Search / H3130
יוֹסֵף212 H3130
Prep-l | N-proper-ms  |  213× in 1 sense
Joseph -- proper name meaning 'he adds'; the patriarch, and by metonymy the northern tribes descended from him.
Yosef is a proper name explained by two folk etymologies in Genesis 30:23-24: Rachel says God has 'taken away' (asaf) her reproach, then prays that YHWH will 'add' (yasaf) another son. The name's primary referent is the patriarch Joseph, Jacob's favored son whose story of betrayal, enslavement, and exaltation dominates Genesis 37-50. By metonymy, 'Joseph' also designates the northern tribal territory of Ephraim and Manasseh (Deut 33:13; Ps 80:2). Spanish 'Yosef,' French 'Joseph,' and German 'Josef' preserve the name across traditions.
Read in Bible → Strong's / BibleHub Blue Letter Bible
Senses
1. Joseph (proper name) — The proper name Joseph (Yosef / Yehoseph), meaning 'he adds' or 'may he add,' referring primarily to the patriarch Joseph son of Jacob and Rachel (Gen 30:24), whose narrative of exile, suffering, and providential exaltation spans Genesis 37-50. Used metonymically for the combined tribal territory of Ephraim and Manasseh (Deut 33:13; Ps 80:2; Ezek 37:16). The dual etymology in Genesis 30:23-24 connects it to both asaf ('take away') and yasaf ('add'), enriching its meaning with themes of loss reversed and blessing multiplied. 213×
DISCOURSE_NAMES › Names of Persons and Places › Joseph Proper Name
AR["يُوسُفَ", "يُوسُفُ"]·ben["যোষেফ", "যোষেফকে", "যোষেফের", "যোসেফ"]·DE["Josef", "Josefs"]·EN["Joseph"]·FR["Joseph"]·heb["יוסף"]·HI["योसेफ", "योसेफ-का", "योसेफ-ने", "योसेफ-से", "योसेफ़"]·ID["Yusuf"]·IT["Giuseppe"]·jav["Yusuf"]·KO["요셉과", "요셉과-함께", "요셉에게", "요셉은", "요셉을", "요셉의", "요셉이", "요셉이라"]·PT["Yosef"]·RU["Иосиф", "Иосифа", "Иосифом", "Иосифу", "с-Иосифа"]·ES["Yosef"]·SW["Yosefa", "Yosefu", "Yusufu", "la-Yusufu", "wasujudu"]·TR["Yusuf", "Yusuf'a", "Yusuf'u", "Yusuf'un"]·urd["یوسف", "یوسف-نے", "یوسف-کا", "یوسف-کے"]
Gen 30:24, Gen 30:25, Gen 33:2, Gen 33:7, Gen 35:24, Gen 37:2, Gen 37:2, Gen 37:3, Gen 37:5, Gen 37:13, Gen 37:17, Gen 37:23  (+38 more)
Related Senses
G3588 1. definite article (18298×)H0853 1. definite direct object marker (10915×)G2532 1. (8312×)H3068 1. YHWH (the divine name) (6522×)H0834a 1. relative pronoun (who/which/that) (4839×)H3588a 1. causal: because, for (3498×)G1161 1. and (2806×)H3478 1. Israel (proper name and nation) (2507×)G4771 1. you (plural address) (1853×)H1931 1. personal pronoun he/she/it (1431×)G3739 1. relative pronoun who/which/that (1149×)H1732 1. David (proper name) (1075×)H2088 1. this, this one (demonstrative) (1059×)G1063 1. (1047×)G3778 1. this thing, these things (1003×)H???? 2. (1002×)G2424 1. (924×)G3754 1. that (content clause) (881×)H2009 1. presentative particle: behold, look (881×)H0589 1. I (first person singular pronoun) (874×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
יוֹסֵף212 and יְהוֹסֵף (†ψ 81:6 v. Ges§ 53, 3, R. 7). n.pr.m. (he adds, increases, v. יוספיה infr.;—on n.pr. loc. in Pal. Yšap’arḁ (Egyptian form, = יוסף אל) v. MeyZAW vi, 8 WMMAsien u. Europa 162)— 1. elder son of Jacob and Rachel; a. as an inividual Gn 30:24 (name expl. v 23 (E) from אָסַף = take away, but v 24 (J) from יָסַף add) + 155 times Gn, chiefly in narrative of JE, also poem 49:22, 26…