Playing on the similarity between ufeir'o ("mutilated him") and the last two syllables of Potiphera, the Talmud crafts a bizarre tale that serves two narrative purposes: first, it portrays Potiphar as a sexual predator, thus recasting the entire interaction between Potiphar's wife and Joseph in Genesis 39. Potiphar is the only Egyptian of status who would harbor a grudge against Joseph, given their prior history. The nobles among conquered peoples had greater skills, education, connections, etc. When we last encountered our hero Joseph, he had been sold to traders from the pit his brothers threw him in, had been brought to Egypt as a slave, and had suffered greatly due to his supposedly salacious interactions with Potiphar's wife, all to end up moldering in an Egyptian jail. Joseph is not the only one of our ancestors to engage in an exogamous marriage; indeed, this kind of union can be a successful way to bring people into our group. 267283;The Torah: A Women's Commentary, pp. But if Joseph's story teaches us anything, it is the beauty of resilience and the way life turns unexpectedly. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience. By now, you have no doubt thought to yourself that Potiphera sounds a lot like Potiphar. Dr. Panken's excellent commentary on the naming, neutering, and neutralizing of Joseph's father-in-law Potiphar opens the door for us to ask, what becomes of Joseph withhisnew name, family, and occupation? Potiphera was Joseph's father-in-law and a priest of the Temple in Heliopolis. Things are certainly starting to look up. (biblical) An Egyptian and captain of the guard under Pharaoh. . A modern interpretation might say, "He is God's gift.". Potiphar, the Buyer of Joseph. The traditions that trace Asenath to the family of Jacob relate that she was the daughter born to Dinah following her rape by Shechem son of Hamor. Potiphera's wife is powerful in terms of class and ethnic status, less so as a married woman, but she is dependent on male complicity in the transgressive sex act. Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features. This is the single extra-Biblical occurance of the name. Is Potiphar and potiphera the same person? The Eastern Orthodox Church, which names Josephs first wife as Salome, holds that Joseph was a widower and betrothed to Mary, and that references to Jesus brothers were children of Joseph from a previous marriage. 5 Where was Potiphar located in the Book of Abraham? Potiphar (/ptfr/ POT-if-r; Hebrew: .mw-parser-output .script-hebrew,.mw-parser-output .script-Hebr{font-family:"SBL Hebrew","SBL BibLit","Taamey Ashkenaz","Taamey Frank CLM","Frank Ruehl CLM","Ezra SIL","Ezra SIL SR","Keter Aram Tsova","Taamey David CLM","Keter YG","Shofar","David CLM","Hadasim CLM","Simple CLM","Nachlieli",Cardo,Alef,"Noto Serif Hebrew","Noto Sans Hebrew","David Libre",David,"Times New Roman",Gisha,Arial,FreeSerif,FreeSans}/, Modern:Pfar, Tiberian:Ppar/Ppr; from Late Egyptian: p-dj-p-r, lit. O Bellinzona, Switzerland is a place of extraordinary beauty. Why did Herod like to listen to John the Baptist, who criticized Herods lifestyle? She became the mother of Ephraim and Manasseh, the . 40 Is potiphar and potiphera the same person? I think the latter is probably true). Often you will find the interchangeable re with ra because the vowels are implied by the scribe. Genesis 41:50 And unto Joseph were born two sons before the year of famine came, whom Asenath, the daughter of Potiphera priest of On, bare unto him. Who is this Mark in Colossians 4? Joseph and Asenath. 45 And Pharaoh called Joseph's name Zaphenath-paneah. What can we learn from the account of Potiphars wife? The form "Potiphar" is probably an abbreviation of "Potiphera"; the two are treated as identical in the Septuagint, and are rendered or . I was also going on a hunch about the LXX, which appears not to distinguish between the two names. The founder of this blog, Ed Lundwall, is recovering from Covid. POTIPHAR. also known as: Potipherah. 39 Now Joseph was taken down to Egypt, and Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, the captain of the guard, an Egyptian, bought him from the Ishmaelites wh Potiphera was a priest of Ra (the Egyptian god of the sun) who was based in On (also known as Heliopolis). He then came before Pharaoh and told him that his dream meant there would be seven years of abundance in the land of Egypt followed by seven years of famine. 