Zaphnath-Paaneah
Encyclopedia
Zaphnath-Paaneah is the name stated by the Bible
(Genesis, 41:45) as given by Pharaoh
to Joseph. It seems to be an Egyptian
name, but its etymology
is in doubt.
gives the meaning of the name as "the man to whom mysteries are revealed"; pseudo-Jonathan, "one who reveals mysteries"; Josephus
("Ant." ii. 6, § 1), "a finder of mysteries." The Authorised Version has in the margin: "Which in the Coptic
signifies, 'A revealer of secrets,' or 'The man to whom secrets are revealed.'" There is, however, no known Egyptian etymology by which these guesses can be supported. Jerome
claims that his suggestion, "savior of the world," rests on the Egyptian. This interpretation is also accepted by Jablonski
.
Modern Egyptologists have tried a great many etymologies for the element "Zaphnath," but have mostly agreed that "paaneah" contains the Egyptian "p-ônḫ," meaning "the life". Steindorff's explanation, differs somewhat; it is "ṣe(d)-p-nute(r)-ef-onḫ" = "the god speaks, [and] he lives." This has become popular, and is philologically
possible; however, it does not convey the allusion to Joseph's office or merits which we should expect. The Septuagint (Ψον[or Ψομ]θομφανήχ) and the Hexaplaric versions, however, differ so widely from the Hebrew in the first half of the name that it may have been disfigured by copyists.
Bible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
(Genesis, 41:45) as given by Pharaoh
Pharaoh
Pharaoh is a title used in many modern discussions of the ancient Egyptian rulers of all periods. The title originates in the term "pr-aa" which means "great house" and describes the royal palace...
to Joseph. It seems to be an Egyptian
Egyptian language
Egyptian is the oldest known indigenous language of Egypt and a branch of the Afroasiatic language family. Written records of the Egyptian language have been dated from about 3400 BC, making it one of the oldest recorded languages known. Egyptian was spoken until the late 17th century AD in the...
name, but its etymology
Etymology
Etymology is the study of the history of words, their origins, and how their form and meaning have changed over time.For languages with a long written history, etymologists make use of texts in these languages and texts about the languages to gather knowledge about how words were used during...
is in doubt.
Etymology
Targum OnkelosTargum Onkelos
right|thumb|Interlinear text of [[Hebrew language|Hebrew]] [[Book of Numbers|Numbers]] 6.3–10 with [[Aramaic language|Aramaic]] Targum Onkelos from the [[British Library]]....
gives the meaning of the name as "the man to whom mysteries are revealed"; pseudo-Jonathan, "one who reveals mysteries"; Josephus
Josephus
Titus Flavius Josephus , also called Joseph ben Matityahu , was a 1st-century Romano-Jewish historian and hagiographer of priestly and royal ancestry who recorded Jewish history, with special emphasis on the 1st century AD and the First Jewish–Roman War, which resulted in the Destruction of...
("Ant." ii. 6, § 1), "a finder of mysteries." The Authorised Version has in the margin: "Which in the Coptic
Coptic language
Coptic or Coptic Egyptian is the current stage of the Egyptian language, a northern Afro-Asiatic language spoken in Egypt until at least the 17th century. Egyptian began to be written using the Greek alphabet in the 1st century...
signifies, 'A revealer of secrets,' or 'The man to whom secrets are revealed.'" There is, however, no known Egyptian etymology by which these guesses can be supported. Jerome
Jerome
Saint Jerome was a Roman Christian priest, confessor, theologian and historian, and who became a Doctor of the Church. He was the son of Eusebius, of the city of Stridon, which was on the border of Dalmatia and Pannonia...
claims that his suggestion, "savior of the world," rests on the Egyptian. This interpretation is also accepted by Jablonski
Jablonski
Jabłoński is a Polish surname and may refer to:Jablonski* Benedict Jablonski , science fiction fan and booster* Constance Jablonski , French fashion model...
.
Modern Egyptologists have tried a great many etymologies for the element "Zaphnath," but have mostly agreed that "paaneah" contains the Egyptian "p-ônḫ," meaning "the life". Steindorff's explanation, differs somewhat; it is "ṣe(d)-p-nute(r)-ef-onḫ" = "the god speaks, [and] he lives." This has become popular, and is philologically
Philology
Philology is the study of language in written historical sources; it is a combination of literary studies, history and linguistics.Classical philology is the philology of Greek and Classical Latin...
possible; however, it does not convey the allusion to Joseph's office or merits which we should expect. The Septuagint (Ψον[or Ψομ]θομφανήχ) and the Hexaplaric versions, however, differ so widely from the Hebrew in the first half of the name that it may have been disfigured by copyists.