JORAI

(Joʹrai).

A descendant of Gad mentioned in a genealogical listing along with other “heads of the house of their forefathers.”—1 Chron. 5:11, 13, 15.

JORAM

(Joʹram) [shortened form of Jehoram, meaning “Jehovah is high, exalted”].

1. Son of King Toi of Hamath. Joram was sent with costly gifts made of gold, silver and copper, along with his father’s congratulations, to King David when the latter defeated Hadadezer the king of Zobah. David, in turn, accepted and sanctified the gifts to Jehovah. (2 Sam. 8:5, 9-11) In a parallel account Joram’s name is spelled Hadoram.—1 Chron. 18:9-11.

2. A descendant of Levite Eliezer, Moses’ son; he apparently lived when David was king.—1 Chron. 26:24, 25; Ex. 18:2-4.

3. King of Israel for twelve years; son of Ahab. Usually he is identified by the longer form of his name, Jehoram. (2 Ki. 3:1) Only in three chapters do we find the short form in the Masoretic text.—2 Ki. 8:16-29; 9:14-29; 2 Chron. 22:5-7; NW, 1955 ed., ftns.; see JEHORAM No. 2.

4. King of Judah for eight years; son of Jehoshaphat. The Masoretic text has his name at times in the short form. (2 Ki. 8:21, 23, 24; 11:2; 1 Chron. 3:11; NW, 1955 ed., ftns.) The shortened form is also found in the Westcott and Hort Greek Text, but a few translations give assistance in understanding by rendering the full name.—Matt. 1:8, NW, Sawyer, TC, We; see JEHORAM No. 3.

JORDAN

(Jorʹdan) [the descender].

The main river of the Promised Land, forming a natural border between most of E and W Palestine. (Josh. 22:25) The four streams that unite to form the Jordan arise near Mount Hermon and are fed by its melting snows. From a large cave at the base of Mount Hermon issues the Nahr Banias. The Nahr el-Leddan bursts forth from two springs at Tell el-Qadi (Dan) and, after flowing for about four miles (c. 6 kilometers), merges with the Nahr Banias. Through the valley between Mt. Hermon and Mt. Lebanon run the Nahr Bareighit and the Nahr Hasbani. Shortly after these two streams unite they join the combined waters of the Nahr Banias and the Nahr el-Leddan to become the Jordan. The Yarmuk and the Jabbok, its main tributaries, enter the Jordan from the E. Today most of the Jordan is a very muddy stream, and among the fish found in its waters are barbel and bream.

About seven miles (c. 11 kilometers) N of Lake Huleh (now mostly drained) the Jordan proper begins its course. The swamps in the Huleh Basin that have not been drained abound in reeds, rushes, papyrus plants and tall grass.

Upon emerging from the Huleh Basin the Jordan flows somewhat peacefully for about two miles (c. 3 kilometers) but then rushes through basaltic gorges on its way to the Sea of Galilee. From the southern end of the Sea of Galilee the Jordan snakes its way to the Dead Sea for some two hundred miles (c. 320 kilometers), although the airline distance is only about sixty-five miles (c. 105 kilometers).

The Jordan is indeed a descender. Within a distance of some ten and a half miles (17 kilometers) between the Huleh Basin and the Sea of Galilee, it falls over nine hundred feet (c. 274 meters). As it continues its course from the Sea of Galilee to the Dead Sea, the Jordan forms twenty-seven cascading rapids and drops an approximate six hundred feet (c. 180 meters) more.

Below the Sea of Galilee the Jordan flows through a valley measuring some four to eight miles (6 to 13 kilometers) across. But at Jericho this valley has a width of about fourteen miles (23 kilometers). It is through the valley’s lower level (the Zor), with a width of from a quarter to two miles (.4 to 3 kilometers), that the Jordan turns and twists through dense thickets of thorns and thistles, vines and bushes, oleanders, tamarisks, willows and poplars. Anciently, lions roamed in the “proud thickets along the Jordan.” (Jer. 49:19; 50:44; Zech. 11:3) Wolves and jackals can still be found there. The summers are extremely hot and humid in this jungle, with temperatures climbing well above 100 degrees Fahrenheit (38 degrees Centigrade). And in the spring, as the snow melts on Mount Hermon, the Jordan floods the Zor.

