Genesis 41:45 — meaning, Hebrew and Greek word study, commentary
Genesis 41:45
And Pharaoh called Joseph’s name Zaphnathpaaneah; and he gave him to wife Asenath the daughter of Potipherah priest of On. And Joseph went out over all the land of Egypt.
to call out to (i.e. properly · conjunction + verb, qal sequential imperfect, 3rd person masculine singular
Joseph’s
יוֹסֵף֮yo.Sef
H3130
Joseph · proper noun, a man's name
name
שֵׁםshem-
H8034
an appellation · noun, common masculine singular construct
Zaphnath-paaneah
צָֽפְנַ֣תtza.fe.Nat
H6847
Tsophnath-Paneach · proper noun, a man's name
gave
וַיִּתֶּןvai.yi.ten-
H5414
to give · conjunction + verb, qal sequential imperfect, 3rd person masculine singular
wife
לְאִשָּׁ֑הle.'i.Shah
H802
a woman · preposition + noun, common feminine singular absolute
Asenath
אָֽסְנַ֗ת'a.se.Nat
H621
Asenath · proper noun, a woman's name
daughter
בַּתbat-
H1323
a daughter (used in the same wide sense as other terms… · noun, common feminine singular construct
Poti-pherah
פּ֥וֹטִיPo.ti
H6319
Poti-Phera · proper noun, a man's name
priest
כֹּהֵ֥ןko.Hen
H3548
literally one officiating · noun, common masculine singular construct
On
אֹ֖ן'on
H204
On · proper noun, a place name
Joseph
יוֹסֵ֖ףyo.Sef
H3130
Joseph · proper noun, a man's name
out
וַיֵּצֵ֥אvai.ye.Tze'
H3318
to go (causatively · conjunction + verb, qal sequential imperfect, 3rd person masculine singular
land
אֶ֥רֶץ'E.retz
H776
the earth (at large · noun, common feminine singular construct
Egypt
מִצְרָֽיִםmitz.Ra.yim
H4714
Mitsrajim · proper noun, a place name
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (James Strong, 1890/1894), public domain; digitized by Open Scriptures (CC BY-SA). KJV word tagging: eBible.org (public domain). Original-language text, parsing and brief lexicon: STEPBible.org data from Tyndale House, Cambridge (CC BY 4.0).
Cross-references
Genesis 46:20 And unto Joseph in the land of Egypt were born Manasseh and Ephraim, which Asenath the daughter of Poti-pherah priest of On bare unto him.
Exodus 2:16 Now the priest of Midian had seven daughters: and they came and drew water, and filled the troughs to water their father’s flock.
Ezekiel 30:17 The young men of Aven and of Pi-beseth shall fall by the sword: and these cities shall go into captivity.
Genesis 14:18 And Melchizedek king of Salem brought forth bread and wine: and he was the priest of the most high God.
2 Samuel 8:18 And Benaiah the son of Jehoiada was over both the Cherethites and the Pelethites; and David’s sons were chief rulers.
2 Samuel 20:26 And Ira also the Jairite was a chief ruler about David.
Luke 2:1 And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Cæsar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed.
Acts 11:28 And there stood up one of them named Agabus, and signified by the Spirit that there should be great dearth throughout all the world: which c…
Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).
Commentary
Matthew Henry on Genesis 41:33-45
Here is, I. The good advice that Joseph gave to Pharaoh, which was, 1. That in the years of plenty he should lay up for the years of famine, buy up corn when it was cheap, that he might both enrich himself and supply the country when it would be dear and scarce. Note, Fair warning should always be followed with good counsel. Therefore the prudent man foresees the evil, that he may hide himself. God has in his word told us of a day of trial and exigence before us, when we shall need all the grace we can get, and all little enough, "Now, therefore, provide accordingly." Note, further, Times of gathering must be diligently improved, because there will come a time of spending. Let us go to the a…
Zaphnath-paaneah--variously interpreted, "revealer of secrets"; "saviour of the land"; and from the hieroglyphics, "a wise man fleeing from pollution"--that is, adultery.
gave him to wife Asenath, the daughter of--His naturalization was completed by this alliance with a family of high distinction. On being founded by an Arab colony, Poti-pherah, like Jethro, priest of Midian, might be a worshipper of the true God; and thus Joseph, a pious man, will be freed from the charge of marrying an idolatress for worldly ends.
