General Notes

Joseph (Hebrew, “he shall add”), in the Old Testament, the 11th son of the patriarch Jacob, or Israel, by his favorite wife, Rachel. According to the account in Genesis 30-50, Joseph was the firstborn of Rachel. Joseph was envied by his brothers, particularly after Jacob expressed his partiality toward him by giving him a “coat of many colors,” and they sold him into slavery. Taken to Egypt by his master, Joseph later won the favor of the pharaoh by interpreting his dream and prophesying from it seven years of prosperity to be followed by seven years of famine. The pharaoh made Joseph his highest official and charged him with collecting food to be used during the years of famine. When the famine came, the Egyptians were able to survive as a result of Joseph's foresight. Joseph's brothers came to Egypt for supplies, and Joseph revealed himself to them. In the reconciliation that followed, Jacob moved his entire family to Egypt and settled in Goshen, where his descendants remained and multiplied until Moses led them out of Egypt. The story of Joseph was used by the author of Genesis to account for the Israelites' presence in Egypt before the exodus. Moses carried Joseph's bones during the exodus march and subsequently buried them at Shechem.


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