Report. POTIPHAR.Gen 39:1-23, a high Egyptian official in the story of Joseph. The Torah in which the story appears (see also the Bible and the Quran), was the earliest written of the three: c. 600 BC during the Babylonian Exile. The text isn't clear and the Rabbis don't agree. Wherever Joseph was, God was at work in his life in ways Joseph could not have understood at the time. What happened to Potiphar after that is unclear; some sources identify him as Potipherah, an Egyptian priest whose daughter, Asenath, marries Joseph. After Pharaoh appoints him overlord of Egypt, Joseph marries Asenath, the daughter of Potiphera, priest of On. Josephus, Philo and many rabbinical passages concur that the two men were distinct. The names Potiphar and Potiphera can be viewed as being one and the same, as Egyptian writing does not always indicate vowels. 'On' was another name for Heliopolis, which was the religious centre of Ra, the god representing the sun. . Required fields are marked *. an apologist for the Anglican Way of Christianity. The higher the vote, the further up an answer is. 1 Are Pharaoh and Potiphar the same person? 3 His master saw that the L ord was with him and that the L . Who is Potiphar? (uncountable) The card game faro. 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. H e lived in Egypt, and his daughter Asenath became Joseph's wife (Gen. 41:45). What happens to Joseph and Potiphars relationship? Many lessons can be learned from the story of Joseph and Potiphar. Potiphar is Pharaoh's officer, the captain of the guard(Gen 37:36; 39:1). 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. . The name Potiphar is written slightly different (no final ayin and written as one word) but means the same as Potiphera. see) or an unsuccessful attempt to form an Egyptian name on the same lines. . And so, Pharaoh selects the daughter of the Priest of On, a man named Potiphera. Was Joseph wrong to marry the daughter of a pagan priest (Genesis 41)? . Please enter your email address. He was taken to Egypt and eventually became steward to Potiphar, one of Pharaohs officials. According to BDB Theological Dictionary Potiphar is an abbreviation of Potiphera. Potiphera was Joseph's father-in-law and a priest of the Temple in Heliopolis. The story is first related in Quran 12:21-35: An Egyptian purchases Joseph and proposes to adopt him. The view that the names Potiphar and Potiphera refer to men of high rank is supported by the stela of Potiphera in Cairo Museum. 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. One has already been given in Exod 2,21 which describes Moses marriage with Zipporah, the daughter of a priest of Midian, who bears him two sons, Gershom and Eliezer (Exod 2,22; 18,3). Is Potiphar and potiphera the same person? Potiphar, the Buyer of Joseph. His brothers were jealous of him and sold him into slavery. Sethite Hebrew priest of Nekheb on the Nile with authority over the palace. (Mark 2:15). Answer (1 of 11): No. I was also going on a hunch about the LXX, which appears not to distinguish between the two names. McKinlay (1995) noted that Potiphars wife is treated as an object in his masters possession (Gen 39:89), and the reason Joseph refuses is not because he doesnt want to have sex with her, but because it would violate his masters trust and be a sin against the God Yahweh. Why Do Cross Country Runners Have Skinny Legs? Potiphar and His Wife. Potiphar puts Joseph in prison. Our experts have done a research to get . He spent Once he accurately interprets these dreams he is well on the road to prosperity and self-sufficiency, as Pharaoh places him in charge of all of Egypt for the coming feast/famine cycle. 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. Share The Midianites sold Joseph in Egypt to POTIPHAR, chief of the slaughterers. Who is potiphera in the In the Book of Jubilees, she is said to be given to Joseph to marry by Pharaoh, a daughter of Potiphar, a high priest of Heliopolis, with no clarification as to whether or not this Potiphar is the same Potiphar whose wife falsely accused Joseph of attempting to rape her. Clarify Others explain that the fact that the Torah uses two different names indicates that they are two different people. Perhaps this is a cautionary tale for those of us whose names were shortened, whose appearance is adjusted, and whose lifestyles are tailored to fit into a perceived American ideal. The meaning of Potiphar or Potiphera in Egyptian is "the one whom god Re has given", i.e., "the gift of god Re". Did Joseph of Egypt have more than one wife? Also, Potiphere is a corruption of Ap-Ophis-Ra! Now, the student of Egypt can do some real homework regarding the time of this so-called pharaoh! Joseph, in the Old Testament, son of the patriarch Jacob and his wife Rachel. 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. Share 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. That said, rabbinic interpretation is not authoritative for Christians.The standard interpretation is that Potiphe-re is a corruption of Ap-Ophis-Ra. (deceased) family tree on Geni, with over 230 million profiles of ancestors and living relatives. Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet. I make no apology for being an Anglican Traditionalist. new name, family, and occupation? 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"? of Potiphera. We sin against Gods honor by putting anyone or anything in Gods place. Supporter. But Radak (Rabbi David Kimchi, Narbonne, France, ca. 