20 In Egypt, Manasseh and Ephraim were born to Joseph by Asenath daughter of Potiphera, priest of On. Lastly, Joseph seems to have chosen an Egyptian funeral for himself, as he is embalmed (50:26) at the end of the story. The Gospel of Luke says Mary is a virgin betrothed to Joseph, while the Gospel of Matthew says Jesuss virginal conception happens before Mary lives with Joseph in his house, because, in a Jewish wedding, by being betrothed to a man, the woman is already his wife, yet she does not start living in his house until the . What better way then to marry him into a family of aristocrats to ensure he stays in Egypt for the long run? Potiphar's wife, who was known for her infidelities, took a liking to Joseph, and attempted to seduce him. Potiphar seems to be entitled chief cook (EV [Note: English Version.] At various stages of his life, Joseph was a slave, a prisoner, and a national leader. 22 How much is barca in debt? my: Tracing the Hand of Moses in Genesis (deceased) family tree on Geni, with over 230 million profiles of ancestors and living relatives. In the Old Testament she is described simply as Potiphars wife, her name being given only in the Koran. "I pray, when I play pharaoh at White's, that the cards fall as they have come to my . 3 His master saw that the L ord was with him and that the L . We are blessed to live in a country that does not demand we change who we are and what we believe in order to fit in. Is he the same Mark in Acts 15? The meaning of Potiphar or Potiphera in Egyptian is "the one whom god Re has given", i.e., "the gift of god Re". gave [Joseph] Asenath daughter of Potiphera, priest of On, to be his wife." The priest of On led the worship of the Egyptian sun god. of Potipher. When he was castrated in his body, and they recognized it, and they called him "Potiphera," he was ashamed about the matter and he left his ministry, and took himself to a house of idol worship, and he became a priest for idol worship, for thus was the custom of the honored ones [to be castrated]. Asenath was the daughter of POTI PHERA, the governor of On. Thank you for subscribing to emails from ReformJudaism.org! Our team has collected thousands of questions that people keep asking in forums, blogs and in Google . an apologist for the Anglican Way of Christianity. Then we have these rabbis with some fanciful explainations (midrash) about how Potiphar = Potiphera, while other rabbis teach about how they do not equate: both interpretations are indeed represented, but neither one is taught dogmatically. The Egyptian-style embalming and mummification can be excused as a necessity for the trip back to Canaan, but the mourning rituals are so obviously Egyptian that the locals assume (50:11) an important Egyptian has died. According to the Jewish calendar, Joseph was purchased in the year 2216, which is 1544 BC, at the end of the Second Intermediate Period or very beginning of the New Kingdom. However, there is nothing in the Hebrew which suggests that Potiphar was the same person as Potiphera. She promised to kill her husband, so that she could marry Joseph. There remain Potiphar and Potiphera. During the reign of Akhenaton when sun worship was the . According to the documentary hypothesis, the story of Potiphar and his wife is credited to the Yahwist source, and stands in the same place that the stories of the butler and the baker and Pharaoh's dreams stand in the Elohist text. In the Bible, Pharaoh honors Joseph by giving him as a wife Asenath, the daughter of Potiphera, priest from the city of On (LXX: Heliopolis; Gen 41:45). Share a little odd, because they had to show all the essential components - head, chest, legs . After Joseph correctly interpreted Pharaoh's dreams, one of the ways in which Pharaoh rewarded Joseph was by giving him Potiphera's daughter Asenath as his wife, as noted in Genesis 41:45. