The name Asenath (Hebrew: ’Asenath) is of Egyptian origin, believed to mean “belonging to [the goddess] Neith” or “favored by Neith.” Neith was a major Egyptian goddess of war, hunting, and wisdom. Asenath was an Egyptian noblewoman who became the wife of Joseph, the eleventh son of Jacob, during the time of the Hebrew sojourn in Egypt.
Her story is recorded in the Book of Genesis.
1. The Marriage of the Vizier
Asenath is introduced immediately after the dramatic turning point in Joseph’s life. After interpreting Pharaoh’s dreams of the coming famine, Joseph was miraculously elevated from a Hebrew slave and prisoner to the highest civil office in Egypt—that of Vizier (Prime Minister).
Pharaoh formalized Joseph’s new status by giving him an Egyptian name and arranging a marriage with a woman of high rank.
Genesis 41:45 records the arrangement:
“And Pharaoh called Joseph’s name Zaphnath-paaneah; and he gave him to wife Asenath the daughter of Poti-pherah priest of On. And Joseph went out over all the land of Egypt.” (KJV, emphasis added).
This marriage was a critical move by Pharaoh to integrate Joseph fully into the Egyptian ruling class, giving him local legitimacy and a family connection that transcended his foreign slave status.
2. Lineage and Religious Context
Asenath’s father, Poti-pherah, is identified as the “priest of On.”
- On was the Greek name for the ancient Egyptian city of Iunu (Heliopolis), the great center for the worship of the sun god Ra.
- The title “priest of On” indicates that Asenath’s father was a man of immense power and influence, holding a position equivalent to the highest religious authority in the land.
This background is theologically significant: Joseph, the steward of the covenant of the Lord God of Israel, married the daughter of the chief priest of the primary pagan god of Egypt.
3. The Mother of Joseph’s Sons
Asenath bore Joseph two sons before the years of famine began. These sons became the founders of two of the largest and most influential tribes of Israel, receiving Jacob’s primary blessing ahead of his own sons:
- Manasseh: The firstborn, meaning “causing to forget,” “For God, said he, hath made me forget all my toil, and all my father’s house” (Genesis 41:51, KJV).
- Ephraim: The second son, meaning “fruitful,” “For God hath caused me to be fruitful in the land of my affliction” (Genesis 41:52, KJV).
These two sons, half-Egyptian by birth, were later adopted and blessed by Jacob (Israel) as his own, receiving status equal to his other sons (Genesis 48:5). This adoption effectively integrated Asenath’s descendants into the chosen people, ensuring that her line—though of pagan origin—received a double inheritance in the nation of Israel.
The Theological Significance
Asenath’s story, though brief, serves several important purposes in the Genesis narrative:
- Divine Providence: Her marriage secured Joseph’s position and provided him with a family, ensuring that the covenant line was preserved and that the future tribes of Israel (Ephraim and Manasseh) would be born in Egypt before the nation’s 400-year sojourn began.
- The Power of Conversion: Although Asenath grew up in a pagan household, the fact that her sons were completely integrated into the people of God, and that Joseph named them with theological declarations of the Lord’s providence, suggests that Joseph’s faith and the knowledge of the true God became the ruling principle of their new household.
In conclusion, Asenath was an Egyptian noblewoman, the daughter of the priest of On, who became the wife of the Hebrew Vizier, Joseph. She is remembered as the mother of Ephraim and Manasseh, whose descendants formed two of the twelve tribes of Israel, cementing her legacy as an unexpected but vital figure in the unfolding history of God’s people.