The upper level of the valley (the Ghor) lies as much as 150 feet (46 meters) above the Jordan’s jungle and is separated from it by bare and eroded grayish marl hills. The portion of the Ghor extending some twenty-five miles (40 kilometers) S of the Sea of Galilee contains cultivated land and pastures. Aside from this, most of the Ghor is uncultivated. However, in the time of Abraham and Lot, before the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, apparently much more of it was productive, especially in the vicinity of the Dead Sea.—Gen. 13:10, 11.

The Jordan’s shallow waters and its numerous rapids and whirlpools render it unnavigable. Reportedly, there are at least sixty places where it is possible to wade across the river when not at flood stage. In ancient times control of the river’s fords was militarily advantageous, as they were the main means for crossing the Jordan.—Judg. 3:28; 12:5, 6.

Usually the portion of the Jordan below the Sea of Galilee averages from three to ten feet (.9 to 3 meters) in depth and is between approximately ninety and one hundred feet (27 to 30 meters) wide. But in the spring the Jordan overflows its banks and is then much wider and deeper. (Josh. 3:15) At flood stage it would not have been safe for the Israelite nation of men, women and children to cross the Jordan, especially not near Jericho. The current there is so swift that in more recent times bathers have actually been swept away. However, Jehovah miraculously dammed up the Jordan, making it possible for the Israelites to cross on dry land. (Josh. 3:14-17) Centuries later a like miracle occurred once for Elijah while in the company of Elisha, and once for Elisha alone.—2 Ki. 2:7, 8, 13, 14.

The Jordan also figured in the miraculous healing of Naaman. Helped to the right viewpoint by his servant, Naaman, who regarded the rivers of Damascus as better than all the waters of Israel, obediently bathed seven times in the Jordan. After the seventh time he was completely healed of his leprous condition.—2 Ki. 5:10-14.

In the first century C.E. John the Baptist immersed many repentant Jews in the waters of the Jordan. He also had the privilege of baptizing Jesus, the perfect Son of God, there.—Matt. 3:1, 5, 6, 13-17.

JORIM

(Joʹrim).

A descendant of David through Nathan, and an ancestor of Jesus’ mother Mary. (Luke 3:23, 29-31) Jorim may have lived while Uzziah was king of Judah.

JORKEAM

(Jorʹke·am).

Apparently a Judean site ‘fathered’ or ‘founded’ by Raham. (1 Chron. 2:44; compare the case of ATROTH-BETH-JOAB.) It is perhaps the same as Jokdeam.—Josh. 15:56; see JOKDEAM.

JOSECH

(Joʹsech).

A forefather of Jesus’ mother Mary. Josech was a distant descendant of David through Nathan, and the fourth generation after Zerubbabel, placing him at about the end of the Hebrew Scripture era.—Luke 3:23, 26, 27, 31.

JOSEPH

(Joʹseph) [increaser, adder].

1. The first of Jacob’s two sons by his beloved wife Rachel. (Gen. 30:22-24; 35:24) At his birth, Rachel, because of having been barren, exclaimed: “God has taken away my reproach!” She then called his name Joseph, saying: “Jehovah is adding another son to me,” that is, another son besides Dan and Naphtali, whom Rachel had accepted as her own although they were borne by her maidservant Bilhah. (Gen. 30:3-8, 22-24) At this time Jacob was about ninety-one years old.—Compare Genesis 41:46, 47, 53, 54; 45:11; 47:9.

Some six years later Jacob left Paddan-aram with his entire family to return to the land of Canaan. (Gen. 31:17, 18, 41) Upon learning that his brother Esau was coming to meet him with four hundred men, Jacob divided off his children, wives and concubines, placing Rachel and Joseph in the rear, the safest position. (Gen. 33:1-3) Joseph and his mother therefore were the last to bow before Esau.—Gen. 33:4-7.

Thereafter Joseph resided with the family at Succoth, Shechem (Gen. 33:17-19) and Bethel respectively. (Gen. 35:1, 5, 6) Later, on the way from Bethel to Ephrath (Bethlehem), Joseph’s mother Rachel died while giving birth to Benjamin.—Gen. 35:16-19.

HATED BY HIS HALF BROTHERS

At the age of seventeen, Joseph, in association with the sons of Jacob by Bilhah and Zilpah, tended sheep. While doing so, he, although their junior, did not share in their wrongdoing but dutifully brought a bad report about them to his father.—Gen. 37:2.

