We know the biblical account, but there are other traditions that fill in the gaps, offering a more detailed picture of his reign. Today, we’re diving into Chapter 58 of the Book of Jasher, a non-canonical text that expands on the stories we find in the Hebrew Bible.
According to Jasher, in the thirty-second year after the Israelites arrived in Egypt, and Joseph was seventy-one years old, the Pharaoh died. His son, Magron, took the throne. But here's the interesting part: before his death, Pharaoh commanded Magron to treat Joseph as a father and to rely on his counsel. And that's exactly what happened.
The text tells us that all of Egypt wanted Joseph to be their king. While Magron technically sat on the throne, he placed all the laws and affairs of government in Joseph's hands, just as his father had instructed. So, in effect, Joseph became king over Egypt! He oversaw everything. The people loved him and sought his advice.
But, of course, there were dissenters. As Jasher notes, some Egyptians grumbled, "No stranger shall reign over us." Despite this undercurrent of resentment, Joseph’s power was absolute. He was the regulator, doing as he liked throughout the land without anyone interfering.
And Joseph wasn’t just managing internal affairs. He was also a military leader. According to Jasher, Joseph waged war against Egypt's enemies, subduing them all the way to the borders of Canaan, and even the land of the Philistines. They all paid taxes to Joseph. Magron, the Pharaoh, remained on his throne, but he was under Joseph’s control and counsel. In essence, Joseph reigned over the entire region, from Egypt to the great river Perath, likely referring to the Euphrates.
Jasher emphasizes that Joseph was successful in all his endeavors because the Lord was with him. God gave him wisdom, honor, glory, and inspired love for him in the hearts of the Egyptians. He reigned for forty years, and all the surrounding lands – Philistines, Canaan, Zidon, and the region beyond the Jordan – brought him gifts and paid tribute. The text repeats, almost for emphasis, that the whole country was in Joseph's hand, and he sat securely upon his throne in Egypt.
Meanwhile, Joseph’s brothers, the sons of Jacob, lived securely in the land, fruitful and multiplying, serving the Lord as their father Jacob had commanded them.
But the peace wouldn't last forever.
After many years, the children of Esau, also known as Edomites, who were dwelling quietly in their land, decided to challenge Joseph's power. They wanted to free their brother Zepho, the son of Eliphaz, and his men, who were still slaves to Joseph. So they formed an alliance with the children of the east, the people of Angeas, and even the Ishmaelites. A massive army, numbering around 800,000, marched on Egypt and encamped by Rameses.
Joseph, with his brethren and a force of Egyptian soldiers, numbering only 600, went to meet them in battle. This was the fiftieth year after the sons of Jacob had come down to Egypt, and the thirtieth year of Bela's reign over the children of Esau in Seir.
The Lord, according to Jasher, delivered the mighty men of Esau and the children of the east into Joseph's hand. The sons of Jacob inflicted a devastating defeat, slaying about 200,000 men, including their king, Bela. Seeing their king fall, the Esauites lost heart. Joseph and his brethren pursued them, killing another 300 men.
When Joseph returned to Egypt, he ordered Zepho and his men to be bound even more securely, increasing their suffering. The defeated armies of Esau and the east returned home in shame. They then chose a new king, Jobab, from the land of Botzrah. Jobab reigned for ten years, and the children of Esau, fearful of the sons of Jacob's valor, did not dare to wage war against them again. However, Jasher tells us that from that day forward, a deep hatred and enmity festered between the descendants of Esau and Jacob.
After Jobab’s death, a man named Chusham from the land of Teman became king, reigning for twenty years. Throughout this time, Joseph, his brethren, and all the children of Israel dwelled securely in Egypt, free from war and strife.
So, what do we make of this account? The Book of Jasher offers a compelling expansion of the biblical narrative, portraying Joseph as not just a wise administrator, but also a powerful military leader who secured the prosperity of Egypt and the safety of his family. It also highlights the enduring animosity between the descendants of Jacob and Esau, a theme that resonates throughout Jewish history.
It's a reminder that even in times of peace and prosperity, the seeds of future conflict can be sown, and that the choices we make today can have lasting consequences for generations to come.
