Michael Perelman, list vizier
Joseph's skill was in economic prediction of a boom-bust cycle ( smile)
CB
^^^^
Then the chief butler remembered Joseph and spoke of his skill to Pharaoh.[5]
Accordingly he was sent for, and he interpreted Pharaoh's dream as foretelling
that seven years of abundance would be followed by seven years of famine and
advised the king to appoint some able man to store the surplus grain during the
period of abundance.[5] Pleased with his interpretation, Pharaoh made him
viceroy over Egypt, giving him the Egyptian name of Zaphnath-paaneah and
conferring on him other marks of royal favor.[5]
^^^^^^^^
Joseph (Hebrew Bible)
Joseph interprets the dream of the Pharaoh. Painting by Peter von Cornelius.For
the New Testament Joseph, see Saint Joseph.
Joseph or Yosef (Hebrew: יסֵף, Standard Yosef Tiberian Yôsēp̄, Arabic: يوسف,
Yusuf ; "He (The Lord) increases/may add"), is a major figure in the Book of
Genesis in the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament). He was Jacob's eleventh son and
Rachel's first.[1] He is also mentioned favourably in the Quran.
Joseph, son of Jacob, is one of the best-known figures in the Torah, famous for
his coat of many colors (although this may be a mistranslation of the Hebrew
word for "sleeves") and his God-given ability to interpret dreams. Due to
jealousy, his brothers sold him into slavery. Eventually he worked under the
Egyptian official Potiphar, but was freed and became the chief adviser (vizier)
to the Egyptian Pharaoh, allegedly during either the Hyksos Era or, according
to Kenneth Kitchen, the Middle Kingdom of Egypt. The controversial Egyptologist
David Rohl, in his book "Pharaohs and Kings", proposes an alternate chronology
for the Old Testament. Dr. Rohl believes that Joseph was vizier during the
reign of Pharoah Amenemhat III.[2] Other writers have placed him even earlier,
owing to the famous inscription from Upper Egypt mentioning a seven-year famine
during the time of Pharaoh Djoser (Third Dynasty).[3] Christian scholars point
on Apopi, Thothmes III or Amenophis III as a possible Joseph's Pharaoh.[4]
The shrine called Joseph's Tomb in Nablus/Shechem is traditionally considered
to be his tomb.[1]
Contents [hide]
1 Early life and slavery
2 Imprisonment
3 Viceroy of Egypt
4 Revelation to brothers
5 Rabbinical literature
5.1 Filial respect
5.2 Captivity
5.3 Temptation
5.4 False accusation
5.5 Ruler
5.6 Brothers
5.7 Death
6 Blessing
7 Timeline
8 Christian view
9 Islamic view
9.1 Zulaikha
10 Differences of tradition
11 House of Joseph
12 Yuya
13 Literature and culture
14 See also
15 References
[edit] Early life and slavery
The eleventh son of Jacob and the elder of the two sons of Rachel was born at
Haran. The meaning given to the name (l.c.) is "shall add": "The Lord shall add
to me another son. It seems probable, however, it has God as its first element,
and is a contraction, the original form being "Jehoseph", while in Gen. xxx. 23
there is an allusion to the connection of "Joseph".
Joseph sold by his brothers, by Anna Bilińska-Bohdanowiczowa, 1883.Upon Joseph
centered the love of his father, Jacob, who showered upon "the son of his old
age" many tokens of special favor, and arrayed him in a "coat of many colors".
This favoritism, however, excited the envy of his older brothers, and Joseph
increased their envy by telling them of two dreams which prognosticated his
ruling over them (Gen. xxxvii. 2-11).
When a lad of sixteen or seventeen, Joseph was sent by his father to inquire
after his brothers, who were pasturing the flocks in Shechem. He found them at
Dothan, and when his brothers saw him approaching they planned to kill him.
Reuben, however, took his part, and, in order to remove him from the fury of
the others, advised them to throw Joseph into a pit (Gen. xxxvii. 13-24). He
intended to rescue Joseph and return him to Jacob later.
Different accounts are given of the sale of Joseph, which immediately followed;
according to one, the brothers, while eating at some distance from the pit,
sighted a caravan of Ishmaelites, to whom they decided to sell Joseph.In the
meantime some Midianite merchants passing the pit drew Joseph out and sold him
for twenty pieces of silver to the Ishmaelites, who took Joseph to Egypt (Gen.
xxxvii. 25-28). The last statement is repeated in Gen. xxxix. 1, while in Gen.
xxxvii. 36 it is said that the Midianites (Hebr. "Medanites") sold him to
Potiphar in Egypt.
[edit] Imprisonment
Joseph Accused by Potiphar's Wife, by Rembrandt van Rijn, 1655.In Potiphar's
house Joseph fared well, for, seeing that he prospered in all that he did, his
impressed master appointed him superintendent of his household.[5] But Joseph
was "a goodly person and well favored," and his master's wife conceived a
passion for him.[5] Her repeated advances being repulsed, she finally attempted
compulsion; still failing, she brought a false accusation against him before
her husband, and Joseph was thrown into prison.[5]
There, too, God was with Joseph; the keeper of the prison, seeing that he could
place confidence in him, committed the other prisoners to his charge (Gen.
