References (197)
And she named him Joseph, saying, "The Lord (Yahweh) has added (Hebr. josef) another son to me." [Joseph means "the Lord increases."]
[Rachel has another child, but she dies in childbirth when she gives birth to him, see . He is named Benjamin and becomes the twelfth of Jacob's sons.]
And it came to pass, when Rachel had borne Joseph, that Jacob said to Laban, "Send me away, that I may go to my place and to my country.
And he put the maidservants and their children first, Leah and her children next, and Rachel and Joseph last.
Leah and her children also came near and bowed down, and after them Joseph came near and Rachel, and they bowed down. [Same order as in verses 2-3.]
Rachel's [two] sons:
Joseph and Benjamin.
[Here comes a new "toledot unit" that forms the twelfth and last literary unit in Genesis.]
This is the continuation of Jacob's story (his genealogy/family tree – Hebr. ).
[Now follows a new paragraph, see ; ; ; ; , ; , ; , ; . This is the twelfth and final section of Gen. The theme is Joseph, who is also a prototype of Jesus. This section also follows a chiastic pattern:
A The brothers' hatred of Joseph ()
B Joseph is believed to be dead, Jacob mourns ()
C Interlude: Judah and Tamar ()
D Unexpected reversal of roles – Perez and Zerah ()
E Joseph's wisdom ()
F The brothers go to Egypt ()
X Israel's family tree ()
F´ The move to Egypt ()
E´ Joseph's wisdom ()
D´ Unexpected reversal of roles – Ephraim and Manasseh ()
C´ Interlude: Jacob prophesies over his sons ()
B´ Jacob's death, Joseph buries him ()
A´ Joseph reassures his brothers ()]
Joseph, his son, who was now 17 years old—still a young man—herded the small livestock together with his [older] brothers, the sons of Bilhah [Dan and Naphtali, see ] and the sons of Zilpah [Gad and Asher, see ], his father's wives. Joseph brought back bad reports about them to his father.
[Joseph was Jacob's eleventh son, Rachel's firstborn, see . Jacob was 108 years old. The expression "a young man" can be interpreted as meaning that he was a helper, or it can emphasize that he was young and had responsibility for the flock. It is hinted that there are complicated family relationships, and the mention of Bilhah (Rachel's maid) and Zilpah (Leah's maid) also recalls the rivalry between Leah and Rachel, see , . Some have seen Joseph as a tattletale, but based on how his character is described elsewhere, it seems more likely that he was attentive to detail and faithful in small matters, so that he would eventually be entrusted with much, see . describes how he is ready and willing to be sent out on his father's behalf.]
Israel loved Joseph more than his other sons because he was the son he had in his old age [91 years old, with Rachel, whom he loved more than Leah, see ], and he had a special coat made for him. [The word for "special coat" (Hebr. ketonet passim) can mean long-sleeved or multicolored. It probably had woven threads of other colors or patterns. It was a beautiful, ornate coat that attracted attention.]
Joseph had a dream, and he told it to his brothers, and they hated him even more.
Israel said to Joseph, "Are not your brothers tending the flock in Shechem? Come, I will send you to them," and he replied, "Here I am." [Hebr. hineni, meaning "I am at your disposal" or "I am ready to take responsibility," see .]
The man [in Shechem] said, "They have left here; I heard them say, 'Let us go to Dothan. Joseph went after his brothers and found them in Dothan.
[Dothan means "two springs" and was a city about 30 miles north of Shechem. The city is located along the Via Maris trade route (which ran between Egypt in the south, via Damascus to Mesopotamia in the east). The prophet Elisha later lived in Dotan, see . It is possible that the brothers were well known—especially in the area around Shechem (after the events with Dinah, see )—or that the size of their flock made them recognizable. In Jewish tradition, the man is interpreted as an angel in human form. The reader is also reminded of the man with whom Jacob wrestled, see .]
When Joseph came to his brothers, they stripped him of the robe he was wearing, the special robe [the beautiful multicolored or long-sleeved robe that Jacob had given him, see ].
When the Midianite merchants [] passed by, they [the brothers] pulled Joseph out of the well and sold him to the Ishmaelites for 20 shekels of silver. [The price for a young male slave was 20 shekels of silver, see . The price is also documented in the laws of Hammurabi, see §116, §214, and §252.] And they took Joseph to Egypt.
[The unusual triple repetition of Joseph's name in this verse "pulled Joseph up... sold Joseph... took Joseph" emphasizes and indicates that the event is important for the continuation of the story. The caravan probably consisted of both Ishmaelites and Midianites, see ; , , ; ; . There is also a historical conflict here that goes back several generations. The Ishmaelites were descendants of Ishmael, whom Abraham had with the Egyptian Hagar about 180 years earlier, see . The Midianites were also descendants of Abraham from his marriage to Keturah and their son Midian, see ]
Reuben returned to the pit, but Joseph was not in the pit, and he tore his clothes [to show his grief and anguish].
