Lexical Definition

‎אָסְנַת‎ ʼÂçᵉnath (aw-se-nath') Asenath ^N:N-F-P
of Egyptian derivation

Asenath.

• § Asenath = "belonging to the goddess Neith"
• Asenath, the wife of Joseph

1) the wife of Joseph

Extended Information

• A woman living at the time of the Patriarchs, first mentioned at Gen.41.45
• daughter of: Potiphera (פּוֹטִי פֶרַע); married to Joseph (יוֹסֵף)
• mother of: Manasseh (מְנַשֶּׁה) and Ephraim (אֶפְרַיִם)

Brown-Driver-Briggs

‎אָֽסְנַת‎ proper name, feminine wife of Joseph (ᵐ5 Ἀσεννεθ, ᵐ5^L Ἀσσενεθ; Egyptian, = belonging to (goddess) Neith (Thes); Cook^{Speaker's Comm. i. 479} proposes either As-Neit, favourite of Neith, or < Isis-Neit) Gen 41:45; Gen 41:50; Gen 46:20.

Brown-Driver-Briggs References

Profile

Female • Daughter of Potiphera • Egyptian wife of Joseph; mother of Manasseh and Ephraim

Woman living at the time of the Patriarchs

Asenath, the daughter of Potiphera, priest of On, was given to Joseph as his wife by Pharaoh (Gen 41:45, 50; 46:20).

• A woman living at the time of the Patriarchs, first mentioned at Gen.41.45;
• only referred to as Asenath אָסְנַת;
• a daughter of Potiphera פּוֹטִי פֶרַע;
• wife of Joseph יוֹסֵף;
• mother of Manasseh מְנַשֶּׁה and Ephraim אֶפְרַיִם.

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.

All entries for Asenath: אָסְנַת

Related Profiles:

• Potiphera (father)
• Joseph (spouse)
• Manasseh (child)
• Ephraim (child)