Difference between revisions of "Joseph"

<p> 1. The son of [[Jacob]] and his beloved Rachel, born in Mesopotamia, <span> [[Genesis]] 30:22-24 </span> , B. C. 1747. [[He]] is memorable for the wonderful providence of God, which raised him from a prison to be the grandvizier of Egypt, and made him the honored means of saving countless human lives. [[His]] history is one of the most pleasing and instructive in the Bible; and is related in language inimitably natural, simple, and touching. It is too beautiful for abridgment, and too familiar to need rehearsal. It throws much light on the superintending providence of God, as embracing all things, great and small in the perpetual unfolding of his universal plan. [[No]] narrative in the [[Bible]] more strikingly illustrates the protective and elevating power of the fear of God, and its especial value for the young. To behold this lovely image of filial piety and unwavering faith, of self-control in youth and patience in adversity, of discretion and fidelity in all stations of life, serenely walking with [[God]] through all, and at death intrusting soul and body alike into his hands, <span> Hebrews 11:22 </span> ; may well lead the young reader to cry, [[Oh]] that the God of [[Joseph]] were my God, <span> Genesis 37:1-36 </span> <span> 39:1-50:26 </span> . Joseph died, aged on hundred and ten, B. C. 1637; and when the Israelites, a century and a half later, went up from Egypt, they took his bones, and at length buried them in Shechem, <span> [[Exodus]] 13:19 </span> <span> [[Joshua]] 24:32 </span> . A [[Mohammedan]] wely or tomb covers the spot regarded generally, and it may be correctly, as the place of his burial. It is a low stone enclosure, and stands in quiet seclusion among high trees, at the western entrance of the valley of Shechem, at the right of the traveller's path and nearer mount [[Ebal]] than mount Gerizim. </p> <p> 2. The husband of Mary, Christ's mother. His genealogy is traced in <span> [[Matthew]] 1:1-15 </span> , to David, Judah, and Abraham. [[See]] <span> [[Mark]] 6:3 </span> . He was a pious and honorable man, as appears from his whole course towards [[Mary]] and her son. They both attended the [[Passover]] at [[Jerusalem]] when [[Christ]] was twelve years of age, <span> [[Luke]] 2:41-51 </span> ; and as no more is said of him in the sacred narrative, and Christ committed Mary to the care of one of his disciples, he is generally supposed to have died before Christ began his public ministry. He seems to have been well known among the Jews, <span> Mark 6:3 </span> <span> [[John]] 6:42 </span> . </p> <p> 3. A native of Arimathea, but at the time of Christ's crucifixion a resident at Jerusalem. He was doubtless a believer in the Messiah, and "waited for the kingdom of God." He was a member of the [[Jewish]] Sanhedrim, and opposed in vain their action in condemning the Savior, <span> Luke 23:51 </span> . When all was over, he "went in boldly unto Pilate, and craved the body of Jesus." It was now night and the Jewish [[Sabbath]] was at hand. He therefore, with the aid of Nicodemus, wrapped the body in spices, for the time, and laid it in his own tomb, <span> Mark 15:43-46 </span> <span> John 19:38-42 </span> . </p> <p> 4. A disciple of Christ, also named Justus, and Barsabas. See [[Barsabas]] . </p>

<li> [[Surnamed]] [[Barsabas]] ( <span> Acts 1:23 </span> ); also called Justus. [[He]] was one of those who "companied with the apostles all the time that the [[Lord]] [[Jesus]] went out and in among them" ( <span> Acts 1:21 </span> ), and was one of the candidates for the place of Judas. <div> <p> <span> [[Copyright]] [[Statement]] </span> These dictionary topics are from M.G. Easton M.A., D.D., [[Illustrated]] [[Bible]] Dictionary, [[Third]] Edition, published by [[Thomas]] Nelson, 1897. [[Public]] Domain. </p> <p> <span> Bibliography [[Information]] </span> Easton, [[Matthew]] George. [[Entry]] for 'Joseph'. Easton's Bible Dictionary. https://www.studylight.org/dictionaries/eng/ebd/j/joseph.html. 1897. </p> </div> </li>

<p> 1. [[Joseph]] in the [[Old]] [[Testament]] primarily refers to the patriarch, one of the sons of Israel. Joseph was the eleventh of twelve sons, the first by Jacob's favorite wife, Rachel. [[His]] name, “may he [the Lord] add,” was a part of Rachel's prayer at his birth ( <span> [[Genesis]] 30:24 </span> ). </p> <p> [[As]] the child of Jacob's old age and Rachel's son, Joseph became the favorite and was given the famous “coat of many colors” ( <span> Genesis 37:3 </span> ; “long robe with sleeves,” NRSV, NEB; “richly ornamented robe” NIV) by his father. This and dreams which showed his rule over his family inspired the envy of his brothers, who sold Joseph to a caravan of [[Ishmaelites]] ( <span> Genesis 37:1 </span> ). </p> <p> Joseph was taken to [[Egypt]] where he became a trusted slave in the house of Potiphar, an official of the pharaoh. [[On]] false accusations of Potiphar's wife, Joseph was thrown in the royal prison, where he interpreted the dreams of two officials who had offended the pharaoh ( <span> Genesis 39-40 </span> ). [[Eventually]] Joseph was brought to interpret some worrisome dreams for the pharaoh. Joseph predicted seven years of plenty followed by seven years of famine and recommended a program of preparation by storing grain. [[Pharaoh]] responded by making Joseph his second in command ( <span> Genesis 41:39-45 </span> ). </p> <p> [[With]] the famine, persons from other countries came to Egypt to buy food, including Joseph's brothers. They did not recognize him, but Joseph saw the fulfillment of his earlier dreams in which his brothers bowed down to him. After testing their character in various ways, Joseph revealed himself to them on their second visit ( <span> Genesis 42-45 </span> ). Under Joseph's patronage, [[Jacob]] moved into Egypt ( <span> Genesis 46:1-47:12 </span> ). Joseph died in Egypt but was embalmed and later buried in [[Shechem]] ( <span> Genesis 50:26 </span> ; <span> [[Exodus]] 13:19 </span> ; <span> [[Joshua]] 24:32 </span> ). </p> <p> That the influential Joseph ( <span> Genesis 47:13-26 </span> ) is not known from [[Egyptian]] records would be expected if he served under a [[Hyksos]] pharaoh, as seems likely. [[See]] <span> Exodus 1:8 </span> , NRSV) did not “know” of him in a political or historical sense. </p> <p> While in Egypt, Joseph became the father of two sons, [[Manasseh]] and [[Ephraim]] ( <span> Genesis 41:50-52 </span> ), who were counted as sons of Jacob ( <span> Genesis 48:5-6 </span> ) and whose tribes dominated the northern nation of Israel. The name Joseph is used later in the Old Testament as a reference to the tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh ( <span> [[Numbers]] 1:32 </span> ; <span> Numbers 36:1 </span> ,Numbers 36:1, <span> 36:5 </span> ; <span> 1 Kings 11:28 </span> ) or as a designation for the whole [[Northern]] [[Kingdom]] ( <span> [[Psalm]] 78:67 </span> ; <span> [[Ezekiel]] 37:16 </span> ,Ezekiel 37:16, <span> 37:19 </span> ; <span> [[Amos]] 5:6 </span> ,Amos 5:6, <span> 5:15 </span> ; <span> Amos 6:6 </span> ; <span> [[Obadiah]] 1:18 </span> ; <span> [[Zechariah]] 10:6 </span> ). </p> <p> [[Four]] other men named Joseph are mentioned in the Old Testament: 2. the spy of the tribe of [[Issachar]] ( <span> Numbers 13:7 </span> ); <span> 3 </span> . a [[Levite]] of the sons of [[Asaph]] ( <span> 1 [[Chronicles]] 25:2 </span> ); <span> 4 </span> . a contemporary of [[Ezra]] with a foreign wife ( <span> Ezra 10:42 </span> ); and <span> Ezra 10:5 </span> . a priest in the days of high priest [[Joiakim]] ( <span> [[Nehemiah]] 12:14 </span> ). </p> <p> New Testament 6. [[Several]] Josephs are mentioned in the New Testament, the most important being the husband of Mary, mother of Jesus. [[He]] was a descendant of David, a carpenter by trade ( <span> [[Matthew]] 13:55 </span> ), and regarded as the legal or foster father of [[Jesus]] ( <span> Matthew 1:16 </span> ,Matthew 1:16, <span> 1:20 </span> ; <span> [[Luke]] 2:4 </span> ; <span> Luke 3:23 </span> ; <span> Luke 4:22 </span> ; <span> [[John]] 1:45 </span> ; <span> John 6:42 </span> ). [[Upon]] learning of Mary's pregnancy, Joseph, being a righteous man, sought to put her away without public disgrace. His response to God's assurances in a dream further demonstrated his piety and character ( <span> Matthew 1:18-25 </span> ). Joseph took [[Mary]] to his ancestral home, Bethlehem, was with her at Jesus' birth, and shared in the naming, circumcision, and dedication of the child ( <span> Luke 2:8-33 </span> ). [[Directed]] through dreams, Joseph took his family to Egypt until it was safe to return to [[Nazareth]] ( <span> Matthew 2:13-23 </span> ). As dedicated father, he was anxious with Mary at the disappearance of Jesus ( <span> Luke 2:41-48 </span> ). Joseph does not appear later in the Gospels, and it is likely that he died prior to Jesus' public ministry. </p> <p> 7. [[Also]] important in the New Testament is Joseph of Arimathea, a rich member of the [[Sanhedrin]] and a righteous man who sought the kingdom of [[God]] ( <span> Matthew 27:57 </span> ; <span> [[Mark]] 15:43 </span> ; <span> Luke 23:50 </span> ). After the crucifixion, Joseph, a secret disciple of Jesus, requested the body from [[Pilate]] and laid it in his own unused tomb ( <span> Matthew 27:57-60 </span> ; <span> Mark 15:43-46 </span> ; <span> Luke 23:50-53 </span> ; <span> John 19:38-42 </span> ). [[Arimathea]] is probably the same as Ramathaim-zophim ( <span> 1 [[Samuel]] 1:1 </span> ) northwest of Jerusalem. </p> <p> [[Two]] Josephs are mentioned in the genealogy of Jesus ( <span> Luke 3:24 </span> ,Luke 3:24, <span> 3:30 </span> ). [[Another]] was a brother of Jesus, apparently named after His father ( <span> Matthew 13:55 </span> ; KJV “Joses” as in <span> Mark 6:3 </span> ). It likely but uncertain that the brother of [[James]] ( <span> Matthew 27:56 </span> ; [[Joses]] in <span> Mark 15:40 </span> ,Mark 15:40, <span> 15:47 </span> ) is a different person. Joseph was also another name of both [[Barsabbas]] ( <span> Acts 1:23 </span> ) and [[Barnabas]] ( <span> Acts 4:36 </span> ). </p> <p> [[Daniel]] C. [[Browning]] Jr. </p>

