☀️
← Back to Lexicon
H621 · Hebrew · Old Testament
אָסְנַת
Asnat
Proper noun, feminine
Asenath

Definition

Asnat (אָסְנַת) is the Hebrew form of the Egyptian name Asenath, meaning "belonging to [the goddess] Neith" or "she belongs to her father." She was the daughter of Potiphera, priest of On (Heliopolis), whom Pharaoh gave to Joseph as his wife (Genesis 41:45). She became the mother of Ephraim and Manasseh.

Usage & Theological Significance

The marriage of Joseph to Asenath, an Egyptian priest's daughter, represents one of Scripture's first instances of God incorporating Gentiles into the covenant story. Through this union came Ephraim and Manasseh — two of the twelve tribes of Israel. Jacob's blessing of these sons as his own (Genesis 48:5) formally incorporated Egyptian lineage into the covenant people. This foreshadows the radical inclusion of the nations in the New Covenant, where "there is neither Jew nor Gentile" (Galatians 3:28). God's redemptive purposes cannot be confined by ethnic boundaries.

Key Bible Verses

Genesis 41:45 Pharaoh gave Joseph the name Zaphenath-Paneah and gave him Asenath daughter of Potiphera, priest of On, to be his wife.
Genesis 41:50 Before the years of famine came, two sons were born to Joseph by Asenath daughter of Potiphera, priest of On.
Genesis 46:20 In Egypt, Manasseh and Ephraim were born to Joseph by Asenath daughter of Potiphera, priest of On.
Genesis 48:5 'Now then, your two sons born to you in Egypt before I came to you here will be reckoned as mine; Ephraim and Manasseh will be mine, just as Reuben and Simeon are mine.'
Galatians 3:28 There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.

Related Words

External Resources