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 Why did Jesus associate with disreputable people? There should be no special quality attached to any name including Potiphar. Heliopolis is Biblical On and was an Ainu shrine. Potiphar is the only Egyptian of status who would harbor a grudge against Joseph, given their prior history. His name means he whom Ra has given. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads. She requested from Joseph to teach her the word of his God and that she and her husband would change to his God if Joseph did her wish. He also gave him a wife, whose name was Asenath. 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. 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. For Joseph to refuse Potiphar's wife was for him to honour his owner Potipharand to dishonour God, his true master. I think the latter is probably true). In the Old Testament she is described simply as Potiphar's wife, her name being given only in the Koran. How Do You Get Rid Of Hiccups In 5 Seconds. But this verse tells us that Poti-phera was a priest, while in 39:1 Potiphar was the captain of the guard. A second issue in our verse is the role of matchmaker the Torah assigns to Pharaoh. She accuses Joseph of an attempt to dishonour her. .". There were two men in the tale with similar names Potiphar and Potiphera. Mikeitz, Genesis 41:1-44:17The Torah: A Modern Commentary, pp. What happens to atoms during chemical reaction? Azeez believes Joseph and condemns his wife. A reader has asked whether Potiphar and Potifera might be the same person. According to the opinion that they are two different people the question is easily answered - the Torah says that Potiphera was the priest of . His eyesight has been affected and his left Joseph has one wife, Asenath the daughter of Potiphar the priest of On, whom he marries in Egypt. In Genesis 41: 45, it says that Asenath was "given" to Joseph by Pharaoh. They include red, bl That is a question that I am often asked. See e.g. Hebrew: . Asenath was the daughter of POTI PHERA, the governor of On. Believers and non-believers can see it as an illustration of the need to keep trying and persevere. Lastly, Joseph seems to have chosen an Egyptian funeral for himself, as he is embalmed (50:26) at the end of the story. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience. The story of the encounter between Joseph and the Wife of Potiphar can be read in full in Genesis 39:6-20. Father Abraham, justified by faith, saw the promise of the Son to come and believed! Does God gives us political leaders or do we vote them by choice? Best wishes from the AskTheRabbi.org Team, AskTheRabbi.org is a service ofthe Gateways Organization [year] 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]. 40 Is potiphar and potiphera the same person? 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. Maybe Potipher purchased Asenath on one slave dealing caravan and then came back through Shechem a few years later to see if he could bargain for more, whereupon he came upon Joseph's evil brothers who were ready to make a deal? Was John the Baptist conceived via an immaculate conception? If you would like to change your settings or withdraw consent at any time, the link to do so is in our privacy policy accessible from our home page.. She gives birth to two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh. Because Joseph her husband was faithful to the law, and yet did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly. TimesMojo is a social question-and-answer website where you can get all the answers to your questions. However, now we believe that Mary and Joseph were both in their teens when Jesus was born, around sixteen and eighteen respectively. Genesis 41:45 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. Is the devil was man, and if so will he be saved? Pleasecontact the AskTheRabbi Support team. The Pharaoh is said to have given Joseph, Asenath daughter of Potiphera, priest of On, as his wife. 45 Then Pharaoh gave Joseph a new Egyptian name, Zaphenath-paneah. But the former title 'cook' may be . , VAYESHEV Two of Joseph's brothers . On was a city in northern Egypt noted for worship of the Sun God. This issue came up from a discussion on an atheist blog. How many wives did Joseph in the Bible have? We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. Joseph and Asenath. Asenath means 'belonging to (goddess) Neith.' Potiphera was priest of On, one of the most influential offices in Egypt. 26 How does bunkering work? Answer (1 of 7): This is an interesting question. Potiphar's wife also seems to be owned by Potiphar. (biblical) An Egyptian and captain of the guard under Pharaoh. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit.Morbi adipiscing gravdio, sit amet suscipit risus ultrices eu.Fusce viverra neque at purus laoreet consequa.Vivamus vulputate posuere nisl quis consequat. ( Ge 37:36; 39:4) Potiphar purchased Joseph from the traveling Midianite merchants and, observing what a good servant Joseph was . Genealogy for Potiphar . It was mostly high-ranking people who were slaves. Is it the same person? 40 Is potiphar and potiphera the same person? This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. pharaoh, (from Egyptian per aa, great house), originally, the royal palace in ancient Egypt. It does not store any personal data. What is notable is the degree to which Joseph becomes an assimilated Egyptian in the process. What is the story of Joseph and Potiphar? 