xxxix.).[5] Soon afterward, two of Pharaoh's officers, the chief butler and the
chief baker, having offended the king, were thrown into the prison where Joseph
was, and Joseph was appointed to serve them.[5]
One morning both officers told Joseph their dreams of the previous night, which
they themselves were unable to interpret.[5] Joseph concluded from their dreams
that the chief butler would be reinstated within three days and that the chief
baker would be hanged.[5] Joseph requested the chief butler to mention him to
Pharaoh and secure his release from prison, but that officer, reinstalled in
office, forgot Joseph (Gen. xl.).[5]
Joseph remained two years in prison, at the end of which period Pharaoh had an
uneasy dream of seven lean kine devouring seven fat kine on the Nile, and of
seven withered ears devouring seven full, ripe ears.[5] Great importance was
attached to dreams in Egypt, and Pharaoh was much troubled when his magicians
proved unable to interpret them satisfactorily.[5]
Then the chief butler remembered Joseph and spoke of his skill to Pharaoh.[5]
Accordingly he was sent for, and he interpreted Pharaoh's dream as foretelling
that seven years of abundance would be followed by seven years of famine and
advised the king to appoint some able man to store the surplus grain during the
period of abundance.[5] Pleased with his interpretation, Pharaoh made him
viceroy over Egypt, giving him the Egyptian name of Zaphnath-paaneah and
conferring on him other marks of royal favor.[5]
Shortly afterwards, Joseph was married by Pharoah to Asenath, the daughter of
Potipherah, priest of On, through whom he soon had two sons, Manasseh and
Ephraim (Gen. xli. 1-52).[5]
[edit] Viceroy of Egypt
During the seven years of abundance, Joseph amassed for the king a great supply
of grain, which he sold to both Egyptians and foreigners (Gen. xli. 48-49,
54-57).[6] The famine, having extended to all the neighboring countries, caused
Joseph's brothers, with the exception of Benjamin, to go to Egypt in search of
wheat.[6] Joseph recognized his brothers, who prostrated themselves before him
and therein fulfilled, in part, his dreams.[6] He received them roughly and
accused them of being spies, thereby compelling them to give him information
about their family.[6]
Desiring to see Benjamin, Joseph demanded that they substantiate their
statements by sending one of their number for Benjamin while the others
remained behind.[6] He accordingly imprisoned them for three days, and then
sent them away with wheat, retaining Simeon as a hostage (Gen.xlii. 1-25).[6]
The famine in Canaan continuing, Jacob was again obliged to send his sons to
Egypt for corn.[6] As Joseph had commanded them not to appear before him again
without Benjamin, Jacob was compelled to let Benjamin go with them.[6] He sent
also a present to Joseph in order to win his favor, together with the money
which had been, by Joseph's orders, put into their sacks.[6]
[edit] Revelation to brothers
The second time Joseph received them very kindly and prepared a feast for them,
but paid special attention to Benjamin (Gen. xliii.).[7] Desiring to know what
his brothers would do if under some pretext he retained Benjamin, Joseph gave
orders to fill their sacks with corn, put their money into their sacks, and put
his silver goblet in Benjamin's.[7] On the following morning the brothers
departed, but before they had gone far a messenger overtook them, accusing them
of stealing the goblet.[7] The messenger searched their sacks and found the
goblet in Benjamin's sack; this compelled them to return.[7]
Joseph reproached them for what they had done, and Judah, speaking on behalf of
his brothers, expressed their willingness to remain as slaves to Joseph.[7] The
latter, however, declined their offer, declaring that he would retain Benjamin
only (Gen. xliv. 1-17).[7]
Overcome by Judah's eloquent appeal (Gen. xliv. 18-34) and convinced of his
brothers' repentance, Joseph disclosed himself to them.[7] He inquired after
his father, but as they were too much amazed and startled to answer him, he
assured them that in treating him as they did they had been carrying out the
will of God. He then urged them to return home quickly, loaded them with
presents for his father, and supplied them with vehicles for the transportation
of the whole family (Gen. xlv.).
Joseph met his father in the land of Goshen.[8] He recommended his brothers to
represent themselves as shepherds so that they might remain in Goshen
unmolested. Then he presented five of his brothers to Pharaoh, who granted them
a domain in Goshen; and, after having introduced Jacob to Pharaoh, Joseph
domiciled the whole family, at Pharaoh's command, "in the land of Ramesses",
where he supplied them with all they needed (Gen. xlvi. 29-xlvii. 12).
As a ruler, Joseph changed the system of land-tenure in Egypt. The famine being
severe, the people first expended all their money in the purchase of corn, then
they sold their cattle, and finally gave up their land. Thus all the cultivated
land in Egypt, except that of the priests, became the property of the crown,
and the people farmed it for the king, giving him one-fifth of the produce
(Gen. xlvii. 14-26).
Hearing of his father's sickness, Joseph went to him with his two sons, whom
Jacob blessed, conferring upon Joseph at the same time one portion more than
the portions of his brothers (Gen. xlviii.). Joseph carried Jacob's remains to
the land of Canaan, where he gave them stately burial. His brothers, fearing
that he had only been waiting until after their father's death to avenge
himself upon them, sent to implore his forgiveness. Joseph allayed their fears
and promised that he would continue to provide for their wants.
He lived to the age of one hundred and ten, and saw his great-grandchildren
grow up. Before his death, he made the children of Israel take an oath that
when they left the land of Egypt they would take his bones with them. His body
was embalmed and placed temporarily in a coffin. At the Exodus his bones
accompanied Moses, and were finally buried in Shechem (Gen. 1.; Ex. xiii. 19;
Josh. xxiv. 32).
