Joseph

Jacob's 11th son and Rachel's firstborn son. Rachel chose the name Joseph, meaning "may he add," hoping God would bless her with another son (Genesis 30:24).

Joseph is not mentioned again until he is 17 years old, working with his brothers to care for his father's flocks (Genesis 37:2). Joseph was his father's favorite because he was born when his father was old (Genesis 37:3) and was the first son of his father's favorite wife. This favoritism made his brothers hate him. Their jealousy grew when Jacob gave Joseph a long, colorful robe (Genesis 37:3–4). (This type of robe is shown in paintings from the tombs of Khnumhotep II at Beni Hasan and the nobles at Gurneh, near Luxor.) The brothers' anger increased when Joseph shared his dreams of ruling over them (Genesis 37:5–11). Later, when Joseph went to check on his brothers and the flocks near Shechem, they sold him to traders heading to Egypt (Genesis 37:25–28). The brothers then dipped his robe in goat's blood and showed it to Jacob, who thought Joseph had been killed by wild animals (Genesis 37:31–33). Jacob was heartbroken (verses 34–35).

In Egypt, Joseph was sold to Potiphar, an Egyptian officer of the guard (Genesis 37:36; 39:1). Potiphar eventually put Joseph in charge of his entire household. However, Potiphar's wife caused trouble. She was attracted to Joseph and tried to seduce him (Genesis 39:6–10). Joseph firmly resisted her, saying it would betray his master and be a sin against God (Genesis 39:9). One day, she grabbed his garment, but Joseph left it behind and ran away. Potiphar's wife then accused Joseph of attempted rape. Her accusation was believed, and Joseph was put in the king's prison (Genesis 39:20), where Pharaoh's butler and baker were also held. While in prison, Joseph, with God's help, interpreted their troubling dreams. As Joseph predicted, the baker was executed, and the butler was restored to royal favor (Genesis 40).

Two years later, Pharaoh had two dreams that his magicians and wise men could not explain. The butler remembered Joseph and had him brought from prison. God showed Joseph that the dreams predicted seven years of plenty, followed by seven years of famine (Genesis 41:25–36). Pharaoh, impressed by Joseph's explanation, made him the ruler of Egypt, second only to Pharaoh himself (Genesis 41:39–44). Joseph received a new name, Zaphenath-paneah, and a wife, Asenath, the daughter of Potiphera (Genesis 41:45).

Joseph was 30 years old when he became the ruler of Egypt. During the seven years of prosperity, he gathered supplies for the upcoming seven years of famine (Genesis 41:53–56). When the famine became severe in Palestine, Jacob sent all his sons, except for his youngest son Benjamin, to Egypt to buy grain. When they appeared before Joseph in Egypt, they did not recognize him, but he recognized them and remembered his dreams from years ago (Genesis 42:8–9). After hearing about their family, he accused them of being spies (Genesis 42:9–14) and insisted they leave one brother as a hostage and return with Benjamin to prove their story (Genesis 42:19–20). So, Simeon was bound and left in Egypt (Genesis 42:24).

After the famine worsened in Palestine, Jacob asked his sons to return to Egypt to buy more grain (Genesis 43:1–2). Reluctantly agreeing to the Egyptian leader's conditions, Jacob allowed Benjamin to go with them (Genesis 43:11–13). When they arrived in Egypt, they went to Joseph’s house, where Simeon rejoined them (Genesis 43:23) and a meal was prepared (Genesis 43:33). Joseph finally revealed his identity and said God sent him ahead to save their lives (Genesis 45:4–8). They then arranged to bring Jacob to Egypt; wagons and supplies were provided for the journey (Genesis 45:21). When Jacob reached Goshen in the Nile Delta, Joseph met him, and they had a joyful reunion (Genesis 46:28–29). Joseph also introduced his father and brothers to Pharaoh, who allowed them to live in Goshen (Genesis 47:6).

When Joseph learned his father was sick, he took his two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim, to receive a blessing. He placed Manasseh, the older son, at Jacob's right hand and Ephraim at his left, expecting Manasseh to get the firstborn's blessing. However, Jacob crossed his hands and gave the greater blessing to Ephraim with his right hand (Genesis 48:14–20). Jacob also gave Joseph the land he had taken from the Amorites (Genesis 48: 22). After Jacob died, Joseph arranged the funeral. Following the usual funeral customs, a large procession went to Canaan, where Jacob's sons buried him in the cave of Machpelah near Hebron (Genesis 50:1–12).

