The meaning of Joseph (1) in the Bible
(From International Standard Bible Encyclopedia)
jo'-zef (yoceph; Ioseph):
1. In the Old Testament:
(1) The 11th son of Jacob and 1st of Rachel (see separate article).
(2) The father of Igal of Issachar, one of the 12 spies (Numbers 13:7).
(3) A son of Asaph (I Chronicles 25:2, I Chronicles 25:9).
(4) A man of the sons of Bani, who had married a foreign wife (Ezra 10:42).
(5) A priest of the family of Shebaniah in the days of Joiakim (Nehemiah 12:14).
2. In the Apocrypha:
(1) Son of Zacharias, defeated by Gorgias circa 164 BC (1 Macc 5:18,56,60).
(2) Called a brother of Judas Maccabeus in 2 Macc 8:22, probably by mistake for John.
(3) Great-grandfather of Judith (Judith 8:1).
3. In the New Testament:
(1) The husband of Mary, the mother of Jesus (see special article).
(2, 3) The name of 3 ancestors of Jesus according to the King James Version (Luke 3:24, Luke 3:26, Luke 3:30); the name of two according to the Revised Version (British and American), which reads "Josech" in Luke 3:26.
(4) A Jew of Arimathea in whose sepulcher Jesus was buried (Matthew 27:57, etc.; see article).
(5) One of the brethren of Jesus, according to the Revised Version (British and American) (Matthew 13:55, the King James Version "Joses"). the King James Version and the Revised Version (British and American) both have "Joses" in Matthew 27:56; Mark 6:3; Mark 15:40, Mark 15:47.
(6) Joseph Barsabbas (Acts 1:23; see article).
(7) Joseph, surnamed Barnabas (Acts 4:36, the King James Version "Joses"; see BARNABAS).
S. F. Hunter
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