[edit] Rabbinical literature
Joseph occupies a very important place in Rabbinical literature, and no
patriarch was the subject of so many Midrashic narratives.[9] Rachel, his
mother was visited by the Lord on Rosh ha-Shanah (Talmud, Tractate Rosh
Hashana. 10b).[9]
Joseph is represented as a perfectly righteous man (tzadik gamur) and as the
counterpart of his father; not only did Joseph resemble his father in
appearance and in having been born circumcised, but the main incidents of their
lives were parallel.[9] Both were born after their mothers had been barren for
a long time; and both were hated by their brothers; both were met by angels at
various times (Gen. R. lxxxiv. 6; Num. R. xiv. 16).[9]
Joseph is extolled by the Rabbis for being well versed in the Torah, for being
a prophet, and for supporting his brothers (Tan., Wayesheb, 20).[9] According
to R. Phinehas, the Holy Spirit dwelt in Joseph from his childhood until his
death (Pirke R. El. xxxviii.).[9]
Jacob's other children came into the world only for Joseph's sake; the Red Sea
and the Jordan were passed dry-shod by the children of Israel through the
virtue of Joseph (Gen. R. lxxxiv. 4; Le?a? ?ob to Gen. xxxvii. 2).[9] When
Joseph and his mother bowed to Esau (Gen. xxxiii. 7), Joseph shielded his
mother with his figure (Targ. pseudo-Jonathan, ad loc.), protecting her from
the lascivious eyes of Esau, for which he was rewarded through the exemption of
his descendants from the spell of the evil eye (Gen. R. lxxviii. 13; comp. Ber.
20a; So?ah 36b).[9] When Joseph reported to his father the evil doings of his
brothers (Gen. xxxvii. 2), his design was merely that his father might correct
them (Le?a? ?ob, ad loc.).[9]
The nature of the "evil report" is variously given by the Rabbis. According to
Pirke R. El. xxxviii., Joseph spoke only against the sons of Bilhah and Zilpah,
that they ate meat which they had not slaughtered in accordance with the Law
(comp. Targum pseudo-Jonathan, ad loc.).[9] According to R. Judah, Joseph
reported that the sons of Leah slighted the sons of the concubines by calling
them slaves.[9]
R. Simeon's opinion was that Joseph spoke against them all, accusing them of
"looking at the daughters of the land" (Gen. R. lxxxiv. 7).[9] The reason for
Jacob's special love toward Joseph was, according to R. Judah, that Joseph
resembled Jacob in appearance; but according to R. Nehemiah it was that he
transmitted to Joseph all the halakot he had studied in the school of Shem and
Eber (ib. lxxxiv. 8). [9]
[edit] Filial respect
Joseph is represented as an exemplar of filial respect, for when his father
requested him to go and see how his brothers fared, he went promptly and with
gladness of heart, although he knew that they hated him (Mek., Beshalla?,
Wayehi, 1; Gen. R. lxxxiv. 12, 15).[10] When he went to his brothers, he was
accompanied to Dothan by three angels (ib. lxxxiv. 13; comp. Targ.
pseudo-Jonathan to Gen. xxxvii. 15, and Sefer ha-Yashar, section Wayesheb).[10]
When the brothers saw Joseph approaching from a distance, they decided to set
the dogs upon him (l.c.).[10] After being beaten by his brethren, Joseph was
thrown by Simeon into a pit, among serpents and scorpions; but Joseph prayed to
God and the reptiles retired to their holes (ib. lxxxiv. 15; Targ.
pseudo-Jonathan, ad loc.).[10] Afterward, Simeon ordered stones thrown into the
pit (Tan., Wayesheb, 13; Yal?., Gen. 142).[10]
The brothers encamped at a distance from the pit that they might not hear
Joseph's cries, and while they were eating, a company of Midianites passed by
the pit, heard Joseph calling for help, and drew him up.[10] A struggle then
ensued between the brothers and the Midianites.[10] The former declared that
Joseph was their rebellious slave; the latter regarded their statements with
suspicion; but the difference was settled by the sale of Joseph to the
Midianites (Sefer ha-Yashar, l.c.).[10] The brothers then divided among
themselves the purchase-money: twenty pieces of silver (Gen. xxxvii. 28), each
taking two pieces, with which they bought shoes (Pirke R. El. xxxviii.).[10]
As Joseph had been thrown naked into the pit, the Midianites would have
compelled him to accompany them so, but God, not willing that so righteous a
man should travel in an unseemly manner, sent Gabriel to transform into a long
garment the amulet Joseph wore on his neck.[10] The brothers, however, on
seeing the garment, demanded it of the Midianites, saying that they had sold
them a naked slave, but, after some altercation, consented to take four pairs
of shoes in exchange.[10] Joseph wore the same garment when he was Potiphar's
slave, when he was in prison, and when he became the Viceroy of Egypt
(Jellinek, "B. H." v. 157, vi. 120).[10]
[edit] Captivity
When the Midianites noticed the nobility of Joseph's countenance, they
understood he was not a slave and regretted having bought him.[11] They would
have taken him back to his father had not the distance been too great; but when
they met, soon after, a company of Ishmaelites they sold Joseph to them.[11]
Passing his mother's grave, Joseph prostrated himself upon it, weeping bitterly
and imploring her assistance; from her grave she answered that she was
afflicted by his troubles, but that he must hope and await the intervention of
God.[11] The Ishmaelites violently dragged Joseph away, beat him cruelly, and
continued their journey.[11] They finally met four merchants, descendants of
Medan, to whom they sold Joseph; and the Medanites in turn sold Joseph to
Potiphar for four hundred pieces of silver ("Sefer ha-Yashar," l.c.; comp. Gen.
