“For some time before the birth of Joseph Smith, an interest in Egypt had been growing among Western cultures.[1] This was heightened and hastened by Napoleon’s invasion of Egypt, which took place just seven years before the birth of the Mormon prophet.[2] The reports and descriptions of Egypt and her wonders brought about renewed European contact with the land of the Nile and did much to curry curiosity and fascination with Egypt’s culture and wonders.[3] A slew of travelers published their adventures in and impressions of Egypt before and after Joseph Smith acquired his antiquities, adding fuel to the flame of interest in Egypt.[4] It was during Joseph Smith’s youth that Egyptian artifacts first started to flow into the United States, igniting greater attention to the ancient land.[5] As fascinating as Nile history and culture was, much of Egypt’s appeal to the Western mind, both before and immediately after the burst of academic inquiry that accompanied Napoleon’s invasion, was attached to the role Egypt played in the Bible.[6] This was at least partially because the study of Egypt was not yet on a sure academic footing.[7] For a variety of reasons, a great deal of the attention given to things Egyptian centered on Biblical associations.”[8] Joseph Smith’s Biblical View of Egypt Kerry Muhlestein
Does the Bible Speak of Joseph Smith?
I am sometimes asked if there is any evidence in the Bible that foretells the divine calling of the Prophet Joseph Smith. I usually reply that the only sure evidence of the Prophet Joseph Smith’s divine calling is a personal witness from the Holy Ghost. Still, there are many references to the Prophet in the Bible that confirm that testimony…
“…and the seer who would arise in the “latter days” and would be called “Joseph … after the name of his father” (JST, Gen. 50:31–33). This seer—obviously Joseph Smith, Jr.—was prophesied of in the original records of Moses. (See 1 Ne. 5:11–14.) Lehi quoted it when he found it on the plates of brass. (See 2 Ne. 3:6–21.)
It should not be surprising to find the Prophet Joseph spoken of in the scriptures. After all, Joseph Smith was called, ordained, and given the keys to begin what Peter called “the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began” (Acts 3:21), and what Paul described as “the dispensation of the fulness of times,” in which God would “gather together in one all things in Christ” (Eph. 1:10).
Joseph of Egypt Prophesies of Joseph Smith
It should not be surprising, either, that Joseph of Egypt, whose posterity was foreordained to take the gospel to all nations, would prophesy of his namesake who would become the great Prophet of the Restoration: (JST, Gen. 50:27, 30–31, 33.)
(See D&C 124:58; D&C 132:30–32; see also Gal. 3:27–29.)
Because many “plain and precious things” were lost from the Bible, it is probable that Ezekiel’s prophecy of the two “sticks” (see Ezek. 37:16–17) is but an echo of the patriarch Joseph’s earlier prophecy (see JST, Gen. 50:31)…
“Doctrine and Covenants 113 identifies the “Stem of Jesse” as the Lord Jesus Christ (D&C 113:1–2) and the “rod” as “a servant in the hands of Christ, who is partly a descendant of Jesse as well as of Ephraim, or of the house of Joseph, on whom there is laid much power” (D&C 113:3–4). The “root of Jesse,” verses 5 and 6 tell us, is “a descendant of Jesse, as well as of Joseph, unto whom rightly belongs the priesthood, and the keys of the kingdom, for an ensign, and for the gathering of my people in the last days.” [D&C 113:5–6]
It is possible that Joseph Smith is both the “rod” and the “root.”
Undoubtedly, the terms rod and root, like the term Elias, can be used to designate different people in different situations. Since they are symbols, the terms can also be applied to the same person. It is possible, therefore, that Joseph Smith is both the “rod” and the “root.”…
Elder Joseph Fielding Smith explained that “it is reasonable … that we one and all have come through a mixed relationship, and that the blood of Ephraim … could be in the veins of many of us, likewise the blood of others of the twelve tribes of Israel, and that none of us had come through the ages with clear exclusive descent from father to son through any one of the tribes.” (Answers to Gospel Questions, comp. Joseph Fielding Smith, Jr., 5 vols., Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1960, 3:63–64.)