264277; Revised Edition, pp. Are Pharaoh and Potiphar the same person? A final question remains, however: why in the world, given their relationship thus far, would Pharaoh want Joseph to marry Potiphar's (if it is Potiphar!) Joseph was a teenager when his family had last seen him. However, there is nothing in the Hebrew which suggests that Potiphar was the same person as Potiphera. 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. The first sentence is correct as although "father's grandfather" and "grandfather's father" are referring to the same person but at the time of speaking/referring, they are the instances of a singleton personality. a little odd, because they had to show all the essential components - head, chest, legs . Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. Potiphar being a high ranking official of the Pharaoh, owned his own field as well as his house . Joseph and Potiphar's Wife. phar) [from Egyptian, a shortened form of Potiphera]. She was Potiphera's daughter. The nobles among conquered peoples had greater skills, education, connections, etc. Does the devil have power to make us sick? We sin against Gods honor by blaspheming God or perjuring ourselves. He was Joseph's master for a time and, it appears, was a man of wealth. Rabbi Aaron D. Panken, Ph.D., serves as president of Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in New York. To view the purposes they believe they have legitimate interest for, or to object to this data processing use the vendor list link below. Sela probably was not a major site i A fresco at Erebuni Fortress in Armenia (8th Century BC) At one time, Joseph was assumed to be elderly when he married Mary. Pharaoh gave Asenath to Joseph for a wife. Potiphere and Potiphere are the same person. The Egyptian's wife endeavours to seduce Joseph but he was preserved from her enticements. Answer and Explanation: Joseph has one wife, Asenath the daughter of Potiphar the priest of On, whom he marries in Egypt. Analysis of the marriage and ascendancy structure of Moses' family reveals the distinctive pattern of the Horite ruler-priest caste. Dr. Alice C. Linsley Taken together, the biblical data indicat Asenath or Asnat combines two ancient Egyptian words: The Kushites are the Nilo-Saharan peoples who contributed their binary worldview to the ancient Afro-Asiatic world . 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. Is Potiphar and potiphera the same person? These Genesis stories were written, not by Moses, but by the Patriarchs pre-dating Moses. The commentators run wild with this possibility, but there is little ultimate agreement. 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. Matthew Miller What is the story of Joseph and his brothers. it is clear that Potiphar was a powerful person . Potipherah /ptfr/ was a priest of the ancient Egyptian town of On, mentioned in the Genesis 41:45 and 41:50. But who, exactly, is this Potiphera Priest of On? What are the physical state of oxygen at room temperature? What follows is a general consideration of beauty as the Good. 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. Azeez's wife declares her purpose to imprison Joseph unless he yield to her solicitations. He was Joseph's master for a time and, it appears, was a man of wealth. . When forty years of age, Joseph married a woman called Melcha or Escha by some, Salome by others; they lived forty-nine years together and had six children, two daughters and four sons, the youngest of whom was James (the Less, the Lords brother). Did Potiphars wife not only try to seduce him day by day, but perhaps even year by year? Some scholars think this could be the same person as Potiphar. Persian miniatures often illustrate Yusuf and Zulaikha in Jami's Haft Awrang ("Seven thrones"). After successfully interpreting the dreams of two fellow prisoners and humbly declaring his interpretive powers as entirely derived from God, Joseph finds himself suddenly called to Pharaoh's palace to help the master of all Egypt with two problematic dreams of his own. Why did Herod like to listen to John the Baptist, who criticized Herods lifestyle? In this quotation, al-abari understands the word al-Azz as the king, which gives the same impression of a mighty person, . This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. What is the story of Joseph and Potiphar? He was the father of Asenath, who was given to Joseph as his wife by Pharaoh, ( 41:45 . ), and Joseph (q.v.) Analysis of the marriage and ascendancy structure of Abraham's Horite people reveals that the rulers had two wives. 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. While there is not much in the way of biblical evidence for such a reading, such fascinating and playful interpretation helps heighten Joseph's climb to fame, even as it further lowers the status of the evil Potiphar in response to his prior sin in mistreating Joseph. Does God gives us political leaders or do we vote them by choice? Get our Question of the Week delivered right to your inbox! 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. What is the difference between the priests and the Levites? Not the best moment in his life, one must imagine. . Do you know any good scholars who specialise in the book of Judges? In this reading, Joseph is nothing but an object for whom Potiphar and his wife (now both predators) compete. The name is perhaps a deformation of Potiphera (wh. also known as: Potipherah. Potiphar is only mentioned in 2 chapters in Genesis. 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? 