R. lxxxiv. 20.)[11]
In reward for his righteousness, the Ishmaelites, who generally dealt in
ill-smelling articles, were on that occasion influenced by Providence to carry
fragrant spices in order that Joseph's journey to Egypt might be more agreeable
(Gen. R. lxxxiv. 16).[11] When Jacob's sons reached home, affirming that Joseph
had been devoured by a wild beast (comp. Gen. xxxvii. 33),[11] Jacob ordered
them to arm themselves and capture the beast.[11] They accordingly went forth
and returned with a wolf; but when Jacob began to reproach the beast for its
cruelty, the wolf answered, in human language, that it had not committed the
crime of devouring Joseph,[11] and that it was itself searching for its lost
cub; Jacob therefore let the wolf go.[11]
Jacob did not wholly believe that Joseph was dead, because he could not forget
him, while the dead are soon forgotten.[11] He therefore hewed out twelve
stones and placed them in a row, after writing on them the names of his twelve
sons with their corresponding months and zodiacal signs.[11] Then he commanded
them to bow to the stone of Reuben, but no stone moved; then he commanded them
to bow to Simeon's stone, with the same result; but when he came to the stone
of Joseph, all the other stones bowed to it.[11] Even then Jacob was not sure
that Joseph was alive, and repeated the same experiment with sheaves, getting
the same result, without, however, reaching a conviction.[11] He was finally
convinced by a vision which he had of the future priestly organization,
interpreting the names of Eliashib, chief of a division of the sons of Aaron (I
Chron. xxiv. 12), and Elkanah, a noted Levite (I Sam. i. 1), as signifying
respectively "God will bring him back" and "he was bought by Potiphar" (Judges
21. 9).[11]
[edit] Temptation
Joseph and the Wife of Potiphar, by Philipp VeitThe prosperity of Joseph in
Potiphar's house is described by the rabbis as follows: "The wishes of Potiphar
were executed in an instant; when he desired that the cup which Joseph handed
him should be warm, it was warm; and if he desired that it should be cold, it
was cold" (Tan., Wayesheb, 16; Gen. R. lxxxvi. 6).[12] At first Potiphar was of
the opinion that Joseph was a magician, and he wondered, saying, "Is there a
lack of magicians in Egypt?"[12] but afterward he saw that the Shekinah dwelt
in Joseph (Gen. R. l.c. ; Le?a? ?ob to Gen. xxxix. 3).[12]
Joseph's character was antithetical to the characters of all the other slaves;
the latter were rapacious, while Joseph never enjoyed anything that was not his
(Zeb. 118b);[12] the other slaves were given over to lust, while Joseph was
chaste; the others ate the priestly portions because they were slaves of the
priests (see Lev. xxii. 11)[12] , while Joseph, through his righteousness,
caused the descendants of his master, who were his own descendants as well, to
eat those portions; this identifies Joseph with Putiel, Eleazar's father-in-law
(Gen. R. lxxxvi. 3; comp. Mek., l.c. ; Sotah 43a).[12]
Like all other righteous men, Joseph was tried by God (Gen. R. lxxxvii. 3;
comp.).[12] He was one of the three men who successfully resisted temptation;
for this he was rewarded by having the letter ה (one of the letters composing
the Tetragrammaton) added to his name (Lev. R. xxiii. 10; comp. Ps. lxxxi.
6).[12] The day on which Joseph "went into the house to do his work" (Gen.
xxxix. 11-12) was the Sabbath day, and the work consisted in repeating the
Torah, which he had learned from his father (Midrash Abkir, quoted in Yal?.,
Gen. 146).[12] Some rabbis, however, charged Joseph with vanity, saying that,
even before being sold, he took too much pains with his personal appearance
(Genesis Rabba lxxxiv. 7), and that he continued to do so as ruler over
Potiphar's house, forgetting his father, who was mourning over his
disappearance.[12] God punished him, therefore, by setting against him
Potiphar's wife (Genesis Rabba lxxxvii. 3).[12]
Certain rabbis declared even that Joseph was ready to yield to his mistress,
but that his father's image suddenly appeared to him and called him to his duty
(Sotah 36b; Gen. R. lxxxvii. 9; comp. Pirke R. El. xxxix.).[12] The story of
Joseph and Zelikah (Zulaikha), the wife of Potiphar, is narrated in the Sefer
ha-Yashar (l.c., following Arabic sources, as the very name "Zelikah"
shows)).[12] as follows: Zelikah at first attempted to seduce Joseph by
arraying him in fine garments, putting before him the most delicious viands,
and speaking to him in amorous terms.[12] These means failing, she used
threats, but without effect, for Joseph remained inflexible.[12] The vehemence
of her unrequited passion soon impaired her health.[12] On one occasion, when
some noble ladies of Egypt had come to see her, she told her maid to give them
oranges and sent Joseph in to wait upon them; the women, unable to turn their
eyes from Joseph, cut their fingers while peeling the oranges,[12] and when
Zelikah asked them the cause, they answered that they could not help looking at
Joseph.[12] She then said: "What would you do if, like myself, you had him
every day before your eyes?".[12]
According to Gen. R. lxxxvii., Zelikah told Joseph that she was ready to kill
her husband so that he might marry her legally.[12] But Joseph exclaimed:
"After inducing me to commit adultery, thou desirest me to become a
murderer!"[12] Zelikah promised that, if he would yield to her, she would
embrace his religion and induce all the Egyptians to do the same.[12] Joseph
answered that the God of the Hebrews does not desire unchaste worshipers.[12]
She next brought Joseph into her chamber in the inner part of the house and
placed him on her bed, over which was the image of her Egyptian god.[12] Then
she covered her face with a veil, and Joseph said: "Thou art afraid of an idol;
shall I not fear YHWH, who sees all things?" (Genesis Rabba l.c.).[12]
[edit] False accusation
It happened that, at the Nile festival, all the people of the house except
Joseph and Zelikah had gone to see the ceremonies; Zelikah feigned illness as
her reason for not attending the festival. With one hand she grasped a sword
and with the other caught Joseph's garment, and when he attempted to release
himself a rent was made in the garment. Afterward, when Joseph was brought
before the priests for judgment, and while they were deliberating, Zelikah's
child of eleven months suddenly began to speak, accusing its mother and
declaring Joseph's innocence.