<p> The well known son of Jacob, whose history we have in [[Genesis]] from the thirtieth chapter to the end of the book. This made, in the margin of the Bible, is Adding—from Jasaph, to increase. It were needless to enter particulars of Joseph's history, when the [[Bible]] hath given it so beautifully. But perhaps it may not be an unacceptable service to observe on the history of this patriarch, what a remarkable character he is, and in what numberless instances he appears as a type of Christ: taken altogether, perhaps the greatest in the whole Scriptures. I shall particularize in a few leading features. </p> <p> [[As]] [[Joseph]] was the beloved son of Jacob, and distinguished by his father with special tokens, of his affection, and which excited the envy of his brethren; so Christ, the beloved and only begotten son of God, by means of that distinguishing token of JEHOVAH, in setting him up, the [[Head]] of his body the church, and giving him a kingdom, in his glorious character of Mediator, called forth, as is most generally believed, that war we read of in heaven in the original rebellion of angels. (See <span> <span> [[Revelation]] 12:1-17 </span> </span> ) The coat of many colours Joseph wore might not unaptly be said to represent the several offices of the [[Lord]] [[Jesus]] when on earth—his prophetical, priestly, and kingly character. The dreams of Joseph, implying his superiority over his brethren and his father's house, interpreted with an eye to Christ, are very striking circumstances of the preeminency of his character. [[Of]] him, indeed, might the prophecy of [[Jacob]] respecting [[Judah]] be fully applied: "Thou art he whom thy brethren shall praise: thy hand shall be in the neck of thine enemies, and thy father's children shall bow down be fore thee." ( <span> <span> Genesis 49:8 </span> </span> ) The mission of Joseph to his brethren, by the father, to see if they were well, and how they fared, ( <span> <span> Genesis 37:14 </span> </span> ) is a striking representation of the mission of God's dear [[Son]] to this our world. [[He]] came indeed, not only to seek, but to save that which was lost; but like another Joseph, the treatment he received corresponded in all points, only in an infinitely higher degree of baseness and cruelty. They sold Joseph for a slave, for twenty pieces of silver, and he was carried down into Egypt, and from the pit and the prison he arose, by divine favour, to be [[Governor]] over the whole land. But our Joseph was not only sold for thirty pieces of silver, but at length crucified and slain, and from the grave which he made with the wicked and with the rich in his death, by his resurrection and ascension, at the right hand of power, he is become the universal and eternal Governor both of heaven and earth. </p> <p> The temptations of Joseph, by the wife of Potiphar, bear no very distant resemblance to the temptations of the Lord Jesus by Satan. The trial to the one, was the lusts of the flesh; the trial to the other, was the pride of life. But the grace imparted to Joseph, to repel the temptation, and the punishment he suffered by a false imputation, very beautifully set forth the innocency of [[Christ]] triumphing over the Devil's temptation in the wilderness, and the imputation of our sin to Jesus, who himself bore our sins in his own body on the tree, though himself without sin, neither was guile found in his mouth. [[In]] the exaltation of Joseph at the right hand of Pharaoh, and all the famished country coming to him for bread, we behold a lovely type, indeed, of our [[Almighty]] Joseph exalted at the right hand of God, and dispensing blessings of grace and mercy in the living bread, which is himself, to a famished world. And as then the Zapnathpaaneah of [[Egypt]] revealed secrets, and the cry was, [[Go]] unto Joseph, what he saith unto you do: so now, in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ, we do, indeed, behold our [[Wonderful]] Counsellor, who hath made known to us his and his Father's will, and the one desire of every soul is, to go unto Jesus, whatsoever he saith unto us is blessed, and our duty to obey. </p> <p> In the going down of [[Israel]] into Egypt with all his house, constrained by famine to seek bread-what a striking portrait is here also drawn of the true Israel of God, constrained by the famine of soul to seek to Jesus for supply. And though like the brethren of Joseph, little do we at first know, that the Lord of the country is our brother, though in the first awakenings of spiritual want the Governor may seem with us, as Joseph did to them, to speak roughly; yet when the whole comes to be opened tour view, and Jesus is indeed discovered to be Lord of all the land, how, like Joseph's brethren, are we immediately made glad, and eat and drink at his table with him, forgetting all past sorrow in present joy, and partaking of that "bread of life, of which whosoever eateth shall live forever!" Such, among many other striking particularities, are the incidents in the history of the patriarch Joseph, which are highly typical of Christ. </p> <p> Under the article of Joseph we must not forget to observe, that there are several more of the name mentioned in Scripture, and of some importance: </p> <p> ·Joseph the husband of Mary, the mother of the Lord Jesus Christ, <span> <span> [[Matthew]] 1:15 </span> ; [[Mat]] 1:18 </span> . </p> <p> ·Joseph, or Joses, son of [[Mary]] and Cleophas, supposed to be one of those who did not at first believe on Christ, but was afterwards converted, <span> <span> [[John]] 7:5 </span> </span> . </p> <p> ·Joseph, called Barsabas, a candidate for the apostleship with Matthias. [[See]] <span> <span> Acts 1:23 </span> </span> . </p> <p> ·Joseph of Arimathea, <span> <span> John 19:38 </span> </span> . </p> <p> ·Joseph, husband to Salome. </p>

<p> <strong> JOSEPH </strong> (in OT and Apocr. [Note: Apocrypha, Apocryphal.] ). <strong> 1. </strong> The patriarch. [[See]] next article. <strong> 2. </strong> A man of [[Issachar]] ( <span> [[Numbers]] 13:7 </span> ). <strong> 3. </strong> A son of [[Asaph]] ( <span> 1 [[Chronicles]] 25:2 </span> ; <span> 1 Chronicles 25:9 </span> ). <strong> 4. </strong> [[One]] of the sons of [[Bani]] who had married a foreign wife ( <span> [[Ezra]] 10:42 </span> ); called in 1Es 9:34 <strong> Josephus. 5. </strong> A priest ( <span> [[Nehemiah]] 12:14 </span> ). <strong> 6. </strong> An ancestor of [[Judith]] ( Jdt 8:1 ). <strong> 7. </strong> An officer of [[Judas]] Maccabæus ( 1Ma 5:18; 1Ma 5:56; 1Ma 5:60 ). <strong> 8. </strong> [[In]] 2Ma 8:22 , and probably also 10:19, [[Joseph]] is read by mistake for <strong> [[John]] </strong> , one of the brothers of Judas Maccabæus. </p> <p> <strong> JOSEPH. </strong> Jacob’s eleventh son, the elder of the two sons of Rachel; born in Haran. The name is probably contracted from <em> Jehoseph </em> ( <span> Psalms 81:5 </span> ), ‘May [[God]] add’ (cf. <span> [[Genesis]] 30:23 </span> f., where etymologies from two sources are given). Joseph is the principal hero of the later chapters of Genesis, which are composed mainly of extracts from three documents. [[J]] [Note: Jahwist.] and [[E]] [Note: Elohist.] supply the bulk of the narrative, and as a rule are cited alternately, the compiler often modifying a quotation from one document with notes derived from the other. From P [Note: [[Priestly]] Narrative.] some six or seven short excerpts are made, the longest being <span> Genesis 46:6-27 </span> , where the object and the parenthetic quality are evident. [[For]] the details of analysis, see Driver <em> LOT </em> <em> [Note: OT Introd. to the [[Literature]] of the [[Old]] Testament.] </em> 6 , 17 ff. The occasional differences of tradition are an evidence of original independence, and their imperfect harmonization in the joint narrative is favourable to its substantial historicity. </p> <p> At present the date of Joseph can be only provisionally fixed, as the account of his life neither mentions the name of the ruling [[Pharaoh]] nor refers to distinctive [[Egyptian]] manners or customs in such a way as to yield a clue to the exact period. The Pharaoh of the oppression is now generally taken to be [[Rameses]] ii. of the 19th dynasty ( <em> c </em> <em> [Note: circa, about.] </em> . b.c. 1275 1208); and if this be correct, the addition of the years of residence in [[Egypt]] ( <span> [[Exodus]] 12:41 </span> ) would bring Joseph’s term of office into