Asenath אָֽסְנַת
Egyptian wife of Joseph; mother of Manasseh and Ephraim
Who is Asenath in the Bible?
Asenath was an Egyptian woman who became the wife of Joseph during his rise to power in Egypt. The daughter of Potiphera, a priest of On, she was given to Joseph by Pharaoh as a reward when Joseph was appointed as Egypt's second-in-command (Genesis 41:45, 50). Asenath bore Joseph two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim, who became the patriarchs of two of the twelve tribes of Israel (Genesis 46:20). Though Egyptian by birth, Asenath's role as Joseph's wife and mother of these tribal leaders made her significant in Israel's history, linking the chosen line to Egypt during a critical period of growth.
Biography
Asenath was an Egyptian woman who became the wife of Joseph, the son of Israel (or 'Jacob'), during his rise to power in Egypt. She was the daughter of Potiphera, a priest of On (Heliopolis), and was given to Joseph by Pharaoh as a wife when he was appointed as the second-in-command over Egypt. Asenath bore Joseph two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim, who would later become the patriarchs of two of the twelve tribes of Israel. As the wife of Joseph and the mother of two important tribal leaders, Asenath played a significant role in the history of Israel, despite her Egyptian background.
Family
Parents
In Scripture
1 biblical book ; 1 with study contentGenesis 3 verses
- Genesis 41:45
"Pharaoh gave Joseph the name Zaphenath-paneah, and he gave him Asenath daughter of Potiphera, priest of On, to be his wife. And Joseph took charge of all the land of Egypt."
Study Genesis → - Genesis 41:50
"Before the years of famine arrived, two sons were born to Joseph by Asenath daughter of Potiphera, priest of On."
Study Genesis → - Genesis 46:20
"Manasseh and Ephraim were born to Joseph in the land of Egypt by Asenath daughter of Potiphera, priest of On."
Study Genesis →
Names & Aliases
| Form | Language | Script |
|---|---|---|
| Named | Hebrew | אָֽסְנַת |
Asenath
:20). She was evidently an Egyptian woman and bore an Egyptian name. '-c-n-t, pointed by the Massoretes as 'acenath, appears in the Septuagint as aseneth or asenneth. The last two consonants appear to represent the name of the Egyptian goddess Neith. The first part of the name will then represent either ns = "belonging to" (so Brugsch and generally), or 'ws-n (note the doubled "n" in the Septuagint transcription) = "she belongs to" (so Spiegelberg). It is possible that these four letters represent the Egyptian name Sn-t (so Lieblein and others), though the 'aleph (') must then be explained as 'aleph prostheticum and the taw (t) would be less regular than a he (h) to stand for the Egyptian feminine t.
J. Oscar Boyd
a'-ser (Aser): the King James Version: Greek form of Asher (thus the Revised Version (British and American)) (Lu 2:36; Re 7:6).
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