JOSEPH - PRIME MINISTER IN EGYPT
EVIDENCE
4' X 8' Model of the Palace and Tombs of Joseph - Prime Minister of Egypt and Family
by Joshua Hunter and Val Starr
Evidence matching Joseph’s career at Avaris (Goshen) includes a palace built in an Egyptian style but belonging to a Semitic official. This fits the Pharaoh’s reward for Joseph in return for saving Egypt from the ravages of a seven-year famine. The Pharaoh raised him to second in command over Egypt and gave him other rewards. The palace’s construction has been dated to either very late in the 12th Dynasty or early in the 13th Dynasty, which would put it late in Joseph’s life.
The palace had other interesting aspects. It initially contained 12 pillars at its entrance and 12 primary tombs behind it. These fit the 12 sons of Jacob (who was also named Israel), who were the heads of the 12 tribes of Israel. The primary tomb of the Semitic official was in the shape of a pyramid, something unique at this time for a foreigner—again fitting the great rewards and honor given by Pharaoh to Joseph.
Two of the 12 prominent graves in the palace garden contained ornate bronze belts and bronze daggers. This matches the Bible’s description of the Jacob family as one of Canaan’s most wealthy and powerful clans before coming to Egypt. The daggers also hearken to the incident in Genesis 34 when Jacob’s sons Simeon and Levi took their swords and killed the Shechem men to avenge Dinah’s defilement. This prompted Jacob to bless them as follows:Simeon and Levi are brothers; weapons of violence are their swords.
Let my soul come not into their council; O my glory, be not joined to their company.
For in their anger, they killed men, and in their willfulness, they hamstrung oxen.
Cursed be their anger, for it is fierce, and their wrath, for it is cruel!
I will divide them in Jacob and scatter them in Israel. – Genesis 49:5-7 (ESV)
In a shrine in front of the pyramid tomb, the remains of a colossal statue of the Semitic ruler were found – and he was depicted as wearing a multi-color coat. The bones of the person buried here were found to be missing. This again fits the promise made by Joseph’s family that they would take his bones with them when they left Egypt to return to the Promised Land.
In a shrine in front of the pyramid tomb, the remains of a colossal statue of the Semitic ruler were found – and he was depicted as wearing a multi-color coat. The bones of the person buried here were found to be missing. This again fits the promise made by Joseph’s family that they would take his bones with them when they left Egypt to return to the Promised Land.
THE SEAL OF JOSEPH
12 TRIBES OF ISRAEL ON A SEAL FROM EGYPT?
The “Seal of Joseph” was found at Tell Ed-Daba, which is the site of the ancient city Avaris in Egypt’s Nile Delta. This seal is 3,700 years old, made of hematite. It was discovered in 1979 during excavations led by Manfred Bietak. Some researchers debate whether this seal is connected to the biblical Joseph, but many believe it is because it relates to verses in Genesis. The seal represents the Twelve Tribes of Israel. Here are the key details:
- Material: Hematite stone- Location: Found on the floor of a palace complex in Tell Ed-Daba (in the Goshen region)- Date: Around 1700–1550 BCE (Middle Bronze Age)
In Genesis 49:1, Jacob calls his sons together to tell them what will happen in the future. The seal was found in the context of a Middle Kingdom palace, which is important because this was the time when Jacob, Joseph, and the first generation of Israelites lived in Egypt, before their exodus led by Moses.
Mori Michael Shelomo Bar-Ron, a Torah scholar from Israel, has studied the seal. He wrote an article stating that the seal appears to show symbols for each of the 12 tribes, based mostly on Jacob's blessings to his sons (Genesis 49). He also refers to Moses' blessings in Deuteronomy 33.
Joseph: Bar-Ron links the bull symbol at the top of the right-hand column to Joseph, who was the father of Ephraim and Manasseh. In both Jacob and Moses’ blessings, Joseph is symbolized as a fighting bull, especially emphasized by his horns (Genesis 49:6, Deuteronomy 33:17). Reuben: The symbol under the bull represents waves of unstable water (Genesis 49:3-4). Levi: The next symbol down is a bird of prey in a hunting pose, looking downward. Judah: At the bottom of the right column is a lion (Genesis 49:9-10). God: The image at the top of the middle column shows a deity figure. “The LORD is a man of war; the LORD is his name.” – Exodus 15:3. Dan: The next figure is a snake (Genesis 49:17). Simeon: The bottom figure in the center column represents the gated walls of Shechem. Bar-Ron mentions a rabbinical legend that says the flag of Simeon bore an image of Shechem, which he and Levi destroyed. Asher: The symbols at the top of the left column are damaged, so their meaning is unclear. Naphtali: The next image appears to show the head and neck of a deer or antelope with long ears (Genesis 49:21). Zebulun & Issachar: The image at the bottom of the left column shows a sailing ship with two persons rowing, indicated by their heads. Bar-Ron interprets this as a ship representing overseas trade. Although Jacob blessed Zebulun and Issachar separately, Moses blessed them together, saying, “Rejoice, Zebulun, in your going out, and Issachar, in your tents… for they draw from the abundance of the seas.” – Deuteronomy 33:18-19. “Zebulun shall dwell at the shore of the sea; he shall become a haven for ships, and his border shall be at Sidon.” – Genesis 49:13.
- Material: Hematite stone- Location: Found on the floor of a palace complex in Tell Ed-Daba (in the Goshen region)- Date: Around 1700–1550 BCE (Middle Bronze Age)
In Genesis 49:1, Jacob calls his sons together to tell them what will happen in the future. The seal was found in the context of a Middle Kingdom palace, which is important because this was the time when Jacob, Joseph, and the first generation of Israelites lived in Egypt, before their exodus led by Moses.
Mori Michael Shelomo Bar-Ron, a Torah scholar from Israel, has studied the seal. He wrote an article stating that the seal appears to show symbols for each of the 12 tribes, based mostly on Jacob's blessings to his sons (Genesis 49). He also refers to Moses' blessings in Deuteronomy 33.
Joseph: Bar-Ron links the bull symbol at the top of the right-hand column to Joseph, who was the father of Ephraim and Manasseh. In both Jacob and Moses’ blessings, Joseph is symbolized as a fighting bull, especially emphasized by his horns (Genesis 49:6, Deuteronomy 33:17). Reuben: The symbol under the bull represents waves of unstable water (Genesis 49:3-4). Levi: The next symbol down is a bird of prey in a hunting pose, looking downward. Judah: At the bottom of the right column is a lion (Genesis 49:9-10). God: The image at the top of the middle column shows a deity figure. “The LORD is a man of war; the LORD is his name.” – Exodus 15:3. Dan: The next figure is a snake (Genesis 49:17). Simeon: The bottom figure in the center column represents the gated walls of Shechem. Bar-Ron mentions a rabbinical legend that says the flag of Simeon bore an image of Shechem, which he and Levi destroyed. Asher: The symbols at the top of the left column are damaged, so their meaning is unclear. Naphtali: The next image appears to show the head and neck of a deer or antelope with long ears (Genesis 49:21). Zebulun & Issachar: The image at the bottom of the left column shows a sailing ship with two persons rowing, indicated by their heads. Bar-Ron interprets this as a ship representing overseas trade. Although Jacob blessed Zebulun and Issachar separately, Moses blessed them together, saying, “Rejoice, Zebulun, in your going out, and Issachar, in your tents… for they draw from the abundance of the seas.” – Deuteronomy 33:18-19. “Zebulun shall dwell at the shore of the sea; he shall become a haven for ships, and his border shall be at Sidon.” – Genesis 49:13.