They took Joseph's coat, killed a goat, and dipped the coat in the blood.
He recognized it and said, "It is my son's coat; a wild animal has devoured him. Joseph is undoubtedly torn to pieces."
Joseph was taken down to Egypt, and Potiphar [the name means "belonging to the sun" or "devoted to the sun"], one of Pharaoh's generals, the chief of the guard, an Egyptian, bought him from the Ishmaelites, who had taken him there.
The Lord (Yahweh) was with Joseph [the phrase recurs three more times, see verses 3, 21, 23] and he was a successful man. He was in the house of his master, the Egyptian.
Joseph found favor (undeserved love; favor) in his eyes and became his personal servant. [A position that is well documented in Egyptian literature.] Potiphar appointed Joseph as overseer (supervisor) of his house and gave him charge of everything he owned.
From the time that Potiphar appointed Joseph as overseer of his house and over all that he owned, the Lord (Yahweh) blessed the Egyptian's house because of Joseph. The Lord's blessing rested on everything he owned, in the house and in the field.
So Potiphar entrusted everything he owned to Joseph's care (stewardship) and did not concern himself with anything (he trusted Joseph completely), except [the choice of] the food he ate.
Joseph had a well-built body and was handsome. [The same expression is used about his mother Rachel, see .]
After a while, his master's [Potiphar's] wife cast her eyes on Joseph and said, "Lie with me!"
Even though she continued to speak to Joseph day after day, he did not listen to her or want to lie with her or even be (stay in the same room; socialize) with her.
Joseph's master [Potiphar] seized him. And they handed him over (gave him) to "the round house" [the name of a prison; from the word for "round," perhaps the building was round or enclosed by a wall], the place where the king's prisoners were held captive. He was now there in the round house.
[It is not clear who Potiphar is angry with. Perhaps he knew his wife's ways. According to Yalkut Shimoni, a medieval rabbi, Potiphar's daughter Asenath did everything she could to vindicate Joseph and clear him of the charges. When Joseph is later released from prison, he marries Asenath, Potiphar's daughter, see . The time in prison was a trial for Joseph, described in
The story of Joseph is filled with cyclical patterns and repetitions: He has two dreams (chapter 37), he interprets two dreams (chapter 40), his brothers make two trips to see him (chapters 42-43), and here he is innocently imprisoned a second time.]
But the Lord (Yahweh) was with Joseph and showed him mercy (caring love, faithfulness – Hebr. chesed) and gave him favor (undeserved love – Hebr. chen) in the eyes of the one in charge of the round house.
So the one in charge of the round house handed over (gave) all the prisoners who were in the round house into Joseph's hand, and everything that was to be done would be done through him. [The prison warden handed over full responsibility for everything that happened in the prison into Joseph's hand. Just as Potiphar had done before.]
He put them in custody in the house of the general, the chief of the guard, in the round house [the prison, see ], the place where Joseph was bound.
The chief of the guard commanded Joseph to be with them, and he served them. Days passed, and they remained in prison. [Days can refer to a few weeks up to a year.]
Joseph came to them in the morning and saw them, and they looked troubled.
They said to him, "We have had a dream, and there is no one who can interpret it." Joseph said to them, "Does not the interpretation belong to God (Elohim)? Tell me (the dream)."
The chief cupbearer recounted his dream to Joseph and said to him, "In my dream, I saw a vine in front of me,
Joseph said to him, "This is the interpretation: the three branches are three days.
When the chief baker saw that the interpretation was good, he said to Joseph, "I also had a dream, and in it I saw three baskets of bread on my head.
Joseph answered and said, "This is the interpretation: the three baskets are three days.
But he hanged the chief baker [on a tree—killed him], according to what Joseph had interpreted for them. []
But the chief cupbearer did not remember Joseph; he forgot him.
Then Pharaoh sent for Joseph and they hurried to bring him from the dungeon (the well – Hebr. bór). He shaved and changed his clothes and came before Pharaoh.
Pharaoh said to Joseph, "I have had a dream, and there is no one who can interpret it for me. I have heard it said of you that when you hear a dream, you can interpret it."
Joseph answered Pharaoh and said, "It is not in my own power, but God will give Pharaoh a peaceful (shalom) answer (a reassuring answer)."
Pharaoh spoke to Joseph:
"In my dream, I was standing on the bank of the Nile.
Joseph said to Pharaoh, "Pharaoh's dream is one. [The two dreams belong together.] God (Elohim) has told [revealed prophetically] Pharaoh what he is to do.
Pharaoh said to Joseph, "Since God (Elohim) has shown you all this, there is no one as discerning and wise as you.
Furthermore, Pharaoh said to Joseph, "See, I have set you over all the land of Egypt."
Pharaoh took his signet ring from his hand and put it on Joseph's hand, and clothed him in garments of fine linen and put a gold chain around his neck. [Instead of prison clothes, Joseph receives fine linen clothes. Twice he had lost his cloak (; ), now he receives a new one. Instead of the iron chains of prison (), he now receives chains of gold!]