The priests then ordered the garment to be brought in order that they might see
on which side it had been rent; seeing that it was rent in the back, they
declared Joseph innocent. Joseph was nevertheless thrown into prison by
Potiphar, who was anxious thus to save his wife a public exposure (Sefer
ha-Yashar, l.c. ; comp. According to Midrash Abkir (Yal?., Gen. 146), Zelikah
requested her female friends to testify that Joseph had assailed them also.
Potiphar was going to kill him, but his wife prevailed on him to imprison him
and then sell him, so as to recover the money he had paid for Joseph. According
to the same Midrash, it was Asenath who told Potiphar of her mother's false
accusation.
[edit] Ruler
Joseph's duties took him every day to his master's house, and this gave Zelikah
opportunities to renew her entreaties and threats.[7] As Joseph continued to
look downward, she put an iron spear under his chin to force him to look at
her, but still Joseph averted his gaze (Genesis Rabba lxxxvii. 11; comp. Sefer
ha-Yashar, l.c.).[7] There is a disagreement among rabbinical writers as to the
length of time Joseph spent in Potiphar's house and in prison.[7] According to
Seder 'Olam,[13] Joseph spent one year in Potiphar's house and twelve years in
prison;[7] according to Pirke R. El he was in prison ten years.[7] It is said
that Joseph remained two years longer in prison as a punishment for having
trusted in the promises of man (comp. Gen. xl. 14-15).[7]
Famine Stela is an inscription located on Sehel Island.When the chief butler
told Pharaoh of Joseph's skill in interpreting dreams (Gen. xli. 12-13), he
endeavored at the same time to discredit Joseph, but an angel baffled the chief
butler's design (Gen. R. lxxxviii. 6, lxxxix. 9).[7] According to Sotah 36b,
Gabriel taught Joseph the seventy languages which a ruler of Egypt was obliged
to know, and it was then that he added the letter ה to Joseph's name (comp.
Num. R. xiv. 16).[7] Joseph was released from prison on Rosh ha-Shanah (R. H.
10b).[7] When Joseph interpreted Pharaoh's dreams, the king asked him for a
sign by which he might know that his interpretation was true. 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 son, two years of age, would die;
and it so happened.[7]
Pharoah gave Joseph a new name, Zaphenathpaneah. As the king's appointed
viceroy, Joseph built himself a magnificent palace, placing in it a great
number of slaves.[7] He equipped also a considerable army, with which he
marched to help the Ishmaelites against the Tarshishites, winning a great
victory (Sefer haYashar (midrash), section "Mi??e?").[7] Joseph showed great
discernment in preserving the grain which he gathered, by storing in each
district only the amount which had grown there (Gen. R. xc. 5).[7] He also
undertook the constructions of the canal, named the Waterway of Joseph or Bahr
Yussef, connecting Fayyum with the Nile. Later, when the famine grew more
intense and the Egyptians went to Joseph for grain, he compelled them to
undergo circumcision, refusing food to uncircumcised people (ib. xc. 6, xci.
5).[7] 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.[7] According to another
opinion, Joseph placed the gold and silver in three hidden treasuries, of which
one was discovered by Korah, one by Antoninus, son of Severus, and one is being
kept for the righteous in the future world (Pes. 119a; comp. Sefer ha-Yashar,
section Wayiggash).[7]
[edit] Brothers
Joseph reveals himself to his brothers, by Peter von CorneliusLong after being
sold into slavery and imprisoned, Joseph always kept in mind his father and
brothers, and during the almost-two decades he was away from home, he drank no
wine (Shab. 139a; Gen. R. xciv. 25).[14] It is said also that Joseph wore
sackcloth and fasted a great deal (Gen. R. lxxxv. 2).[14] He is represented as
very modest, so that though viceroy of Egypt he was not vain of his power (Ex.
