As the king's appointed viceroy, Joseph built himself a magnificent palace, placing in it a great number of slaves. [32], Jewish tradition holds that Joseph had his steward plant his personal silver cup in Benjamin's sack to test his brothers. Is Polygamy Really Biblical? 1653. 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). It was because of his virtue that the children of Israel passed over the Red Sea and the Jordan dry-shod (Gen. R. 84). These were the 11 sons that were born to Jacob when he lived with Rachel's father Laban. 4) Judah was the next. The family prostrated before him hence the fulfilment of his dream aforetime.[52]. 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. The story of Yusuf and Zulaikha was a favorite love song in the Near East. Esau. [g] Then he had their donkeys prepared with grain and sent the other brothers back to Canaan. After relaying his prophecies, Israel died. It was the first successful production in the career of Andrew Lloyd Webber. How many wives did Jacob have? Joseph was born the 11 th of 12 sons to his father Jacob. 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. 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. . 139a; Gen. R. 94:25). In the Elohist version it is Rueben intervenes on Joseph's behalf, while in the Yahwist version it is Judah that saves him. 8, 10). In Egypt, Joseph's character was antithetical to that of all the other slaves. He worked under the Egyptian official Potiphar but was freed and became the chief adviser (vizier) to the Egyptian Pharaoh. Who was the angel of Joseph was called into his father's house and Israel pleaded with his son that he not be buried in Egypt. He wept so loudly that even the Egyptian household heard it outside. The word used by for echad in the LXX (Septuagint, the authorized Greek translation of the Tanach OT) and the NT (ie. Joseph likely also has this status because he is the eldest child of Jacob's favorite (deceased) wife, Rachel . Soon, the family took up residence in the town of Bethel and later moved to Hebron. Joseph's wife is considered to be an Egyptian. ", "The bones of Joseph which the children of Israel had brought up from the land of Egypt, they buried at Shechem in the plot of ground that Jacob had purchased from the sons of Hamor". 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. How many children did Jacob have? yosef] to me another son." Judah is the fourth son of the patriarch Jacob and his first wife, Leah: his full brothers are Reuben, Simeon and Levi (all older), and Issachar and Zebulun (younger), and he has one full sister, Dinah. 26 Leah's servant Zilpah's sons were Gad and Asher. Thank you. He withdrew to his chambers and wept. He even instructed them to take his bones with them. yosef] to me another son." (Gen. 30:24) He was born in Padan-aram when Jacob was about 90 years old. Simeon in Apocryphal and Rabbinical Literature). Thats an interesting word, because although the lemma is the same isha as I discussed above neshe is tied in to the idea of a debt. Some declare that during the 22 years he was away from home he drank no wine (Shab. The Pharaoh is said to have given Joseph, Asenath daughter of Potiphera, priest of On, as his wife. The "unloved" Leah bore seven of Jacob's childrensix sons, Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun, as well as a daughter, Dinah. 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. 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. | Fact Sheet Index 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). This article abides by terms of the Creative Commons CC-by-sa 3.0 License (CC-by-sa), which may be used and disseminated with proper attribution. The sons by Leah (Jacob's first wife) were: Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Zebulun. Moses threw a pebble into the water there and cried out: "Joseph! After bearing Judah, Leah stopped bearing children for a . 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. Muslim theologians, especially of the Sufi tradition, use this story to symbolize the spiritual love between God and the soul. 25 Rachel's servant Bilhah's sons were Dan and Naphtali. Modern critics have made various estimates of the historical worth of these narratives of Joseph. Joseph interpreted this dream as the cup-bearer being restored as cup-bearer to the Pharaoh within three days. popularly referred to as a "coat of many colors." 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. 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. Not only did Joseph resemble his father in appearance, but the main incidents of their lives were parallel. Answer (1 of 10): If you are talking about Jacob (Israel)'s son Joseph, then he had one wife. In the midrash, the selling of Joseph was part of God's divine plan for him to save his tribes. [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. Every time a son was born I asked my boys to tell me who the sons belonged to and it worked fine until we got to Dan. 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. These children are the offspring of four different women, Leah and Rachel, his wives, and Zilpah and Bilhah, their respective handmaids. 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. 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 ). 