the reign of the later [[Hyksos]] kings ( <em> c </em> <em> [Note: circa, about.] </em> . b.c. 2098 1587; for dates and particulars, see Petrie, <em> [[History]] of Egypt </em> ). </p> <p> [[With]] the return of [[Jacob]] to [[Hebron]] ( <span> Genesis 35:27 </span> ) he ceases to be the central figure of the story, and Joseph takes his place. [[Of]] his life to the age of 17 ( <span> Genesis 37:2 </span> ) nothing is told, except that he was his father’s favourite, and rather too free in carrying complaints of his brothers and telling them of his boyish dreams. [[Sent]] to Shechem, he found that his brothers had taken their flocks northwards fifteen miles, to the richer pasturage of Dothan. [[As]] soon as he came within sight, their resentment perceived its opportunity, and they arranged to get rid of him and his dreams; but the two traditions are not completely harmonized. J [Note: Jahwist.] represents [[Judah]] as inducing his brothers to sell Joseph to a company of Ishmaelites; but E [Note: Elohist.] makes [[Reuben]] a mediator, whose plans were frustrated by a band of Midianites, who had in the interval kidnapped Joseph and stolen him away ( <span> Genesis 40:15 </span> ). The phraseology is against the identification of the two companies; and the divergent traditions point to a natural absence of real agreement among the brothers, with a frustration of their purposes by means of which they were ignorant. What became of Joseph they did not really know; and to protect themselves they manufactured the evidence of the blood-stained coat. </p> <p> In Egypt, Joseph was bought by Potiphar, a court official, whose title makes him chief of the royal butchers and hence of the body-guard; and the alertness and trustworthiness of the slave led quickly to his appointment as <em> major domo </em> (Egyp. <em> mer-per </em> ), a functionary often mentioned on the monuments (Erman, <em> [[Life]] in Anc. Egypt </em> , 187 f.). [[Everything]] prospered under Joseph’s management; but his comeliness and courtesy attracted the notice of his master’s wife, whose advances, being repelled, were transformed into a resentment that knew no scruples. [[By]] means of an entirely false charge she secured the removal of Joseph to the [[State]] prison, which was under the control of [[Potiphar]] ( <span> Genesis 40:3 </span> ), and where again he was soon raised to the position of overseer or under-keeper. Under his charge were placed in due course the chief of the Pharaoh’s butlers and the chief of his bakers, who had for some unstated reason incurred the royal displeasure. Both were perplexed with dreams, which Joseph interpreted to them correctly. [[Two]] years later the Pharaoh himself had his duplicated dream of the fat and lean kine and of the full and thin ears; and as much significance was attached in Egypt to dreams, the king was distressed by his inability to find an interpreter, and ‘his spirit was troubled.’ [[Thereupon]] the chief butler recalled Joseph’s skill and his own indebtedness to him, and mentioned him to the Pharaoh, who sent for him, and was so impressed by his sagacity and foresight that exaltation to the rank of keeper of the royal seal followed, with a degree of authority that was second only to that of the throne. The Egyptian name of <strong> Zaphenath-paneah </strong> (of which the meaning is perhaps ‘The God spake and he came into life,’ suggesting that the bearer of the name owed his promotion to the [[Divine]] use of him as revealer of the Divine will) was conferred upon him, and he married <strong> [[Asenath]] </strong> , daughter of one of the most important dignitaries in the realm, the priest of the great national temple of the sun at [[On]] or Heliopolis, seven miles north-east of the modern Cairo. </p> <p> [[So]] far as Egypt was concerned, Joseph’s policy was to store the surplus corn of the years of plenty in granaries, and afterwards so to dispose of it as to change the system of land-tenure. Famines in that country are due generally to failure or deficiency in the annual inundation of the Nile, and several of long endurance have been recorded. Brugsch ( <em> [[Hist]] </em> . 2 i. 304) reports an inscription, coinciding in age approximately with that of Joseph, and referring to a famine lasting ‘many years,’ during which a distribution of corn was made. This has been doubtfully identified with Joseph’s famine. Other inscriptions of the kind occur, and are sufficient to authenticate the fact of prolonged famines, though not to yield further particulars of the one with which Joseph had to deal. [[His]] method was to sell corn first for money (rings of gold, whose weight was certified by special officials), and when all this was exhausted ( <span> Genesis 47:15 </span> ), corn was given in exchange for cattle of every kind, and finally for the land. The morality of appropriating the surplus produce and then compelling the people to buy it back, must not be judged by modern standards of justice, but is defensible, if at all, only in an economic condition where the central government was responsible for the control of a system of irrigation upon which the fertility of the soil and the produce of its cultivation directly depended, and where the private benefit of the individual had to be ignored in view of a peril threatening the community. [[Instead]] of regarding the arrangement as a precedent to be followed in different states of civilization, ground has been found in it for charging Joseph with turning the needs of the people into an occasion for oppressing them; and certainly the effect upon the character and subsequent condition of the people was not favourable. The system of tenure in existence before, by which large landed estates were held by private proprietors, was changed into one by which all the land became the property of the crown, the actual cultivators paying a rental of one-fifth of the produce ( <span> Genesis 47:24 </span> ). That some such change took place is clear from the monuments (cf. Erman, <em> Life in Anc. Egypt </em> , 102), though they have not yielded the name of the author or the exact date of the change. An exception was made in favour of the priests ( <span> Genesis 47:22 </span> ), who were supported by a fixed income in kind from the Pharaoh, and therefore had no need to part with their land. In later times (cf. [[Diodorus]] Siculus, i. 73 f.) the land was owned by the kings, the priests, and the members of a military caste; and it is not likely that the system introduced by Joseph lasted long after his death. The need of rewarding the services of successful generals or partisans would be a strong temptation to the expropriation of some of the royal lands. </p> <p> The peculiarity of the famine was that it extended over the neighbouring countries ( <span> Genesis 41:56 </span> f.); and that is the fact of significance in regard to the history of Israel, with which the narrative in consequence resumes contact. The severity of the famine in [[Canaan]] led Jacob to send all his sons except [[Benjamin]] ( <span> Genesis 42:4 </span> ) to buy corn in Egypt. On their arrival they secured an interview with Joseph, and prostrated themselves before him ( <span> Genesis 37:7 </span> , <span> Genesis 42:6 </span> ); but in the grown man, with his shaven face [on the monuments only foreigners and natives of inferior rank are represented as wearing beards] and Egyptian dress, they entirely failed to recognize their brother. The rough accusation that they were spies in search of undefended ways by which the country might be invaded from the east, on which side lines of posts and garrisons were maintained under two at least of the dynasties, aroused their fears, and an attempt was made to allay Joseph’s suspicions by detailed information. Joseph catches at the opportunity of discovering the truth concerning Benjamin, and, after further confirming in several ways the apprehensions of his brothers, retains one as a hostage in ward and sends the others home. On their return ( <span> Genesis 42:35 </span> E [Note: Elohist.] ), or at the first lodging-place ( <span> Genesis 42:27 </span> J [Note: Jahwist.] ) on the way, the discovery of their money in their sacks increased their anxiety, and for a time their father positively refused to consent to further dealings with Egypt. At length his resolution broks down under the pressure of the famine ( <span> Genesis 43:11 </span> ff.). In Egypt the sons were received courteously, and invited to a feast in Joseph’s house, where they were seated according to their age ( <span> Genesis 43:33 </span> ), and Benjamin was singled out for the honour of a special ‘mess’ (cf. <span> 2 [[Samuel]] 11:8 </span> ) as a mark of distinction. They set out homewards in high spirits, unaware that Joseph had directed that each man’s money should be placed in his sack, and his own divining-cup of silver ( <span> Genesis 44:5 </span> ; the method of divination was hydromancy an article was thrown into a vessel of water, and the movements of the water were thought to reveal the unknown) in that of Benjamin. [[Overtaken]] at almost their first halting-place, they were charged with theft, and returned in a body to Joseph’s house. His reproaches elicited a frank and pathetic speech from Judah, after which Joseph could