Pharaoh said to Joseph, "I am Pharaoh, and without your permission no man shall lift up his hand or his foot in all the land of Egypt."
Pharaoh gave Joseph the name Tsofnat-Paneach [meaning “revealer of secrets”], and he gave him Asenath as his wife, the daughter of the priest Poti-Fera of On [Heliopolis—the City of the Sun, known for its worship of the sun gods Ra and Atum; see ]. And Joseph went out over the land of Egypt.
[Poti-Fera is a longer form of the name Potiphar. Most Jewish and Christian biblical scholars view them as two different people, although some rabbinic traditions (Rashi, Rashbam, and Alshish) maintain that it was the same Potiphar (, ) who imprisoned Joseph and who was a general (), but who later changed careers and became a priest.]
Joseph was 30 years old when he stood before Pharaoh, the king of Egypt. Joseph left Pharaoh's presence and walked around [inspected] the whole land of Egypt.
[There are several parallels between Joseph and Jesus. Joseph got a bride while he was still rejected by his own brothers. Since the end of the Acts of the Apostles, the Christian church has consisted mostly of Gentiles, see . Jesus was also 30 years old when he began his public ministry, see ]
Joseph stored grain like the sand of the sea, enormous quantities, until it was no longer possible to keep track of (account for) everything because there were so many (literally without numbers, impossible to count).
[Some linguists believe that Joseph invented the first alphabet in order to simplify the accounting of all the crops that were to be stored. Until this time, written language was used in the form of hieroglyphics, which Joseph certainly had to learn when he entered the service of Pharaoh. But if Joseph did invent the alphabet, it was this that Moses learned during his years in Pharaoh's palace, so that he then had a written language with the letters of the alphabet when he wrote down the five books of Moses during the desert journey.]
Before the years of famine began, two sons were born to Joseph; Asenath, the daughter of Poti-Fera, the priest of On [Heliopolis], bore them to him.
Joseph named his firstborn Manasseh (Hebr. Menasheh): "For God has made me forget (Hebr. nashah) my bondage and my father's house." [The name Manasseh means "to make forget."]
and the seven years of famine began, just as Joseph had said. There was famine in all the countries (around the Mediterranean and even south in Africa), but in Egypt there was bread.
When all of Egypt was starving, the people cried out to Pharaoh for bread, and Pharaoh said to all the Egyptians, "Go to Joseph and do whatever he tells you."
The famine was all over the earth. But Joseph opened all the storehouses and sold to the Egyptians. The famine was severe in the land of Egypt.
The whole world came to Egypt, to Joseph, to buy grain because the famine was severe throughout the world.
Joseph's ten brothers [half-brothers] then went down to buy grain from Egypt.
But Benjamin, Joseph's [younger] brother, Jacob did not send with his brothers, for he said (thinking to himself), "What if some misfortune befalls him?" [Benjamin and Joseph were full brothers. Rachel was their mother.]
[Joseph came to Egypt at the age of 17. At the age of 30, he was promoted, and now, nine years later, his brothers come to buy grain from him—22 years after they sold him into slavery. Joseph's first dream is now coming true, see —almost. When they bowed down to him, he counted them; there were ten, not eleven. Where is the eleventh?]
Joseph was governor of the land, and he was the one who managed the sales to all the people in the land. Joseph's brothers [ten of them, see ] came and bowed down before him with their faces to the ground.
Joseph saw his brothers and recognized them, but he made himself unrecognizable to them and spoke harshly (in an authoritative voice) to them, saying, "Where do you come from?" And they answered, "From the land of Canaan, to buy food."
Joseph recognized his brothers, but they did not recognize him.
Joseph remembered the dreams he had dreamed about them [] and said to them, "You are spies who have come to see the nakedness of the land (where its weaknesses are)."
Joseph said to them, "This is what I meant when I said, 'You are spies.
On the third day, Joseph said to them, "Do this, and you will live, for I fear (revere) God (Elohim).
They did not know that Joseph understood them, for the interpreter was between them.
Then Joseph commanded that their vessels be filled with grain and each man's money be returned to his sack, and that they be given provisions for the journey, and so it was done for them.
Jacob, their father, said to them, "You have robbed me of my children. Joseph is gone, Simeon is gone, and now you want to take Benjamin away. All this has come upon me (all this has befallen me)."
The men (Hebr. enósh) [Joseph's brothers] took the gifts and double the amount of money in their hands, as well as Benjamin, and went down to Egypt and stood before Joseph.
When Joseph saw Benjamin with them, he said to his household [servants], "Bring the men into the house, slaughter an animal, and prepare the meat, for the men will dine with me today."
The man (Hebr. ish) [one of the servants of the house] did as Joseph told him, and he brought the men (Hebr. enósh) into Joseph's house.
The men [Joseph's brothers] were afraid because they were brought into Joseph's house, and they said, "Because of the money that was put back in our sacks the first time, we have been brought in, so that he may find a reason against us and attack us and take us as slaves with our donkeys."
