She became pregnant and gave birth to a son and said: God has taken away my disgrace. She named him Joseph. Joseph means may he add. The first cry of Rachel is relief: God has taken away my disgrace. The social shame of barrenness, carried for years through the competition with Leah, is lifted. But the name she gives the son is prospective: may he add — not only has the disgrace been removed, but more is hoped for. The application: the removal of disgrace and the hope for more are both embedded in the name Joseph. The grace that removes the shame and the faith that asks for more belong together.

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