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. Among many others, two mainstream commentators, Rashi and his grandson Rashbam (Rabbi Samuel ben Meir, France, 1080-1160) duke it out thus: Rashbam: Potiphera - According to the straightforward meaning, this is not Potiphar. blessed be He, emasculated [Potiphar]. (uncountable) The card game faro. May 07 2020 Do you know any good scholars who specialise in the book of Judges? Potiphar later brings Joseph to Pharaoh, who is plagued by inexplicable dreams, and expresses deep regret for having Joseph put in prison, but Joseph understands and forgives Potiphar. Potiphar is possibly the same name as Potiphera (Hebrew: ) from Late Egyptian p-dj-p-r "he whom Ra has given." Potiphar is the captain of Pharaoh's guard who is said to have purchased Joseph as a slave and, impressed by his intelligence, makes him the master of his household. If Potiphar and Poti-phera were the same person, then either (a) the same man was both captain of the guard for Paro and a priest, or (b) he was one and then became the other later. Poti-Pherah means he whom Ra (the sun God) gave. The name is perhaps a deformation of Potiphera (wh. We could learn a lesson about the mysteries of how the world works. (biblical) An Egyptian and captain of the guard under Pharaoh. Noun. Modern scholars have searched, without substantial agreement, for Egyptian words that would shed light on this name, the closest one thus far being the tongue-twisterDjed-pa-netjer-iw-f-ankh, or "The God speaks and he [the bearer of the name] lives," (see "Zaphenath-Paneah" in the Anchor Bible Dictionary, vol. H e lived in Egypt, and his daughter Asenath became Joseph's wife (Gen. 41:45). She was Potiphera's daughter. Sela probably was not a major site i A fresco at Erebuni Fortress in Armenia (8th Century BC) Who is Ben Hur in the movie produced in 1959? Genealogy for Potiphar . For a collection of other versions see BibleHub Matthew 1:19. He names his firstborn son Manasseh (Genesis 41:51) to thank God for helping him forget the troubles of his past; he is physically unrecognizable to his brothers (42:8), perhaps because he may look like an Egyptian; and he swears by Pharaoh (42:15), who is not only his boss, but also an Egyptian deity. Name of an Egyptian officer. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cxe8Gddnlsg. How many children did Mary and Joseph have? How did the spirit of God move upon the face of the waters in Genesis 1:2? Clara Brown. I have learned that in Bible study every jot and tittle counts. Citing the story of the Levite who allowed his concubine to be raped and then murdered her, this passage was one of her proof texts. Alice C. Linsley What is the difference between the LORD'S face and His countenance in Numbers 6:24-27, which is known as the "priest's blessing"? I make no apology for being an Anglican Traditionalist. , VAYESHEV First, we can grapple with a few potential readings of Joseph's newly bestowed Egyptian name, Zaphenath-paneah. Potiphar is the one to whom Joseph(P) was sold and mentioned in the following verses: . Whats The Difference Between Dutch And French Braids? Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License; The supreme ruler of ancient Egypt; a formal address for the sovereign seat of power as personified by the 'king' in an institutional role of Horus son of Osiris; often used by metonymy for Ancient Egyptian sovereignty. He was Joseph's master for a time and, it appears, was a man of wealth. Also, Potiphere is a corruption of Ap-Ophis-Ra! The African wife of Potiphar is very active for a woman who appears only in a chapter of the book of Genesis. dedicated to Ra; i.e., to the sun-god, the Egyptian to whom the Ishmaelites sold Joseph ( Genesis 39:1).He was "captain of the guard", i.e., chief, probably, of the state police, who, while they formed part of the Egyptian army, were also largely employed in civil duties ( 37:36; marg., "chief of the executioners").Joseph, though a foreigner, gradually gained his confidence, and . In Biblical Names the meaning of the name Asenath is: Peril, misfortune. He was taken to Egypt and eventually became steward to Potiphar, one of Pharaohs officials. ), and a priest of On as well. He was the father of Asenath, who was given to Joseph as his wife by Pharaoh, (41:45) and who bore Joseph two sons: Manasseh and Ephraim. Home | About | Contact | Copyright | Report Content | Privacy | Cookie Policy | Terms & Conditions | Sitemap. Persian miniatures often illustrate Yusuf and Zulaikha in Jami's Haft Awrang ("Seven thrones"). Asked May 10 2016 Hebrew: . What are the physical state of oxygen at room temperature? There should be no special quality attached to any name including Potiphar. 