Joseph (Son of Jacob)
| Joseph | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Family | Father: Jacob,
Mother: Rachel |
| Birthplace | Haran |
| Occupation(Features) | Governor of Egypt |
| Activity area | Egypt |
This page is about 'Joseph, Son of Jacob', For other meanings, see Joseph (Father of Jesus)Joseph (Hebrew: יוֹסֵף, Yosef)[1] was the eleventh of Jacob’s twelve sons and the firstborn of Rachel. His name means “He will add.” Rachel, who gave birth to Joseph after much hardship, named him with the hope that God would grant her another son.[2] Though Joseph was hated by his brothers and sold into slavery in Egypt, God was with him. After enduring many trials, he gained the favor of Pharaoh and rose to become the governor of Egypt. When famine struck the land, Joseph used his God-given wisdom to preserve both Egypt and his own people, the Hebrews.
Historical Background
Joseph was the great-grandson of Abraham. Abraham’s son Isaac married Rebekah at the age of forty,[3] but for twenty years she remained childless until she conceived twins.[4] God chose Jacob, the younger of Isaac’s twin sons, to inherit the birthright and the blessing in place of his brother Esau.[5] When Esau realized that Jacob had received the blessing meant for him, he became furious and plotted to kill his brother. Learning this, Rebekah urged Jacob to flee to her family in Paddan Aram, in Haran, until Esau’s anger subsided.[6] Jacob obeyed and went to live with his uncle Laban, where he married, built a family, and tended Laban’s flocks for about twenty years before returning to his homeland, Canaan. Jacob eventually had twelve sons and one daughter, and Joseph was his eleventh son—the firstborn of Rachel, the wife he loved most.
Life and Events
Birth
Jacob had two wives, Leah and Rachel, but he loved Rachel more than Leah. While Rachel remained childless for many years, Leah and her maid Zilpah, together with Rachel’s maid Bilhah, bore Jacob ten sons and one daughter. At last, God showed mercy to Rachel and opened her womb, and she gave birth to Joseph.[7] Because Joseph was born to him in his old age, Jacob loved him more than all his other sons and gave him a richly ornamented robe. This special favor stirred envy and jealousy among Joseph’s brothers.[8] Later, as the family journeyed home, tragedy struck—Rachel died while giving birth to Joseph’s younger brother, Benjamin.
Joseph’s Dreams
When Joseph was seventeen years old, he had a dream in which his brothers’ sheaves of grain bowed down to his own sheaf. When he told the dream to his brothers, they became even more resentful of him. Later, Joseph had another dream—this time, the sun, moon, and eleven stars were bowing down to him—and he shared it with both his father and his brothers. Jacob rebuked him, saying, “Will your mother and I and your brothers actually come and bow down to the ground before you?”[9] Yet, while his brothers’ hatred toward Joseph grew even stronger, Jacob kept the matter in mind, pondering its meaning.[10]
Sold into Slavery in Egypt
One day, Jacob sent Joseph to check on his brothers, who were pasturing their father’s flocks near Shechem. When Joseph reached Dothan, he found them there.[11] Seeing him approach from a distance, his brothers, filled with envy and resentment, conspired to kill him. However, Reuben, the eldest brother, intervened and persuaded them not to take Joseph’s life. Instead, they stripped him of his ornamented robe and threw him into an empty cistern.[12] Later, when a caravan of Ishmaelite merchants was passing by on their way to Egypt, the brothers sold Joseph to them for twenty shekels of silver.[13] Joseph was taken to Egypt, where he was sold as a slave to Potiphar, the captain of Pharaoh’s guard.[14]
Unjust Imprisonment
Joseph soon gained Potiphar’s trust and was placed in charge of his entire household. Because of Joseph, God blessed Potiphar’s house, and everything he owned prospered.[15] However, Potiphar’s wife, attracted to Joseph’s handsome appearance, tried to seduce him day after day. Joseph steadfastly refused, saying that he could not commit such a wicked act and sin against God. Enraged by his rejection, she falsely accused him of trying to assault her. In anger, Potiphar had Joseph confined in the prison where the king’s prisoners were held.[16]
Even in prison, God was with Joseph. He found favor in the eyes of the warden,[17] who placed him in charge of all the prisoners and made him responsible for everything done there. The warden trusted Joseph completely and did not concern himself with anything under Joseph’s care.[18] During this time, Pharaoh’s chief cupbearer and chief baker were also imprisoned. One night, both men had dreams that troubled them deeply. Joseph noticed their distress and offered to interpret their dreams, explaining that interpretations belong to God. He revealed that the cupbearer would be restored to his position, while the baker would be executed. Joseph asked the cupbearer to remember him and speak to Pharaoh on his behalf once the interpretation came true. Three days later, during Pharaoh’s birthday feast, Joseph’s interpretations were fulfilled exactly as he had said—the cupbearer was restored, and the baker was executed. Yet, the cupbearer forgot about Joseph and said nothing to Pharaoh.[19]
Interpretation of Pharaoh’s Dreams
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Two years later, Pharaoh had a troubling dream: Seven sleek and well-fed cows came up out of the Nile, but they were devoured by seven other cows that were ugly and gaunt. Awakened and disturbed, Pharaoh fell asleep again and dreamed a second time. In this dream, seven healthy heads of grain grew on a single stalk, but they were swallowed up by seven thin and scorched heads of grain that sprouted afterward.[20] Pharaoh summoned all the magicians and wise men of Egypt, but none could interpret the dreams. Then the chief cupbearer remembered Joseph and told Pharaoh about the young Hebrew who had accurately interpreted his dream in prison. Pharaoh immediately sent for Joseph, who was brought out of the dungeon and presented before him.[21]
After hearing Pharaoh’s dreams, Joseph explained that God was revealing what He was about to do. Both dreams had the same meaning: Egypt would experience seven years of great abundance, followed by seven years of severe famine, during which the years of plenty would be forgotten. Joseph further explained that the dream was repeated twice because the matter had been firmly established by God, and it would soon come to pass.
