Potiphera

Potiphera, also spelled Potipherah, is a figure in the Hebrew Bible identified as the priest of On, the ancient Egyptian city later associated with Heliopolis. On was a major religious center dedicated to the sun god Ra.

In the Genesis narrative, Potiphera is the father of Asenath, who becomes the wife of Joseph after his rise to power in Egypt. Genesis 41:45 states that Pharaoh gave Joseph Asenath, the daughter of Potiphera, priest of On, to wife. Genesis 41:50 notes that Joseph and Asenath have two sons.

The city of On was a prominent temple city in the Nile Delta, central to sun-worship in ancient Egypt. The name Potiphera (also Potipherah) is a theophoric personal name, typically rendered as a Hebrew adaptation of an Egyptian-style name referring to the sun god. The exact etymology is not certain, and spellings vary across translations.

Biblical scholarship treats Potiphera largely as a background figure who helps situate Joseph within an Egyptian context and demonstrates the integration of Israelite figures into Egyptian society during the Genesis narrative. There is no widely attested extrabiblical tradition about Potiphera beyond the biblical text, making his role primarily of literary and genealogical function within Genesis.