R. i. 7).[14] Knowing that his brothers would come to buy grain, Joseph gave
orders that nobody should be permitted to enter until he had given in writing
his own and his father's names.[14]
His brothers, fearing the evil eye, entered the city at ten different gates,
and in the evening the gatekeepers brought their names to Joseph.[14] Three
days passed, and the brothers had not appeared before Joseph; so Joseph sent
seventy-strong men to search for them.[14] The brothers were found in the
street of the harlots, whither they had gone with the object of looking for
Joseph.[14] When they were brought into Joseph's house, Joseph, feigning
divination through his goblet, enumerated all their deeds, how they had
destroyed Shechem, how they had sold their brother; and the fact of being found
in the street of the harlots proved, he said, that they were spies.[14]
A struggle ensued between Joseph's men and his brothers, who were on the point
of destroying Egypt, but they were subdued by Manasseh, who imprisoned Simeon
(Gen. R. xci. 6; comp. Sefer haYashar (midrash), l.c.).[14] Later, when, under
the pretext of his having stolen the goblet, Benjamin was detained by Joseph
(Gen. xliv.),[14] another violent struggle ensued between Joseph and his
brothers, who would have carried Benjamin off by force.[14] Seeing that his
brothers, especially Judah, were again becoming furious, Joseph, with his foot,
struck a marble pillar on which he was sitting, shattering it into pieces.[14]
[edit] Death
The alleged grave of Joseph.According to the Sefer haYashar (midrash) (section
Wayiggash), where the whole struggle is narrated at great length, Manasseh was
the hero of that exploit (see Targ. Yer. to Gen. xliv. 19). Joseph allowed
himself to be recognized by his brothers for fear they might destroy Egypt
(Gen. R. l.c.). Certain rabbis underrated Joseph's merit by declaring that he
died before his brothers because he had made them feel his authority (Ber. 55a;
comp. Tan., Wayiggash, 3). According to other opinions, Joseph died before them
because he embalmed his father's body instead of relying on God to keep the
body from decay; or because he heard Judah say "thy servant my father" several
times without correcting him (Pirke R. El. xxxix.; Gen. R. c. 4).
Joseph's solicitude on behalf of his brothers is pointed out by Pesi?. R. 3
(ed. Friedmann, p. 10b) as follows: Although he honored his father greatly, he
always avoided meeting him, so that he would not have known that his father was
sick had not a messenger been sent to him (Gen. xlviii. 1); Joseph apprehended,
perhaps, that his father would ask him how he came to be sold by his brothers,
and would curse them. When Jacob prepared himself to bless Joseph's two sons,
the Holy Spirit had left him, but it returned to him through Joseph's prayer
(Pesi?. l.c. p. 12a). Joseph is said to have himself superintended his father's
burial, although he had so many slaves; he was rewarded in that Moses himself
carried his bones (Sotah 9b; comp. Ex. xiii. 19) after making his brothers and
sons swear that their descendants would carry him out of Egypt, and in that his
coffin was carried in the wilderness side by side with the Ark of the Covenant
(Mek., l.c.).
According to most rabbinical authorities, Joseph's coffin was sunk in the Nile
(Targ. Pseudo-Jonathan to Gen. 1. 26; Mek., Beshalla?, Wayyehi, 1; Ex. R. xx.
17); but according to R. Nathan, Joseph was buried in the royal palace. In the
time of the Exodus, Serah, daughter of Asher, showed Moses where the coffin was
sunk. Moses threw a pebble into the water there and cried out: "Joseph! Joseph!
the time has come for the Israelites to be rescued from their oppressors; come
up and do not cause us any further delay!" The coffin thereupon floated up
(Mek., l.c. ; Ex. R. l.c.). It may be added that the piyyut beginning Arze
ha-Lebanon and recited on Yom Kippur is based on the legend that Joseph was
bartered for shoes (comp. Amos ii. 6).
[edit] Blessing
Jacob, before he died, blessed all his sons and included blessings for Joseph's
sons. He first blessed Joseph's sons, Ephraim and Manasseh. Though Manasseh was
the older brother, Jacob blessed Ephraim with a greater ambition than his older
brother.
He then gave his blessing upon all his sons. Though he blessed them in order by
their age, the blessing he gave Joseph was greater than the others:
'Joseph is a fruitful tree by a spring, whose branches climb over the wall. The
archers savagely attacked him, shooting and assailing him fiercely, but
Joseph's bow remained unfailing and his arms were tireless by the power of the
Strong One of Jacob, by the name of the Shepherd of Israel, by the God of your
father--so may he help you! By God Almighty--so may he bless you with the
blessings of heaven above, and the blessings of the deep that lies below! The
blessings of breast and womb and the blessings of your father are stronger than
the blessings of the eternal mountains and the bounty of the everlasting hills.
May they rest on the head of Joseph, on the brow of him who was prince among
his brother.' (Genesis 49:22-26)
[edit] Timeline
Kenneth Kitchen notes that the title of 'hery-per' or domestic servant which
Joseph enjoyed in Potiphar's household was very popular "for the Old and Middle
Kingdoms [of Egypt but] not usually later" in his 2003 book 'On the Reliability
of the Old Testament.'[15] While no chariots were depicted in use during the
Middle Kingdom[16] this is not conclusive evidence that chariots were not
employed by the late 13th Dynasty administration of Egypt's Middle Kingdom when
a series of minor kings ruled Egypt. The Bible's comment that Joseph was in
charge of the second chariot after the king and that he employed them for his
everyday use—which presumably would make it very complicated to identify
Joseph's time-period with the Middle Kingdom era (c.1991-1650 BC) is not
inconsistent with the known archaeological facts. According to Kitchen, while
"The chariot came in [use] not later than the Hyksos [era]; there is evidence
for the horse [already] in the Thirteenth Dynasty (which is an indirect
evidence for chariots, as they were initially not ridden but simply used to
draw the latter.)"[17] This can be deduced from "Horse remains of late
Thirteenth Dynasty (just pre-Hyksos) [which] were found at the fortress of
Buhen."[18] Consequently, a position for Joseph in either the late Middle
Kingdom or the Hyksos (c.1650-1540 BC) period of Egypt is plausible.
