Parshat Miketz5 min read

The Pharaoh Who Crowned Joseph and the Pharaoh Who Woke in Nineveh

Jasher gave Joseph seventy languages overnight and seventy steps to prove it. The Exodus Pharaoh survived the sea and ruled Nineveh.

Curated by Arthur · Told by Maggid ·
Table of Contents
  1. The Night Before the Examination
  2. What Pharaoh Did and Did Not Understand
  3. The Sea Let the Other Pharaoh Go
  4. Noah's Descendant Connects the Two Pharaohs

The Night Before the Examination

The law of Egypt required that the second ruler of the kingdom know all seventy languages of humanity. Joseph knew Hebrew. The advisors told Pharaoh the rule. Pharaoh had already seen enough of the dream interpreter to know this was the man, but the law stood between his recognition and the crown.

That night God sent an angel to Joseph in the dungeon. Before morning the angel had taught him all seventy languages. Joseph did not sleep. He had been waiting in the pit for years and now he had one night to absorb the sum of human speech. By the time the sun came up, he was ready.

Pharaoh's throne had seventy steps. The examination was public. Joseph climbed the steps one by one, speaking a different language at each level. The court watched. The advisors watched. Pharaoh watched from the top. At every step, Joseph spoke the language of that step's rung fluently and without error. He climbed all seventy steps and stood before Pharaoh and spoke directly to him. Then Pharaoh gave him the ring and the gold chain and the royal name Zaphnath Paaneah and the second chariot and placed his own crown on Joseph's head.

What Pharaoh Did and Did Not Understand

The Book of Jasher does not credit Pharaoh with understanding what had just happened. The king knew the law had been satisfied. He saw the man who had interpreted his dreams also demonstrate mastery of the world's languages. He made the appointment. What Jasher does not give Pharaoh is any insight into the mechanism. Joseph did not explain that an angel had done the teaching overnight. The promotion looked like it was Joseph's own accomplishment, accumulated through some history Pharaoh could not see.

The crown Pharaoh placed on Joseph's head would later return to this moment. When Jacob came down to Egypt and the brothers arrived at court, Pharaoh took his crown off his own head and placed it on Joseph's. The gesture was not protocol. It was a repetition of the original recognition, made flesh in front of Jacob's eyes so that the old man could see who his son had become.

The Sea Let the Other Pharaoh Go

The Exodus Pharaoh was not simply drowned and done. The Book of Jasher follows him past the Red Sea into a further story. The sea closed and opened. Of all the pursuing army, one man was left alive. Pharaoh himself. The book is explicit: God killed every Egyptian who entered the sea except the king.

He was kept alive to serve as a witness. He was left on the sea floor and then deposited on the bank and he walked east. He walked until he reached Nineveh. He entered Nineveh and the city was in crisis, threatened and afraid. He took the kingship of Nineveh. He ruled there. He was still alive and ruling when Jonah arrived centuries later and preached repentance through the city.

Jasher connects these two facts directly. The Pharaoh who heard Jonah's preaching and led Nineveh in repentance, tearing his robes and sitting in ashes, was the same Pharaoh who had chased Israel into the sea and watched his army drown around him. He had seen the judgment of the God of Israel up close. When the same God's prophet showed up in his adopted city, he recognized the register.

Noah's Descendant Connects the Two Pharaohs

A third thread in this Jasher cluster runs through Noah's son Japheth and his descendants, establishing the genealogy that eventually produces the Egyptian royal line. Jasher is interested in connecting the Pharaoh who crowns Joseph and the Pharaoh who survives the sea to the same original family that came off the ark. The king of Egypt is always descended from Noah. What God does to Egypt is always, in some structural sense, what God does to Noah's family when that family becomes a nation that oppresses the covenant people.

The arc from Noah to the crowning of Joseph to the survival of Pharaoh at the Red Sea is one continuous line in Jasher's telling. The God who saved Noah from the flood saved Joseph from the pit and saved Pharaoh from the sea for reasons that are different in each case but connected by the same sovereign will moving through the same family line across the generations.

Book Of JasherJosephPharaohExodusEgyptRed Sea
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From the tradition

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The texts this telling draws on, in full. Open a card to read inline, or expand it for a wider, quieter read.

Jasher 49Book of Jasher

Remember Joseph? The Hebrew slave who correctly interpreted Pharaoh's dream about the famine? Well, Pharaoh hasn't forgotten. According to the Book of Jasher, after seeing that Joseph's predictions are coming true, Pharaoh gathers his advisors. "Behold you have seen and heard all the words of this Hebrew man," he says, acknowledging Joseph's accurate interpretation and wisdom. He wants to appoint Joseph as his second-in-command to manage the impending crisis.

