And unto Joseph were born two sons,.... The word for "born" is singular; hence Ben Melech conjectures that they were twins: and this was
before the years of famine came; or "the year of famine" q; the first year:
which Asenath, the daughter of Potipherah priest of On, bare unto him; which is observed, to show that he had them by his lawful wife; whom the Targum of Jonathan wrongly again makes the daughter of Dinah, and her father prince of Tanis, the same with Zoan; whereas this was "On" or "Heliopolis", a very different place; so Artapanus says r, that Joseph married the daughter of the priest of Heliopolis, by whom he had children; and another Heathen writer s mentions their names, Ephraim and Manesseh.
q שנת הרעב "annus famis", Tigurine version, Pagninus, Montanus, Drusius; "annus (primus) famis", Schmidt. r Apud Euseb. Praepar. Evangel. l. 9. c. 23. p. 429. s Polyhistor. apud ib. p. 424.