Genesis 41:50: “Before the years of famine came, two sons were born to Joseph by Asenath daughter of Potiphera, priest of On.”
There was a storm brewing in the palace. Pharaoh’s son was in a lousy mood. He paced the floor while attacking his father. “Why didn’t you consult me?!” He spat the words. His father was baffled. “Son, you can have any virgin you take a liking to,” he said spreading his hands. “Why is Joseph’s wife of such interest to you, all of a sudden?”
“I have always liked her”, his son replied emphatically, “But obviously you are more interested in this Hebrew slave than in your own flesh and blood.”
“You know that’s not true,” Pharaoh countered, “but I will say that I have second thoughts about making you co-regent. Your immature behavior gives me pause. You are a son of Ra. Behave like one!” This remark stopped his son in his tracks. He quit pacing, sat down next to his father and took a breather. “I am a son of Ra and you know that I am ready,” he said with newfound calm and insisted: “But someone has to keep an eye on this Hebrew slave. I don’t trust him.”
Dusty and tired, Joseph jumped off his chariot and handed the reigns to his servant. After several weeks on the road he was eager to see his wife. Asenath who had noticed the commotion came to the front door. “Joseph,” she exclaimed, “you’re home early. I didn’t expect you until tomorrow.”
“Everything went better than expected,” Joseph replied, “Storehouses have been made ready and my appointed officials are on standby.” Together they entered their elegant mansion. “I have some news for you, my husband,” Asenath said. Something in her voice made Joseph’s heart skip a beat. “Good news?” he asked. His wife nodded and whispered into his ear: “I am expecting.” Joseph had tears in his eyes as he hugged his wife, “Oh what a blessing!” he said over and over.
In early spring a healthy son was born to Joseph and Asenath. Joseph circumcised the eight-day-old infant and named him “Manasseh”, translated: “Forget”.
“Manasse is such a peculiar name,” Asenath said to her husband after the circumcision ceremony, “usually there is a story behind a name like this. Would you mind telling me your story?” Joseph looked at her and Asenath could see raw emotions in his eyes. But this moment passed quickly and soon Joseph was his old self again. “You helped me forget all the horrible things that happened to me in the past,” he said lightly and kissed his wife on the forehead, “I am so proud of you! God has blessed us with a beautiful son.”
A year later, Joseph and Asenath had a second son and they named him “Ephraim”, meaning “Twice Fruitful.”
“God has made me fruitful in the land of my suffering,” Joseph said.
Again his wife conceived and this time she gave birth to a little daughter. “She looks just like you,” Joseph said as he held her in his arms for the first time. “In fact, she even has the same little birthmark under her left eye.” Asenath smiled. “Have you thought about a name?” she asked and Joseph went quiet for a moment.
“I would like to call her Adiya,” he finally said. “Adiya,” Asenath mused, “That’s a good-sounding name, but what does it mean?”
“Adiya is the Hebrew word for God’s treasure,” Joseph replied, “the perfect name for our daughter whom I treasure so very much – just like her mother!” Asenath blushed and said: “Oh and I treasure you my love, probably more than words can say. Speaking of which – What would you say if I was to learn your language?” Joseph looked up, surprised. “What do you mean?” he asked. “I decided I want to learn Hebrew,” Asenath explained, “And now that I found a good teacher I will have my first Hebrew lesson soon – and I believe all our children should learn the language of their father when they start home schooling. That way they can take part in your heritage.”
“My heritage?” Joseph mused, “Hmmh, interesting! I never thought that languages play such a big role, but I guess they do.”
“Yes indeed,” confirmed Asenath and so the matter was settled.
Despite his sudden fame and success Joseph stayed levelheaded and humble. As predicted, Egypt was blessed with bumper crops for seven years in a row. The fertile soil of the Nile delta produced overwhelmingly good results and the Egyptian storehouses became full to capacity.
Then the drought came. When all of Egypt began to feel its effects people went to their district storehouses and begged for food. Joseph had an emergency meeting with Pharaoh and his son to discuss the situation.
“The seven years of plenty are coming to an end,” Joseph said, “And now we are facing our first crisis. We may be tempted to give out our food to everybody in need without coming up with a plan, but I propose to ration our grain. Otherwise we’ll be running out of food while the drought is still ongoing.”
“Who says we are giving out grain?” the son of Pharaoh scoffed, “We’ll be selling it, pound by pound.”
“That does not make any sense,” Joseph objected, “Didn’t we tax the population in the years of plenty? Why would they have to pay for their own grain?” He turned to Pharaoh to see what he had to say, but Pharaoh remained silent and let his son handle the situation.
“The very fact that you’re asking this question shows us that you don’t have the best interest of the kingdom at heart,” the son of Pharaoh snorted with contempt.
“I’m just asking”, Joseph defended himself, “besides, we know how long this drought is going to last. Eventually the population will run out of means to pay. What are we going to do then? Starve them to death? It’s in our best interest to (…).”
“Let’s worry about that when we get there,” interjected the son of Pharaoh, “For now, the grain needs to be priced.”
Finally the Pharaoh himself made a comment by appealing to Joseph’s reason. “Think about it,” he said, “If word had gotten out that we hand out grain for free we would have been overrun by beggars and scoundrels from every country. It’s not just Egypt we have to think about – after all, this is a worldwide crisis!”
Joseph could not put his finger on it, but Pharaoh’s favor seemed to have waned significantly ever since his son had been nominated co-regent. For reasons unknown to him the son of Pharaoh seemed to dislike him. Treading carefully, he said: “I will see to it that everything is carried out according to your instructions, your Majesty!” And Joseph left to meet with his top officials. The land of Egypt had to organize the biggest food campaign the ancient world has never seen. The following morning Pharaoh sent out messengers to all of his district managers in the land, instructing them to follow Joseph’s lead on the pricing and rationing of the grain.
“This makes it look like I’m to blame for the food pricing,” Joseph observed as he was discussing the political situation with his wife over dinner. They sat on the porch after a long workday. Joseph felt drained. Asenath shook her head and said: “Everybody knows that you don’t do a thing without Pharaoh’s consent.”
“Yeah I know – but still, I don’t like it,” Joseph replied. “It almost feels like Pharaoh’s son is working against me.”
“Welcome to the palace”, Asenath dryly stated, “a place of power play and intrigue. Make sure that you don’t get drawn into either one.”
I think I can feel it now,” Joseph sighed.
“What?” Asenath asked her husband, and he answered without looking at her. “The sting of jealousy,” he said.