There's a catch. The Egyptian officers are hesitant. They point out a major problem: "Surely it is written in the laws of Egypt. that no man shall reign over Egypt. but one who has knowledge in all the languages of the sons of men." Joseph, they argue, only speaks Hebrew! How can he possibly govern a land when he can't even communicate with its people? It's a fair point. So, what happens? Does Joseph's dream end here? Not a chance!

That night, the text says, God sends an angel to Joseph in his dungeon. Yes, his master had thrown him BACK in the dungeon because of his wife. The angel rouses Joseph and, in a single night, teaches him all the languages of mankind! Can you imagine waking up fluent in every language? The text even gives Joseph a new name: Jehoseph.

The next morning, Pharaoh summons Joseph. Joseph addresses the king in every language. The Book of Jasher vividly describes Joseph ascending the seventy steps to the throne, speaking to Pharaoh in different tongues until he reaches the top. Needless to say, everyone is amazed.

Pharaoh, convinced of Joseph's divinely granted abilities, declares, "Thy name no more shall be called Joseph, but Zaphnath Paaneah shall be thy name." Zaphnath Paaneah is often interpreted as "revealer of secrets" or "God speaks and lives." Pharaoh then bestows upon Joseph unimaginable power. He's second-in-command, his word is law, and everyone must bow before him. This echoes the biblical account in (Genesis 41:45), but the Book of Jasher elaborates on the ceremony and its significance.

The transformation is incredible. Pharaoh gives Joseph his royal ring, princely garments, a golden crown, and a golden chain. Joseph is paraded through the streets in Pharaoh's second chariot, accompanied by music, soldiers, and adoring crowds. The Book of Jasher paints a vibrant picture: "Five thousand men, with drawn swords glittering in their hands. and twenty thousand of the great men of the king girt with girdles of skin covered with gold, marched at the right hand of Joseph, and twenty thousand at his left.." The streets are perfumed, and heralds proclaim Joseph's authority. It's a scene of absolute triumph.

Joseph, however, remembers where he came from. As he rides through the cheering crowds, he looks to heaven and proclaims, "He raiseth the poor man from the dust, He lifteth up the needy from the dunghill. O Lord of Hosts, happy is the man who trusteth in thee."

Pharaoh further cements Joseph's position by giving him land, riches, and even a wife: Osnath, the daughter of Potiphera, a priest. Joseph builds a magnificent house, a temple, and a throne. He amasses an army. According to Jasher, "Joseph had an army that made war, going out in hosts and troops to the number of forty thousand six hundred men.." He is now a powerful leader, beloved by the people.

So, what do we take away from this story? It's more than just a rags-to-riches tale. It's a evidence of faith, resilience, and the possibility of transformation. Joseph's journey, as recounted in the Book of Jasher, reminds us that even in the darkest of times, with a little help from above, we can rise to achieve extraordinary things. And who knows? Maybe you have a bit of Zaphnath Paaneah in you too.

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Jasher 81Book of Jasher

Book of Jasher turns to The First Days of Freedom After Leaving Egypt.

The Book of Jasher, a text mentioned in the Bible itself (Joshua 10:13 and (2 Samuel 1:1)8), fills in some fascinating blanks. Chapter 81 gives us a vivid picture of the Israelites' initial steps toward the Promised Land – and the Egyptians' immediate regret.

It tells us that a massive group – about six hundred thousand men on foot, plus families and livestock – journeyed from Rameses to Succoth. What’s striking is the inclusion of a “mixed multitude” who went with them, hinting at others who saw the hand of God in the Exodus and wanted to join the Israelite journey.

The Jasher says the total time the Israelites spent in Egypt, enduring hard labor, was 210 years. And it was "with a strong hand" that God brought them out. They set out from Egypt, Goshen, and Rameses, arriving at Succoth on the fifteenth day of the first month.

Now, imagine the scene in Egypt. They’re burying all their firstborn, a devastating loss. Jasher says it took three days. But then, something interesting happens. Just three days after burying their dead, many Egyptians had second thoughts. They regretted losing their Israelite workforce!

They said to each other, "Surely Moses and Aaron said they were only going on a three-day journey to sacrifice to God." So, a large contingent – about seven hundred thousand men, led by Pharaoh’s nobles – chased after the Israelites, hoping to force them back into servitude.

They found the Israelites at Pi-hahiroth, celebrating their newfound freedom with a feast. The Egyptians confronted them: "You said you were only going for three days! Why haven't you returned?"

Moses and Aaron stood firm, declaring that God had forbidden their return to Egypt. They were on their way to the land flowing with milk and honey, as promised to their ancestors.