They approached the steward of Joseph's house and spoke to him at the door of the house
The man (Hebr. ish) [Joseph's servant] brought the men (Hebr. enósh) into Joseph's house and gave them water, and they washed their feet, and he gave their donkeys food.
They prepared their gifts before Joseph's arrival at noon, for they had heard that they would eat there.
When Joseph came home, they took the gifts that were in their hands and brought them into the house and bowed down before him to the ground.
Joseph hurried to find a place where he could weep, for he was deeply moved by mercy (compassion, pity) toward his brothers, and he went into his chamber and wept there.
Then put my cup, the silver cup, at the top of the youngest's sack, along with his money for the grain." They did as Joseph had said.
When they had left the city and had not gone far, Joseph said to his servant, "Go after the men, and when you catch up with them, say to them, 'Why have you repaid good with evil?
Judah and his brothers returned to Joseph's house. [Judah will play a decisive role in this part, so he is already highlighted in the story. He was the one who had promised to take care of Benjamin, see . In the following passage, he refers to his "father" 14 times. Joseph was still there [in the house, he was prepared and waiting for them], and they fell down before him.]
Joseph said to them, "What have you done? Don't you know that a man like me is truly divine?"
Joseph could not control himself in front of all those who stood by him, and he cried out, "Make sure all the servants leave here!" None of his servants were with him when he revealed himself to his brothers.
Joseph said to his brothers [in Hebrew], "I am Joseph! Is my father still alive?" His brothers could not answer him, for they stood there in awe (shocked) before him.
Joseph said to his brothers, "Come closer to me," so they came close [so Joseph could whisper to them without the Egyptians hearing their conversation]. Then he said [in a low voice]:
"I am Joseph, your brother, whom you sold into Egypt. []
Hurry up and go up to my father and tell him, 'This is what your son Joseph says: God has made me lord of all Egypt. Come down to me; don't delay. [Joseph's words must have reminded them of what he had said earlier, see .]
The commotion was heard in Pharaoh's house, and they said, "Joseph's brothers have come!" This pleased Pharaoh and his servants.
Pharaoh said to Joseph, "Tell your brothers, 'This is what you are to do: Load your animals and go to the land of Canaan
The sons of Israel did so, and Joseph gave them wagons according to Pharaoh's command, and gave them provisions for the journey.
They told him, saying, "Joseph is still alive, and he is ruler over all the land of Egypt." Then his heart was paralyzed [his heart almost stopped beating], for he could not believe them.
They told him all the words that Joseph had spoken to them. When he saw the wagons that Joseph had sent to carry him, the spirit of their father Jacob was renewed (revived) in him.
Israel said, "It is enough. Joseph my son is still alive. I want to go and see him before I die."
I will go down with you to Egypt, and I will also surely bring you back up again, and Joseph shall put his hand on your eyes." (Joseph shall close your eyes when you die).
The sons of Rachel, Jacob's wife:
Joseph and Benjamin.
To Joseph in the land of Egypt, Manasseh and Ephraim were born by his wife Asenath, the daughter of Potiphera, priest of On [].
Joseph's sons who were born to him in Egypt were two – all the persons in Jacob's house who came to Egypt were 70 in total.
[There are different ways of looking at who is included in the numbers 66 and 70. One difference seems to be highlighted in the phrase "came with Jacob". Joseph's two sons should not be included in that group. The sum of the four subtotals given in the paragraph above is 70 persons (33 + 16 + 14 + 7), see verses 15, 18, 22, and 25. The 70 may include Jacob himself and the 71 descendants (including Dinah, Joseph, Manasseh, and Ephraim) listed in verses 8-25, minus Er and Onan who died, see .]
He [Jacob] sent Judah [whose name means praise] ahead of him to Joseph, to show him the way to Goshen, and they came to the land of Goshen.
Joseph prepared his chariot and went up to meet his father Israel in Goshen, and he presented himself to him and fell on his neck and wept on his neck for a long time.
Israel said to Joseph, "Now I can die, since I have seen your face and that you are alive."
Joseph said to his brothers and to his father's household, "I will go up and tell Pharaoh and say to him, 'My brothers and my father's household, who were in the land of Canaan, have come to me.
Then Joseph went and told Pharaoh, saying, "My father and my brothers, their flocks and their herds and all that they have, have come from the land of Canaan, and now they are in the land of Goshen []."
Pharaoh spoke to Joseph and said, "Your father and your brothers have come to you.
Joseph brought his father Jacob and presented him before Pharaoh, and Jacob blessed Pharaoh.
[Abraham is destined to be a blessing to all families on earth, see . Jacob, Abraham's grandson, now pronounces a blessing over Pharaoh.]
Joseph settled his father and his brothers and gave them possessions in the land of Egypt, in the best part of the land, in the land of Rameses [which later became a city in the area also known as Goshen at the Nile delta, see ; ], as Pharaoh had commanded.