no longer maintain his <em> incognito </em> . [[He]] allayed the fears of his conscience-stricken brothers by the assurance that they had been the agents of [[Providence]] ‘to preserve life’ ( <span> Genesis 45:5 </span> ; cf. <span> Psalms 105:17 </span> ff.); and in the name of the Pharaoh he invited them with their father to settle in Egypt, with the promise of support during the five years of famine that remained. </p> <p> Goshen, a pastoral district in the [[Delta]] about forty miles north-east of Cairo, was selected for the new home of Jacob. The district was long afterwards known as ‘the land of Rameses’ ( <span> Genesis 47:11 </span> ) from the care spent upon it by the second king of that name, who often resided there, and founded several cities in the neighbourhood. In Egypt swine-herds and cow-herds were ‘an abomination’ to the people ( <span> Genesis 46:34 </span> ; cf. Hdt. ii. 47, and Erman, <em> op. cit. </em> 439f.), but there is no independent evidence that shepherds were, and the contempt must be regarded as confined to those whose duties brought them into close contact with cattle, for the rearing of cattle received much attention, the superintendent of the royal herds being frequently mentioned in the inscriptions. Joseph’s household and brothers flourished during the seventeen years ( <span> Genesis 47:27 </span> f.) Jacob lived in Egypt. [[Before]] his death he blessed Joseph’s two sons, giving preference to the younger in view of the greatness of the tribe to be derived from him, and leaving to Joseph himself one portion above his brethren, viz. [[Shechem]] ( <span> Genesis 48:22 </span> RVm [Note: [[Revised]] [[Version]] margin.] ). After mourning for the royal period of seventy days ( <span> Genesis 50:3 </span> ; cf. Diod. Sic. i. 72), Joseph buried his father with great pomp in the cave of Machpelah, and cheered his brothers by a renewed promise to nourish and help them. He is said to have survived to the age of 110 ( <span> Genesis 50:22 </span> ), and to have left injunctions that his body should be conveyed to Canaan when [[Israel]] was restored. The body was carefully embalmed ( <span> Genesis 50:26 </span> ), and enclosed in a mummy-case or sarcophagus. In due course it was taken charge of by [[Moses]] ( <span> Exodus 13:19 </span> ), and eventually buried at Shechem ( <span> [[Joshua]] 24:32 </span> ). </p> <p> Of the general historicity of the story of Joseph there need be no doubt. [[Allowance]] may be made for the play of imagination in the long period that elapsed before the traditions were reduced to writing in their present form, and for the tendency to project the characteristics of a tribe backwards upon some legendary hero. But the incidents are too natural and too closely related to be entirely a product of fiction; and the Egyptian colouring, which is common to both of the principal documents, is fatal to any theory that resolves the account into a mere elaboration in a distant land of racial pride. Joseph’s own character, as depicted, shows no traces of constructive art, but is consistent and singularly attractive. Dutifulness ( 1Ma 2:53 ) is perhaps its keynote, manifested alike in the resistance of temptation, in uncomplaining patience in misfortune, and in the modesty with which he bore his elevation to rank and power. Instead of using opportunities for the indulgence of resentment, he recognizes the action of Providence, and nourishes the brothers ( [[Sir]] 49:15 ) who had lost all brotherly affection for him. On the other hand, there are blemishes which should be neither exaggerated nor overlooked. In his youth there was a degree of vanity that made him rather unpleasant company. That his father was left so long in ignorance of his safety in Egypt may have been unavoidable, but leaves a suspicion of inconsiderateness. When invested with authority he treated the people in a way that would now be pronounced tyrannical and unjust, enriching and strengthening the throne at the expense of their woe; though, judged by the standards of his own day, the charge may not equally lie. On the whole, a very high place must be given him among the early founders of his race. In strength of right purpose he was second to none, whilst in the graces of reverence and kindness, of insight and assurance, he became the type of a faith that is at once personal and national ( <span> Hebrews 11:22 </span> ), and allows neither misery nor a career of triumph to eclipse the sense of Divine destiny. </p> <p> R. W. Moss. </p> <p> <strong> JOSEPH </strong> (in NT). <strong> 1. 2. </strong> Two ancestors of our Lord, <span> [[Luke]] 3:24 </span> ; <span> Luke 3:30 </span> . </p> <p> <strong> 3. The husband of [[Mary]] and ‘father’ of Jesus. </strong> [[Every]] [[Jew]] kept a record of his lineage, and was very proud if he could claim royal or priestly descent; and Joseph could boast himself ‘a son of David’ ( <span> [[Matthew]] 1:20 </span> ). His family belonged to Bethlehem, David’s city, but he had migrated to [[Nazareth]] ( <span> Luke 2:4 </span> ), where he followed the trade of carpenter ( <span> Matthew 13:55 </span> ). He was betrothed to Mary, a maiden of Nazareth, being probably much her senior, though the tradition of the apocryphal <em> History of Joseph </em> that he was in his ninety-third year and she in her fifteenth is a mere fable. The tradition that he was a widower and had children by his former wife probably arose in the interest of the dogma of Mary’s perpetual virginity. The [[Evangelists]] tell us little about him, but what they do tell redounds to his credit. (1) He was a pious Israelite, faithful in his observance of the [[Jewish]] ordinances ( <span> Luke 2:21-24 </span> ) and feasts ( <span> Luke 2:41-42 </span> ). (2) He was a kindly man. When he discovered the condition of his betrothed, he drew the natural inference and decided to disown her, but he would do it as quietly as possible, and, so far as he might, spare her disgrace. And, when he was apprised of the truth, he was very kind to Mary. On being summoned to [[Bethlehem]] by the requirements of the census, he would not leave her at home to suffer the slanders of misjudging neighbours, but took her with him and treated her very gently in her time of need ( <span> Luke 2:1-7 </span> ). (3) He exhibited this disposition also in his nurture of the [[Child]] so wondrously entrusted to his care, taking Him to his heart and well deserving to be called His ‘father’ ( <span> Luke 2:33 </span> ; <span> Luke 2:41 </span> ; <span> Luke 2:48 </span> , <span> Matthew 13:55 </span> , <span> John 1:45 </span> ; <span> John 6:42 </span> ). Joseph never appears in the [[Gospel]] story after the visit to [[Jerusalem]] when [[Jesus]] had attained the age of twelve years and become ‘a son of the Law’ ( <span> Luke 2:41-51 </span> ); and since Mary always appears alone in the narratives of the public ministry, it is a reasonable inference that he had died during the interval. [[Tradition]] says that he died at the age of one hundred and eleven years, when Jesus was eighteen. </p> <p> 4. One of the Lord’s brethren, <span> Matthew 13:55 </span> , where AV [Note: [[Authorized]] Version.] reads <strong> [[Joses]] </strong> , the [[Greek]] form of the name. Cf. <span> [[Mark]] 6:3 </span> . </p> <p> <strong> 5. Joseph of Arimathæa. </strong> A wealthy and devout [[Israelite]] and a member of the Sanhedrim. He was a disciple of Jesus, but, dreading the hostility of his colleagues, he kept his faith secret. He took no part in the condemnation of Jesus, but neither did he protest against it; and the likelihood is that he prudently absented himself from the meeting. When all was over, he realized how cowardly a part he had played, and, stricken with shame and remorse, plucked up courage and ‘went in unto [[Pilate]] and asked for the body of Jesus’ ( <span> Mark 15:43 </span> ). It was common for friends of the crucified to purchase their bodies, which would else have been cast out as refuse, a prey to carrion birds and beasts, and give them decent burial; and Joseph would offer Pilate his price; in any case he obtained the body ( <span> Mark 15:45 </span> ). Joseph had a garden close to Calvary, where he had hewn a sepulchre in the rock for his own last resting-place; and there, aided by Nicodemus, he laid the body swathed in clean linen ( <span> Matthew 27:57-61 </span> = <span> Mark 15:42-47 </span> = <span> Luke 23:50-56 </span> = <span> John 19:38-42 </span> ). </p> <p> <strong> 6. Joseph [[Barsabbas]] </strong> , the disciple who was nominated against [[Matthias]] as successor to Judas in the Apostolate. He was surnamed, like [[James]] the Lord’s brother, <em> [[Justus]] </em> ( <span> Acts 1:23 </span> ). Tradition says that he was one of the [[Seventy]] ( <span> Luke 10:1 </span> ). <strong> 7. </strong> See Barnabas. </p> <p> [[David]] Smith. </p>