Joseph Smith fulfills this prophecy of the “root” in two ways. First, the Lord told Joseph that the priesthood rightly belonged to him by lineage. (See D&C 86:8–10; see also Joseph Fielding Smith, comp., The Life of Joseph F. Smith, Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1969, p. 34.) Second, Joseph was given the “keys of the kingdom” by a succession of heavenly messengers. (See D&C 13:1; D&C 27:5; D&C 110:11–13, 16; D&C 128:20–21.)”…
Joseph Smith’s Keys
Following the First Vision, Joseph received keys, power, and authority from a succession of heaven-sent messengers, and those keys and that power and authority have been passed on to his successors. Under that direction, millions of members of the Church, in many nations, receive the blessings of the fulness of the gospel through the divine power of the holy priesthood…
Elder Joseph Fielding Smith wrote, “If a person thinks the name of Joseph Smith ought to be found in the Bible spelled out in so many letters, he will search in vain.” (Answers to Gospel Questions, 3:6.)” Prophecies in the Bible about Joseph Smith By George A. Horton, Jr
Similarities between Joseph sold into Egypt and Joseph Smith
“Brother Joseph Fielding McConkie a professor of Ancient Scripture, at Brigham Young University) discusses many of the similarities between Joseph sold into Egypt and Joseph Smith and the seed of Joseph (tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh) in the last days. This is an informative discussion”. Bruce Satterfield
“Joseph’s life as a type or prophecy is not limited to the manner in which it portrays the life of Christ. We have already noticed that Moroni saw it as foreshadowing that of the New Jerusalem of the last days. In a discourse by the other Moroni of the Book of Mormon (the military commander in Alma), there is preserved for us a prophecy that Joseph’s father, Jacob, made shortly before his death. Having before him a remnant of Joseph’s coat, given to him by his sons when they declared Joseph lost, Jacob noticed that part of the remnant of that coat had decayed with the passing of years, while part of the coat’s remnant had been preserved. Seeing this, Jacob prophesied, “Even as this remnant of garment of my son hath been preserved, so shall a remnant of the seed of my son be preserved by the hand of God, and be taken unto himself, while the remainder of the seed of Joseph shall perish, even as the remnant of his garment” (Alma 46:24).
Moroni, in response to dissensions within his own nation, rent his coat and wrote upon it, making of it a memorial to God, their religion, their freedoms, and their families, and then fastened it upon the end of a pole. “He went forth among the people, waving the rent part of his garment in the air, that all might see the writing which he had written upon the rent part, and crying with a loud voice, saying: Behold, whosoever will maintain this title upon the land, let them come forth in the strength of the Lord, and enter into a covenant that they will maintain their rights, and their religion, that the Lord God may bless them” (Alma 46:19-20).
Responding to Moroni’s challenge, many came forth “rending their garments in token, or as a covenant, that they would not forsake the Lord their God,” and that they would not transgress his holy laws, nor would they be ashamed to take upon them the name of Christ, for should they do so, “the Lord should rend them even as they had rent their garments.” Those entering this covenant were reminded by Moroni that they were “a remnant of the seed of Joseph, whose coat was rent by his brethren into many pieces,” and that they must keep the commandments of God or their garments would be rent by their brethren and they “be cast into prison, or be sold, or be slain.” Rehearsing Jacob’s prophecy about the remnant of Joseph that would perish, Moroni, likening the prophecy unto his own people, said, “Who knoweth but what the remnant of the seed of Joseph, which shall perish as his garment, are those who have dissented from us? Yea, and even it shall be ourselves if we do not stand fast in the faith of Christ.” (Alma 46:21-27.)
Though we see the shadows of Jacob’s prophecy reaching far beyond the circumstances to which Moroni applied them, of greatest interest to the present work is that Book of Mormon and Bible prophets alike saw Joseph’s life as a prophetic type. In that same spirit, let it be suggested that its greatest significance to those of our day is as a marvelous foreshadowing of the life of Joseph Smith, his great labors and those of the tribe of Joseph, of which he effectually stands as the head in this the last dispensation. We know that Joseph of Egypt knew the Prophet Joseph Smith by the spirit of prophecy and revelation, that he described the work that Joseph Smith would do, that he named him by name, and declared that “he shall be like unto me” (2 Nephi 3:15).
Viewing the life of Joseph of Egypt as a type foretelling the destiny of his tribe in the last days as it centers in the experiences of Joseph Smith, the following parallels are suggested:
1. Because they have forsaken the true way, the older brothers (that is, the Christian churches) have lost the spiritual birthright. The great evidence of this is that the Lord no longer speaks to them.
2. The birthright is then given to the youthful Joseph (Joseph Smith and the tribe of Joseph). Evidencing this, the Lord speaks freely to both. The world has never known a more prolific prophet, one who has recorded more revelation, than the prophet Joseph Smith. The tribe of Joseph, as identified by revelation and found within the restored church, are a people familiar with the spirit of revelation.
