Birth of Joseph

Joseph was born to Jacob and Rachel after years of Rachel’s barrenness. Rachel had cried to Jacob, “Give me children, or I shall die!” (Genesis 30:1), and God finally “remembered Rachel” and “opened her womb” (Genesis 30:22). She named him Joseph (meaning “may he add”), declaring, “May the LORD add to me another son” (Genesis 30:24)—a prayer later fulfilled with Benjamin’s birth.

Joseph was born as the eleventh of Jacob’s twelve sons but the firstborn of Jacob’s beloved wife Rachel, making him the favored child. Jacob would later give Joseph the famous multi-colored coat (or “robe of many colors”), marking him as the designated heir despite not being the firstborn. This favoritism bred intense jealousy among his older brothers, particularly when young Joseph recounted prophetic dreams showing his family bowing before him.

Joseph’s birth was pivotal to salvation history. Though his brothers would sell him into slavery in Egypt out of jealousy, this apparent tragedy became God’s means of preserving Jacob’s family during famine. Joseph himself would later recognize this divine purpose: “You meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive” (Genesis 50:20). The Quran calls Joseph’s story “the best of stories” (Surah 12:3), emphasizing God’s sovereignty through apparent misfortune.