Joseph, son of Jacob
the one with the special tunic
Who was Joseph, son of Jacob?
- Son of Jacob and Rachel. His father loved him more than all his other sons. Genesis 30:22-24; Genesis 37:3
- His brothers were jealous of him: they sold him, and he was taken to Egypt as a slave. Genesis 37:11, 28; Acts 7:9
- He came to govern Egypt, and he forgave the brothers who had sold him. Genesis 41:41; Genesis 45:4-5
He is not Joseph, the husband of Mary. This Joseph is the son of Jacob, and he lived in Egypt many centuries earlier.
- The name
- His mother, Rachel, named him Joseph and asked God for another son. The name means “may God add.” Genesis 30:24; Catholic Encyclopedia (1910), “Joseph”
- Also called
- Zaphenath-paneah: the Egyptian name Pharaoh gave him. The Spanish Bible of 1836 translates it “Savior of the world” Genesis 41:45
- From
- He was born in Paddan-aram, where his father served Laban Genesis 30:25-26; Genesis 35:24, 26
- Occupation
- As a young man, a shepherd. In Egypt, the manager of Potiphar’s household and, later, governor of the whole country Genesis 37:2; Genesis 39:4; Genesis 41:41
What the Bible says
Genesis 30:22-24; Genesis 37:3
22The Lord also remembering Rachel, heard her, and opened her womb. 23And she conceived, and bore a son, saying: God hath taken away my reproach. 24And she called his name Joseph, saying: The Lord give me also another son.
Genesis 37:11, 28; Acts 7:9
11His brethren therefore envied him: but his father considered the thing with himself. 28And when the Madianite merchants passed by, they drew him out of the pit, and sold him to the Ismaelites, for twenty pieces of silver: and they led him into Egypt.
Genesis 41:41; Genesis 45:4-5
And again Pharao said to Joseph: Behold, I have appointed thee over the whole land of Egypt.
Douay-Rheims Bible (Challoner revision), public domain.
The path of Joseph, son of Jacob
- Before Jesus. He was Jacob’s favorite son, and Jacob made him a long tunic. That is why his brothers hated him. Genesis 37:3-4
- Before Jesus. He dreamed that his brothers, and even his parents, bowed down before him. His brothers became even more jealous of him. Genesis 37:5-11
- Before Jesus. His brothers threw him into a dry cistern and sold him for twenty pieces of silver. Genesis 37:24, 28
- With Jesus. In Egypt he was bought by Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh. Potiphar’s wife accused him falsely, and Joseph ended up in prison. Genesis 39:1, 17-20
- With Jesus. He explained Pharaoh’s dreams: seven years of plenty would come, and then seven years of famine. Pharaoh put him in charge of Egypt. Genesis 41:25-30, 41
- With Jesus. His brothers came to buy grain. Joseph made himself known and told them not to be distressed for having sold him. Genesis 42:3, 6; Genesis 45:4-5
- With Jesus. He brought his father and the whole family to Egypt, and he fed them during the famine. Genesis 46:6-7; Genesis 47:11-12
- Afterward. He died at the age of one hundred and ten. Moses took his bones with him, and they were buried in Shechem. Genesis 50:26; Exodus 13:19; Joshua 24:32
Words of Joseph, son of Jacob
“How then can I do this wicked thing, and sin against my God?” Genesis 39:9
When Potiphar’s wife wanted him to lie with her.
“Without me, God shall give Pharao a prosperous answer.” Genesis 41:16
When Pharaoh asked him to explain his dreams.
“I am Joseph, your brother, whom you sold into Egypt.” Genesis 45:4
When at last he made himself known to his brothers.
“Not by your counsel was I sent hither, but by the will of God: who hath made me as it were a father to Pharao, and lord of his whole house, and governor in all the land of Egypt.” Genesis 45:8
In that same conversation, so that his brothers would not be distressed.
“You thought evil against me: but God turned it into good, that he might exalt me, as at present you see, and might save many people.” Genesis 50:20
When his brothers, after Jacob had died, asked him for forgiveness.
What they were like
- As a boy, he told his father about the bad things some of his brothers were doing. Genesis 37:2
- Faithful to God: he refused to sin with his master’s wife, even though she insisted every day. Genesis 39:8-10
- Humble before Pharaoh: he said it was not he, but God, who would give the answer. Genesis 41:16
- He wept many times: when he heard his brothers, when he saw Benjamin and when he embraced his father. Genesis 42:24; Genesis 43:30; Genesis 46:29
The greatest thing they did
- He saved Egypt and his own family from famine. Genesis 41:55-57; Genesis 47:12
- He forgave the brothers who had sold him. He told them that God had turned that evil into good. Genesis 45:4-5; Genesis 50:19-21
Not to be confused with
- Joseph: Joseph, the husband of Mary, lived many centuries later, in Nazareth, and cared for Jesus as a father. This Joseph governed Egypt. Luke 2:39; Luke 3:23; Genesis 41:41
- The father of this Joseph is Jacob, the son of Isaac. Matthew also calls the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary, Jacob; Luke calls him Heli. They are two different men. Genesis 30:24-25; Matthew 1:2, 16; Luke 3:23
In the Church today
In art, recognized by: The long tunic his father made for him From Gn 37, 3; this is how Christian art shows him; The ears of grain and the storehouses of Egypt From Gn 41, 47-49; this is how Christian art shows him
What people ask
Is he the same Joseph as the husband of Mary?
No. They are two different people, many centuries apart. This Joseph lived in Egypt; the husband of Mary lived in Nazareth. Genesis 39:1; Luke 2:39
Why did his brothers sell him?
Out of jealousy: their father loved him more, and Joseph told them dreams in which they bowed down before him. Genesis 37:4, 8, 11; Acts 7:9
Was his tunic a coat of many colors?
The Hebrew says “long tunic.” The ancient Greek translation called it “of many colors,” and the Spanish Bible of 1836 says “embroidered in various colors.” Genesis 37:3; NABRE note on Gn 37, 3
Is Joseph an ancestor of Jesus?
No. Jesus descends from Judah, one of Joseph’s brothers. Matthew 1:2-3; Hebrews 7:14
Where was he buried?
In Shechem. Joseph had asked them to carry his bones out of Egypt, and Moses did it. Genesis 50:25; Exodus 13:19; Joshua 24:32
Daily life As a young man, he tended the flocks with his brothers. Genesis 37:2 In Potiphar’s house he managed everything; his master only had to think about his meals.…
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