How many wives did Joseph the father of Jesus have?

Joseph and His One Wife: A Biblical Clarification

Despite occasional confusion, Joseph, the earthly father of Jesus, had only one wife—Mary. The passage referencing Asenath, daughter of Potiphar, actually concerns a different Joseph: Joseph son of Jacob from the Book of Genesis. This mix-up is understandable, given the shared name, but the two figures lived centuries apart and played very different roles in biblical history.

The Joseph of the Gospels—central to the Nativity story—was faithfully married to Mary, as recorded in both Matthew and Luke. These texts emphasize his righteousness and obedience to divine guidance, especially in accepting Mary as his wife despite her unexpected pregnancy. There is no biblical indication of any other spouse. The Gospel narrative consistently presents a monogamous, devout family unit in Nazareth.

On the other hand, Joseph from Egypt—son of Jacob and Rachel—married Asenath and fathered Ephraim and Manasseh, who later became the namesakes of two of Israel’s twelve tribes. Asenath, though Egyptian by birth, was fully integrated into the Israelite lineage, illustrating how ancestry in the biblical tradition often followed the father’s line, as correctly noted in the query.

So, to clarify: Joseph, the father of Jesus, had one wife—Mary. The mention of Asenath belongs to a different Joseph in a much earlier era. Confusing the two is easy, but their stories span distinct chapters of sacred history.