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? There is no reason to assume that the officer of Pharoah's guard, whose wife . Whats The Difference Between Dutch And French Braids? In the Old Testament she is described simply as Potiphars wife, her name being given only in the Koran. 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. We could learn a lesson about the mysteries of how the world works. The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional". ), and Joseph (q.v.) Vote Up Potiphar's wife, who was known for her infidelities, took a liking to Joseph, and attempted to seduce him. "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 . With the Torah's focus on family dynamics, it is rather odd that we learn, then, of Joseph's marriage in one short and strange verse (Genesis 41:45): Pharaoh called Joseph Zaphenath-paneah and gave him Asenath daughter of Potiphera priest of On, as a wife; thus Joseph came to be in charge of the land of Egypt. But if Joseph's story teaches us anything, it is the beauty of resilience and the way life turns unexpectedly. Potiphar, Pot'i-phar. If so, both the captain of the guard and the high priest of Heliopolis bore the same name, but would not be the same person. 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. 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. 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. By clicking Accept All, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. An Egyptian court official and chief of Pharaoh's bodyguard. 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 . Such a fantastic accusation on Rashi's part is surely surprising, but he comes by it honestly. She is the subject of many verbs and they are unusual ones for a female biblical character. 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. There is no definitive answer to your question! Everything we know about Saint Joseph, the husband of Mary and the foster father of Jesus, comes from the Bible, and mentions of him are underwhelming. 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. Your email address will not be published. 'captain of the guard'), and likewise saris, 'eunuch' of Pharaoh.. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. Home | About | Contact | Copyright | Report Content | Privacy | Cookie Policy | Terms & Conditions | Sitemap. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); 2012-2023 On Secret Hunt - All Rights Reserved At various stages of his life, Joseph was a slave, a prisoner, and a national leader. Potiphars titles, servant of Pharaoh and chief of the cooks, while not Egyptian in themselves, may well be Hebrew translations of two Egyptian titles. How to say potiphar in English? Our team has collected thousands of questions that people keep asking in forums, blogs and in Google questions. Our team has collected thousands of questions that people keep asking in forums, blogs and in Google . 5 Where was Potiphar located in the Book of Abraham? . 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?) The Spanish authority Ramban (Nachmanides, 1194-1270), expands on Rashi and the Talmudic interpretation: And I say that according to the words of our Rabbis, Potiphar was a minister to Pharaoh. 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. The story of Zuleika, wife of Potiphar (q.v. Where did the names Potiphar and Potiphera come from? Enter two words to compare and contrast their definitions, origins, and synonyms to better understand how those words are related. 267283;The Torah: A Women's Commentary, pp. Who is this Mark in Colossians 4? The names Potiphar and Potiphera are very similar. 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. A Jewish legend makes him the same person as Potiphar, whose wife was in love with Joseph and whose false accusation got him thrown in prison. Is it easy to get an internship at Microsoft? It is later mentioned in Genesis 41:50 that before the years of famine, Joseph had two sons with Asenath. POTIPHAR. Why did Herod like to listen to John the Baptist, who criticized Herods lifestyle? The African wife of Potiphar is very active for a woman who appears only in a chapter of the book of Genesis. Verse 45 says, "Pharaoh . Earth's history. 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. 40 What's vodka made from? blessed be He, emasculated [Potiphar]. 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. 45 And Pharaoh called Joseph's name Zaphenath-paneah. It's a site that collects all the most frequently asked questions and answers, so you don't have to spend hours on searching anywhere else. Unfortunately, Josephs relationship is irrevocably damaged when Potiphars wife falsely accuses Joseph of trying to rape her, resulting in Josephs imprisonment. I do believe that Potifre refers to the office of a devotee of Re however. Alice C. Linsley The Lord is still with Joseph, and the prison's commander puts him in charge. This precise situation is described by the Babylonian Talmud, Sotah 13b: And Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh's, bought him [Joseph]. Potiphera was a priest of Ra (the Egyptian god of the sun) who was based in On (also known as Heliopolis). to Potiphar's wife, it is possible to argue for a reading that suggests that Joseph's sin is not that he contemplated sleeping with Potiphar's wife, but that he refused to do so. Please ensure your answer MEETS all our guidelines. When those around him see what has happened, they give him a mocking title with what sounds like a more feminine Hebrew ending, reflecting his newfound lack of male sexuality.

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