Joseph provided his father and his brothers and all his father's household with bread, according to what they needed for their little ones.
Joseph collected all the money that was in the land of Egypt and in the land of Canaan for the grain they bought. And Joseph brought the money into Pharaoh's house.
When the money was spent in the land of Egypt and in the land of Canaan, all the Egyptians came to Joseph and said, "Give us bread, for why should we die in your sight? For all our money is gone."
Joseph replied, "Bring your livestock here. I will give you bread for your livestock if your money is gone."
They brought their livestock to Joseph, and Joseph gave them bread in exchange for their horses, cattle, sheep, and donkeys. He gave them bread in exchange for all their livestock that year.
Joseph bought the Mark of Egypt for Pharaoh because the Egyptians, all the men, sold their fields because the famine was so severe for them. So the Mark became Pharaoh's.
Then Joseph said to the people, "Behold, I have bought you and your Mark for Pharaoh today. Here is grain for you, and you shall sow the Mark.
Joseph established a statute concerning the land of Egypt on that day, that Pharaoh should have a fifth, only the priests' land should not belong to Pharaoh.
The time drew near when Israel [Jacob] must die, and he called his son Joseph and said to him, "I beg you, if I have found favor (undeserved love) in your eyes, please place your hand under my thigh and deal kindly and faithfully with me. I beg you, do not bury me in Egypt. [Three times the Hebr. word na is used as an appeal and is often translated as 'I beg you'.]
[In the time of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the tradition is that the firstborn becomes the next head of the family. As the eldest son, he inherits the name, status, and property of his father. It is not unusual for God to surprise us, as we have already seen several examples of in Genesis. In this passage, Joseph follows tradition and places Manasseh, his firstborn, on the right side to receive the greatest blessing. Jacob then crosses his arms and blesses Ephraim with his right hand. Joseph assumes it is a mistake, but Jacob knows exactly what he is doing.]
After all this, someone came to Joseph and said, "Look, your father is sick." So he took his two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim, with him.
And they told Jacob, saying, "Behold, your son Joseph is coming to you." Israel strengthened himself (gathered his strength) and sat on the bed.
Jacob said to Joseph, "God Almighty (El Shaddai) appeared to me at Luz [another name for Bethel] in the land of Canaan and blessed me [; ],
When Israel [Jacob] saw Joseph's sons, he asked, "Who are these?"
Joseph answered his father, "They are my sons, whom God (Elohim) has given me here." He said, "Bring them to me, I pray you, and I will bless them."
Israel said to Joseph, "I did not think I would see your face, and behold, God has let me see your offspring (your sons) too!"
Joseph took them down from his knees and fell down (bowed) with his face to the ground.
Joseph took them both, Ephraim in his right hand toward Israel's left hand, and Manasseh in his left hand toward Israel's right hand, and brought them close to him.
He blessed Joseph and said:
"The God (Elohim – in the definite form: the God) before whom my fathers
Abraham and Isaac walked,
the God (Elohim – in the definite form: the God) who has been my shepherd ("has led me") [who has led me and brought me to pasture]
all my long life [from my birth] to this day,
When Joseph saw that his father laid his right hand on Ephraim's head, he disapproved (it was evil in his eyes), so he took hold of his father's hand to move it from Ephraim's head to Manasseh's head.
Joseph said to his father, "Not so, my father, for this one is the firstborn; put your right hand on his head."
Israel said to Joseph, "Behold, I am dying, but God (Elohim) will be with you and bring you back to the land of your fathers.
Joseph [meaning "let him multiply—be a bearer of abundant fruit"] is a fruitful son,
a fruitful son at the source,
the daughters march over the wall.
Your father's blessings
have far surpassed (have been more powerful than) the blessings of my ancestors,
up to the farthest limits of the eternal hills.
They shall be upon Joseph's head,
and upon the crown of him who is separated (consecrated – Hebr. nazir) from his brothers.
[; ]
[Joseph is perhaps the clearest prototype of Jesus in the Old Testament. Joseph was a "fruitful son," see , and Jesus is called the vine, and those who are connected to him shall bear fruit, see ; . Joseph is called a "son by the spring," and Jesus is the source of life, see .]
Then Joseph fell on his father's face, wept over him, and kissed him.
Joseph commanded his servants, the physicians, to embalm his father, and the physicians embalmed Israel [Jacob].
When the days of mourning were over, Joseph spoke to Pharaoh's household and said, "If I have found favor (undeserved love) in your eyes, please speak to Pharaoh and say:
Joseph went up and buried his father, and with him went Pharaoh's servants, the elders of his house, and all the elders of the land of Egypt,
and all of Joseph's household and his brothers. Only their little ones and their flocks and herds they left in Goshen.
After burying his father, Joseph returned to Egypt, he and his brothers and all who had gone up with him to bury his father.
When Joseph's brothers saw (began to realize the consequences of) that their father [Jacob] was dead, they said, "What if Joseph hates us (is bitter and resentful) and now takes revenge for all the evil we did to him?"