Sacred-texts Apocrypha Index Previous Next Book of Jasher, Chapter 58 1 And it came to pass in the thirty-second year of the Israelites going down to Egypt, that is in the seventy-first year of the life of Joseph, in that year died Pharaoh king of Egypt, and Magron his son reigned in his stead. 2 And Pharaoh commanded Joseph before his death to be a father to his son, Magron, and that Magron should be under the care of Joseph and under his counsel. 3 And all Egypt consented to this thing that Joseph should be king over them, for all the Egyptians loved Joseph as of heretofore, only Magron the son of Pharaoh sat upon, his father's throne, and he became king in those days in his father's stead. 4 Magron was forty-one years old when he began to reign, and forty years he reigned in Egypt, and all Egypt called his name Pharaoh after the name of his father, as it was their custom to do in Egypt to every king that reigned over them. 5 And it came to pass when Pharaoh reigned in his father's stead, he placed the laws of Egypt and all the affairs of government in the hand of Joseph, as his father had commanded him. 6 And Joseph became king over Egypt, for he superintended over all Egypt, and all Egypt was under his care and under his counsel, for all Egypt inclined to Joseph after the death of Pharaoh, and they loved him exceedingly to reign over them. 7 But there were some people amongst them, who did not like him, saying, No stranger shall reign over us; still the whole government of Egypt devolved in those days upon Joseph, after the death of Pharaoh, he being the regulator, doing as he liked throughout the land without any one interfering. 8 And all Egypt was under the care of Joseph, and Joseph made war with all his surrounding enemies, and he subdued them; also all the land and all the Philistines, unto the borders of Canaan, did Joseph subdue, and they were all under his power and they gave a yearly tax unto Joseph. 9 And Pharaoh king of Egypt sat upon his throne in his father's stead, but he was under the control and counsel of Joseph, as he was at first under the control of his father. 10 Neither did he reign but in the land of Egypt only, under the counsel of Joseph, but Joseph reigned over the whole country at that time, from Egypt unto the great river Perath. 11 And Joseph was successful in all his ways, and the Lord was with him, and the Lord gave Joseph additional wisdom, and honor, and glory, and love toward him in the hearts of the Egyptians and throughout the land, and Joseph reigned over the whole country forty years. 12 And all the countries of the Philistines and Canaan and Zidon, and on the other side of Jordan, brought presents unto Joseph all his days, and the whole country was in the hand of Joseph, and they brought unto him a yearly tribute as it was regulated, for Joseph had fought against all his surrounding enemies and subdued them, and the whole country was in the hand of Joseph, and Joseph sat securely upon his throne in Egypt. 13 And also all his brethren the sons of Jacob dwelt securely in the land, all the days of Joseph, and they were fruitful and multiplied exceedingly in the land, and they served the Lord all their days, as their father Jacob had commanded them. 14 And it came to pass at the end of many days and years, when the children of Esau were dwelling quietly in their land with Bela their king, that the children of Esau were fruitful and multiplied in the land, and they resolved to go and fight with the sons of Jacob and all Egypt, and to deliver their brother Zepho, the son of Eliphaz, and his men, for they were yet in those days slaves to Joseph. 15 And the children of Esau sent unto all the children of the east, and they made peace with them, and all the children of the east came unto them to go with the children of Esau to Egypt to battle. 16 And there came also unto them of the people of Angeas, king of Dinhabah, and they also sent unto the children of Ishmael and they also came unto them. 17 And all this people assembled and came unto Seir to assist the children of Esau in their battle, and this camp was very large and heavy with people, numerous as the sand of the sea, about eight hundred thousand men, infantry and cavalry, and all these troops went down to Egypt to fight with the sons of Jacob, and they encamped by Rameses. 18 And Joseph went forth with his brethren with the mighty men of Egypt, about six hundred men, and they fought with them in the land of Rameses; and the sons of Jacob at that time again fought with the children of Esau, in the fiftieth year of the sons of Jacob going down to Egypt, that is the thirtieth year of the reign of Bela over the children of Esau in Seir. 19 And the Lord gave all the mighty men of Esau and the children of the east into the hand of Joseph and his brethren, and the people of the children of Esau and the children of the east were smitten before Joseph. 20 And of the people of Esau and the children of the east that were slain, there fell before the sons of Jacob about two hundred thousand men, and their king Bela the son of Beor fell with them in the battle, and when the children of Esau saw that their king had fallen in battle and was dead, their hands became weak in the combat. 21 And Joseph and his brethren and all Egypt were still smiting the people of the house of Esau, and all Esau's people were afraid of the sons of Jacob and fled from before them. 22 And Joseph and his brethren and all Egypt pursued them a day's journey, and they slew yet from them about three hundred men, continuing to smite them in the road; and they afterward turned back from them. 23 And Joseph and all his brethren returned to Egypt, not one man was missing from them, but of the Egyptians there fell twelve men. 24 And when Joseph returned to Egypt he ordered Zepho and his men to be additionally bound, and they bound them in irons and they increased their grief. 25 And all the people of the children of Esau, and the children of the east, returned in shame each unto his city, for all the mighty men that were with them had fallen in battle. 26 And when the children of Esau saw that their king had died in battle they hastened and took a man from the people of the children of the east; his name was Jobab the son of Zarach, from the land of Botzrah, and they caused him to reign over them instead of Bela their king. 27 And Jobab sat upon the throne of Bela as king in his stead, and Jobab reigned in Edom over all the children of Esau ten years, and the children of Esau went no more to fight with the sons of Jacob from that day forward, for the sons of Esau knew the valor of the sons of Jacob, and they were greatly afraid of them. 28 But from that day forward the children of Esau hated the sons of Jacob, and the hatred and enmity were very strong between them all the days, unto this day. 29 And it came to pass after this, at the end of ten years, Jobab, the son of Zarach, from Botzrah, died, and the children of Esau took a man whose name was Chusham, from the land of Teman, and they made him king over them instead of Jobab, and Chusham reigned in Edom over all the children of Esau for twenty years. 30 And Joseph, king of Egypt, and his brethren, and all the children of Israel dwelt securely in Egypt in those days, together with all the children of Joseph and his brethren, having no hindrance or evil accident and the land of Egypt was at that time at rest from war in the days of Joseph and his brethren. 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