<p> ( <span> Ἰωσήφ </span> ) </p> <p> <b> 1. The elder of Jacob’s two sons </b> by Rachel, the eleventh Patriarch, the ancestor of the tribes of [[Ephraim]] and Manasseh. [[In]] St. Stephen’s address before the [[Sanhedrin]] reference is made to Joseph’s being sold by his brothers, God’s presence with him in Egypt, his promotion to be governor of the land, his manifestation of himself to his brethren, his invitation to his father and all his kindred to migrate to [[Egypt]] ( <span> Acts 7:9-14 </span> ), and finally, at a much later date, the rise of a [[Pharaoh]] who ‘knew not Joseph’ (7:18). </p> <p> The question of the historicity of the narrative in [[Genesis]] was never raised by the [[Apostolic]] Church, nor by the modern [[Church]] till the dawn of the age of criticism. The critical verdict is that the story is based upon facts which have been idealized in the spirit of the earlier [[Hebrew]] prophets. That the tradition of a Hebrew minister in Egypt, who saved the country in time of famine, ‘should be true in essentials is by no means improbable’ (J. Skinner, <i> Genesis </i> [ <i> [[International]] [[Critical]] [[Commentary]] </i> , 1910] 441). Driver thinks it credible that an actual person, named Joseph, ‘underwent <i> substantially </i> the experiences recounted of him in Gn.’ ( <i> Hasting's [[Dictionary]] of the [[Bible]] (5 vols) </i> ii. 771 ^b ). [[See]] H. Gunkel, <i> Genesis </i> , 1910, p. 356f. </p> <p> In <span> Hebrews 11:21 </span> allusion is made to the blessing received by Joseph’s two sons from his dying father. In <span> Hebrews 11:22 </span> [[Joseph]] is placed on the roll of the ‘elders’-saints of the OT-who by their words and deeds gave evidence of their faith. The particular facts selected as proving his grasp of things unseen-which is the essence of faith ( <span> Hebrews 11:1 </span> )-are his death-bed prediction of the exodus of the children of [[Israel]] and his commandment regarding the disposal of his bones ( <span> Genesis 50:24-25 </span> ; cf. <span> [[Joshua]] 24:32 </span> ). [[Though]] he was an [[Egyptian]] governor, speaking the Egyptian language, and married to an Egyptian wife, he was at heart an unchanged Hebrew, and his dying eyes beheld the land from which he had been exiled as a boy, the homeland of every true Israelite. </p> <p> <b> 2. Joseph [[Barsabbas]] </b> , surnamed <b> [[Justus]] </b> , was one of those who accompanied [[Jesus]] during [[His]] whole public ministry and witnessed His Resurrection. [[He]] was therefore nominated, along with Matthias, for the office made vacant by the treachery and death of [[Judas]] [[Iscariot]] ( <span> Acts 1:21-23 </span> ). After prayer ‘the lot fell upon Matthias’ ( <span> Acts 1:26 </span> ). It is admitted even by radical critics that Jesus deliberately chose twelve disciples (corresponding to the twelve tribes of Israel), and it was natural that these should seek to keep their sacred number unimpaired. The name ‘Barsabbas’ (or ‘Barsabas,’ C, Vulgate, Syrr.) has been variously explained as ‘child of the Sabbath,’ ‘son of Sheba,’ ‘warrior,’ or ‘old man’s son.’ The [[Roman]] surname <i> Justus </i> was adopted in accordance with a [[Jewish]] custom which prevailed at the time-cf. ‘John whose surname was Marcus’ ( <span> Acts 12:12 </span> ; <span> Acts 12:25 </span> ), and ‘Saul, who is also Paulus’ ( <span> Acts 13:9 </span> ). It is a natural conjecture-no more-that this Joseph was the brother of Judas Barsabbas ( <span> Acts 15:22 </span> ). [[Eusebius]] ( <i> HE </i> <span> ^{[Note: [[E]] Historia Ecclesiastica (Eusebius, etc.).]} </span> i. 12) regards him as one of ‘the Seventy’ ( <span> [[Luke]] 10:1 </span> ), and records (iii. 39) that a ‘wonderful event happened respecting Justus, surnamed Barsabbas, who, though he drank a deadly poison, experienced nothing injurious ( <span> μηδὲν ἀηδές </span> ), by the grace of God.’ </p> <p> <b> 3. Joseph </b> , surnamed <b> [[Barnabas]] </b> ( <span> Acts 4:36 </span> ). See Barnabas. </p> <p> [[James]] Strahan. </p>

<p> [[Eleventh]] son of [[Jacob]] and first of Rachel. The interesting history of [[Joseph]] is too well known to need being given in its detail, but attention should be given to the many respects in which Joseph was a striking type of the [[Lord]] Jesus. [[He]] was the beloved one of his father: this with the intimations given to him of his future position, destined for him by [[God]] in the midst of his family, stirred up the envy of his brethren and resulted in his being sold to the Gentiles: as the Lord was hated by [[His]] brethren the Jews, and sold by one of them. Joseph was accounted as dead. He was brought very low, being cast into prison, under a false accusation against him because he would not sin: his feet were 'made fast in the stocks,' and the iron entered his soul: in all these circumstances he was foreshadowing the Lord in His humiliation. </p> <p> [[On]] the elevation of Joseph to power he was unknown to his brethren, as the Lord in exaltation is now to His brethren after the flesh. During thistime he had a [[Gentile]] wife and children and became 'fruitful': so while the Lord is rejected by the Jews, God is gathering from the nations a people for His name. Joseph ruled over the Gentiles, as the Lord will do. Then all Joseph's brethren bowed down to him, as eventually all the twelve tribes will bow down to the Lord. This is followed by all the descendants of Jacob being placed in a fruitful part of the country, as the nation will be gathered to the pleasant land in the millennium. </p> <p> The beautiful and touching way in which Joseph dealt with his brethren, will be repeated in a magnified way by the Lord's tender and loving dealing with the remnant of [[Judah]] when they come to speak to Him about the wounds in His hands, and to mourn over the way He was treated by them. They will then see that, notwithstanding their hatred, He laid the foundation in His death for their future blessing. </p> <p> When Jacob prophetically blessed His sons, Joseph had a prominent place. <span> [[Genesis]] 49:22-26 </span> . He was to be very fruitful, with branches running over the wall: so the blessing of [[Israel]] through [[Christ]] extends to the Gentiles. He was sorely grieved, hated, and shot at, as was the Lord; but his bow abode in strength, and from him was the shepherd, the stone of Israel (two titles of the Lord). Then the blessings of heaven and of the deep, of the breasts and of the womb, are multiplied on the head and on the crown of Joseph, as the one separated from his brethren: all foreshadowing, though to be far exceeded by, the many crowns and the glory in heaven and on earth of the true Nazarite, now sanctified in heavenly glory, the Lord Jesus. [[For]] the blessing by [[Moses]] cf. <span> [[Deuteronomy]] 33:13-17 </span> . Joseph, when about to die, had faith that God would surely deliver Israel from [[Egypt]] and gave directions concerning his bones. <span> Genesis 37 </span> — <span> Genesis 50 </span> ; <span> [[Exodus]] 13:19 </span> . For the [[Egyptian]] king under whom it is supposed that Joseph lived, see EGYPT. </p> <p> 2. [[Father]] of Igal, of Issachar. <span> [[Numbers]] 13:7 </span> . </p> <p> 3. [[Son]] of Asaph: appointed to the service of song. <span> 1 [[Chronicles]] 25:2,9 </span> . </p> <p> 4. [[One]] who had married a strange wife. <span> [[Ezra]] 10:42 </span> . </p> <p> 5. [[Priest]] 'of Shebaniah' who returned from exile. <span> [[Nehemiah]] 12:14 </span> . </p> <p> 6. [[Husband]] of [[Mary]] the mother of Jesus. He was 'a just man,' and was obedient to the instructions he received from God as to his wife, and in protecting the infant Jesus. He was of the house and lineage of David, his genealogy being given in <span> [[Matthew]] 1 </span> and perhaps in <span> [[Luke]] 3 </span> . The visit to Jerusalem, when the Lord was twelve years old, is the last incident recorded of him. He is once called 'the carpenter,' <span> Matthew 13:55 </span> , as is the Lord also in <span> [[Mark]] 6:3 </span> . It was a custom for all [[Jews]] to learn a trade. <span> Matthew 1:16-25 </span> ; <span> Matthew 2:13,19 </span> ; <span> Luke 1:27 </span> ; <span> Luke 2:4-43 </span> ; <span> Luke 3:23 </span> ; <span> Luke 4:22 </span> ; <span> [[John]] 1:45 </span> ; <span> John 6:42 </span> . </p> <p> 7. Joseph of Arimathaea, an honourable counsellor, and a rich man. He was a secret disciple of Jesus, and had not consented to the action of the [[Sanhedrim]] in condemning the Lord. He boldly asked for the body of Jesus, and interred it in his own new tomb, thus fulfilling <span> [[Isaiah]] 53:9 </span> ; <span> Matthew 27:57,59 </span> ; <span> Mark 15:43 </span> ; <span> Luke 23:50 </span> ; <span> John 19:38 </span> . </p> <p> 8-10. Son of Mattathias; son of Juda; and son of [[Jonan]] — three in the genealogy of the Lord Jesus. <span> Luke 3:24,26,30 </span> . </p> <p> 11. Disciple, also called BARSABAS, surnamed JUSTUS, who, with Matthias, was selected as fit to take the place of Judas, but the lot fell on Matthias. <span> Acts 1:23 </span> . </p>