Therefore, they sent a message to Joseph, saying:
"Before your father died
he asked us to tell you, Joseph, this:
'I beg you [Joseph],
please forgive your brothers' sins
and all the evil they have done to you.
We, servants of your father's God (Elohim), beg you to forgive us." When Joseph heard what they said, he burst into tears.
But Joseph answered them, "Do not be afraid, would I take the place of God?
Joseph lived in Egypt, he and his father's house (his entire family), and Joseph lived to be 110 years old. [According to Egyptian inscriptions and texts, 110 years was the ideal age. Joshua also lived to be 110 years old, see .]
Joseph saw [his second son] Ephraim's sons to the third generation; even Manasseh's son, Machir [Joseph's grandson], became the father of children [who were laid] on Joseph's knees.
[Manasseh was Joseph's firstborn, whose son was named Machir, see ; . "Laying on Joseph's knees" alludes to the custom of placing the newborn child on the knees, first of the father, who by receiving it acknowledged the child as his own, and then of the mother, see . Joseph adopted his grandchildren and great-grandchildren, which means that they shared in his blessing and inheritance, see also .]
Joseph said to his brothers, "I am dying, but God (Elohim) will surely visit you (Hebr. ) and bring you up out of this land, just as he swore (promised) to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob."
Joseph took an oath from the sons of Israel and said, "God will surely visit you, and then [when you leave Egypt] you shall carry my bones from here" [Hebr. is a rich word that means to see, visit, remember, and can also be used to count and muster. The word is repeated twice, both here and in , which reinforces and assures that God will see and protect the Israelites.]
So Joseph died, he was 110 years old. They [followed Egyptian custom and] embalmed him and placed him in a coffin in Egypt.
[Based on studies of mummies, the life expectancy in Egypt was 40-50 years. When the Israelites left Egypt several hundred years later, Moses fulfilled this promise, see , and Joseph was buried in Shechem, see . According to Jewish tradition, it is these men who fulfilled this mission who are given the opportunity to celebrate Pesach Sheni (the second Passover), see . The story of Joseph ends with the Israelites coming to Egypt. Here they live for generations, aware that their future lies in another land, a promised land, which most of them have never seen.]
Those who descended from Jacob [his twelve children and grandchildren] numbered seventy in all. Joseph was already in Egypt.
[Time passed and] Joseph died, and so did his brothers. Soon the entire [first] generation [that came to Egypt] was gone.
Egypt got a new king who did not know Joseph [how he had saved the country from famine and made Egypt a powerful empire].
[Jacob's son Joseph was sold into slavery by his own brothers. But despite adversity, God blessed him in Egypt and he eventually became Pharaoh's right-hand man. He had gained the ability to interpret dreams. During seven good years, the country built up a grain reserve that enabled them to survive seven difficult years when the harvests failed. They also sold to neighboring countries, which made Egypt rich, see . In Egyptian history, there was a clear shift between the seventeenth and eighteenth dynasties. The Hyksos people, who had ruled Egypt for 100 years, were defeated. The new king would then be Pharaoh Amose, who came to power in the new kingdom sometime around 1550 BC.]
Moses also took Joseph's bones with him, because he had taken an oath, a promise, from the children (sons) of Israel, saying, "God (Elohim) will surely remember you, and then you shall take my bones with you."
[Joseph knew for certain the word that God had spoken to Abraham when he said that they would be slaves in Egypt for four generations and then return to the land, see , so he took this promise from the sons of Israel, which Moses now fulfills.]
From the sons of Joseph:
from Ephraim, Elishama, son of Ammihod;
from Manasseh, Gamliel, son of Pedazur.
The sons of Joseph,
of the sons of Ephraim, their generations, according to their families, according to the houses of their fathers, by the number of names, every male separately, every male from twenty years old and upward, all who were able to go out to war,
From the tribe of Joseph, from the tribe of Manasseh, Gaddi, son of Sosi.
The sons of Joseph by their families: Manasseh and Ephraim.
These are the families of the sons of Ephraim, those who were counted of them, 32,500.
[First count: 40,500, a decrease of 8,000.]
These are the sons of Joseph according to their families. [Verses 27 and 37b form an inclusio with Joseph's two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim.]
Then the daughters of Zelophehad [; ], the son of Chefer, the son of Gilead, the son of Machir, the son of Manasseh of the family of Manasseh, the son of Joseph, came near. And these are the names of his [five] daughters: Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milkah, and Tirzah.
And Moses gave to them, to the sons of Gad and to the sons of Reuben and to the half-tribe of Manasseh, the son of Joseph, the kingdom of Sihon, king of the Amorites, and the kingdom of Og, king of Bashan, the land with its cities and their borders, as well as the cities of the land around it.
And from the sons of Joseph, from the tribe of Manasseh, a leader,
Chaniel, son of Ephod.