3. Joseph (both Prophet and tribe) have been clothed in the same coat or robes of authority that Jacob gave his “most loved” son. Thus they go forth seeking others of the family of Israel to clothe in “robes of righteousness” (D&C 109:76) and to endow with “power from on high” (D&C 38:32).
4. The name Joseph is itself a prophecy of events of the last days. The etymology of the name is usually given as “the Lord addeth” or “increaser.” Though appropriate, such renderings have veiled a richer meaning. In the Bible account wherein Rachel names her infant son Joseph the Hebrew text reads Asaph, which means “he who gathers,” “he who causes to return,” or perhaps most appropriately “God gathereth” (Genesis 30:24; see also the footnote to the LDS edition). No more appropriate name could be given to the prophet of the restoration or to the tribe destined to do the work of the gathering than the name of their ancient father who gathered his family in Egypt.
5. Like their ancient father, Joseph Smith and the tribe of Joseph have had their destiny revealed to them. The dream of the “sheaves in the field,” or Joseph’s dream of earthly dominion, is matched by the promise given to Joseph of the latter days wherein the Lord has said, “I hold forth and deign to give unto you greater riches, even a land of promise, a land flowing with milk and honey, upon which there shall be no curse when the Lord cometh; And I will give it unto you for the land of your inheritance, if you seek it with all your hearts” (D&C 38:18-19). Joseph’s dream of heavenly dominion, that of the sun, the moon, and the stars, finds fulfillment only in the sealing powers of the priesthood. Jacob interpreted Joseph’s dream as having reference to himself (the sun), Rachel (the moon), and Joseph’s brothers (the stars) bowing down to Joseph (Genesis 37:10). The unanswerable difficulty that this presented to Bible interpreters is that Rachel had died many years before, while giving birth to Benjamin. The context of promises associated with the sealing power and the assurance given Joseph Smith that the keys and authority he held would never be taken from him in this life or “in the world to come” (D&C 90:3) give meaning to Jacob’s interpretation. The promise of the continuation of the family and eternal dominions are granted alike to the faithful of all ages.
6. Joseph Smith in his youthful innocence also shared his visionary promises with his “Christian” brothers, only to be severely rebuked. He recounts: “Some few days after I had this vision, I happened to be in company with one of the Methodist preachers, who was very active in the before mentioned religious excitement; and, conversing with him on the subject of religion, I took occasion to give him an account of the vision which I had had. I was greatly surprised at his behavior; he treated my communication not only lightly, but with great contempt, saying it was all of the devil, that there were no such things as visions or revelations in these days; that all such things had ceased with the apostles, and that there would never be any more of them.” (JS-H 1:21.) The Joseph Smith story itself appears to be a type or pattern, the individual experiences of Joseph Smith being but representative of the composite experience of the body of the Church. The rejection in this instance of Joseph’s vision typifies the greater rejection by the churches of the world of the testimony of Joseph Smith and the principle of revelation.
7. The thought that Joseph had some promised destiny that was not theirs caused Joseph’s brothers anciently to “hate him yet the more.” Again our story contains the type or pattern: “I soon found,” Joseph Smith said, “that my telling the story had excited a great deal of prejudice against me among professors of religion, and was the cause of great persecution, which continued to increase; and though I was an obscure boy, only between fourteen and fifteen years of age, and my circumstances in life such as to make a boy of no consequence in the world, yet men of high standing would take notice sufficient to excite the public mind against me, and create a bitter persecution; and this was common among all the sects-all united to persecute me” (JS-H 1:22). The popular Jewish author Elie Wiesel in writing of the life of Joseph of Egypt observed: “He aroused hate or love, fear or admiration. Never indifference. Some sought him out, while others avoided him, but nobody failed to notice him. Nobody failed to take stand for or against him.” (Wiesel, Elie. Messengers of God, Biblical Portraits and Legends. New York: Random House, 1976., p. 129.) How striking it is that the testimony of both Josephs evoked such reaction! Surely such announcements from obscure boys should have been passed off as youthful prattle, resulting in amusement or perhaps sympathy, but not a murderous hatred. It is truth that kindles the wrath of hell today as it did anciently. Had the Spirit of the Lord found place in the hearts of Joseph’s brothers either anciently or in modern times it would have caused rejoicing at the prospect of a divinely appointed leader. Had the brothers disbelieved the prophecies, they certainly had no cause for concern. Their very bitterness in both instances evidenced the truth of the testimony borne. Joseph’s brothers were often quarrelsome, envious, and resentful. One matter alone seems to have united them: that of persecuting their younger brother. Such is the type, and so we find Joseph Smith declaring of his “Christian” brothers, “all united to persecute me,” this being but the pattern of a quarrelsome world of churches that can agree upon nothing but to oppose Mormonism.