<p> <span> [[Joseph]] </span> ( <span> jô'zef </span> ), <span> increase, </span> 1. The elder of Jacob's two sons by Rachel, <span> [[Genesis]] 37:3 </span> , and beloved by his father. The gift of the new robe, or coat of many colors, was perhaps intended to give him the rights of primogeniture, as the son of his first wife, in place of [[Reuben]] who had forfeited them. <span> Genesis 35:22 </span> ; <span> 1 [[Chronicles]] 5:1 </span> . [[He]] was born in Mesopotamia. <span> Genesis 30:22-24 </span> . [[By]] a wonderful providence of [[God]] he was raised from a prison to be the chief ruler of [[Egypt]] under Pharaoh. "The story of his father's fondness, of his protest against sin among his brothers, of their jealous hostility and his prophetic dreams, of his sale by his brethren to [[Midianites]] and by them to [[Potiphar]] in Egypt, of the divine favor on his pure and prudent life, his imprisonment for three to twelve years for virtue's sake, his wonderful exaltation to power and his wise use of it for the good of the nation, of his tender and reverent care of his father, his magnanimity to his brethren, and his faith in the future of God's chosen people, is one of the most pleasing and instructive in the Bible, and is related in language inimitably natural, simple, and touching. It is too beautiful for abridgment, and too familiar to need full rehearsal."— <span> Hand. </span> The history of Joseph is strikingly confirmed by the [[Egyptian]] monuments. Joseph married the princess Asenath, daughter of Potipherah, priest of On; and his two sons, [[Manasseh]] and Ephraim, <span> Genesis 41:50 </span> , whom [[Jacob]] adopted. <span> Genesis 48:5 </span> , became the heads of two of the twelve tribes of Israel. 2. The son of [[Heli]] and reputed father of [[Jesus]] Christ. He was a just man, and of the house and lineage of David. He lived at [[Nazareth]] in Galilee. He espoused Mary, the daughter and heir of his uncle Jacob, and before he took her home his wife received the angelic communication recorded in <span> [[Matthew]] 1:20 </span> . When Jesus was twelve years old, Joseph took his mother and Jesus to keep the passover at Jerusalem, and when they returned to Nazareth he continued to act as a father to the child Jesus, and was reputed to be so indeed. But here our knowledge of Joseph ends. That he died before our Lord's crucifixion is indeed tolerably certain, by what is related, <span> [[John]] 19:27 </span> ; and, perhaps, <span> [[Mark]] 6:3 </span> , may imply that he was then dead. But where, when, or how he died, we know not. 3. Joseph of Arimathæa, a rich and pious Israelite, probably a member of the [[Great]] [[Council]] or Sanhedrin. He is further characterized as "a good man and a just." <span> [[Luke]] 23:50 </span> . We are told that he did not "consent to the counsel and deed" of his colleagues in the death of Jesus. [[On]] the evening of the crucifixion Joseph "went in boldly unto [[Pilate]] and craved the body of Jesus." Pilate consented. Joseph and [[Nicodemus]] then, having enfolded the sacred body in the linen shroud which Joseph had bought, placed it in a tomb hewn in a rock, in a garden belonging to Joseph, and close to the place of crucifixion. There is a tradition that he was one of the seventy disciples. 4. Joseph, called Barsabas, and surnamed Justus: one of the two persons chosen by the assembled church, <span> Acts 1:23 </span> , as worthy to fill the place in the apostolic company from which [[Judas]] had fallen. </p>

<p> <span> Jo'seph. </span> <span> (increase). </span> </p> <p> 1. The elder of the two sons of Jacob, by Rachel. [[He]] was born in Padan-aram (Mesopotamia), probably about B.C. 1746. He is first mentioned when a youth, seventeen years old. [[Joseph]] brought the evil report of his brethren to his father, and they hated him because his father loved him more than he did them, and had shown his preference by making a dress which appears to have been a long tunic with sleeves, worn by youths and maidens of the richer class. <span> [[Genesis]] 37:2 </span> . </p> <p> He dreamed a dream foreshadowing his future power, which increased the hatred of his brethren. <span> Genesis 37:5-7 </span> . He was sent by his father to visit his brothers, who were tending flocks in the fields of Dothan. They resolved to kill him, but he was saved by Reuben, who persuaded the brothers to cast Joseph into a dry pit, to the intent that he might restore him to Jacob. The appearance of the [[Ishmaelites]] suggested his sale for "twenty pieces (shekels) of silver." <span> Genesis 37:28 </span> . [[Sold]] into [[Egypt]] to Potiphar, Joseph prospered and was soon set over Potiphar's house, and "all he had he gave into his hand;" but incurring the anger of Potiphar's wife, <span> Genesis 39:7-13 </span> , he was falsely accused and thrown into prison, where he remained at least two years, interpreting during this time the dreams of the cupbearer and the baker. </p> <p> [[Finally]] [[Pharaoh]] himself dreamed two prophetic dreams. Joseph, being sent for, interpreted them in the name of God, foretelling the seven years of plenty and the seven years of famine. Pharaoh, at once, appointed Joseph, not merely governor of Egypt, but second only to the sovereign, and also gave him to wife Asenath, daughter of [[Potipherah]] priest of [[On]] (Hieropolis), and gave him a name or title, <span> Zaphnath-paaneah. </span> <span> (preserver of life). </span> Joseph's first act was to go throughout all the land of Egypt. </p> <p> During the seven plenteous years, there was a very abundant produce, and he gathered the fifth part and laid it up. When the seven good years had passed, the famine began. <span> Genesis 41:54-57 </span> . <span> [[See]] </span> [[Famine]] <span> . </span> After the famine had lasted for a time, apparently two years, Joseph gathered up all the money that was found in the land of Egypt and in the land of Canaan, for the corn which they brought, and brought it into Pharaoh's house, <span> Genesis 47:13-14 </span> , and when the money was exhausted, all the cattle, and finally all the land, except that of the priests, and apparently, as a consequence, the [[Egyptians]] themselves. He demanded, however, only a fifth part of the produce as Pharaoh's right. </p> <p> Now Jacob, who had suffered also from the effects of the famine, sent Joseph's brother to Egypt for corn. The whole story of Joseph's treatment of his brethren is so graphically told in Genesis, Genesis 42-45, and is so familiar, that it is unnecessary here to repeat it. On the death of [[Jacob]] in Egypt, Joseph carried him to Canaan, and laid him in the cave of Machpelah, the burying-place of his fathers. </p> <p> Joseph lived "a hundred and ten years," having been more than ninety in Egypt. Dying, he took an oath of his brethren that they should carry up his bones to the land of promise: thus showing in his latest action, the faith, <span> Hebrews 11:22 </span> , which had guided his whole life. Like his father, he was embalmed, "and he was put in a coffin in Egypt." <span> Genesis 50:26 </span> . [[His]] trust, [[Moses]] kept, and laid the bones of Joseph in his inheritance in Shechem, in the territory of Ephraim, his offspring. His tomb is, according to tradition, about a stone's throw from Jacob's well. </p> <p> 2. [[Father]] of Igal, who represented the tribe of [[Issachar]] among the spies. <span> [[Numbers]] 13:7 </span> . </p> <p> 3. A lay [[Israelite]] who had married a foreign wife. <span> [[Ezra]] 10:42 </span> . (B.C. 459). </p> <p> 4. A representative of the priestly family of Shebaniah. <span> [[Nehemiah]] 12:14 </span> . (B.C. after 536). </p> <p> 5. [[One]] of the ancestors of <span> [[Christ]] </span> , son of Jonan. <span> [[Luke]] 3:30 </span> . </p> <p> 6. [[Another]] ancestor of <span> Christ </span> , son of Judah. <span> Luke 3:26 </span> . (B.C. between 536-410). </p> <p> 7. Another ancestor of <span> Christ </span> , son of Mattathias. <span> Luke 3:24 </span> . (B.C. after 400). </p> <p> 8. [[Son]] of Heli, and reputed father of <span> [[Jesus]] Christ </span> . [[All]] that is told us of Joseph in the New [[Testament]] may be summed up in a few words. He was a just man, and of the house and lineage of David. He lived at [[Nazareth]] in Galilee. He espoused Mary, the daughter and heir of his uncle Jacob, and before he took her home as his wife, received the angelic communication recorded in <span> [[Matthew]] 1:20 </span> . </p> <p> When <span> Jesus </span> was twelve years old, Joseph and [[Mary]] took him with them to keep the <span> [[Passover]] </span> at Jerusalem, and when they returned to Nazareth, he continued to act as a father to the child <span> Jesus </span> , and was reputed to be so indeed. But here, our knowledge of Joseph ends. That he died before our Lord's crucifixion is indeed tolerably certain, by what is related, <span> [[John]] 19:27 </span> , and perhaps , <span> [[Mark]] 6:3 </span> , may imply that he was then dead. But where, when or how he died we know not. </p> <p> 9. Joseph of Arimathaea, a rich and pious Israelite, probably a member of the [[Great]] [[Council]] or Sanhedrin. He is further characterized as "a good man and a just." <span> Luke 23:50 </span> . We are expressly told that he did not "consent to the counsel and deed" of his colleagues in conspiring to bring about the death of <span> Jesus </span> ; but he seems to have lacked the courage to protest against their judgment. </p> <p> On the very evening of the crucifixion, when the triumph of the chief priests and rulers seemed complete, Joseph "went in boldly unto [[Pilate]] and craved the body of <span> Jesus </span> ." Pilate consented. Joseph and [[Nicodemus]] then, having enfolded the sacred body in the linen shroud which Joseph had bought, consigned it to a tomb hewn in a rock, in a garden belonging to Joseph, and close to the place of crucifixion. There is a tradition that he was one of the seventy disciples. </p> <p> 10. Joseph, called Barsabas, and surnamed Justus; one of the two person chosen by the assembled church, <span> Acts 1:23 </span> , as worthy to fill the place in the apostolic company from which [[Judas]] had fallen. </p>