20. In the Qur'an a whole chapter (sura xii) is devoted to Joseph; and Islamic commentators add many details to this "best of stories.". (Exodus 13:19) The bones were buried at Shechem, in the parcel of ground which Jacob bought from the sons of Hamor (Joshua 24:32), which has traditionally been identified with site of Joseph's Tomb, before Jacob and all his family moved to Egypt. Great article Tyler! Sefer ha-Yashar, section Wayiggash). This also created rivalries between their sons. 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. Later, Joseph became Potiphar's personal servant, and subsequently his household's superintendent. , romanized: Rl, lit. Our fathers found no food. Joseph was then summoned. Joseph then told him that the queen, who was about to be delivered of a child, would give birth to a son, but that at the same time another of the king's sons, two years of age, would dieall of which came to pass exactly as Joseph predicted. 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. In addition to honoring him, there was a strong tendency in the patristic period to view his life as a typological precursor to Christ. The story of Joseph's near seduction by his master's wife bears a marked similarity to the Egyptian story of the Tale of Two Brothers, which was popular at the time of Pharaoh Seti II. (Genesis 46:134). According to the Old Testament, Jacob was the younger twin brother of Esau, who was the ancestor of Edom . The community seems to confuse quite often what is description vs prescription. Full Bible Timeline - section on the life of Jacob. He could not control himself any longer and so he sent the Egyptian men out of the house. Joseph is represented as a perfectly righteous man (tzadik gamur) and as the counterpart of his father Jacob. I think Ill stick with my one wife (Staci) of 23 years. (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. | Servants of Grace Apologetics, Mishpatim in Context: Selling your daughter into slavery? He and his family took everything they owned. Particularly galling is Jacob's reaction to Rachel the wife whom he loves deeply when she cannot become pregnant. He is presently pastor of the Evangelical Church of Archbold, Ohio. Sarah was ninety when Isaac was born and Abraham was 100 years old (21:5). 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. Our President, Mr . As with Bilhahs offspring, Zilpahs children are claimed and named by Leah as her own. "-Genesis 41:45. Is Polygamy Really Biblical? Joseph is commemorated as one of the Holy Forefathers in the Calendar of Saints of the Armenian Apostolic Church on 26 July. Zulaikha is the wife of Kitfir (the Biblical Potiphar), through whose accusations Yusuf is thrown into prison. Notify me of followup comments via e-mail. In icons, he is sometimes depicted wearing the nemes headdress of an Egyptian vizier. They were directed into the province of Goshen and Joseph readied his chariot to meet his father there. Who was Leah's 4th son? Joseph would have been approximately six years old . 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). Joseph prospered in Potiphar's household and was eventually made head of the servants. 84, xl. Then he revealed to the Hebrews that he was in fact their brother, Joseph. He even forced them to throw out their babies to die. You can also subscribe without commenting. Pseudo-Jonathan to Gen. 1:26). 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. 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. It is later mentioned in Genesis 41:50 that before the years of famine, Joseph had two sons with Asenath. [41], Joseph (Arabic: , Ysuf) is regarded by Muslims as a prophet (Quran, suras vi. [NOTE: Jacob is listed by Stephen individually.] Thus, Israel was able to bless the Pharaoh. Later we will learn a lot more about Joseph, because he became a very important person. 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. Isaac and Rebecca's son Jacob was sent there to avoid the wrath of his brother Esau. How many sons did Jacob have with bilhah? Really Bilhahs and Zilpahs lives would have looked bleak but they would have accepted it as their lot in life in ancient times people firmly believed that their conditions and station in life were pre-determined by the gods and hardly worth complaining about or trying to get out of. (7-14) Genesis 29:17. 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. Then they informed their father that the Vizier demanded that Benjamin be brought before him to demonstrate that they were honest men. : > 1. 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. [54], This article is about the Joseph of the Book of Genesis. Joseph disguised his identity and devised a plot to bring the rest of the family to him: He accused them of being spies and imprisoned them for three days. The time of the promises to Abraham spans the generations of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. The robotic sermon went on to relate the story of when Joseph, the son of Jacob, was reunited with his brothers after many years. As for kings marriages were largely about political alliances (especially with David who was shoring up support with the various tribes as well as maintaining his connection with Sauls royal line), except for Solomon, who was. Joseph did very well with Gods help. Edit: I have been getting some great questions so I will share my answers. When the brothers claimed to the father that a wolf had eaten Joseph, he observed patience. 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. 