The Egyptians, enraged, prepared to fight. But God strengthened the Israelites, and they inflicted a "severe beating" on the Egyptians, driving them back.

Pharaoh, upon hearing of this defeat and the Israelites' refusal to return, was furious. He rallied all the Egyptians – a force estimated at a staggering one million men – and pursued the Israelites to the Red Sea.

Can you imagine the Israelites' terror? They were trapped between the sea and the approaching Egyptian army!

According to Jasher, the Israelites were divided on what to do. Some wanted to jump into the sea, others wanted to return to Egypt, a third group wanted to fight, and a fourth wanted to try and confuse the Egyptians!

Moses, after praying to God, was instructed to stretch out his rod over the sea. The waters miraculously parted into twelve sections, and the Israelites crossed on dry land.

When the Egyptians followed, the waters crashed back, engulfing them all. Only Pharaoh survived, spared because he ultimately gave thanks to God and believed. An angel carried him to Nineveh, where he became king.

The Israelites, witnessing this incredible miracle, sang a song of praise to God. "I will sing to the Lord for He is greatly exalted," they proclaimed, "the horse and his rider has he cast into the sea."

After this pivotal moment, the journey continued. They reached Marah, where they received statutes and judgments from God. Then came Elim, with its twelve springs and seventy date trees. And finally, the wilderness of Sin, where God provided manna, the miraculous food that sustained them for forty years.

But the challenges weren’t over. In Rephidim, they faced the Amalekites, descendants of Esau, in a fierce battle. With God's help, the Israelites, led by Moses and Joshua, prevailed. God commanded Moses to record this event and to remember to "utterly efface the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven" when they entered Canaan.

So, what does this chapter from the Book of Jasher add to our understanding of the Exodus? It paints a picture of a people confronting newfound freedom, facing immediate threats, and witnessing God’s unwavering protection. It reminds us that the journey to liberation is rarely easy, but with faith and resilience, even the most daunting obstacles can be overcome. And perhaps most importantly, it shows us that even after monumental miracles, the journey of faith requires constant vigilance and remembrance.

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Jasher 10Book of Jasher

The version

Chapter 10 picks up after the Tower of Babel. Remember that story? Humanity, united and speaking one language, tries to build a tower reaching to heaven. God, not thrilled with this ambition, scatters them across the earth and confuses their languages. What happens next?

The Book of Jasher tells us that after this scattering, the sons of men "spread forth into many divisions… dispersed into the four corners of the earth," each family developing its own language, settling its own land, and building its own cities. Each group named their new home after themselves, their children, or significant events. It's a story of rebuilding, of diversification, and of laying the foundations for the world as we know it.

Specifically, the text details the descendants of Noah's sons – Japheth, Ham, and Shem – and the lands they populated. The sons of Japheth, according to Jasher, spread throughout Europe and parts of Asia. We hear about the Francum (likely the Franks) in the land of Franza (France), the Bartonim in Bartonia (perhaps Britain), and the Javanim in Makdonia (Macedonia). The children of Tugarma are said to have become ten families, settling in the north and building cities along the rivers Hithlah and Italac. It's like a very ancient, somewhat speculative, map of the world taking shape.

Then comes the line of Ham, traditionally associated with Africa and parts of the Middle East. His descendants, including Cush, Mitzraim (Egypt), Phut, and Canaan, also built cities and named them accordingly. We even get a mention of the infamous cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, built by four men who named them after themselves.

Finally, we have the line of Shem, often associated with the Semitic peoples. His descendants, including Elam, Ashur, Arpachshad, Lud, and Aram, also went their separate ways, building cities and establishing their own identities. We learn that Ashur and his family ventured to a distant land and built the cities of Ninevah, Resen, Calach, and Rehobother, remaining there to this day.

It's fascinating to see how this text attempts to connect biblical figures to later nations and cultures. It's important to remember that this is one particular tradition, and not necessarily a historically accurate account. Modern historians and linguists have different theories about the origins of languages and the migrations of peoples.

But the Book of Jasher isn't really trying to be a modern history textbook. It's more interested in telling a story about origins, about how the world as the author knew it came to be. It’s about giving names and identities to the nations, grounding them in a biblical narrative.

It’s also a reminder that even after a cataclysmic event like the Tower of Babel, humanity persevered. People rebuilt, they adapted, and they created new societies. Each group, while distinct, was still part of the larger human family, descended from Noah and ultimately connected to one another.

What does it all mean? Perhaps it's a call to remember our shared ancestry, even as we celebrate our diverse cultures and identities. Maybe it’s an encouragement to build bridges, rather than towers that reach for the sky in hubris. Whatever you take away from it, the Book of Jasher offers a unique and thought-provoking glimpse into how one ancient tradition understood the origins of our world.

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