Saturday, July 23, 2016

Women in the Bible – Asenath – Egyptian Wife of Joseph

Women in the Bible – Asenath – Egyptian Wife of Joseph

Genesis 41:45-52 (ESV)
And Pharaoh called Joseph’s name Zaphenath-paneah. And he gave him in marriage Asenath, the daughter of Potiphera priest of On. So Joseph went out over the land of Egypt.

Joseph was thirty years old when he entered the service of Pharaoh king of Egypt. And Joseph went out from the presence of Pharaoh and went through all the land of Egypt. During the seven plentiful years the earth produced abundantly, and he gathered up all the food of these seven years, which occurred in the land of Egypt, and put the food in the cities. He put in every city the food from the fields around it. And Joseph stored up grain in great abundance, like the sand of the sea, until he ceased to measure it, for it could not be measured.

Before the year of famine came, two sons were born to Joseph. Asenath, the daughter of Potiphera priest of On, bore them to him. Joseph called the name of the firstborn Manasseh. “For,” he said, “God has made me forget all my hardship and all my father’s house.” The name of the second he called Ephraim, “For God has made me fruitful in the land of my affliction.”

After being sold into slavery and taken to Egypt, Joseph found himself in a unique position: in command of all of Egypt. Pharaoh was so appreciative that he gave Joseph a wife: Asenath. Asenath was the daughter of an Egyptian priest. I’m sure this made for an interesting mix of faith in their household.

On was a center for worshipping the sun god, Ra. The high priest of On was considered “Seer of Seers” among the Egyptian people. Asenath was a treasure given to Joseph. Her name is of Egyptian origin and means "gift of the sun-god". She became a gift to Joseph. She bore two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh. There is not much more mentioned of her in scripture. Her legacy, however, endured.

The two sons born to Asenath became part of Israel’s history. When the nation of Israel was delivered from Egypt about 400 years after Joseph God changed some things regarding their makeup. Until this time they were divided into twelve tribes, the twelve sons of Jacob (who became Israel). While giving the law the tribe of Levi was chosen to be a priesthood to serve in temple worship. In order to keep the number of tribes at twelve God instructed Moses to replace Joseph with two representatives: Ephraim and Manasseh.


Asenath is never mentioned again, but there are still those that identify as being from the tribes of Israel led by her two sons.

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