<p> son of [[Jacob]] and Rachel, and brother to Benjamin, <span> [[Genesis]] 30:22 </span> ; <span> Genesis 30:24 </span> . The history of [[Joseph]] is so fully and consecutively given by Moses, that it is not necessary to abridge so familiar an account. [[In]] place of this, the following beautiful argument by Mr. [[Blunt]] for the veracity of the account drawn from the <em> identity </em> of Joseph's character, will be read with pleasure:—I have already found an argument for the veracity of [[Moses]] in the identity of Jacob's character, I now find another in the identity of that of Joseph. There is one quality, as it has been often observed, though with a different view from mine, which runs like a thread through his whole history, his affection for his father. [[Israel]] loved him, we read, more than all his children; he was the child of his age; his mother died while he was yet young, and a double care of him consequently devolved upon his surviving parent. [[He]] made him a coat of many colours; he kept him at home when his other sons were sent to feed the flocks. When the bloody garment was brought in, Jacob in his affection for him,—that same affection which, on a subsequent occasion, when it was told him that after all Joseph was alive, made him as slow to believe the good tidings as he was now quick to apprehend the sad; in this his affection for him, I say, Jacob at once concluded the worst, and "he rent his clothes and put sackcloth upon his loins, and mourned for his son many days, and all his daughters rose up to comfort him; but he refused to be comforted, and he said, [[For]] I will go down into the grave unto my son mourning." </p> <p> Now, what were the feelings in Joseph which responded to these? When the sons of Jacob went down to Egypt, and Joseph knew them, though they knew not him; for they, it may be remarked, were of an age not to be greatly changed by the lapse of years, and were still sustaining the character in which Joseph had always seen them; while he himself had meanwhile grown out of the stripling into the man, and from a shepherd boy was become the ruler of a kingdom; when his brethren thus came before him, his question was, "Is your father yet alive?" <span> Genesis 43:7 </span> . </p> <p> They went down a second time, and again the question was, "Is your father well, the old man of whom ye spake, is he yet alive?" More he could not venture to ask, while he was yet in his disguise. [[By]] a stratagem he now detains Benjamin, leaving the others, if they would, to go their way. But [[Judah]] came near unto him, and entreated him for his brother, telling him how that he had been surety to his father to bring him back; how that his father was an old man, and that this was the child of his old age, and that he loved him; how it would come to pass that if he should not see the lad with him he would die, and his gray hairs be brought with sorrow to the grave; for "how shall I go to my father, and the lad be not with me, lest, peradventure, I see the evil that shall come on my father?" Here, without knowing it, he had struck the string that was the tenderest of all. Joseph's firmness forsook him at this repeated mention of his father, and in terms so touching: he could not refrain himself any longer; and, causing every man to go out, he made himself known to his brethren. Then, even in the paroxysm which came on him, (for he wept aloud, so that the [[Egyptians]] heard,) still his first words uttered from the fulness of his heart were, "Doth my father yet live?" He now bids them hasten and bring the old man down, bearing to him tokens of his love and tidings of his glory. He goes to meet him; he presents himself unto him, and falls on his neck, and weeps on his neck a good while; he provides for him and his household out of the fat of the land; he sets him before Pharaoh. By and by he hears that he is sick, and hastens to visit him; he receives his blessing; watches his death bed; embalms his body; mourns for him threescore and ten days; and then carries him, as he had desired, into [[Canaan]] to bury him, taking with him, as an escort to do him honour, "all the elders of Israel, and all the servants of Pharaoh, and all his house, and the house of his brethren, chariots, and horsemen, a very great company." [[How]] natural was it now for his brethren to think that the tie by which alone they could imagine Joseph to be held to them was dissolved, that any respect he might have felt or feigned for them must have been buried in the cave of Machpelah, and that he would now requite to them the evil they had done! "And they sent a messenger unto Joseph, saying, [[Thy]] father did command before he died, saying, [[So]] shall ye say unto Joseph, Forgive, I pray thee now, the trespass of thy brethren, and their sin; for they did unto thee evil." And then they add of themselves, as if well aware of the surest road to their brother's heart, "Forgive, we pray thee, the trespass of the servants of the [[God]] of thy father." In every thing the father's name is still put foremost: it is his memory which they count upon as their shield and buckler. </p> <p> It is not the singular beauty of these scenes, or the moral lesson they teach, excellent as it is, with which I am now concerned, but simply the perfect artless consistency which prevails through them all. It is not the constancy with which the son's strong affection for his father had lived through an interval of twenty years' absence, and, what is more, through the temptation of sudden promotion to the highest estate;—it is not the noble- minded frankness with which he still acknowledges his kindred, and makes a way for them, "shepherds" as they were, to the throne of [[Pharaoh]] himself;—it is not the simplicity and singleness of heart which allow him to give all the first-born of Egypt, men over whom he bore absolute rule, an opportunity of observing his own comparatively humble origin, by leading them in attendance upon his father's corpse to the valleys of Canaan and the modest cradle of his race;—it is not, in a word, the grace, but the <em> identity </em> of Joseph's character, the light in which it is exhibited by himself, and the light in which it is regarded by his brethren, to which I now point as stamping it with marks of reality not to be gainsayed. </p> <p> Some writers have considered Joseph as a type of Christ; and it requires not much ingenuity to find out some resemblances, as his being hated by his brethren, sold for money, plunged into deep affliction, and then raised to power and honour, &c; but as we have no intimation in any part of [[Scripture]] that Joseph was constituted a figure of our Lord, and that this was one design of recording his history at length, all such applications want authority, and cannot safely be indulged. The account seems rather to have been left for its moral uses, and that it should afford, by its inimitable simplicity and truth to nature, a point of irresistible internal evidence of the truth of the [[Mosaic]] narrative. </p> <p> <strong> 2. </strong> JOSEPH, the husband of Mary, and reputed father of Jesus, was the son of Jacob, and grandson of Matthan, <span> [[Matthew]] 1:15-16 </span> . The place of his stated residence was Nazareth, particularly after the time of his marriage. We learn from the evangelists that he followed the occupation of a carpenter, <span> Matthew 13:55 </span> ; and that he was a just man, or one of those pious [[Israelites]] who looked for the coming of the Messiah, <span> Matthew 1:19 </span> . It is probable that Joseph died before [[Christ]] entered upon his public ministry; for upon any other supposition we are at a loss to account for the reason why Mary, the mother of Jesus, is frequently mentioned in the evangelic narrative, while no allusion is made to Joseph; and, above all, why the dying [[Saviour]] should recommend his mother to the care of the beloved disciple John, if her husband had been then living, <span> [[John]] 19:25-27 </span> . </p> <p> <strong> 3. </strong> JOSEPH OF ARIMATHEA, a [[Jewish]] senator, and a believer in the divine mission of [[Jesus]] Christ, <span> John 19:38 </span> . St. [[Luke]] calls him a counsellor, and also informs us that he was a good and just man, who did not give his consent to the crucifixion of Christ, <span> Luke 23:50-51 </span> . And though he was unable to restrain the sanhedrim from their wicked purposes, he went to [[Pilate]] by night, and solicited from him the body of Jesus. Having caused it to be taken down from the cross, he wrapped it in linen, and laid it in his own sepulchre, which, being a rich man, he appears to have recently purchased, and then closed the entrance with a stone cut purposely to fit it, <span> Matthew 27:57-60 </span> ; <span> John 19:38-42 </span> . </p>