2 The Lord was with Joseph so that he prospered, and he lived in the house of his Egyptian master. The supreme ruler of ancient Egypt; a formal address for the sovereign seat of power as personified by the 'king' in an institutional role of Horus son of Osiris; often used by metonymy for Ancient Egyptian sovereignty. Potiphar, Son of Horus. We and our partners use data for Personalised ads and content, ad and content measurement, audience insights and product development. "Poti-phera" is the Hebrew rendering of the Egyptian "P'-di-p'-R'" = "He whom Ra [e., the sun-god] gave." This name has not . Our team has collected thousands of questions that people keep asking in forums, blogs and in Google questions. According to the Hebrew Bible, Potipherah ( / ptfr /, Hebrew: P fera) was a priest of the ancient Egyptian town of On, [1] mentioned in the Genesis 41:45 and 41:50. Azeez's wife declares her purpose to imprison Joseph unless he yield to her solicitations. What is notable is the degree to which Joseph becomes an assimilated Egyptian in the process. When his master saw that the LORD was with him and that the LORD gave him success in . His name possibly indicates the same figure as Potiphera (Hebrew: ). Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. . document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); 2012-2023 On Secret Hunt - All Rights Reserved Joseph and Asenath had two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim, both born during the seven years of plenty. They include red, bl That is a question that I am often asked. What is the difference between divination and prophesy? She gives birth to two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. Potiphar is the captain of Pharaoh's guard who is said to . The medieval Sefer HaYashar, a commentary on the Torah, gives Potiphars wifes name as Zuleikha, as do many Islamic traditions thus the Persian poem called Yusuf and Zulaikha from Jami s Haft Awrang (Seven thrones). Potiphera is pure Egyptian, meaning 'he whom Re gave,' and is essentially the same name as Potiphar. Build your family tree online . Asenath is mentioned in the Torah she-bi-khetav: Lit. Genesis 39:1-23, a high Egyptian official in the story of Joseph.The name is perhaps a deformation of Potiphera (wh. Vote Up These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads. I was suspecting that the name Potiphera must be more of a title, like "Pharoah", than an actual name, and that there was nothing necessarily inconsistent about someone functioning at one instance as an officer of Pharoah (a eunuch? . The Rabbis found it difficult to accept that Joseph, who withstood the wiles of Potiphar's wife and proclaimed his loyalty to the Lord in the palace . The medieval Sefer HaYashar, a commentary on the Torah, gives Potiphar's wife's name as Zuleikha, as do many Islamic traditions - thus the Persian poem called Yusuf and Zulaikha from Jami's Haft Awrang "Seven thrones". Why Cant You Mount A Horse From The Right Side? In Parshat Miketz, Genesis 41, the pharaoh gave Joseph the daughter of Potiphera, the priest of On, to marry. Here are guidelines to help facilitate a meaningful learning experience for everyone. The first was a ha Alice C. Linsley Abraham, Moses , Samuel, and David were all Horite Hebrew as evidenced by the common marriage and ascendancy pattern Alice C. Linsley Sela was the capital of Edom. The 13 New Testament books written by Paul (the epistles) make no reference to him at all, nor does the Gospel of Mark, the first of the Gospels. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics". If Potiphar's daughter is now marrying Joseph, Potiphar will be forced to support him. You will receive a link and will create a new password via email. Potiphar is only mentioned in 2 chapters in Genesis. All rights reserved. Does God gives us political leaders or do we vote them by choice? Report. He was responsible for the personal protection of the Egyptian King, his family and court; as well as presiding over the Royal Prison. Poti-phera (3 Occurrences). Zaphnath-Paaneah (Biblical Hebrew: fna Pana, LXX: Psonthomphanch) is the name given by Pharaoh to Joseph in the Genesis narrative (Genesis 41:45). Vote Up This issue came up from a discussion on an atheist blog. Asenath is the daughter of Potiphera and a wife of Joseph (41). Matthew Miller Are cryptocurrencies, bitcoin, and bitpay the begining of one world government in the book of Revelation? Not the best moment in his life, one must imagine. Dream a Little Dream, and Then Interpret It, Israel in Egypt: From Valued Subjects to Persecuted Minority, On the Other Hand: Ten Minutes of Torah: The Meaning of Our Miracle - Parashat Mikeitz, Association of Reform Zionists of America (ARZA). A second issue in our verse is the role of matchmaker the Torah assigns to Pharaoh. NIV - The higher the vote, the further up an answer is. The story became a very common subject in Western art during the Renaissance and Baroque periods, usually depicting the moment when Joseph tears himself away from the bed containing a more-or-less naked figure of Potiphar's wife. Potiphar. 