And the leaders of the fathers' houses of the families of the sons of Gilead, the son of Machir, the son of Manasseh, from the families of the house of Joseph, came near and spoke before Moses and before the princes, the heads of the fathers' houses of the sons of Israel,
And Moses commanded the sons of Israel according to the word of the Lord (Yahweh), saying, "The sons of the tribe of Joseph have spoken rightly.
They married into the families of the sons of Manasseh, the son of Joseph, and their inheritance remained within the tribe of their father's families.
These [six tribes] shall stand on Mount Gerizim [present-day Jebel-et-Tur, to the south] and bless the people when you have crossed the Jordan:
Simeon (Shimon) and
Levi and
Judah (Jehoda) and
Issachar (Jisashchar) and
Joseph and
Benjamin (Binjamin).
And to Joseph he said, "Blessed of the Lord (Yahweh) is his land. From the precious things of heaven, from the dew, and from the depths that lie beneath,
and from the precious things of the earth and its fullness, and his conditional grace (goodwill, favor – Hebr. ratson) that dwells in nature – let the blessings come upon Joseph's head, and upon the crown of his head, who is prince among his brothers.
The sons of Joseph were two tribes, Manasseh and Ephraim. And they gave no part to the Levites in the land, except cities to dwell in with open country around them for their cattle and small livestock.
[This passage concerns Rachel's son Joseph and his sons' inheritance. It is related to Benjamin in .]
The lot for Joseph's sons went out from the Jordan at Jericho, at the waters of Jericho on the east, and went up from Jericho through the hill country to the wilderness, to Bethel.
And Joseph's sons, Manasseh and Ephraim, took their inheritance.
And this is the lot of the tribe of Manasseh, for he was Joseph's firstborn, as Machir was Manasseh's firstborn [; ], the father of Gilead—because he was a warrior []—he had Gilead and Bashan.
And the lot of the rest of the sons of Manasseh according to their families was for the sons of Abiezer, and for the sons of Helek, and for the sons of Asriel, and for the sons of Shechem, and for the sons of Shefer, and for the sons of Shemida; these were the sons of Manasseh, the son of Joseph, according to their families.
And the sons of Joseph spoke to Joshua, saying, "Why have you given me one lot and one portion as an inheritance? Behold, I am a great people, for the Lord (Yahweh) has blessed me greatly."
And the sons of Joseph said, "The hill country is not enough for us, and all the Canaanites who live in the land's valley have iron chariots, both those in Beit-Shean and its villages and those in the valley of Jezreel."
And Joshua spoke to the house of Joseph, to Ephraim and Manasseh, saying, "You are a great people and have great power (strength); you shall not have only one lot,
And they shall divide it into seven parts, Judah shall remain within its borders in the south, and the house of Joseph shall remain within its borders in the north.
[The territory of Benjamin is the one described in most detail in 18 verses. This is probably due to its location between Judah in the south and Joseph (i.e., Ephraim) in the north.]
And the lot fell to the tribe of the sons of Benjamin according to their families, and their inheritance was between the sons of Judah and the sons of Joseph.
And the bones of Joseph, which the sons of Israel brought up from Egypt, were buried in Shechem, in the field which Jacob bought of Hamor the father of Shechem for 100 pieces of silver (Hebr. qesitah), and it became the inheritance of the sons of Joseph.
[The value of the silver coin qesitah is unknown, but it probably corresponds to a shekel. The Greek translation Septuagint translates the word as lamb, which was sold for a shekel, see also ; .]
[The account of Joseph's tribes is divided into seven sections, the first (verses 22-26) and last () of which deal with the territory of Ephraim. In between, it describes how Manasseh did not drive out the enemies from five cities (verses 27-28).] The house of
Joseph went up to
Bethel, and the Lord
(Yahweh) was with them.
And the house of Joseph sent spies to explore Bethel, and the name of the city was formerly Luz.
And the Amorites were determined to live in Harcheres in Ajalon [literally: "field of deer"] and in Shaalvim [literally: "place of foxes"], but the house of Joseph prevailed so that they became forced laborers (taxpayers).
For your servant did not know that he was sinning. Therefore, I have come first of all today from the whole house of Joseph [the northern tribes] to go down and meet the king."
And the man Jeroboam was a mighty man of valor, and Solomon saw that the young man was diligent, and he gave him charge over all the laborers of the house of Joseph.
Dan, Joseph, and Benjamin, Naphtali, Gad, and Asher.
Reuben was the firstborn of Israel, for he was born first. But because he defiled his father's bed [by lying with Judah's concubine Bilhah, see ; ], his birthright was given to the sons of Joseph, the son of Israel, but not so that Joseph would be listed in the genealogy as the firstborn.
For even though Judah was the most powerful among his brothers and one of his descendants became a prince, the birthright still went to Joseph.
[The firstborn son received a double inheritance, see . It was also the responsibility of the eldest son to move the bones from the burial chamber to a bone box one year after the burial of a parent. See also ; ; ; .]