Chariots were likely employed as early as the start of the 15th Dynasty (c.1650
BC) when the Hyksos stormed Lower Egypt from Canaan and captured Memphis
thereby ending the Egyptian Middle Kingdom around 1650 BC. The Hyksos are
believed to have transformed Egyptian military technology by introducing the
chariot and curved sword[19] This would give Joseph a state position during the
Hyksos Dynasty and explain the Bible's comment that the Hebrews sojourned in
Egypt for about 400 years until the reign of Ramesses II (1279-1213 BC) who is
commonly viewed as the Pharaoh of the Exodus. Even though chariots only
officially became a separate entity in the Egyptian army from the reign of
Tuthmosis IV onwards, a New Kingdom position for Joseph is not established here
because chariots are known to have been used in battle in the reign of Ahmose
I--the founder of Egypt's 18th Dynasty--rather than the reign of Thutmose I,
who is the first known New Kingdom Pharaoh depicted riding an Egyptian chariot
in a scarab.[1] Indeed, archaeological excavations of the remains of the Abydos
mortuary temple of king Ahmose I in the 1990's have uncovered thousands of
fragmentary reliefs depicting this pharaoh's battles against the Hyksos as well
as the earliest known depiction of chariots in Egyptian warfare.[20][2] This
discovery affirms the general view that it was the Hyksos who first brought the
chariot into Egypt and permits Joseph to have enjoyed a high position in office
during the 15th Hyksos Dynasty as opposed to the later native Egyptian 18th
Dynasty. Ahmose merely used the Hyksos chariot against them. It should be
stressed that the concept of an Egyptian chariot division is a modern
convention: during the Hyksos and Middle Kingdom eras, few Pharaohs were
concerned with the formalities of naming a new chariot division.
The price of 20 Shekels which was paid for Joseph's slavery in Mesopotamia also
affirms a relative date for Joseph in the 18th or 17th Century BC.[21] In his
book, On the Reliability of the Old Testament, Kitchen writes:
"AT WHAT PRICE? (Paragraph Header)...the story of a young Joseph sold off [into
slavery] into Egypt fits in easily, especially in the early second millennium,
in the overall period of the late Twelfth/Thirteenth and Hyksos Dynasties.
After a good haggle, his brothers got 20 shekels for their young brother (Gen.
37:28). This we know to be approximately the right price in about the
eighteenth century. This is the average price (expressed as one-third of a
mina) in the laws of Hammurabi (§§116,214,252) and in real-life transactions at
Mari (exactly) and in other Old Babylonian documents (within a 15- to 30-shekel
range, averaging 22 shekels).[22] Before this period slaves were cheaper, and
after it, they steadily got dearer, as inflation did its work...After the
eighteenth/seventeenth centuries, prices duly rose. In fifteenth-century Nuzi
and fourteenth/thirtenth-century Ugarit, the average crept up to 30 shekels and
more (cf. replacement price of 30 shekels in Exod. 21:32.)[23] Then in the
first millennium, male slaves in Assyria fetched 50 to 60 shekels.[24]"[25]
[edit] Christian view
There are a number of striking similarities between the stories of Joseph and
that of Jesus in the New Testament, including 12 brothers/disciples, betrayal
for a bag of money followed by a time of darkness or rebirth into a new and
glorious life (crucifiction/well) and forgiveness of sins by each. Also, when
Joseph's forgiveness of his brethren relates to the remission of sins
accomplished by Jesus on the cross. For this reason, Christian typology views
the biblical account of Joseph's life as a foreshadowing of Jesus' death and
resurrection.
Joseph is regarded as a saint by several Christian churches. He is commemorated
as one of the Holy Forefathers in the Calendar of Saints of the Armenian
Apostolic Church on July 30.[citation needed] 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. They
commemorate him on the Sunday of the Holy Forefathers (two Sundays before
Christmas) and on Holy and Great Monday (Monday of Holy Week). In icons, he is
sometimes depicted wearing the nemes headdress of an Egyptian vizier. The
Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod, which commemorates him as a patriarch on
March 31.
[edit] Islamic view
Main article: Islamic view of Joseph
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.[26] One significant departure in the
Qur'anic account of the Joseph story is the use of an unspecified King in place
of the Biblical Pharaoh.[citation needed] This alteration places Joseph
squarely within the Hyksos period.[citation needed] Joseph is regarded by
Muslims as a prophet (Qur'an, suras vi. 84, xl. 36).[26] He is also a type of
manly beauty; so that one often finds the expression "a second Joseph," meaning
one extraordinarily beautiful.[26] He is likewise called the "Moon of
Canaan."[26] A great many public works in Egypt have been attributed to
him.[26] Some believe that he built the city of Memphis, and that he was
instrumental in building the obelisks and pyramids.[26] He also instructed the
Egyptians in science.[26] In the Qur'an a whole chapter (sura xii.) is devoted
to Joseph; and the commentators add many details to this "best of stories"
(sura xii. 3).[26]
[edit] Zulaikha
Main article: Yusuf and Zulaikha
The Islamic story and the Arabic one are not the same, as the Arabic version
contains supplementary detail which is not found in the Islamic tradition.
