“And Pharaoh called Joseph’s name Zaphnath-paaneah” (Gen 41:45).1
We began this short series by noting the parallels between Joseph’s time in Shechem and the Lord’s appearance at Sychar. Then we considered how Joseph’s burial site enriches our appreciation of the interaction at the well, and then how the Lord Jesus reached across religious and cultural boundaries to be that “fruitful bough by a well, whose branches run over the wall” (Gen 49:22). This article focuses more on the parallels between the life path of Joseph and that of the Lord Jesus. Ultimately, as our view narrows to Joseph’s exaltation and his new name with its multifaceted meaning, we will enjoy one of the more obvious sightings of Joseph in John 4: our own Zaphnath-paaneah.
Joseph’s suffering and eventual glory (Gen 41) are presented as a pattern to emulate in our own trials and a foreshadowing of the Lord Jesus Christ’s sufferings and glory. His humility, purity and patience are a bold underwriting over which we can trace our own behaviour. Jacob’s summary of his son’s exemplary life includes a metaphor describing his strength in his sorrows: “The archers have sorely grieved him, and shot at him, and hated him: But his bow abode in strength, and the arms of his hands were made strong by the hands of the mighty God of Jacob” (49:23-24).
Vividly, we imagine a company of skilled soldiers, bows in hand, drawing, releasing their arrows and striking their target, only to reload and shoot again. The natural response would be to return fire in self-defense, but this soldier was different. “His bow abode in strength” is Jacob’s way of saying that this victim, through integrity of character, was able to refrain from responding in kind. Of course, the archers were Joseph’s brothers, the Potiphar family and a butler who had forgotten all about him. The arrows of hatred, false accusations and ungratefulness hit their mark and were especially grieving in light of his complete innocence. But when the hurtful words connected, he never shot back. He found the strength to remain silent, supplied by the Mighty One Himself.
Certainly, this is a picture of the Lord Jesus, for “when he was maligned, he did not answer back; when he suffered, he threatened no retaliation, but committed himself to God who judges justly” (1Pe 2:23 NET). And, ultimately, the practical challenge falls to us: Am I developing the spiritual courage that will give me strength to hold my fire when the natural reaction is to shoot back? A sharp-tongued comeback may feel appropriate in times when we are being treated unfairly, but holding that tongue is a sign of Christian character.
Joseph’s trials are also a lesson to us on the value of the Word of God in times of suffering. The Psalmist says of Joseph, “Until the time that his word came: the word of the LORD tried him” (Psa 105:19). When Joseph was 17 years old, God spoke to him. And while there were nuances in the meaning of his dreams, one thing was very clear: God promised Joseph that he would one day be a ruler. That made his pathway even more fascinating as the challenges mounted. When he was rejected and sold by his brethren, leadership seemed the least likely thing in his future. When falsely accused and imprisoned, there was little to suggest that he would one day rule the nation. Furthermore, when the butler forgot him, all hope seemed lost that he would ever taste freedom again!
But God wasn’t just accomplishing purposes through Joseph; He was doing something in him. When all had been taken from him and the situation was dire, he had one hope: the word that God had spoken. When conditions made it seem impossible, the Word of God became even more dear to the sufferer. “The word of the LORD tried him” is another way of saying, “Through the circumstances, his character was being refined, and personal dependence on the Word of God was being perfected.” When Joseph was given the opportunity to stand before Pharaoh, that confidence in God was put on full display (Gen 41:16).
Peter describes a similar process in the lives of suffering believers. He calls it “the trial of your faith” (1Pe 1:7). The goal of God’s heated testing is to remove the impurities from our faith and produce a deeper dependence on His Word. And the character of that faith will be shown at the appearing of Jesus Christ, just like Joseph.
But the track of Joseph, from his father’s house to suffering and eventual glory, also prefigured the trajectory of our Heavenly Joseph. The passage that best encapsulates the pathway of our Lord and its parallels with Joseph is Philippians 2. There we read, “He humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow” (Php 2:8-10).
Joseph’s mission, rejection, false accusations and imprisonment were a detailed pattern for the pathway of our Lord Jesus to the cross. Obedient to his father, he followed that course all the way to prison in Egypt, the lowest place one could go. Of the Lord Jesus it is said, “… even the death of the cross.” And there was no lower place on earth that a man could go. But then Joseph was taken from the low place and given the highest place, foreshadowing the words of Paul regarding our Lord when he said, “Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him.”
In Genesis 41, Pharaoh was ensuring that the whole world recognize Joseph. The new name of dignity was accompanied by a command to honour that name and to “bow the knee.” What a scene! There was a butler there that day who remembered Joseph’s kindness and would be happy to bow the knee to the man who had blessed him two years earlier. But one can’t help wondering if that wicked woman would have been there with Potiphar, her husband, watching with amazement and fear. Did they tremble as they were forced to bow their knee reluctantly? We know one thing: whether willingly or reluctantly, thankfully or fearfully, every knee would bow at the name of the one who was once despised.
And so it will be with the name of Jesus. Some have already bowed, thankful for the Man who released them from sin’s dungeon. But we also know that those who refuse will eventually be forced, because “at the name of Jesus every knee shall bow.”
But let’s focus on Joseph’s new name and what it means to our John 4 meditation. Pharaoh was speaking Egyptian when he bestowed the name of honour on the one he deemed the most discerning and wise man in the world. Because the word is somewhat ambiguous and different ancient languages lend slightly varied meanings, we should consider a few possible definitions of Zaphnath-paaneah that enhance our Samaritan study.
First, some say the name means “giver of life,” or “nourisher,” pointing to Joseph as the sustainer of life through the coming famine. In this way, we could see the Lord Jesus at the well in His role as the provider of living water. Through this metaphor, He revealed Himself as the giver and sustainer of spiritual life. But two other meanings are more pronounced in our chapter, references that cannot be missed.
For many, Pharaoh’s renaming had more to do with Joseph’s ability to interpret dreams and give insight into otherwise unknown things. With this in mind, it’s probable that from that point on, Pharaoh wanted everyone to know that Joseph was “the revealer of secrets.” Seventeen hundred years later, as the bewildered Samaritan woman marvelled at the Lord’s intimate knowledge of the personal and private details of her life, she couldn’t help but proclaim to the men of the city, “Come, see a man, which told me all things that ever I did” (Joh 4:29). She had found the revealer of secrets, her Zaphnath-paaneah.
Sustainer of life? Revealer of secrets? But what if there is an even grander definition for the name? Pharaoh believed the interpretation of the dreams and was now convinced of a coming famine. The danger of drought with its dearth and death was inevitable, and there was nothing they could do to stop it. They needed a man, someone who would ensure the survival of the helpless masses – a deliverer, a rescuer, a saviour. Joseph was that man, and in giving him his official title, Pharaoh declared to all that this unique man was “the saviour of the world.”
In Sychar that day, the Giver and Nourisher of life was offering living water to thirsty souls (Joh 4:14), and the omniscient Messiah was revealing the secrets of sinful hearts (v29). But when the men of the city heard Him speak with their own ears, they knew they had found their Zaphnath-paaneah, “the Saviour of the world” (v42).
1 Bible quotations in this article are from the KJV unless otherwise noted.
