph in the Bible? After correctly interpreting the dreams of Pharaoh, however, he rises to second-in-command in Egypt and saves Egypt during a famine. 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. 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. Half of Manasseh's tribe settled east of the Jordan, while the other half settled west of it. Joseph was fully trusted by his master, Potiphars wife took a fancy to Joseph, but he refused to sin with her. The steward found the cup in Benjamin's sack - just as he had planted it the night before. Her name was Dinah. His father then remarked, "Now let me die, since I have seen your face, because you are still alive." 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. [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." Jacob's other children are between 56 and 63. Jacob lived in the land of his father's sojournings, in the land of Canaan. Jacob's concubine Bilhah gave birth to Dan . 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. (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. He then gave his blessing upon all of his sons, and the blessing he gave to Joseph was the greatest of all: Joseph's sons Ephraim and Manasseh multiplied to become two separate tribes of Israel. How many children did Jacob have? 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). 10God saved Joseph from all his afflictions, and gave him favor and wisdom before Pharaoh, king of Egypt. No, he had two (and not by his choosing) wives and two concubines four women to whom he was connected through children. 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. He was Rachel's firstborn and Jacob's eleventh son. 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. 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. Because the Pharaoh had such a high regard for Joseph, practically making him his equal,[23] it had been an honor to meet his father. Joseph is between 39 and 56 years old. When Joseph's half-brothers reached home after selling him, Jacob ordered them to arm themselves and capture the beast that had supposedly killed Joseph. [41], Joseph (Arabic: , Ysuf) is regarded by Muslims as a prophet (Quran, suras vi. The word until speaks of a change to the first action . Why did Jacob go to paddan? 8, 10). Particularly galling is Jacob's reaction to Rachel the wife whom he loves deeply when she cannot become pregnant. 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. 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. (Genesis Rabbah 84:22). The cup-bearer took those grapes and squeezed them into Pharaoh's cup, and placed the cup in Pharaoh's hand. I have questioned this over the years, but didnt understand the cultural context as well as you have laid out. In the interim, Joseph's mother died giving birth to his brother, Benjamin. 2. . How many sons did Jacob have with bilhah? As a result, he was envied by his half-brothers. [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). The levirate marriage was for the purpose of providing a woman with offspring and so if a man was already married, he could still perform the levirate function and she would be provided for with her dead husbands share of the inheritance, which then belongs to her son (or daughter, because the Torah also says that if a man dies and has only daughters they can inherit so that his name and inheritance will not pass from Israel). We passed on to Zilpah, and they noticed it again Gad is Leahs son!, Very good, I smiled. 18:7, 19; 2 Ne. well, that did go well. Leah. 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. [28] Impressed with Joseph's interpretations, Pharaoh appoints him as second-in-command (Gen 41:41). arose that night, and took his two wives, his two maidservants1 and his eleven children, and crossed the ford of the Jabbok. The time of the promises to Abraham spans the generations of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. As Zipporah was a Midianite, calling her a Kusite makes absolute sense. In the ancient Near East, according to the laws of many of the surrounding nations, a woman had two years to bear a child to her husband and if she didnt, she could legally be divorced. 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. In addition to honoring him, there was a strong tendency in the patristic period to view his life as a typological precursor to Christ. 14 Then Joseph sent and called his father Jacob and all his relatives to him, seventy-five people. He was present at Jacob's famous reconciliation with his brother Esau. He and his family took everything they owned. Joseph placed his brothers in prison for three days. [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. 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. [46], In the Bible, Joseph discloses himself to his brethren before they return to their father the second time after buying grain. Pharaoh made Joseph governor over Egypt and all Pharaohs house. In Canaan, Rachel gave birth to Jacob's final son, Benjamin, but, tragically, she died in childbirth. Jacob's favoritism for Joseph made his half-brothers so jealous that they were ready to murder him (see Genesis 37). How many wives did Abraham have? In Genesis 29:31-30:24 the birth of twelve of Jacob's children is recorded. Ultimately, Joseph was sold to Potiphar, the captain of Pharaoh's guard (Genesis 37:36, Genesis 39:1). 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. 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. After Jacob's death, Joseph received the Pharaoh's permission to travel with a great caravan to Canaan in order to bury the patriarch. He could not control himself any longer and so he sent the Egyptian men out of the house. So, did Jacob have four legally wedded wives? She became angry and told lies about him, so he was put in jail. }. Jacob was tricked into polygamy (Genesis 29:20-30) and later received two additional wives bringing the grand total of four wives (Genesis 30:4, 9). The motif of dreams/dream interpretation contributes to a strong story-like narrative. 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. Did Jacob have 4 wives? [b] Upon imprisoning Joseph, the brothers saw a camel caravan carrying spices and perfumes to Egypt, and sold Joseph to these merchants. 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. Is the word Bible pagan? Joseph is 56 and Benjamin is about 40. Joseph was brought from prison to interpret the king's dream. I think some translators/editors have erred when they separate the two sections. 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 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's story is recounted in some detail in the New Testament, during Saint Stephen's speech before the Sandhedrin in Acts 7. Joseph was then summoned. There Jacob worked for Laban, fathered eleven sons and daughter, Dinah, (Gen. 35:22-26; 46:15), and amassed livestock and wealth. 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. His story functions as an explanation for Israel's residence in Egypt. 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. Notify me of followup comments via e-mail. 4. (Genesis 30:24).[10][11]. Many of these amplifications have been borrowed by rabbinical tradition. Charles L. Zimmerman holds the B. 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. Joseph interpreted this dream as the baker being hanged within three days and having his flesh eaten by birds. 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 is regarded by Muslims as a prophet (Qur'an, suras vi. Although this very well may offend our modern sensibilities, Zilpah and Bilhah had a better life than they had hoped for, in the end. And as it was budding, its blossoms came out and they produced grapes. "Give me children, or I shall die," she says to Jacob (Genesis 30:1). In the sixth year, Asenath bore two children to Joseph: Manasseh and Ephraim. [47] But in Islam they returned leaving behind Benjamin because the mizzen bowl of the king was found in his bag. The brothers conferred amongst themselves speaking in Hebrew, reflecting on the wrong they had done to Joseph. When he returned, the Vizier took Simeon and bound him as a hostage. 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. As the king's appointed viceroy, Joseph built himself a magnificent palace, placing in it a great number of slaves. Our President, Mr . 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.

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