Genesis 39

Joseph prospers in Potiphar’s house (vs. 1-6)—This chapter, and the rest of Genesis, cover the story of Joseph and how the children of Israel ended up in Egypt. It’s one of the most fascinating narratives in the Bible. Joseph was bought in Egypt by a man name Potiphar, who was a captain in Pharaoh’s guard (v. 1). “The LORD was with Joseph, and he was a successful man” (v. 2), and because of that “Joseph found favor in his [Potiphar’s] sight, and served him. Then he made him overseer of his house, and all that he had he put under his authority” (v. 4). So, in spite of being enslaved, things start out well for the young man. But the twists and turns in God’s providence are a wonder to behold and we shall see a deluge of them in Joseph’s tale.

Joseph cast into prison (vs. 7-20)—Verse 6 closes with, in effect, an introduction to the next section of the chapter: “Now Joseph was handsome in form and appearance.” And Potiphar’s wife noticed. Interestingly, the word for “officer” describing Potiphar also means “eunuch,” and Clarke suggests that Potiphar was one, and that it wasn’t unusual in the east for eunuchs to have wives or even large harems. Well, if he was a eunuch, that might explain part of what happens next, but verse 6, Joseph’s appearance, is the reason the Bible gives. Potiphar’s wife kept trying to get Joseph to go to bed with her. He wouldn’t do it: “How then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?" (v. 9).  Joseph was an honorable young man, not just to God, but to his master as well.

One day, however, Potiphar's wife caught him alone in the house and further pressed her case. Joseph ran, but she had caught hold of his outer garment and ended up with it (v. 13). Well, a woman scorned, and all that…She explains to her husband what happened: “The Hebrew servant whom you brought to us came in to me to mock me; so it happened, as I lifted my voice and cried out, that he left his garment with me and fled outside" (vs. 17-18). That’s not what occurred, of course, but she certainly wasn’t going to tell the truth. Potiphar then cast Joseph into prison. One commentator makes an interesting suggestion that may be true. Potiphar probably suspected the truth, i.e., that his wife had tried to seduce Joseph rather than visa-versa, and the officer's anger was not directed at his servant but at his wife. And he was further angry because he lost a good slave. He had to do something with Joseph, of course, to appease his wife, but he could have had him put to death. Whether that is the correct explanation or not, Joseph ends up in the hoosegow (v. 20).

Joseph’s success in prison (vs. 21-23)—Joseph is totally innocent of all of this, of course, and it’s nice to read that “the LORD was with Joseph and showed him mercy, and He gave him favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison” (v. 21). Being in that prison was part of God’s providential plan. Naturally, Joseph did not know that, and won’t learn it for years; but the ways of God are far above ours (Isaiah 55:8-9). I refer the reader to my Bible blog article “Who Can Say to Him, ‘What Are You Doing?’ No. 7” for a full overview of the Joseph story and God’s workings in it. Bottom line in this section, though, is that, just like Potiphar, “the keeper of the prison committed to Joseph's hand all the prisoners who were in the prison” (v. 22), and “whatever he [Joseph] did, the Lord made it prosper” (v. 23). The young man apparently never let his faith in Jehovah waver, or at least not to the extent of abandoning his God.