On--called Aven (Eze 30:17) and also Beth-shemesh (Jer 43:13). In looking at this profusion of honors heaped suddenly upon Joseph, it cannot be doubted that he would humbly…
Zaphnath-paaneah - The meaning of this title is as little known as that of abrech in the preceding verse. Some translate it, The revealer of secrets; others, The treasury of glorious comfort. St. Jerome translates the whole verse in the most arbitrary manner. Vertitque nomen ejus, et vocavit eum, lingua Aegyptiaca, Salvatorem mundi. "And he changed his name, and called him in the Egyptian language, The savior of the world." None of the Asiatic versions acknowledge this extraordinary gloss, and it is certainly worthy of no regard. The Anglo-Saxon nearly copies the Vulgate: And named him in Egyptian, The healer of the world. All the etymologies hitherto given of this word are, to say the least…
The Church Fathers
NICKNAME OF JOSEPH. — Pharaoh gave the name Zaphenath-paneah . It is said that this name means "revealed things hidden". Obviously it is because Joseph revealed to the king his dreams. They say that in the Egyptian language this name means "savior of the world". [
(Verse 45) And Pharaoh called Joseph's name Saphaneth Phanee, and he gave him Aseneth, the daughter of Potiphera, priest of Heliopolis, as his wife. Although this name sounds like the revealer of hidden things in Hebrew, because it is Egyptian, it must have its own meaning in that language. Therefore, it is interpreted in the Egyptian language as Saphaneth Phanee, or as the Seventy wished to translate it, Psomthom-Phanech, the Savior of the world, because he delivered the world from impending famine. It should be noted, however, that the Lord once took the daughter of His owner as a wife, who was the high priest of Heliopolis in that place. For it is not right for the priests of that idol to be without eunuchs, so that the suspicion regarding what we have already said may be confirmed.
Verse 7. "And the overseer of the eunuchs imposed names upon them, calling Daniel Belteshazzar (Balthasar), and Hananiah Shadrach, and Mishael Meshach, and Azariah Abednego." It was not only the overseer or master of the eunuchs (as others have rendered it, the "chief-eunuch") who changed the names of saints, but also Pharaoh called Joseph in Egypt Somtonphanec (Genesis 41:45), for neither of them wished them to have Jewish names in the land of captivity. Wherefore the prophet says in the Psalm: "How shall we sing the Lord's song in a strange land?" (Psalm 137:4). Furthermore the Lord Himself changes names benignly, and on the basis of events imposes names of special significance, so as to call Abram Abraham (Genesis 17:5), and Sarai Sarah (Genesis 17:15). Also in the Gospel, the former Simon received the name of Peter (Mark 3:16), and the sons of Zebedee are called "sons of thunder" (Mark 3:17) - which is not boanerges, as most people suppose, but is more correctly read benereem.
The Church Fathers: public-domain translations (Ante-Nicene and Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers), verse-indexed by SermonIndex (CC BY 4.0).
Dictionary and topics
Asenath — An Egyptian name, meaning “gift of the sun-god”, daughter of Potipherah, priest of On or Heliopolis, wife of Joseph (Gen. 41:45). She was the mother of Manasseh and Ephraim (50-52; 46:20).
Beth-shemesh — House of the sun. (1.) A sacerdotal city in the tribe of Dan (Josh. 21:16; 1 Sam. 6:15), on the north border of Judah (Josh. 15:10). It was the scene of an encounter between Jehoash, king of Israel,…
Famine — The first mentioned in Scripture was so grievous as to compel Abraham to go down to the land of Egypt (Gen. 26:1). Another is mentioned as having occurred in the days of Isaac, causing him to go to…
Kine — (Heb. sing. parah, i.e., “fruitful”), mentioned in Pharaoh’s dream (Gen. 41: 18). Here the word denotes “buffaloes,” which fed on the reeds and sedge by the river’s brink.
On — Light; the sun, (Gen. 41:45, 50), the great seat of sun-worship, called also Bethshemesh (Jer. 43:13) and Aven (Ezek. 30:17), stood on the east bank of the Nile, a few miles north of Memphis, and…
Pharaoh — The official title borne by the Egyptian kings down to the time when that country was conquered by the Greeks. (See EGYPT.) The name is a compound, as some think, of the words Ra, the “sun” or…
Potipherah — A priest of On, whose daughter Asenath became Joseph’s wife (Gen. 41:45).