He then advised Pharaoh to appoint a wise and discerning man to oversee the land of Egypt—to collect and store surplus grain during the seven years of abundance, so that the nation could survive the seven years of famine that would follow.[22]
Appointed Governor of Egypt
Pharaoh was pleased with Joseph’s interpretation and appointed him governor over all Egypt. Pharaoh removed his signet ring from his finger and placed it on Joseph’s hand. He dressed him in robes of fine linen, put a gold chain around his neck, and had him ride in his second chariot as his second-in-command. Joseph was thirty years old when he began his service as governor. During the seven years of abundance, he gathered and stored grain in every city throughout Egypt, in such great quantities that it could no longer be measured. When the seven years of famine came, just as Joseph had predicted, he opened the storehouses and sold grain to the people. The famine spread across the entire world, and people from many nations came to Egypt to buy grain from Joseph.[23]
Reunion With His Brothers
The famine extended to Canaan, and Jacob’s household also faced great hardship. Hearing that there was grain in Egypt, Jacob sent ten of his sons to buy food, keeping Benjamin at home for fear of losing him, just as he had lost Joseph. When Joseph’s brothers arrived in Egypt, they bowed down before him, fulfilling the dream he had once shared with them. Now serving as governor over the land, Joseph recognized his brothers immediately, though they did not recognize him. Concealing his identity, he spoke to them harshly and accused them of being spies. Through persistent questioning, Joseph learned more about their family and claimed he would test their honesty by demanding that they bring their youngest brother to him. He kept Simeon in custody and sent the others home with grain. When the brothers returned and reported everything, Jacob refused to send Benjamin, fearing harm might befall him.[24]
However, as the famine grew worse and their supplies ran out, Judah, Jacob’s fourth son, pledged to take full responsibility for Benjamin’s safety. Reluctantly, Jacob allowed Benjamin to go.[25] Upon their return to Egypt, Joseph secretly placed a silver cup in Benjamin’s sack and accused him of theft, declaring that Benjamin would remain as his slave. Judah pleaded earnestly to take Benjamin’s place, explaining that their father would die of grief if Benjamin did not return.[26] Moved by Judah’s heartfelt appeal, Joseph could no longer restrain himself. He revealed his identity to his astonished brothers and reassured them, saying they should not be distressed or remorseful for having sold him, for God had sent him ahead to preserve life. Overcome with emotion, Joseph embraced his brothers in tears. He then invited his entire family to come and live in Goshen, the most fertile region of Egypt.[27][28] At that time, Jacob’s household that migrated to Egypt numbered seventy persons in all.[29]
Death of Joseph
After Jacob’s death and burial in Canaan, Joseph remained in Egypt, where he lived to the age of 110. As his life drew to a close, Joseph made the children of Israel swear an oath that when God led them out of Egypt, they would carry his bones with them and bury them in Canaan,[30] the land God had promised to their ancestors. Many generations later, Moses fulfilled Joseph’s request during the Exodus, taking his bones with the Israelites as they departed from Egypt. After the conquest of Canaan, the Israelites buried Joseph’s remains in Shechem.[31]
Joseph’s Trials and Lesson
Joseph, though betrayed by his brothers and sold into slavery, remained steadfast in his faith even amid suffering and injustice. In a foreign land, he endured false accusations and imprisonment, yet never lost his reverence for God. He resisted the temptation of Potiphar’s wife and remained faithful to God’s will in every circumstance.[32] Joseph’s unwavering fear of God empowered him to stay righteous, no matter the trials he faced.
On the third day, Joseph said to them, “Do this and you will live, for I fear God.”
God protected Joseph and made everything he did prosper. His life stands as a powerful lesson for believers on how to endure trials with steadfast faith. Joseph’s unwavering devotion to God and his righteousness in the face of suffering serve as a timeless example for all who seek to live by faith and obedience.
See also
Related videos
- Sermon: Fear God
- Sermon: The Age That Needs Patience
References
- ↑ Strong's Hebrew: 3130. יוֹסֵף, Bible Hub
- ↑ "Genesis 30:24".
- ↑ "Genesis 25:20".
- ↑ "Genesis 25:24–26".
- ↑ "Genesis 25:23".
- ↑ "Genesis 27:41-46".
- ↑ "Genesis 30:22–24".
- ↑ "Genesis 37:2–5".
- ↑ "Genesis 37:10".
- ↑ "Genesis 37:2–11".
- ↑ "Genesis 37:13–17".
- ↑ "Genesis 37:18–24".
- ↑ "Genesis 37:28".
- ↑ "Genesis 39:1".
- ↑ "Genesis 39:4–5".
- ↑ "Genesis 39:6–20".
- ↑ An officer who keeps or guards; a keeper; as, the warden of a prison.
- ↑ "Genesis 39:21–23".
- ↑ "Genesis 40".
- ↑ "Genesis 41:1–7".
- ↑ "Genesis 41:9–14".
- ↑ "Genesis 41:1-36".
- ↑ "Genesis 41:37-57".
- ↑ "Genesis 42".
- ↑ "Genesis 43:1-17".
- ↑ "Genesis 44".
- ↑ "Genesis 45".
- ↑ "Genesis 47".
- ↑ "Genesis 46:26–27".
- ↑ "Genesis 50:24–26".
- ↑ "Joshua 24:32".
- ↑ "Genesis 39:7–10".