Then Joseph is summoned to interpret the dreams of Pharaoh himself. (Genesis 44), Judah appealed to the Vizier begging that Benjamin be released and that he be enslaved in his stead, because of the silver cup found in Benjamin's sack. Joseph in Egypt: a cultural icon from Grotius to Goethe. 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. Joseph's brothers were jealous of him and sold him into slavery to a caravan bound for Egypt. 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. is devoted to him, the only instance in the Quran in which an entire chapter is devoted to a complete story of a prophet. According to Josephus, Reuben tied a cord around Joseph and let him down gently into the pit. [5] When Joseph was seventeen years old he had two dreams that made his brothers plot his demise. [74], Joseph (Arabic: يوسُف‎, Yūsuf) is regarded by Muslims as a prophet (Quran, suras vi. The Bible offers two explanations of the name Yosef: first it is compared to the word asaf from the root /'sp/, "taken away": "And she conceived, and bore a son; and said, God hath taken away my reproach"; Yosef is then identified with the similar root /ysp/, meaning "add": "And she called his name Joseph; and said, The LORD shall add to me another son. [21] After questioning them, he accused them of being spies. The money they brought was double what they had from the first trip. Then Israel called all of his sons in and prophesied their blessings or curses to all twelve of them in order of their ages. The children of Israel remembered their oath, and when they left Egypt during the Exodus, Moses took Joseph's bones with him. pg 23, sfn error: no target: CITEREFSchenke1968 (, sfn error: no target: CITEREFWright1973 (, harvnb error: no target: CITEREFTottli2002 (, in the painting of a West-Asiatic procession, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, "The Aamu of Shu in the Tomb of Khnumhotep II at Beni Hassan", "The Rulers of Foreign Lands - Archaeology Magazine", "Allusions to the Joseph Narrative in the Synoptic Gospels and Acts: Foundations of a Biblical Type", "The New Media Bible: Book of Genesis (Video 1979)", 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", "Jewish religious life in the Persian period", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Joseph_(Genesis)&oldid=984206816, Articles containing Ancient Greek (to 1453)-language text, Pages using multiple image with auto scaled images, Wikipedia articles with SELIBR identifiers, Wikipedia articles with Trove identifiers, Wikipedia articles with WorldCat identifiers, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, 1979, New Media Bible Genesis Project (TV)-cap. According to the book of Genesis, the12 brothers are the patriarchs of the 12 tribes of Israel that bear their names. The rest, however, were instructed to return to Canaan with their food and to bring back their youngest brother. (Genesis 48:1–22). The final group, where a transaction is made, is among the Egyptians in the same verse. you are my Guardian in this world and in the Hereafter. It was during this return to Egypt that Joseph disclosed his real identity to his brothers. Joseph understood what they were saying and removed himself from their presence because he was caught in emotion. 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. [14] Both men had dreams, and Joseph, being able to interpret dreams asked to hear. (Genesis 42:29–43:15), Upon their return to Egypt, the brothers were received by the steward of the house of Joseph. 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. Fact Check: What Power Does the President Really Have Over State Governors? When the famine came, it was so severe that people from surrounding nations came to Egypt to buy bread. The cup-bearer's dream was about a vine with three branches that was budding. 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. Deceptively, Joseph also ordered that his silver cup be put in Benjamin's sack. Joseph returned to Canaan, the Promised Land that God proclaimed for all of Abraham’s descendants. If any mischief should befall him on the way, you will bring my gray head with sorrow to the grave. In order to make sure that he would not miss them, he ordered all purchasers of food to register as soon as they entered Egypt. Then he hardened himself, washed his eyes, and returned to his brothers with a look upon his face so harsh that it made them wince. Joseph had his brothers brought before him. This mandate lasted until the days of Moses. The family, including the Egyptians, mourned him seventy days. We are twelve brothers and our father is in Canaan; the youngest is at home with our father, and one brother disappeared many years ago.”. So Joseph supplied them Egyptian transport wagons, new garments, silver money, and twenty additional donkeys carrying provisions for the journey. They commemorate him on the Sunday of the Holy Forefathers (two Sundays before Christmas) and on Holy and Great Monday (Monday of Holy Week). When he returned, the Vizier took Simeon and bound him as a hostage. There are numerous mentions of Joseph in Bahá'í writings. However, they agreed to be escorted back to Egypt. 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. He admonished and forgave them, he sent also his garment which healed the patriarch's eyes as soon as it was casted unto his face. Unaware of this secondary intention, the others obeyed him first. His father then remarked, “Now let me die, since I have seen your face, because you are still alive.” (Genesis 46:1–34). Leiden: Brill. This sets up the climax of the story, which many regard to be the moment Joseph reveals his identity to his brothers (Gen 45:3). One of them opened his sack to take out some food for his animal, and was astonished to find that his money had been returned to him. When they met, they embraced each other and wept together for quite a while. Because the Pharaoh had such a high regard for Joseph, practically making him his equal,[25] it had been an honor to meet his father. The next two instances of dream interpretation establish his reputation as a great interpreter of dreams; first, he begins in a low place, interpreting the dreams of prisoners. When they were brought to Joseph's house, they were apprehensive about the returned money in their money sacks. - Josephus. According to Legend of the Jews, the name of Potiphar's wife is Zuleikha and when she was enticing Joseph to give up to her sinful passion, God appeared unto him, holding the foundation of earth (Eben Shetiyah), that He would destroy the world If Joseph touched her. 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. Joseph was overcome with love and pity for his brothers when he saw how sorry they were for their cruelty to him; he withdrew quietly and wept. Soggin, “Notes on the Joseph Story”, in “Understanding Poets and Prophets: Essays in Honour of George Wishart Anderson” (JSOTSupp 153, Sheffield Academic Press, 1993), J.A. 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. Festival of Sacrifice: The Past and Present of the Islamic Holiday of Eid al-Adha, Photograph by Magda Indigo/Moment/Getty Images. But Simeon terrified the men, and they were powerless to carry out Joseph’s order. Not only was Egypt hit by: the famine, but also all the neighboring countries, Canaan among them. Then he had them put into prison. Will 5G Impact Our Cell Phone Plans (or Our Health?! In the story of Joseph and his brothers, we see the themes of forgiveness, the father-son bond, sibling rivalry, brotherly love, God’s sovereignty, and God’s greater good in times of suffering. Josephus claims that Potiphar fell for his wife's, Josephus refers to Potipherah (or Petephres) as the priest of, Josephus has Joseph meeting his father Jacob in, R.N. In Potiphar's house: the interpretive life of biblical texts. After identifying the Hebrew names, Rabbi Judah claims that Joseph was sold four times: First his brothers sold Joseph to the Ishmaelites (Yishma'elîm), then the Ishmaelites sold him to the Midianite traders (ʼnāshîm midyanîm sōĥrîm), the Midianite traders to the Medanites (m‘danîm), and the Medanites into Egypt.