Jacob came to love Joseph more than all his other sons, he being a son of his old age. Joseph’s adherence to right may also have contributed to his becoming the special object of his father’s affection. Jacob had a long striped garment, perhaps such as was worn by persons of rank, made for his son. As a result Joseph came to be hated by his half brothers. Later, when he related a dream that pointed to his gaining the preeminence over them, his brothers were incited to further hatred. A second dream even indicated that, not only his brothers, but also his father and mother (apparently not Rachel, as she was already dead; but perhaps the household or Jacob’s principal living wife), would bow down to him. For relating this dream, Joseph was rebuked by his father, and the jealousy of his brothers intensified. The fact that Joseph spoke about his dreams does not mean that he entertained feelings of superiority. He was merely making known what God had revealed to him. Jacob may have recognized the prophetic nature of the dreams, for he “observed the saying.”—Gen. 37:3-11.

On another occasion, Jacob, then at Hebron, requested that Joseph check on the welfare of the flock and his brothers while they were in the vicinity of Shechem. In view of their animosity, this would not have been a pleasant assignment for Joseph. Yet unhesitatingly he said: “Here I am!” From the low plain of Hebron he then set out for Shechem. Informed by a man there that his brothers had left for Dothan, Joseph continued on his way. When they caught sight of him at a distance, his brothers began scheming against him, saying: “Look! Here comes that dreamer. And now come and let us kill him and pitch him into one of the waterpits . . . Then let us see what will become of his dreams.” (Gen. 37:12-20) The firstborn Reuben, however, desired to thwart the murderous plot and urged that they not kill Joseph but throw him into a dry waterpit. When Joseph arrived they stripped him of his long striped garment and followed through on Reuben’s recommendation. Subsequently, as a caravan of Ishmaelites came to view, Judah, in Reuben’s absence, persuaded the others that, rather than killing Joseph, it would be better to sell him to the passing merchants.—Gen. 37:21-27.

SOLD INTO SLAVERY

Despite Joseph’s plea for compassion they sold him for twenty silver pieces. (Gen. 37:28; 42:21) Later, they deceived Jacob into believing that Joseph had been killed by a wild beast. So grieved was aged Jacob over the loss of his son that he refused to be comforted.—Gen. 37:31-35.

Eventually the merchants brought Joseph into Egypt and sold him to Potiphar (“he whom Ra [the Egyptian sun-god] gave”), the chief of Pharaoh’s bodyguard. (Gen. 37:28, 36; 39:1) This purchase by the Egyptian Potiphar was not unusual, ancient papyrus documents indicating that Syrian slaves (Joseph was half Syrian [Gen. 29:10; 31:20]) were valued highly in that land.

As Joseph had been diligent in furthering his father’s interests, so also as a slave he proved himself to be industrious and trustworthy. With Jehovah’s blessing, everything that Joseph did turned out successfully. Potiphar therefore finally entrusted to him all the household affairs. Joseph thus appears to have been a superintendent, a post mentioned by Egyptian records in association with the large homes of influential Egyptians.—Gen. 39:2-6.

RESISTS TEMPTATION

Meanwhile Joseph had come to be a very handsome young man. Consequently Potiphar’s wife became infatuated with him. Repeatedly she asked him to have relations with her. But Joseph, trained in the way of righteousness, refused, saying: “How could I commit this great badness and actually sin against God?” This, however, did not end the danger for Joseph. As indicated by archaeological evidence, the arrangement of Egyptian houses appears to have been such that a person had to pass through the main part of the house to reach the storerooms. If Potiphar’s house was laid out similarly, it would have been impossible for Joseph to avoid all contact with Potiphar’s wife.—Gen. 39:6-10.

Finally Potiphar’s wife took advantage of what she considered to be an opportune time. While there were no other men in the house and while Joseph was caring for the household business, she grabbed hold of his garment, saying: “Lie down with me!” But Joseph slipped out of his garment and fled. At that she began to scream and made it appear that Joseph had made immoral advances toward her. On relating this to her husband, the enraged Potiphar had Joseph thrown into the prison house, the one where the king’s prisoners were kept under arrest.—Gen. 39:11-20.

IN PRISON

It appears that initially Joseph was treated severely in prison. “With fetters they afflicted his feet, into