26 How does bunkering work? And he gave him in marriage Asenath, the daughter of Potiphera priest of On. The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional". How old was Joseph when Potiphars wife tried to seduce him? After appointing Joseph as viceroy, Pharaoh gave him as a wife Asenath, daughter of Potiphera, priest of On. Feminism is grounded on the principle that women are universally oppressed by the dominant male hierarchy. Rav said: He bought him for himself [that is, for his own sexual purposes], but [the angel] Gabriel came and castrated him and then Gabriel came and mutilated him (ufeir'o), for originally his name is written Potiphar but afterwards Potiphera. Potiphar's wife attempted to seduce Joseph. He was the father of Asenath, who was given to Joseph as his wife by Pharaoh, ( 41:45 . Community answers are sorted based on votes. Lost your password? 6[Doubleday: New York, 1992]). How do you give a first aid to a drowning person? eyeli Todays free book is The Bible and Archaeology by Frederic G. Kenyon, Dedicated to Ra; i.e., to the sun-god, . This is the single extra-Biblical occurance of the name. An example of data being processed may be a unique identifier stored in a cookie. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. Others explain that the fact that the Torah uses two different names indicates that they are two different people. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. In Hebrew, "officer" is (saris), the captain of the guard is (sar tabbach).According to HALOT (The Hebrew and Aramaic Lexicon of the Old Testament), saris means high official eunuch. In another early text, The History of Joseph the Carpenter, which was composed in Egypt between the 6th and 7th centuries, Christ himself tells the story of his step-father, claiming Joseph was 90 years old when he married Mary and died at 111. [3], Joseph and Potiphar's Wife by Ludovico Cigoli, Guercino, Joseph and Potiphar's Wife, 1649, Joseph and Potiphar's Wife by Bartolom Esteban Perez Murillo, Joseph and Potiphar's Wife by Jean-Baptiste Nattier, Joseph and Potiphar's Wife, by Guido Reni 1631, Joseph and Potiphar's Wife by Rembrandt, 1634. The Lord is still with Joseph, and the prison's commander puts him in charge. . When he married the daughter of Potiphera, the priest of On, Yosef became a member of a socially and politically prominent family. Joseph, in the Old Testament, son of the patriarch Jacob and his wife Rachel. There were two men in the tale with similar names Potiphar and Potiphera. 39 Now Joseph had been brought down to Egypt, and l Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, the captain of the guard, an Egyptian, m had bought him from the n Ishmaelites who had brought him down there. Joseph's experience in the house of Potiphar was both rewarding and disappointing. Still, our speculation is based on verifiable patterns in Genesis.Also, you are lifting up something that many Americans don't understand about slavery in the ancient world. Potiphar's wife attempted to seduce Joseph. ( Ge 37:36; 39:4) Potiphar purchased Joseph from the traveling Midianite merchants and, observing what a good servant Joseph was . The names of Potiphar are deconstructed and read as Hebrew roots, rendering terms that are related to idolatry. There remain Potiphar and Potiphera. How can Jesus be both God and man at the same time? So Joseph went out over the land of Egypt. 