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Hebrew "On" — Egyptian sun-cult city where Joseph's father-in-law served as priest
EgyptHistorically Verified
The ancient site lies beneath the modern Cairo suburbs of Matariya and Ain Shams. An obelisk from around 1971 BC still stands at the site, and many other Heliopolis obelisks were carried off to other locations in Roman and modern times.
The Hebrew name "On" for the ancient Egyptian sun-cult city — center of the worship of Ra and one of Egypt's three great cities along with Memphis and Thebes. Joseph married Asenath, daughter of Potiphera the priest of On, and through her became the ancestor of Ephraim and Manasseh (Genesis 41:45, 50; 46:20). Centuries later Jeremiah and Ezekiel prophesied that God would break the obelisks of Heliopolis and burn its temples (Jeremiah 43:13; Ezekiel 30:17). The location of Joseph's tomb is sometimes traditionally linked to the region.
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