The story of Yusuf and Zulaikha is a favorite love-song in the East, and the
Persian poet Firdowsi has written on the subject an epic which begins with
Jacob's suit for Rachel.[27] The narrative, however, among the Muslims is more
than a simple love-tale.[27] Their theologians use it to symbolize the
spiritual love between God and the soul (D'Herbelot, "Bibliothèque Orientale,"
iii. 371).[27] Zulaikha or Ra'il is the wife of Kitfir or Itfir (the Biblical
Potiphar), through whose accusations, although they are proved to be false,
Yusuf is thrown into prison.[27] After his phenomenal rise to power, as he is
passing through the street one day his attention is attracted by a beggar woman
whose bearing shows traces of former greatness.[27] Upon stopping to speak to
her he discovers Zulaikha, who has been left in misery at the death of her
husband.[27] Yusuf causes her to be taken to the house of a relative of the
king, and soon obtains permission to marry her, she having lost none of her
former beauty nor any of her first love for him.[27]
Other features in the Arabic history of Yusuf which are lacking in the Old
Testament narrative, are the stories of Jacob and the wolf and of Joseph at his
mother's tomb (contained in a manuscript at Madrid).[27] After Joseph's
brothers had returned to their father with the coat dipped in blood, Jacob was
so prostrated that for several days he was as one dead.[27] Then he began to
wonder that the garment had no rents or marks of claws and teeth, and
suspicions of the truth arose in his mind.[27] To allay his doubts the brothers
scoured the country and caught in a net a wolf, which they brought alive to
their father.[27] Jacob, after reproaching the wolf for its cruelty, asked it
to relate how it came to commit so wicked a deed; whereupon Allah opened the
mouth of the beast and it talked, disclaiming any connection with the death of
Yusuf.[27] It even expressed sympathy for the grieving father, saying that it
had itself lost its own dear child.[27] The patriarch was much affected by this
tale, and entertained the wolf hospitably before sending it on its way with his
blessing.[27]
The story of Yusuf at his mother's tomb shows the boy's piety and forgiving
nature.[27] As the caravan bearing him to Egypt passed near his mother's grave
Yusuf slipped away unnoticed and fell upon the tomb in an agony of tears and
prayer.[27] For this he was severely abused, whereupon a storm suddenly arose,
making further progress impossible.[27] Only when Yusuf had forgiven the
offender did the storm disappear.[27] This Poema de José was written in Spanish
with Arabic characters by a Morisco, who had forgotten the language of his
forefathers, but still remembered their traditions.[27]
[edit] Differences of tradition
There are certain points in which the Islamic story differs from the
Biblical.[26] In the Qur'an the brothers ask Jacob to let Joseph go with
them.[26] The pit into which Joseph is thrown is a well with water in it,[26]
and Joseph was taken as a slave by passing-by travellers (Qur'an 12:19).
In one account, Joseph's face possessed such a peculiar brilliancy that his
brothers noticed the different light in the sky as soon as he appeared above
the edge of the well, and they came back to claim him as their slave.[26] This
same peculiarity was noticeable when they went to Egypt: although it was
evening when they entered the city, his face diffused such a light that the
astonished inhabitants came out to see the cause of it.[26]
In the Bible, Joseph discloses himself to his brethren before they return to
their father the second time after buying corn.[26] The same in the Islamic
story but they are compelled to return to Jacob without Benjamin, and the
former weeps himself blind.[26] He remains so until the sons have returned from
Egypt, bringing with them Joseph's garment healed the patriarch's eyes as soon
as he put it to his face (Qur'an 12:96).[26]
In one Talmudic story, Joseph was buried in the Nile, as there was some dispute
as to which province should be honored by having his tomb within its
boundaries. Moses, led there by an ancient holy woman named Serach, was able by
a miracle to raise the sarcophagus and to take it with him at the time of the
Exodus. There is no mention of that in the Bible or the Qur'an.
[edit] House of Joseph
Main article: Tribe of Joseph
[edit] Yuya
Main article: Yuya
It has been suggested that Yuya, a court official of Egyptian Pharaoh Amenhotep
III, was Joseph. Yuya is believed to have been of foreign origin. He was
married to a woman named Tjuyu, and was the father of Amenhotep III's queen
Tiye. If Amenhotep's successor Akhenaten is the father of Tutankhamen, that
would make the boy king Yuya's great-grandson.
The problem is that Yuya's mummy has been found in his tomb in the Valley of
the Kings, whereas Joseph is traditionally supposed to be buried in Joseph's
Tomb in Nablus/Shechem. Nevertheless, Ahmed Osman, in his series of books
connecting Egypt and Christianity, states firmly that he believes Yuya is
Joseph.
[edit] Literature and culture
Trivia sections are discouraged under Wikipedia guidelines.
The article could be improved by integrating relevant items and removing
inappropriate ones.
Thomas Mann retells the Genesis stories surrounding Joseph in his four novel
omnibus, Joseph and His Brothers, identifying Joseph with the figure of
Osarseph known from Josephus, and the pharaoh with Akhenaten.
Joseph figures prominently in Anita Diamant's novel The Red Tent, which retells
the story of Dinah, his sister.
The musical Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat is about Joseph's
story.
The 1995 miniseries The Bible: Joseph is a dramatic retelling of the Biblical
story of Joseph. It stars Paul Mercurio in the title role, and received an Emmy
for Outstanding Miniseries.
In the video game Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, there is an item called
"Joseph's Cloak" which allows the player to change the colors of Alucard's cape.
Children of Jacob by wife in order of birth (D = Daughter)
Leah Reuben (1) Simeon (2) Levi (3) Judah (4) Issachar (9) Zebulun (10) Dinah
(D)
Rachel Joseph (11) Benjamin (12)
Bilhah (Rachel's servant) Dan (5) Naphtali (6)
Zilpah (Leah's servant) Gad (7) Asher (8)
_______________________________________________
pen-l mailing list
[email protected]
https://lists.csuchico.edu/mailman/listinfo/pen-l