<p> <span> [[Genesis]] 37:9-10 </span> (c) This character is a type of the [[Lord]] JESUS in many respects. Forty-two different aspects of CHRIST may be seen in his life. [[In]] this Scripture, [[Joseph]] is a type of CHRIST in that he is honored by his father and mother. They and all of his brothers must bow down in obeisance to him, as every knee shall bow to CHRIST. </p> <p> <span> Genesis 43:3 </span> (c) [[Here]] Joseph is a true type of GOD, the Judge, and [[Benjamin]] is a type of the Lord JESUS. It is almost a repetition of that beautiful truth in <span> [[John]] 14:6 </span> . [[No]] man can see the Father's face unless he comes with the Lord JESUS, the elder brother. </p> <p> <span> Genesis 49:22 </span> (c) This is a type of the fruitful [[Christian]] who, though persecuted and hindered by others, nevertheless continues to bear fruit in the regions round about as well as in the home parish. [[Israel]] was to be a blessing to Gentiles. </p>

<ol> <li> <i> [[Jacob]] </i> s [[Age]] at [[His]] Birth'. [[Joseph]] was thirty years old when he [[Stood]] before [[Pharaoh]] ( <span> [[Genesis]] 41:46 </span> ). The seven plenteous years and two years of the famine had passed when Jacob went into [[Egypt]] (30+7+2=39) ( <span> Genesis 41:46,53,54 </span> ; <span> Genesis 45:4-6 </span> ; <span> Genesis 47:1-9 </span> ). Jacob was one hundred thirty years old when he entered Egypt ( <span> Genesis 47:1-9 </span> ). Jacob was, therefore, (130 - 39 = 91) ninety-one years old at the birth of Joseph. </li> <li> <i> [[Early]] [[Life]] </i> . Joseph was the son of Rachel, born to Jacob in his [[Old]] age ( <span> Genesis 30:1-24 </span> ), and was therefore the favorite ( <span> Genesis 37:3 </span> ; Joseph had two remarkable dreams, resulting in the estrangement of his [[Brothers]] and the suspicion of his father ( <span> Genesis 37:5-11 </span> ). His brothers sold him into slavery, and deceived their father by dipping the coat of [[Many]] colors into the blood of a goat, assuring him that they had found It ( <span> Genesis 37:15-35 </span> ). </li> <li> <i> [[Lessons]] from Jacob </i> s Mourning'. Jacob mourned for Joseph, [[Believing]] that he was dead ( <span> Genesis 37:31-35 </span> ). We may learn from this, <ol> <li> to be careful about acting on the testimony of prejudiced witnesses, </li> <li> and that a lie conscientiously believed and acted upon will produce substantially the same effects as the truth. </li> </ol> </li> <li> <i> Early Life in Egypt </i> . Joseph was sold to Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh. ( <span> Genesis 39:1 </span> ; <span> Acts 7:9 </span> ). [[On]] a false charge he was thrown into prison. [[In]] prison he enjoyed the confidence of the keeper, and [[Interpreted]] the dreams of the butler and baker ( <span> Genesis 39:21-23 </span> ; <span> Genesis 40:1-23 </span> ). </li> <li> <i> Pharaoh </i> s Dreams'. The king had two dreams: <ol> <li> [[He]] stood by the river and saw seven well-favored and fat-fleshed [[Kine]] come up out of the river and feed in a meadow, and seven Other kine that were ill-favored and lean-fleshed followed and [[Devoured]] them. </li> <li> He beheld seven ears of corn upon one stalk, rank and good, and They were followed by seven thin and blasted ears by which They were devoured ( <span> Genesis 41:1-7 </span> ). </li> </ol> </li> <li> <i> Joseph </i> s Interpretation'. The wise men failed to give the king's [[Mind]] any relief, and Pharaoh, on the suggestion of the chief butler, [[Called]] for Joseph, who declared that the dreams were one, and predicted That there would immediately follow seven years of plenty, succeeded by [[Seven]] years of famine ( <span> Genesis 41:8-32 </span> ). </li> <li> <i> His [[Elevation]] </i> . Pharaoh immediately clothed Joseph in royal Vestures, made him ride in the second chariot, and required the people To prostrate themselves before him ( <span> Genesis 41:33-45 </span> ). </li> <li> <i> His [[Marriage]] </i> . Pharaoh gave him the name [[Zaphnathpaaneah]] (Preserver of the age, or revealer of secrets), and also gave him Asenath, the daughter of Potipherah, priest of On, to wife. [[By]] this [[Union]] were two sons ( <span> Genesis 41:44-52 </span> ). </li> <li> <i> [[Preparation]] for the [[Famine]] </i> . Joseph immediately began to make Preparations for the famine. He gathered corn "as the sands of the Sea" and stored it in the cities ( <span> Genesis 41:47-52 </span> ). </li> <li> <i> Famine in Egypt </i> . The famine began as Joseph had predicted and [[Covered]] the entire land of Egypt ( <span> Genesis 41:53-57 </span> ). </li> <li> <i> Famine in [[Canaan]] </i> . The famine extended to Canaan ( <span> Genesis 42:1,2 </span> Acts 42:1, <span> 7:11 </span> ). Jacob sent his sons to Egypt to buy corn. Joseph recognized them, but they did not know him. He supplied their wants, and they [[Returned]] to their home ( <span> Genesis 42:3-38 </span> ). On their return to Egypt, Joseph made himself known to them and sent for his father to come to Egypt ( <span> Genesis 43:1-34 </span> ; <span> Genesis 44:1-34 </span> ; <span> Genesis 45:1-24 </span> ; <span> Acts 7:12,14 </span> ). Jacob received the news of Joseph's glory with incredulity ( <span> Genesis 45:25-28 </span> ). </li> <li> <i> Lessons from Joseph </i> s Brothers'. We may learn from this, <ol> <li> to investigate thoroughly before coming to a conclusion, </li> <li> and that after a man is once settled in error, it takes a tremendous influence to deliver him from it. </li> </ol> </li> <li> <i> Jacob </i> s [[Descent]] into Egypt'. Jacob at once departed for Egypt [[Accompanied]] by his entire family; they also took their possessions ( <span> Genesis 46:1-26 </span> ). </li> <li> <i> [[Harmony]] of <span> Genesis 46:26 </span> ; <span> [[Deuteronomy]] 10:22 </span> ; <span> Acts 7:14 </span> </i> . The first passage counts the direct descendants (sixty-six) of Jacob who went with him Into Egypt ( <span> Genesis 46:26 </span> ). The second counts the sixty-six, Jacob, Joseph, and his two sons ( <span> Deuteronomy 10:22 </span> ). The third counts the seventy, and five of Joseph's "kindred" whose names are not given. </li> <li> <i> Jacob </i> s [[Introduction]] to Pharaoh'. Joseph introduced his father To Pharaoh, who received him with respect. Jacob in return blessed Pharaoh twice, and departed from his presence ( <span> Genesis 47:7-10 </span> ). </li> <li> <i> [[Settled]] in [[Goshen]] </i> . Jacob and his family were given permission To dwell in Goshen where they enjoyed peace, plenty, and general [[Prosperity]] ( <span> Genesis 47:1-27 </span> ). </li> <li> <i> [[Date]] </i> . <ol> <li> It was twenty-five years from the death of [[Terah]] to the birth of [[Isaac]] ( <span> Genesis 11:32 </span> ; <span> Genesis 12:1-5 </span> ; <span> Genesis 21:5 </span> ; <span> Acts 7:1-4 </span> ). </li> <li> It was sixty years from the birth of Isaac to the birth of Jacob ( <span> Genesis 25:26 </span> ). </li> <li> It was one hundred thirty years from the birth of Jacob to his introduction to Pharaoh. (25 + 60 + 130 = 215) ( <span> Genesis 47:7-10 </span> ). </li> </ol> <p> The settling of the Hebrews in Egypt was therefore two hundred fifteen years after the death of Terah or Abram's entrance into Canaan. </p> </li> <li> <i> [[Last]] Days of Jacob </i> . The closing of Jacob's life was distinguished by <p> (A) obtaining a promise from Joseph to bury him with his [[Fathers]] ( <span> Genesis 47:26-31 </span> ); (b) reminding Joseph of the promises of [[God]] ( <span> Genesis 48:1-4 </span> ); (c) adopting Joseph's two sons ( <span> Genesis 48:5,6 </span> ); (d) placing [[Ephraim]] before [[Manasseh]] ( <span> Genesis 48:8-20 </span> ); (e) predicting the restoration of his family to Canaan ( <span> Genesis 48:21 </span> ); (f) giving Joseph an extra portion of his estate ( <span> Genesis 48:21,22 </span> ); (g) prophesying of the coming [[Shiloh]] ( <span> Genesis 48:8-12 </span> ; <span> Hebrews 7:14 </span> ; <span> [[Revelation]] 5:1-5 </span> ); (h) blessing all his sons ( <span> Genesis 49:1-28 </span> ). </p> </li> <li> <i> [[Death]] and [[Burial]] of Jacob </i> . Jacob died in Egypt, was embalmed by Joseph's orders, carried to Canaan, and buried with great honors and great lamentation ( <span> Genesis 50:1-13 </span> ; <span> Acts 7:15,16 </span> ). </li> <li> <i> Last Days of Joseph </i> . Joseph's last days were distinguished by <ol> <li> forgiving his brothers; </li> <li> enjoying the pleasures of family relation; </li> <li> predicting the restoration of his brethren to the land of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; </li> <li> and taking a pledge of his brethren to carry his bones with them on their departure ( <span> Genesis 50:15-26 </span> ). </li> </ol> </li> </ol>

<p> <span> Bibliography [[Information]] </span> McClintock, John. Strong, James. [[Entry]] for 'Joseph'. [[Cyclopedia]] of Biblical, [[Theological]] and [[Ecclesiastical]] Literature. https://www.studylight.org/encyclopedias/eng/tce/j/joseph.html. [[Harper]] & Brothers. New York. 1870. </p>

<p> The name of four persons in Scripture. 1, </p> <p> he son of [[Jacob]] and Rachel, and the story of whose life is given in <span> [[Genesis]] 2 </span> , </p> <p> arpenter, the husband of the [[Virgin]] [[Mary]] and the reputed father of Jesus. 3, </p> <p> member of the [[Jewish]] Sanhedrin, who begged the body of [[Jesus]] to bury it in his own tomb. 4, </p> <p> urnamed </p> <p> ne of the disciples of Jesus, and deemed worthy to be nominated to fill the place vacated by Judas. </p>