0 responses He spent Rashi, along the lines of earlier translators and commentators, draws on the Hebrew root tzadi-fei-nun, meaning "hidden," to explain that Joseph's Egyptian name means "one who explains the hidden," but he also readily admits that there is "nothing similar to 'paneah' in the Bible." One can almost imagine Pharaoh seeing Joseph as a critical economic minister he needs to keep happy to ensure his country's continuity. The names Potiphar and Potiphera are very similar. Supporter. Answer and Explanation: Joseph has one wife, Asenath the daughter of Potiphar the priest of On, whom he marries in Egypt. It is later mentioned in Genesis 41:50 that before the years of famine, Joseph had two sons with Asenath. The LORD was with Joseph so that he prospered, and he lived in the house of his Egyptian master. In 2Kg 20:18 and Is 38:7, the word is translated as "eunuch"; and it . What uses graphics or pictures to help the user navigate and access programs? As for Jesus, he was probably somewhere between 12 and 19 years old when Joseph of Nazareth died. He was responsible for the personal protection of the Egyptian King, his family and court; as well as presiding over the Royal Prison. 'On' was another name for Heliopolis, which was the religious centre of Ra, the god representing the sun. Second, God calls His people to live . (Since the midrash assumes that Potiphar is the same as Poti-phera, father to Asenath, Potiphar's wife would have been Asenath's mother, a kind of Mrs. Robinson figure [as . Rashi: Potiphera - This is Potiphar, and he is called Potiphera because he was castrated, since he bought Joseph to sleep with him. That would mean that Asenath really was, according to blood, of the house of Jacob, even though the Scriptures say that she was daughter (adopted?) new name, family, and occupation? The Pharaoh is said to have given Joseph, Asenath daughter of Potiphera, priest of On, as his wife. Alice C. Linsley . The same is true of the use of the title Pharao for kings earlier than the eighteenth dynasty, which is quite in keeping with Egyptian usage at the time of the nineteenth dynasty. An Egyptian court official and chief of Pharaoh's bodyguard. In this reading, Joseph is nothing but an object for whom Potiphar and his wife (now both predators) compete. I read one commentary, which says yes, (including Rashi) and another, which says no. Amram married his aunt, Jochebed, the sister of his father Kehath. Potiphar, an Egyptian who was one of Pharaoh's officials, the captain of the guard, bought him from the Ishmaelites who had taken him there. It does not store any personal data. I do believe that Potifre refers to the office of a devotee of Re however. pharaoh, (from Egyptian per aa, great house), originally, the royal palace in ancient Egypt. Your email address will not be published. Heliopolis is Biblical On and was an Ainu shrine. Also Known As: "Potifera", "Poti-phera", "Potiphera" Birthdate: estimated before . How did Jesus sit on the donkey and her offspring on one time in Matthew 21:5-8? You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. Who was Joseph's boss? His brothers were jealous of him and sold him into slavery. POTIPHAR.Gen 39:1-23, a high Egyptian official in the story of Joseph. The story of the encounter between Joseph and the Wife of Potiphar can be read in full in Genesis 39:6-20. Report He is the maternal grandfather of the Israelite patriarchs Manasseh and Ephraim. When Joseph refused her advances, and ran off, leaving his outer vestment in her hands, she retaliated by falsely accusing him of trying to rape her, and Potiphar had Joseph imprisoned. Joseph is not the only one of our ancestors to engage in an exogamous marriage; indeed, this kind of union can be a successful way to bring people into our group. Please enter your email address. GENESIS through the lens of Anthropology The name Potiphar is written slightly different (no final ayin and written as one word) but means the same as Potiphera. a high-born, aristocratic Egyptian woman, the daughter of Potiphera, a priest of On. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. What is the difference between a sign and a wonder? Such a fantastic accusation on Rashi's part is surely surprising, but he comes by it honestly. In Hebrew this name means nothing at all. For example, here is the verse at Genesis 39:1; 'As for Joseph, he was brought down to Egypt, and Potiphar, a court official of Pharao. As a result of Potiphar's inappropriate male actions toward Joseph, the angel Gabriel castrated him as an act of divine justice, rendering him unable to continue such predatory activities. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. Why didnt Abraham bargain with God when it came to Isaac being offered as a burnt offering like he did when it came to Sodom and Gomorrah? Best wishes from the AskTheRabbi.org Team, AskTheRabbi.org is a service ofthe Gateways Organization [year]