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Joseph

Both TestamentsPatriarchsMaleSon

Joseph, Jacob's son, rose to power in Egypt and saved his family during a famine.

Joseph illustration
Joseph

Biography

Joseph, the eleventh son of Jacob and the first son of Rachel, is one of the most fully developed characters in the Old Testament. His story spans Genesis 37-50, tracing an arc from favored son to enslaved prisoner to second ruler of Egypt. Sold by his jealous brothers for twenty pieces of silver, Joseph endured years of slavery in the household of Potiphar and unjust imprisonment in Pharaoh's dungeon. Yet in each circumstance the text insists that God was with him (Genesis 39:2, 21). His God-given ability to interpret dreams ultimately brought him before Pharaoh, leading to his appointment over all Egypt. When famine drove his family to Egypt, Joseph, after testing his brothers, revealed himself and forgave them, orchestrating the preservation of the covenant family.

Significance

Joseph's life is one of Scripture's most powerful narratives of providence, typology, and redemption. His declaration to his brothers: 'You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good' (Genesis 50:20), encapsulates a theology of divine sovereignty working through human evil. Joseph prefigures Christ in striking ways: beloved son, betrayed for silver, unjustly condemned, exalted to save many lives. His story anchors the transition from the patriarchal promises to the Exodus narrative, preserving the covenant family through whom the Messiah would ultimately come, demonstrating that God's redemptive plan cannot be thwarted by human sin.

Authority Records
FatherJacobMotherRachelSpouseAsenathChildEphraimChildManassehSiblingDinahSiblingLeviSiblingJudahSiblingBenjaminSiblingDanSiblingZebulunSiblingReubenSiblingIssacharSiblingGadSiblingNaphtaliSiblingSimeonSiblingAsher

Verse Appearances (197)

Genesis

Genesis 30:24Genesis 30:25Genesis 33:2Genesis 33:7Genesis 35:24Genesis 37:2Genesis 37:3Genesis 37:5Genesis 37:13Genesis 37:17Genesis 37:23Genesis 37:28Genesis 37:29Genesis 37:31Genesis 37:33Genesis 39:1Genesis 39:2Genesis 39:4Genesis 39:5Genesis 39:6Genesis 39:7Genesis 39:10Genesis 39:20Genesis 39:21Genesis 39:22Genesis 40:3Genesis 40:4Genesis 40:6Genesis 40:8Genesis 40:9Genesis 40:12Genesis 40:16Genesis 40:18Genesis 40:22Genesis 40:23Genesis 41:14Genesis 41:15Genesis 41:16Genesis 41:17Genesis 41:25Genesis 41:39Genesis 41:41Genesis 41:42Genesis 41:44Genesis 41:45Genesis 41:46Genesis 41:49Genesis 41:50Genesis 41:51Genesis 41:54Genesis 41:55Genesis 41:56Genesis 41:57Genesis 42:3Genesis 42:4Genesis 42:6Genesis 42:7Genesis 42:8Genesis 42:9Genesis 42:14Genesis 42:18Genesis 42:23Genesis 42:25Genesis 42:36Genesis 43:15Genesis 43:16Genesis 43:17Genesis 43:18Genesis 43:19Genesis 43:24Genesis 43:25Genesis 43:26Genesis 43:30Genesis 44:2Genesis 44:4Genesis 44:14Genesis 44:15Genesis 45:1Genesis 45:3Genesis 45:4Genesis 45:9Genesis 45:16Genesis 45:17Genesis 45:21Genesis 45:26Genesis 45:27Genesis 45:28Genesis 46:4Genesis 46:19Genesis 46:20Genesis 46:27Genesis 46:28Genesis 46:29Genesis 46:30Genesis 46:31Genesis 47:1Genesis 47:5Genesis 47:7Genesis 47:11Genesis 47:12Genesis 47:14Genesis 47:15Genesis 47:16Genesis 47:17Genesis 47:20Genesis 47:23Genesis 47:26Genesis 47:29Genesis 48:1Genesis 48:2Genesis 48:3Genesis 48:8Genesis 48:9Genesis 48:11Genesis 48:12Genesis 48:13Genesis 48:15Genesis 48:17Genesis 48:18Genesis 48:21Genesis 49:22Genesis 49:26Genesis 50:1Genesis 50:2Genesis 50:4Genesis 50:7Genesis 50:8Genesis 50:14Genesis 50:15Genesis 50:16Genesis 50:17Genesis 50:19Genesis 50:22Genesis 50:23Genesis 50:24Genesis 50:25Genesis 50:26

Revelation

References

  1. Orr, J. (ed.) (1915) The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia. Chicago: Howard-Severance Company. [Public Domain]
  2. Tyndale House, Cambridge (n.d.) Translators Individualised Proper Names with all References (TIPNR). STEPBible. Available at: https://www.stepbible.org. [CC BY 4.0]
  3. Wikidata contributors (n.d.) Wikidata. Available at: https://www.wikidata.org. [CC0]
  4. Church of England (1769) The Holy Bible, Authorized (King James) Version. [Public Domain]
  5. Donald B. Redford (1970) A Study of the Biblical Story of Joseph (Genesis 37-50). doi:10.1163/9789004275430.Source-critical and Egyptological analysis of the Joseph novella and its compositional history.
  6. Claus Westermann (1986) Genesis 37-50: A Commentary. doi:10.2307/1518137.Form-critical commentary on the Joseph cycle emphasizing its novella-like literary character.
  7. George W. Coats (1976) From Canaan to Egypt: Structural and Theological Context for the Joseph Story. doi:10.2307/3265851.Structural analysis of the Joseph story's place within the Pentateuchal narrative.
  8. Nahum M. Sarna (1989) Genesis. JPS Torah Commentary.Authoritative Jewish commentary with detailed philological notes on the Joseph story.

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