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). 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. 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. 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. When Joseph woke up, he did as the angel commanded him to do. In fact, this is all we learn about her: Genesis 41:45: "Pharaoh gave Joseph the name Zaphenath-Paneah and gave . This was Joseph's full brother, Benjamin. 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. Jacob became greatly distressed, feeling deprived of successive sons: Joseph, Simeon, and (prospectively) Benjamin. At their first meeting, the brothers did not recognize him. 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. 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. With Reuben and Judah's persistence, they persuaded their father to let Benjamin join them for fear of Egyptian retribution (Genesis 42:2943:15). His brothers did not understand his spirituality and saw him as a threat. Bible References: Rachel's story is told Genesis 29:6-35:24, 46:19-25, 48:7 . When the famine came, it was so severe that people from surrounding nations came to Egypt to buy bread. 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. Unbeknownst to them, Joseph had also returned their money to their money sacks (Genesis 42:128). 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. The motif of dreams/dream interpretation contributes to a strong story-like narrative. Jacob, before he died, blessed each of his sons and two of his grandsons, the two sons of Joseph. In Jewish tradition, Joseph was the progenitor of the northern tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh, named for his two sons. in accordance with New World Encyclopedia standards. whoa whoa whoa personal suite? 11Then a famine came over all the land of Egypt and Canaan, causing great affliction. Despite his wealth, most rabbis represent him as very modest, and was not vain of his power (Ex. Posted by Tyler Dawn | Nov 19, 2015 | Biblical Context Studies, Women's issues | 6 |, (Note: Yes, I do understand that it is actually called polygyny when a man has multiple wives, and polygamy can be either male or female but for purposes of using a familiar term to everyone I am simplifying this by calling it polygamy). display: none !important; Cushan and Midian are equated with each other, as are tents and curtains and affliction and trembling. What about the Ethiopian woman that Moses took as a wife in Numbers 12:1? She also bore Benjamin and was a faithful wife to Jacob. 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. And Jo. 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. [24] Its redaction history may have included a first "Reuben version" originating in the northern kingdom of Israel and intended to justify the domination by the "house of Joseph" over the other tribes, this was followed by a later "Judah-expansion" (chapters 38 and 49) elevating Judah as the rightful successor to Jacob, and finally various embellishments so that the novella would function as the bridge between the Genesis and the story of Moses and the Exodus.[25]. 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 wanted to know if they would be willing to risk danger in order to save their half brother Benjamin. 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. 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. arose that night, and took his two wives, his two maidservants1 and his eleven children, and crossed the ford of the Jabbok. 84, xl. Although this very well may offend our modern sensibilities, Zilpah and Bilhah had a better life than they had hoped for, in the end. The Bible tells us twice that Jacob had daughters. [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]. 21 . Abravanel explains that she had accused other servants of the same crime in the past. A midrash asked, How many times was Joseph sold? Joseph had his father embalmed, a process that took forty days. Bilhah, they replied. Joseph is mentioned in the New Testament as an example of faith (Hebrews 11:22). Isaac had one wife. is devoted to him, the only instance in the Quran in which an entire chapter is devoted to a complete story of a prophet. Response: We read in Genesis 41:45 that Pharaoh gave Joseph Osnat daughter of Potiphera, priest of On, to be his wife. God punished him, therefore, by setting against him Potiphar's wife (Gen. R. 87:3). Now why? . Home 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. According to most rabbinical authorities, Joseph's coffin was sunk in the Nile (Targ. 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. (Genesis 37:35, Common English Bible). 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. Loaded with knowledge and wisdom. 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. 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.". [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 is the founder of the Israelite Tribe of Joseph. Josephs ability to interpret dreams got him out of jail and into great favour with Pharoah. 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 the modern proponents of polygamy (as opposed to Biblical polygamy, which was entirely different), our forefather Jacob is the shining example after all, he had four wives right?
how many wives did joseph son of jacob have
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