Joseph
Jacob’s son, sold into Egypt, who rises to rule under Pharaoh and saves his family from famine.
What the sources say, and how sure we are
- The text says
Joseph is sold by his brothers, rises in Potiphar’s house and in prison, interprets Pharaoh’s dreams, and becomes second to Pharaoh. His family settles in Egypt, and he tells his brothers that God turned their evil to good.Gen 37; Gen 39–41; Gen 46–47; Gen 50:20
- Outside evidence
Egyptian texts treat 110 years as the ideal lifespan, the age at which Genesis says Joseph died. A papyrus in Brooklyn lists Semitic names among household servants in Egypt about 1740 BC. Neither proves Joseph’s story, but both fit the world the story describes.Gen 50:26; Brooklyn Papyrus 35.1446
- Debated
Scholars disagree about when Joseph lived, and whether he fits the period of the Hyksos, Asiatic rulers of Egypt about 1650–1550 BC. No Egyptian record names him.
- Christian conclusion
Christians read Joseph’s story as a picture of God’s providence and of rejection followed by rescue.Gen 50:20; Acts 7:9–14