j O s 
anecdotes, maxims, and reflections. Thefe are of un¬ 
equal value, but will all be thought worthy of perufal by 
thofe who have inbibed a tafte for the writings of this in¬ 
genious, learned, and truly liberal, author. Difney's Me¬ 
moirs of Dr. Jortin. 
JOIUVIS, a town of Sweden, in the government of 
Kuopio : forty-three miles fouth of Kuopio. 
1 'OS, now Nio, an ifland in the Myrtoan Sea, celebrat¬ 
ed, as (ome fay, for'the tomb of Homer, and the birth of 
his mother. Pliny. 
JOS, a river of Franconia, which runs into the Sinn : 
ten miles north of Gemunden. 
JOS'ABAD, a man’s name; i Efd. 
JOS'APHAT. See Jehoshaphat. 
JOS'CELIN, a man’s name. 
JO'SE, [Heb. raifed.J A man’s name. 
JOS'EDEC, a man’s name, i Efd. 
JO'SEPH, [Heb. addition.] A man’s name. 
JO'SEPH, the Hebrew patriarch, was the fon of Jacob 
by his beloved wife Rachael, and born during his father’s 
fervitude to his uncle Laban in Padan-Aram, about the 
year 1745 B.C. As Jofeph advanced towards manhood, 
lie was diftinguiflied by fuch extraordinary perfonal and 
mental endowments, that he became the favourite fon of 
his father; but this circumftance excited again It him the 
jealoufy and hatred of his brethren. In the life of Jacob 
we have given an account of the lengths to which this 
hatred carried them, and of the fale of Jofeph to a troop 
of Iftimaelites who were travelling towards Egypt; when 
his father was made to believe that he had been devoured 
by fome wild bead. On their arrival in Egypt, the Ifh- 
maelites fold Jofeph, who was now about eighteen years 
of age, to Potiphar, an officer in the king’s guard. In his 
fervice Jofeph difplayed fo much diligence, fidelity, and 
prudence, that he gained the entire confidence of his maf- 
ter, who faw that he was fuccefsful in whatever he under¬ 
took, and committed the management of his affairs wholly 
into his hands. Jofeph had been ten years in Potiphar’s 
houfe, when his milt refs, taken with the extraordinary 
comelinefs of his perfon, conceived a criminal inclination 
for him, and at different times folicited him to gratify her 
wicked paffion. Shocked at a propofal fooffeniive to vir¬ 
tue, and an indulgence of which would be a bafe and un¬ 
grateful return for the unbounded confidence which his 
snafter placed in him, Jofeph refufed her folicitations, ex¬ 
claiming, in a fpirit of honeft and pious indignation, How 
can I do this great wickedncfs, and fin againjl God? One day, 
when his bufinefs called him into the women’s apart¬ 
ments, and none of the male fervants were in the houfe, 
{he accofted him in fo paflionate a manner, at the fame 
time laying hold on his upper garment, that, not thinking 
it fafe to ftay and expoftulate with her, he left his gar¬ 
ment in her hands, and immediately quitted the houfe. 
Stung with refer.tment at not being able to feduce the 
virtuous young man, fhe determined on his ruin; and, 
having by her cries called thofe about her who were with¬ 
in hearing, fhe accufed jofeph of an attempt to defile his 
mailer's lied, and, as a proof, produced his garment, which 
fhe pretended he had loft during her ftruggles to preferve 
her innocence. When Potiphar returned home, file told 
him this tale with fo much art, that, notwithftanding his 
confidence in Jofeph, he was deceived by her, and order¬ 
ed the fuppofed offender to be committed to the king’s 
prifon. 