Potipherah, Or Potipherah — was priest or prince of On, and his daughter Asenath was given Joseph to wife by Pharaoh. (Genesis 41:45,50; 46:20) (B.C. 1715.)
Sun — (Heb. shemesh), first mentioned along with the moon as the two great luminaries of heaven (Gen. 1:14-18). By their motions and influence they were intended to mark and divide times and seasons. The…
Zaphnath-paaneah — The name which Pharaoh gave to Joseph when he raised him to the rank of prime minister or grand vizier of the kingdom (Gen. 41:45). This is a pure Egyptian word, and has been variously explained.…
And Pharaoh called Joseph's name Zaphnathpaaneah,.... Which, according to the paraphrase of Onkelos, signifies one to whom hidden things are revealed; or, as Jonathan, a revealer of secrets; and so most of the Jewish writers explain it; and which seems to be given him from his interpreting Pharaoh's dreams, and revealing what was hereafter to come to pass. The word is only used in this place, at least the latter part of it and Aben Ezra confesses his ignorance of it, whether it is an Egyptian word or not; Kircher (a) most asserts it, and says it signifies a prophet (or foreteller) of future things. Though some think the first part of the name has some respect to the Egyptian idol Baal Zephon…
Thou shalt be over my house. Not only is Joseph made governor of Egypt, but is adorned also with the insignia of royalty, that all may reverence him, and may obey his command. The royal signet is put upon his finger for the confirmation of decrees. He is clothed in robes of fine linen, which were then a luxury, and were not to be had at any common price. He is placed in the most honorable chariot. [159] It may, however, be asked, whether it was lawful for the holy man to appear with so great pomp? I answer, although such splendor can scarcely ever be free from blame, and therefore frugality in external ornaments is best; yet all kind of splendor in kings and other princes of the world is not…
But in order that Joseph might be perfectly naturalized, the king gave him an Egyptian name, Zaphnath-Paaneah, and married him to Asenath, the daughter of Potipherah, the priest at On. The name Zaphnath-Paaneah (a form adapted to the Hebrew, for Ψονθομφανήχ lxx; according to a Greek scholium, σωτὴρ κόσμον, "salvator mundi" (Jerome), answers to the Coptic P-sote-m-ph-eneh, - P the article, sote salvation, m the sign of the genitive, ph the article, and eneh the world (lit., aetas, seculum); or perhaps more correctly, according to Rosellini and more recent Egyptologists, to the Coptic P-sont-em-ph-anh, i.e., sustentator vitae, support or sustainer of life, with reference to the call entrust…
As token of Joseph’s new status, Pharaoh gave him an Egyptian name and a wife from a high-ranking family. • On was a center for sun worship that came to be known as Heliopolis (“sun city”).
Rashi on Genesis 41:45
פוטי פרע — POTIPHERAH — he is identical with Potiphar. And he is called Potipherah (pherah meaning, disturbed or cut) as he became naturally castrated, since he desired Yosef for male intercourse (Sotah 13b).
— a name given by Pharaoh to Joseph. (Genesis 41:45) The rabbins interpreted Zaphnath-paaneah as Hebrew in the sense revealer of a secret . As the name must have been Egyptian, it has been explained…
Asenath · Wife of Joseph — Wife of Joseph
Captive · Advanced to positions in state — Advanced to positions in state
Economics · POLITI — POLITI
Egypt · .Priests of — .Priests of
Government · Paternal functions of — Paternal functions of
Joseph · .Is promoted to authority next to Pharaoh at thirty years of age — .Is promoted to authority next to Pharaoh at thirty years of age
On · 1. — 1.
Poti-Pherah · Joseph’ s father-in-law — Joseph’ s father-in-law
Promotion · .Joseph, from impri — .Joseph, from impri
Prudence · .Joseph, in the affairs of Egypt — .Joseph, in the affairs of Egypt
Zaphnath-Paaneah · A name given to Joseph by Pharaoh — A name given to Joseph by Pharaoh
Dictionary: Easton's (1897) and Smith's (1863), public domain. Topics: Nave's Topical Bible (1896) and Torrey's Topical Textbook (1897), public domain. Both as parsed by NEUU (CC BY 4.0).