8. It is of interest that the promise of future destiny was given to Joseph of Egypt when he was seventeen years of age (Genesis 37:2). Similarly, it was when Joseph Smith was seventeen that Moroni appeared to him and unfolded the great destiny that was his and many passages of scripture promising the restoration of Israel in the last days (JS-H 1:33-41).
9. As Joseph’s brothers anciently found it impossible to speak “peaceably unto him,” so we of the last days can anticipate an endless parade of anti-Mormon literature.
10. Such emotions as noted above constituted the setting in which Joseph of old was sent as a special messenger of his father to his brothers, and such is the setting in which Joseph Smith and his followers are sent as messengers to all the world in the name of the Father.
11. Joseph Smith, like his ancient prototype, obediently responded to the call, knowing full well of his brothers’ bitterness toward him. 12. Joseph’s brothers, seeing him coming, plotted to betray him. So we find Joseph Smith martyred by those in whom he should have been able to trust, a mob that had in its number leaders of the Christian churches and some who had once been his brothers in the faith of the restored gospel.
13. As Potiphar’s wife accused Joseph of her own sins that she might have him cast into prison, so Joseph Smith was accused of the crimes of his enemies who had him cast into prison.
14. “The keeper of the prison” anciently “committed to Joseph’s hand all the prisoners that were in the prison” (Genesis 39:22). And so were “committed to Joseph’s hand all the prisoners” in the spirit world. As he stands at the head of this dispensation of the gospel on earth, so he stands at its head in the spirit prison.
15. As Joseph was sold into Egypt, so Joseph (the Church in the last days) was forced into the bondage of a desert, where it was assumed that it would perish. As this happened to Joseph when he was seventeen, so it happened to the Church in 1847, or in its seventeenth year.
16. As Joseph interpreted the dreams of those in prison anciently, so Joseph Smith by the power of that same spirit has been able to interpret revelations given to others (the Bible, the papyrus of Abraham, and so on) in our day. Anciently Joseph was granted the title or name Zaphnath-paaneah, “revealer of that which is hidden,” as today Joseph Smith is testified of in all the world as a prophet, seer, and revelator. And as Joseph of Egypt prophesied good to one and evil to another, so Joseph Smith has promised blessings to the obedient and sorrow to those rejecting the message of the restored gospel.
17. To the hungry, Pharaoh, lord of Egypt, said, “Go unto Joseph” (Genesis 41:55). As Joseph was the only source of bread to a starving world, so Joseph Smith, to whom the truths and authority of salvation have been revealed, becomes the only source of the bread of life to a world perishing for want of the truth.
18. As Joseph of Egypt was lifted up and sustained by a foreign power, thus enabling him to restore his family, so Joseph of the last days has been lifted up by a great Gentile nation and granted the power to again restore Israel.
19. Joseph’s brothers, the ten tribes, will yet come to him (the Church) seeking the bread of everlasting life (D&C 133:26-32). As Joseph of old was a temporal savior to Israel, Joseph (the Church or the tribes of Joseph) will now be recognized as the source of salvation by gathering Israel, who will bow the knee and acknowledge their younger brother.
20. As Joseph opened his arms and granted his wealth to his family anciently, so will Joseph of the last days receive his brothers as once again the family of Israel will be united.
21. As the whole nation of Egypt was blessed anciently because of Joseph, so the United States and all nations of the earth will be blessed because of the labors of the latter-day Joseph.
22. As Joseph saved his family anciently, so Joseph of the last days will be a savior to Israel (D&C 86:11). As the Lord said to Jacob who was nearly blind, “Joseph shall put his hand upon thine eyes” (Genesis 46:4), so he has said to Israel of the last days: “For his word ye shall receive, as if from mine own mouth, in all patience and faith. For by doing these things the gates of hell shall not prevail against you; yea, and the Lord God will disperse the powers of darkness from before you, and cause the heavens to shake for your good, and his name’s glory.” (D&C 21:5-6.) By Bruce Satterfield B.S. in Archaeology; M.S. in Archaeology; M.A. in Ancient Near Eastern Studies; Ph.D Quoting Joseph Smith McConkie