During his confinement, Jofeph acquired fuch favour 
with the keeper of the prifon, that he entrufted him with 
the care of his fellow-prifoners. In this number there 
were two perfons of fome diftinflion, one of whom had 
filled the polt of chief butler, or cup-bearer, and the other 
that of chief baker, to Pharaoh. Thefe perfons had each 
of them - a dream in the fame night, which they were 
anxious to have interpreted, as they confidered them to 
be predictive of their future fortunes. Upon their re¬ 
lating them to Jofeph, he undertook the interpretation ; 
and affured the former, that within three days he would 
e p a ' m 
be reftored to his office ; but predicted that at the end of 
the fame period the latter would be hanged. The events 
precifely correiponded with his interpretations. Before the 
three days elapfed, Jofeph addrefted bimfelf to the chief 
butler, and befought him to ule his intereft to procure his 
•liberty; informing him that he had been wickedly fold out 
of his country, and imprifoned for a crime of which he had 
been falfely accufed. After the chief butler had been fet 
at liberty', and reftored to his polt at court, he never trou¬ 
bled himfelf with paying any attention to the cafe of Jo¬ 
feph till two years afterwards, when Pharaoh had two 
dreams which made a deep impreffion on his mind, but 
which the interpreters and other Egyptian wife men de¬ 
clared themfelves unable to expound. Upon this the chief 
butler addrefted bimfelf to the king, and, after acknow¬ 
ledging his ingratitude in having been fo long unmindful 
of his fellow-prifoner, recommended him as one who pof- 
fefled a wonderful talent at interpreting dreams, mention¬ 
ing at the fame time his own cafe and that of the chief 
baker. Immediately Pharaoh ordered Jofeph to be fent 
for out of prifon ; and, when he was come into the royal 
prefence, the king told him of his dreams, and the inabi¬ 
lity of the wifeft Egyptians to explain them, mentioning 
at the fame time the character which had been given of 
his great {kill in interpretation. Jofeph, after modeltly 
difclaimihg all pretenfions to fuperior wifdom, faid, that 
he doubted not of God’s direction to give the king fatif- 
faCtion on the fubjeCt of his anxiety. In his firft dream. 
Pharaoh faid that he faw feven handfome and fat cattle 
afcend from the banks of the Nile, which fed in a mea¬ 
dow ; and they were foon followed by feven lean and ill- 
looking beafts of the fame kind, which devoured the for¬ 
mer, but without appearing either fatter or better than 
before. In his fecond dream, he faw feven full ears of 
corn growing upon one ftalk, from which feven blafted 
ears afterwards put forth, and deftroyed the full ears. Jo¬ 
feph informed the king, that both dreams had the fame 
interpretation ; and that the repetition of the fubjett in 
them iignified the certainty and l’peedy fulfilment of what 
they portended. The feven fat cattle and the feven full 
ears, he faid, fignified feven approaching years of excefiive 
plenty; and the feven lean cattle and blafted ears, feven 
fucceeding years of famine, which fliould prove fo fevere 
as to banifli all memory of the preceding plenty. He 
therefore advifed the king to appoint a wife and expert 
perfon over his whole kingdom, who fliould fend officers 
into every province to colled a fifth part of all the corn 
grown during the feven plentiful years, and ftore it in 
granaries againft the fucceeding years of famine. Pharaoh 
was fatisfied with Jofeph’s interpretation, and convinced 
of the prudence of the meafure which he had advifed. 
At the fame time he was perfuaded that no perfon was 
more likely to carry it fuccefsfully into execution than 
Jofeph himfelf, whofe wifdom filled all prefent with the 
greateft aftoniffnnent. Pharaoh, therefore, immediately 
appointed him fuperintendant over the whole kingdom, 
and declared him next to himfelf in authority, ordering 
him to be clothed in a drels fuitable to his new dignity, 
with a gold chain about his neck, and delivering him the 
royal fignet from his own finger. The king alio gave him 
the name of Zaphnathpaancah, which fignifies a revealer of 
fecrets; and beftowed on him in. marriage the daughter 
of Potipherah, prieft of On. Jofeph, who was now thirty 
years of age, applied with the utmoft activity to the duties 
of his high ftation ; and, making a progrels through the 
whole kingdom, erected granaries, and appointed proper 
officers, who during the predicted fruitful years collected 
the grain according as he had advifed, till innumerable 
{lores were filled with it in the cities of Egypt. During 
thefe years Jofeph had two fons born ; the firft of whom 
he called Manafieh, intimating that God had made him 
forget all his toil, aiid the unkindnefs of his brethren ; 
and the next Ephraim, becaufe God had made him fruit¬ 
ful in the land of his affliction. 
To the years of plenty fucceeded the feven years of 
5 fcarcity. 
