Asenath: The wife of Joseph

Getting married is a big thing and most couples spend a fortune to prepare for their big day. It comes with massive preparation and making sure that everything is done perfectly. Recently, most couples are resorting to wedding planners so that the load of planning will be taken away. Obviously wedding planners do charge enough fees to cover up for their services. How would you feel if you had your marriage planned by the highest authority of the land? Technically, you are saved from all the pressure of planning, and the financial burden that comes with it. One person who had such a surreal marriage experience is Joseph. His past was filled with painful experiences. He lost his mum while he was still a child. He was sold as a slave by his own brothers. He was convicted and imprisoned for a crime he did not commit. But, God wasn’t done with him yet. While in prison, God opened a great door of dream interpretation ministry and that officially launched Joseph into his career. The day he left the prison, he was crowned as the prime minister of Egypt. As a great personality, he needed a wife that matched his current position. There comes Asenath, the daughter of Potiphera, the priest of On. 

Pharaoh gave Joseph the name Zaphenath-Paneah and gave him Asenath daughter of Potiphera, priest of On, to be his wife. And Joseph went throughout the land of Egypt. (Genesis 41:45) 

Asenath’s upbringing was totally different from Joseph’s. She would have been prepared as an important lady, with religious beliefs of her father. Definitely, Asenath was not prepared to be married to an ex-convict who rose to become prime minister. Joseph’s past was not relevant to the Egyptians. Therefore, Asenath wouldn’t have been worried about stigmatization. I believe Joseph would have been vindicated of the wrong accusations laid on him by Potiphar’s wife. Joseph’s life changed totally. “Pharaoh gave Joseph the name Zaphenath-Paneah and gave him Asenath daughter of Potiphera, priest of On, to be his wife. And Joseph went throughout the land of Egypt” (Genesis 41:45). Asenath and Joseph’s marriage was arranged by the Pharaoh of Egypt. It would have been a national ceremony.  Joseph had a task to ensure that Egypt survives the impending famine. Asenath had a task to ensure that her husband is well taken care of and ready for his assignment. “Before the years of famine came, two sons were born to Joseph by Asenath daughter of Potiphera, priest of On. Joseph named his firstborn Manasseh and said, “It is because God has made me forget all my trouble and all my father’s household.” The second son he named Ephraim and said, “It is because God has made me fruitful in the land of my suffering.” (Genesis 41:50‭-‬52).

Asenath might not be listed as a heroine in the Bible, but we cannot forget the important role she played in Joseph’s life. She might have accepted the God of Joseph as her God which meant the denial of her father’s gods. In the future, the children of Asenath and their descendants became part of God’s bigger story. Manasseh and Ephraim became two important tribes in Israel. There are many women who play background roles in the lives of their husbands. Such women are barely seen. They work backstage and since we don’t focus on the backstage events, we always fail to acknowledge them. If the world doesn’t celebrate you, it doesn’t mean you are not an amazing person. Asenath supported the work of Joseph and ensured that the home was well taken care of as Joseph went throughout Egypt to collect grains. Whether you play backstage roles or onstage roles, know that your service is keeping the world a better place. Remember, “whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might, for in the realm of the dead, where you are going, there is neither working nor planning nor knowledge nor wisdom” (Ecclesiastes 9:10). Be serviceable now, tomorrow might be too late.