76 | Genesis 38:30
out!” And he was named Pe rez. a 30 Then his brother, who had the scar let thread on his wrist, came out. And he was named Ze rah. b
Joseph and Potiphar’ s Wife
Now Jo seph had been tak en down to
39 Egypt. Pot i phar, an Egyp tian who was one of Phar aoh’ s of fi cials, the cap tain of the guard, bought him from the Ish ma el ites who had tak en him there.
2
The Lord was with Jo seph so that he pros pered, and he lived in the house of his Egyp tian mas ter.
3
When his mas ter saw that the Lord was with him and that the Lord gave him suc cess in ev ery thing he did, 4 Jo seph found fa vor in his eyes and be came his at ten dant. Pot i phar put him in charge of his house hold, and he en trust ed to his care ev ery thing he owned. 5 From the time he put him in charge of his house hold and of all that he owned, the Lord blessed the house hold of the Egyp tian be cause of Jo seph. The bless ing of the Lord was on ev ery thing Pot i phar had, both in the house and in the field.
6
So Pot i phar left ev ery thing he had in Jo seph’ s care; with Jo seph in charge, he did not con cern him self with any thing ex cept the food he ate.
Now Jo seph was well built and hand some, 7 and af ter a while his mas ter’ s wife took no tice of Joseph and said,“ Come to bed with me!”
8
But he re fused.“ With me in charge,” he told her,“ my mas ter does not con cern him self with any thing in the house; ev ery thing he owns he has en trust ed to my care. 9 No one is great er in this house than I am. My mas ter has with held noth ing from me ex cept you, be cause you are his wife. How then could I do such a wick ed thing and sin against God?”
10
And though she spoke to Jo seph day af ter day, he re fused to go to bed with her or even be with her.
11
One day he went into the house to at tend to his du ties, and none of the house hold ser vants was in side. 12 She caught him by his cloak and said,“ Come to bed with me!” But he left his cloak in her hand and ran out of the house.
13
When she saw that he had left his cloak in her hand and had run out of the house, 14 she called her house hold ser vants.“ Look,” she said to them,“ this He brew has been brought to us to make sport of us! He came in here to sleep with me, but I screamed. 15 When he heard me scream for help, he left his cloak be side me and ran out of the house.”
16
She kept his cloak be side her un til his master came home. 17 Then she told him this sto ry:“ That He brew slave you brought us came to me to make sport of me. 18 But as soon as I screamed for help, he left his cloak be side me and ran out of the house.”
19
When his mas ter heard the sto ry his wife told him, say ing,“ This is how your slave treat ed me,” he burned with an ger. 20 Jo seph’ s mas ter took him and put him in pris on, the place where the king’ s pris on ers were con fined.
a
29 Perez means breaking out. or brightness. b
30 Zerah can mean scarlet
38:30 Zerah This name means“ shining” or“ brightness,” which is probably an association with the crimson( or scarlet) thread tied to his wrist.
39:1 – 23 The narrative transitions from the Judah and Tamar episode( ch. 38) back into the account of Joseph. The opening verse repeats information from where the Joseph story left off( compare Ge 37:36; 39:1). This chapter describes how Yahweh protects and blesses Joseph in Potiphar’ s house and in prison( see note on 39:2), and it hints at Joseph’ s future in Pharaoh’ s court.
39:1 Potiphar See note on 37:36. 39:2 Lord was with Joseph This phrase occurs four times in this chapter( vv. 2,3,21,23). The repetition reinforces the providential storyline. he lived in the house Joseph was not made to labor in the fields, which suggests that Potiphar discerned abilities that made him more suitable for household management. 39:4 put him in charge of his household The Hebrew phrase used here, al betho— which may be literally rendered“ over his house”— and the remainder of the verse indicates that Joseph oversaw everything owned by Potiphar. Slaves in Egypt commonly held occupations of high responsibility within households. For example, the Egyptian document Papyrus Brooklyn( ca. 1800 BC) lists nearly 80 male and female slaves in an Egyptian household by name with their occupations. Many are described as Asiatic, which is an Egyptian term that included Semites like Joseph. However this does not mean that foreigners from Canaan were viewed positively by Egyptians( see note on 46:34; compare 43:32). 39:6 except the food he ate This phrase can be understood literally; the reasoning could be that Joseph is not Egyptian( 43:32). It is also possible that this phrase is a euphemism for Potiphar’ s wife or a figure of speech for Potiphar’ s private affairs. 39:7 Come to bed with me In addition to the issue of adultery, having sexual relations with the wife or concubine of one’ s superior was viewed as a usurpation of power( see note on 2Sa 3:7). Sex with Potiphar’ s wife would constitute an attempt to gain control over his master’ s property and would likely have led to Joseph’ s execution. 39:8 he refused Joseph’ s refusal is immediate and direct. He does not react angrily, knowing his place, but he allows for no flirtatious conversation. 39:10 even be with her This detail probably indicates that Joseph not only refuses to have sex with Potiphar’ s wife, but also refuses even to be in her presence. 39:16 his master This phrase reveals the loyalties of both the accused and the accuser. Joseph has had Potiphar’ s best interests in mind for roughly 11 years( see note on Ge 40:1), but Potiphar’ s wife views her husband as no more than the master of slaves like Joseph. 39:19 he burned with anger The text does not state the object of Potiphar’ s anger, perhaps suggesting that Potiphar may have been suspicious of his wife. 39:20 prison Joseph’ s punishment is distinctly Egyptian; incarceration is attested to in Egyptian documents, but does not appear in other ancient Near Eastern law codes.