When Joseph was 110 years old, he told his brothers he was about to die. He made them promise to take his bones back to Canaan. After he died, they embalmed him and placed him in a coffin in Egypt (Genesis 50:26). Many years later, during the exodus, Moses took Joseph's bones from Egypt (Exodus 13:19). Joseph's remains were eventually buried at Shechem on the land Jacob bought from Hamor, Shechem's father (Genesis 33:18–20; Joshua 24:32).

See Israel, History of; Patriarchs, Period of the.

Igal's father from the tribe of Issachar. Igal was one of the 12 spies Moses sent to explore the land of Canaan (Numbers 13:7).

Asaph's second son. He led the first group of priests serving in the sanctuary during King David's reign (1 Chronicles 25:2, 9).

One of Binnui's descendants whom Ezra encouraged to divorce his non-Jewish wife after the exile in Babylon (Ezra 10:42).

A priest and family leader from Shebaniah's lineage during the time of Joiakim, the high priest (Nehemiah 12:14).

A descendant of David (Matthew 1:16; Luke 3:23), the husband of Mary and Jesus's earthly father. Joseph was engaged to Mary, a young woman from Nazareth. The angel Gabriel told Mary she would have God's Son, named Jesus (Luke 1:31), through the Holy Spirit (verse 35). Joseph did not know this, so when he found out Mary was pregnant, he planned to divorce her quietly. He was a good man and did not want to shame her (Matthew 1:19). An angel appeared to Joseph in a dream to explain the situation (Matthew 1:21; compare Isaiah 7:14). Matthew's text clarifies that Joseph and Mary did not have sexual relations until after Jesus's birth (Matthew 1:18, 25; see also Luke 1:34–37).

When Caesar Augustus ordered a census for taxation, Joseph and Mary traveled to Bethlehem, where Jesus was born (Luke 2:1–6). Later, they took baby Jesus to the temple to present him to the Lord (Luke 2:22, 33). After the wise men visited, an angel told Joseph in a dream to take Jesus and Mary to Egypt to keep Jesus safe from King Herod (Matthew 2:13). When Herod died, an angel told Joseph to return to Israel, so the family moved to Nazareth. The last story about Joseph is when Jesus, at age 12, was at the temple (Luke 2:41–51). Joseph is not named, but Mary told Jesus that she and his father were worried and searching for him.

People around Nazareth called Jesus "the son of Joseph" (Luke 4:22; John 1:45; 6:42). We learn about Joseph's job through these references to Jesus. Twice, people refer to Jesus as "the carpenter's son" (Matthew 13:55; Mark 6:3). Joseph was not a carpenter like we think of today, since houses were mostly built from stone and earth. He was a woodworker, likely making furniture and farming tools.

During Jesus's ministry, his mother and brothers came to find him (Matthew 12:46–50; Mark 3:31–35), suggesting Joseph had likely passed away by then. Joseph was probably the father of James, Joseph, Simon, Judas, and some unnamed sisters (Matthew 13:55; Mark 6:3).

See also Brothers of Jesus; Genealogy of Jesus Christ.

Joseph and Mary's son and Jesus's brother (Matthew 13:55). He was also known as Joses in Mark 6:3.

See Brothers of Jesus.

Joseph of Arimathea was a follower of Jesus who arranged for his burial. He was a wealthy man from Arimathea and a respected member of the Sanhedrin (the Jewish council) (Mark 15:43). Joseph was good and righteous and did not agree with the decision to crucify Jesus (Luke 23:50–51). He had secretly followed Jesus because he feared the Jewish leaders (John 19:38). After the Crucifixion, he bravely asked Pilate for Jesus's body. Joseph and Nicodemus prepared the body with spices and wrapped it in linen, following Jewish burial customs. In a nearby garden, they placed Jesus in Joseph's new rock-cut tomb, where no one had been buried before. They sealed the tomb with a large stone.

Mattathias's son and an ancestor of Jesus (Luke 3:25).

See Genealogy of Jesus Christ.

The King James Version spelling of Josech, an ancestor of Jesus, in Luke 3:26.

See Josech.

Jonam's son, an ancestor of Jesus (see Luke 3:30).

See Genealogy of Jesus Christ.

A disciple of Jesus, known as "Barsabbas" and "Justus" (Acts 1:23). The 11 apostles considered him as a candidate to replace Judas Iscariot, but they chose Matthias instead.

A Levite from Cyprus sold a field and gave the money to the apostles. They called him "Barnabas," which means "Son of Encouragement" (Acts 4:36).

See Barnabas.