Who is biblical joseph

His sons basely pretended to comfort him, but miserable, hypocritical comforters were they all. Had they really desired to comfort him, they might at once have done it, by telling the truth. The heart is strangely hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. Jacob refused to be comforted. Great affection to any creature prepares for so much the greater affliction, when it is taken from us, or made bitter to us: undue love commonly ends in undue grief.

It is the wisdom of parents not to bring up children delicately, they know not to what hardships they may be brought before they die. From the whole of this chapter we see with wonder the ways of Providence. The malignant brothers seem to have gotten their ends; the merchants, who care not what they deal in so that they gain, have also obtained theirs; and Potiphar, having got a fine young slave, has obtained his!

But God's designs are, by these means, in train for execution. This event shall end in Israel's going down to Egypt; that ends in their deliverance by Moses; that in setting up the true religion in the world; and that in the spread of it among all nations by the gospel.

Thus the wrath of man shall praise the Lord, and the remainder thereof will he restrain. Excerpts from Matthew Henry Commentary.

The life of Joseph gives a testament of the sovereignty and grace of God for those who live faithfully and righteously. Despite being sold into slavery by his brothers, Joseph remained faithful and trusted in God to deliver him from tribulation. Additionally, this story shows how God's plan may not be obvious to our limited perspective but indeed "all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.

Plus Toggle navigation. Password Assistance. Email address. The Bible Story of Joseph. Bible Articles Videos Audio. Excerpts from Matthew Henry Commentary Meaning of Joseph's Bible Story The life of Joseph gives a testament of the sovereignty and grace of God for those who live faithfully and righteously.

Share Tweet Save. Genesis Will you actually rule us? Will your mother and I and your brothers actually come and bow down to the ground before you? Come, I am going to send you to them. Can you tell me where they are grazing their flocks?

The cistern was empty; there was no water in it. Their camels were loaded with spices, balm and myrrh, and they were on their way to take them down to Egypt.

Where can I turn now? Some ferocious animal has devoured him. Joseph has surely been torn to pieces. Commentaries for Genesis Potiphar put him in charge of his household, and he entrusted to his care everything he owned. My master has withheld nothing from me except you, because you are his wife. How then could I do such a wicked thing and sin against God? He came in here to sleep with me, but I screamed. But while Joseph was there in the prison, 21 the LORD was with him; he showed him kindness and granted him favor in the eyes of the prison warden.

After they had been in custody for some time, 5 each of the two men—the cupbearer and the baker of the king of Egypt, who were being held in prison—had a dream the same night, and each dream had a meaning of its own. Tell me your dreams. As soon as it budded, it blossomed, and its clusters ripened into grapes.

And the birds will eat away your flesh. Then Pharaoh woke up. Then Pharaoh woke up; it had been a dream. Pharaoh told them his dreams, but no one could interpret them for him. We told him our dreams, and he interpreted them for us, giving each man the interpretation of his dream.

When he had shaved and changed his clothes, he came before Pharaoh. But I have heard it said of you that when you hear a dream you can interpret it. I had never seen such ugly cows in all the land of Egypt. Then I woke up. I told this to the magicians, but none of them could explain it to me. God has revealed to Pharaoh what he is about to do. Then all the abundance in Egypt will be forgotten, and the famine will ravage the land.

Only with respect to the throne will I be greater than you. He dressed him in robes of fine linen and put a gold chain around his neck. And Joseph went throughout the land of Egypt. In each city he put the food grown in the fields surrounding it. There was famine in all the other lands, but in the whole land of Egypt there was food.

Go down there and buy some for us, so that we may live and not die. You have come to see where our land is unprotected. Your servants are honest men, not spies. The youngest is now with our father, and one is no more. If you are not, then as surely as Pharaoh lives, you are spies!

Now we must give an accounting for his blood. He had Simeon taken from them and bound before their eyes. This favouritism wasn't well received by his brothers.

Anthropologists today have found that this sibling rivalry is a common by-product of polygamous marriages. Children were often born by different wives, and each wife wanted the best for their child. The Bible tells us that Joseph and Benjamin are the sons of Jacob's second wife, while all the other sons are from different wives. Being given a special coat would have only fuelled the brothers' jealousy. The choice of colours in the coat held great prestige. In the ancient world colour was a precious commodity and vivid colours such as red and purple were held in high esteem, as it was very costly to create the dyes.

Joseph's coat of red and purple reinforced the message to his brothers that he was Jacob's favourite. Joseph's brothers were also suspicious of the strange and vivid dreams he had and did not like the interpretations he told them. His brothers eventually took their revenge by selling Joseph as a slave to passing merchants. While Joseph was being taken to Egypt, his brothers faked his death by rubbing goat's blood into the multi-coloured coat.

In Egypt, Joseph became a house servant to a rich, high-ranking Egyptian, Potiphar. In the household he was noticed by Potiphar's wife who tried to seduce him, but he resisted her and was put in prison.

Whilst in prison Joseph used his power to interpret the dreams of prison officials, and when the Pharaoh had two disturbing dreams Joseph was called to interpret them. According to Joseph's interpretation, there were to be seven years of plenty in Egypt, followed by seven years of famine.

Joseph was able to advise the Pharaoh on how to prepare for the famine and as a result gained the favour of the Pharaoh who promoted him to Prime Minister. During the famine Joseph had to make key decisions. His acquisition of grain provisions enabled Egypt to withstand and survive the famine. The idea of a foreigner reaching the top of Egyptian society sounds unlikely and there is no archaeological or written record of a Prime Minister in Egypt called Joseph.

However some new scientific evidence helps to support the case of a historical Joseph. The story is recounted in the Old Testament Genesis 37, Joseph is often seen as an Old Testament equivalent, or prefiguration, of Christ. Visit us Plan your visit Floorplans Access Families.

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