But the children of Manasseh possessed Beit-Shan with its villages, Taanach with its villages, Megiddo with its villages, and Dor with its villages.
Here lived the children of Joseph, the son of Israel.
The waters saw you, God (Elohim), the waters saw you.
They were in pain, even the depths shook.
Moreover, he abhorred (rejected) Joseph's tent
and did not choose the tribe of Ephraim.
Before Ephraim and Benjamin and Manasseh [three of the northern tribes] aroused your power
and came to save (rescue) us.
I removed his shoulders from the burden (yoke) [slavery in Egypt],
I freed his hands from the basket.
[The words burden and basket are parallel, and may refer to the baskets the Israelites had to carry materials in for slave labor, see .]
He sent a man before them,
sold as a slave—Joseph. [; ; ]
Son of man, take a wooden rod and write on it [as was done before, see ]:
"For Judah and all the Israelites who belong to him." [The Southern Kingdom – the tribe of Judah together with some northern tribes (Benjamin, Levi, and parts of Simeon).] Then take another wooden rod and write on it:
"For Joseph, Ephraim, and all the Israelites who belong to him." [The Northern Kingdom – represented by Joseph or Ephraim () together with Manasseh.]
Speak to them: "Thus says the Lord of hosts (Adonai Yahweh, the supreme almighty God, who despite his greatness is still present among his people): Behold, I will take the rod of Joseph that is in the hand of Ephraim and all the Israelites who belong to him, and I will put it on the rod of Judah, and make them one rod—they shall be one in my hand."
This is what the Lord God (Adonai Yahweh) says: These are the boundaries (territory) that shall apply when you divide the land among the twelve tribes of Israel. Joseph shall have two portions.
On the east side it shall also measure 4,500 cubits [2.3 km], and have three gates: the first is the gate of Joseph, the second the gate of Benjamin, and the third the gate of Dan.
Seek (come before; ask for) the Lord (Yahweh) and you will live,
otherwise he will pass over (rush over, strike) the house of Joseph like a consuming fire,
and there will be no one to extinguish [the fire] in Bethel.
Hate evil and love good
and establish justice in the gates,
perhaps then the Lord (Yahweh), God of hosts (Elohim Sebaot), will be gracious (show undeserved love)
to the remnant of Joseph.
you drink wine from bowls,
and anoint yourselves with the finest ointments,
but you do not mourn over Joseph's pain.
The house of Jacob shall be a fire
and the house of Joseph a flame [Joseph's sons are Ephraim and Manasseh, they are Jacob's grandsons and represent the northern kingdom]
and the house of Esau shall be like sticks
that are kindled and they shall be consumed (by the fire). Nothing shall remain of the house of Esau, for the Lord (Yahweh) has spoken.
I will strengthen the house of Judah
and I will save the house of Joseph,
and I will bring them back
because I have compassion on them
and they shall be as
if I had never cast them out,
for I am the Lord (Yahweh) their God (Elohim)
and I will listen to them.
Therefore, he came to a town in
Samaria called
Sychar, near the field that Jacob gave to his son
Joseph.
[Joseph was buried near Shechem, see .].
Our forefathers became jealous of
Joseph and sold him into
Egypt. But God was with him
The second time, Joseph revealed himself to his brothers, and Pharaoh heard about Joseph's family.
Joseph then sent word and had his father Jacob and his entire family, seventy-five people, brought to him. [As a Greek-speaking Jude, Stephen uses the Greek translation of , which includes Joseph's grandchildren and has the number seventy-five. The Hebrew text has seventy without Joseph's grandchildren.]
until another king
(with a different character) who did not know
Joseph came to power.
[Quote from . In Egyptian history, there was a clear shift between the seventeenth and eighteenth dynasties. The Hyksos people who had ruled Egypt for 100 years were defeated. The new king would then be Pharaoh Ahmose, who came to power in the new kingdom sometime around 1550 BC.]In faith, the dying Jacob blessed Joseph's two sons []. Then he worshiped, bowing toward the end of his staff [].
In faith, Joseph, when he was about to die, mentioned (remembered) the exodus of the sons of Israel [about God's promises to his people concerning the land of Canaan, see ; ; , and that they would return after captivity, see ] and gave instructions about what should happen to his bones (remains) [; ].
from the tribe of Zebulun 12,000 [],
from the tribe of Joseph 12,000 []
and of the tribe of Benjamin 12,000 [the youngest, see ] who received the seal. [The twelve tribes originate from Jacob's twelve sons. This is the only list of the tribes in the New Testament and is unusual in several respects. This is the only time Jude is mentioned first, perhaps because Jesus was of that tribe, see ; ; . Jacob's eldest son, Reuben, comes second, and last comes the youngest, Benjamin, but the others do not appear in order of birth. It is important to emphasize that neither numerical nor verbal symbolism is an exact science. It should not be used to create new doctrines, but can sometimes reinforce a message that is already clear in the text. See also the introduction to Revelation for more on numerical symbolism.]
