Asenath

Biblical Record

Asenath is named three times in Genesis. After Joseph interpreted Pharaoh's dreams and was appointed governor over Egypt, Pharaoh gave Joseph the Egyptian name Zaphnathpaaneah and gave him Asenath, the daughter of Potipherah, priest of On, as his wife (Genesis 41:45). On was an ancient city near present-day Cairo, better known by its Greek name, Heliopolis. The city is known to have been a center of sun worship.

Before the years of famine came, Asenath bore Joseph two sons. Joseph called the firstborn Manasseh: "For God, said he, hath made me forget all my toil, and all my father's house"; and the second he named Ephraim: "For God hath caused me to be fruitful in the land of my affliction" (Genesis 41:50–52). She is mentioned again as the mother of the two sons in the list of Jacob's family members who went down to Egypt (Genesis 46:20). Scripture records nothing of Asenath's words, actions, faith, or death.

Significance in the Bible

Asenath's importance lies chiefly in her sons. Jacob adopted Manasseh and Ephraim as his own sons and blessed them (Genesis 48). As a result, the descendants of each formed one of the twelve tribes of Israel. Two of Israel's major tribes thus traced their descent to an Egyptian mother. The New Testament does not mention Asenath.

Interpretations and Debated Points

• Marriage to a foreign woman: Abraham and Isaac were unwilling for their sons to marry Canaanite women (Genesis 24; 28). Joseph, however, married the daughter of a pagan priest, and the text offers no evaluation of this. Some interpreters regard Asenath as an example of a Gentile woman who entered Israel's history, like Rahab, Ruth, and Zipporah. Others hold that, because the text says nothing about Asenath's faith, nothing further can be asserted with certainty.
• Name: "Asenath" is an Egyptian name. Scholars have suggested that it may be connected with the Egyptian goddess Neith, but there is no consensus.
• Later traditions: That the daughter of a pagan priest became the wife of an Israelite patriarch was something later Jewish readers felt needed explaining, and various stories arose outside the Bible. Joseph and Aseneth, regarded as a Jewish work of the Hellenistic period, tells how Asenath renounced idols and turned to God before marrying Joseph. Some rabbinic traditions hold that Asenath was the daughter of Dinah, Jacob's daughter, and was raised in Egypt. These stories come from later noncanonical literature or tradition and should be distinguished from what the text of Genesis says.

In the Korean Church

In the Korean church, Asenath is usually mentioned only briefly in sermons or Bible studies on the Joseph narrative in Genesis 41. The emphasis commonly falls on the meaning of her two sons' names: God, who makes one forget hardship and causes one to be fruitful. Sermons or hymns devoted to Asenath herself are relatively rare.