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From the Bible’s historical account we find that God placed a strong emphasis upon the number 13 in the life of Joseph along with his father Jacob.

It began with Joseph’s dreams:

Genesis 37:9 And he dreamed yet another dream, and told it his brethren, and said, Behold, I have dreamed a dream more; and, behold, the sun and the moon and the eleven stars made obeisance to me.

God gives us the number of the stars (11) and then adds the sun and moon (2) which totals 13 that made obeisance to Joseph (type of Christ).

Soon after telling this dream Joseph is sold by his brothers to slave traders who in turn sell him as a slave in Egypt. The Bible tells us Joseph is 17 years old when this happens.

After a series of events Joseph finds himself in prison. He is released from prison at the age of 30.

Genesis 41:14 Then Pharaoh sent and called Joseph, and they brought him hastily out of the dungeon: and he shaved himself, and changed his raiment, and came in unto Pharaoh.

46 And Joseph was thirty years old when he stood before Pharaoh king of Egypt.

There are 13 years from the age of 17 until the age of 30 (30-17=13). Joseph spent 13 years in Egypt as a slave/prisoner before being lifted up as 2nd ruler in the kingdom next to Pharaoh.

Joseph interpreted Pharaoh’s dreams to represent two periods of 7 years each. The first 7 years of plenty; immediately followed by 7 years of famine.

The 7 years of plenty passed (Joseph would have been 37----age 30 at its beginning +7 =37). Then, once the famine had been two years already in the land he brought his father Jacob into Egypt. At that time Joseph was age 39 (age 30 when brought out of prison, +7 years of plenty, +2 years of famine = 39 years old). The number 39 can be broken down to:

3 x 13 =39

When Joseph was age 39 (3 x 13) his father stood before Pharaoh and was asked how old he was:

Genesis 47:8 And Pharaoh said unto Jacob, How old art thou?

9 And Jacob said unto Pharaoh, The days of the years of my pilgrimage are an hundred and thirty years:

Jacob told Pharaoh he was 130 years old. The number 130 can be broken down to:

10 x 13 = 130

At the very time Joseph was age 39 (3 x 13) his father Jacob was 130 (10 x 13). We can see that God was placing a strong emphasis upon this number at that particular point in time.

Also, since at the time Jacob was 130 we know that Joseph was age 39, we can also know the age of Jacob when Joseph was born:

130 - 39 = 91

Jacob was age 91 at the time of Joseph’s birth. The number 91 can be broken down to:

7 x 13 = 91

There’s no mistaking the fact that God is stressing the number 13 again and again in the life of Joseph/Jacob.

In the year 1860 Jacob dies after spending 17 years in Egypt. He is age 147 upon his death. Joseph is age 56 at the time his father Jacob dies. At the point of Jacob’s death Joseph has been out of prison for 26 years (age 30 brought out of prison, age 56 upon death, 56-30 = 26). The number 26 can be broken down to:

2 x 13 = 26

Also, from the time that Joseph was sold as a slave into Egypt at age 17 until age 56 at the time of his father Jacob’s death was a period of 39 years. 17 + 39 = 56

3 x 13 = 39

From the time of Joseph’s birth when he was 91, Jacob lived 39 more years before entering Egypt at age 130. 130-91= 39:

3 x 13 = 39

When Joseph was sold as a slave into Egypt at age 17 Jacob was 108 years old (91 at Joseph’s birth, + 17 =108). From the year Joseph was sold as a slave (when Jacob was 108) until his death in Egypt at age 147 there was a period of 39 years (147 -108 = 39):

3 x 13 =39

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