Genesis 39
Introduction
Genesis 39 resumes the Joseph narrative after the Judah-and-Tamar interlude of chapter 38. Joseph, sold into slavery and taken to Egypt, enters the household of Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh and captain of the guard. Far from being destroyed by his circumstances, Joseph thrives — the LORD is with him, and everything he touches prospers. Potiphar recognizes this and elevates Joseph to oversee his entire household. But when Potiphar's wife repeatedly attempts to seduce Joseph and he refuses, she falsely accuses him of assault, and Joseph is thrown into prison.
The chapter is structured around two parallel cycles of rise and fall: Joseph rises in Potiphar's house and is cast down by false accusation; he then rises again within the prison. Both cycles are framed by the same theological refrain — "the LORD was with Joseph" (vv. 2, 21) — making clear that God's presence is not contingent on favorable circumstances. The chapter also continues the garment motif that runs through the Joseph story: his robe of distinction was stripped and bloodied by his brothers (Genesis 37:31-33), and now his garment is seized and used as false evidence by Potiphar's wife. In each case, the stripping of a garment coincides with a descent — and yet God's purposes advance through each apparent catastrophe.
Joseph Prospers in Potiphar's House (vv. 1-6a)
1 Meanwhile, Joseph had been taken down to Egypt, where an Egyptian named Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh and captain of the guard, bought him from the Ishmaelites who had taken him there. 2 And the LORD was with Joseph, and he became a successful man, serving in the household of his Egyptian master. 3 When his master saw that the LORD was with him and made him prosper in all he did, 4 Joseph found favor in his sight and became his personal attendant. Potiphar put him in charge of his household and entrusted him with everything he owned. 5 From the time that he put Joseph in charge of his household and all he owned, the LORD blessed the Egyptian's household on account of him. The LORD's blessing was on everything he owned, both in his house and in his field. 6 So Potiphar left all that he owned in Joseph's care; he did not concern himself with anything except the food he ate.
1 Now Joseph had been brought down to Egypt, and Potiphar — an officer of Pharaoh, the captain of the guard, an Egyptian — bought him from the Ishmaelites who had brought him down there. 2 The LORD was with Joseph, and he became a prosperous man, and he was in the house of his Egyptian master. 3 His master saw that the LORD was with him and that the LORD caused everything he did to succeed in his hand. 4 So Joseph found favor in his eyes and attended him personally. He appointed him over his house and put all that he owned into his hand. 5 From the time he appointed him over his house and over all that he owned, the LORD blessed the Egyptian's house on account of Joseph. The blessing of the LORD was on everything he owned, in house and in field. 6 So he left everything he had in Joseph's hand, and he did not concern himself with anything except the food he ate.
Notes
הוּרַד מִצְרַיְמָה ("had been brought down to Egypt") — The passive Hophal form of יָרַד ("to go down") emphasizes that Joseph did not descend willingly. He was taken down — by human agents, but under divine sovereignty. The verb connects to Genesis 37:25, where the caravan carried him to Egypt.
סְרִיס פַּרְעֹה ("officer of Pharaoh") — The word סָרִיס can mean either "eunuch" or more broadly "court official." Since Potiphar is married, most interpreters take the broader sense here. The title שַׂר הַטַּבָּחִים ("captain of the guard") literally means "chief of the slaughterers/butchers" and likely refers to the commander of the royal executioners or bodyguard. This is the same title held by Nebuzaradan in 2 Kings 25:8.
וַיְהִי יְהוָה אֶת יוֹסֵף ("the LORD was with Joseph") — This is the theological keynote of the chapter, stated at both the beginning (v. 2) and the end (v. 21). The divine name יְהוָה appears six times in this chapter — remarkably, even the pagan Potiphar can see that the LORD is with Joseph (v. 3). The phrase אִישׁ מַצְלִיחַ ("a prosperous/successful man") uses the Hiphil participle of צָלַח ("to succeed, prosper") — the same root used in v. 3 and v. 23 where it is explicitly the LORD who makes things prosper.
בִּגְלַל יוֹסֵף ("on account of Joseph") — The blessing overflows from Joseph to the entire Egyptian household. This echoes the Abrahamic promise: "in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed" (Genesis 12:3). Joseph, the bearer of Abraham's covenant, becomes a channel of blessing even in exile.
Potiphar's Wife Tempts Joseph (vv. 6b-10)
Now Joseph was well-built and handsome, 7 and after some time his master's wife cast her eyes upon Joseph and said, "Sleep with me." 8 But he refused. "Look," he said to his master's wife, "with me here, my master does not concern himself with anything in his house, and he has entrusted everything he owns to my care. 9 No one in this house is greater than I am. He has withheld nothing from me except you, because you are his wife. So how could I do such a great evil and sin against God?" 10 Although Potiphar's wife spoke to Joseph day after day, he refused to go to bed with her or even be near her.
Now Joseph was handsome in form and handsome in appearance. 7 After these things, his master's wife lifted her eyes toward Joseph and said, "Lie with me." 8 But he refused, and said to his master's wife, "Look — my master does not concern himself with anything in the house alongside me. Everything he owns he has put into my hand. 9 No one in this house is greater than I am, and he has withheld nothing from me except you, because you are his wife. How then could I do this great wickedness and sin against God?" 10 And though she spoke to Joseph day after day, he would not listen to her — to lie beside her or to be with her.
Notes
יְפֵה תֹאַר וִיפֵה מַרְאֶה ("handsome in form and handsome in appearance") — This double description of beauty uses the same pairing applied to Joseph's mother Rachel in Genesis 29:17. The phrase sets up the crisis that follows: Joseph's physical attractiveness provokes the desire of Potiphar's wife. The narrator places this description at the hinge between Joseph's success and his temptation.
וַתִּשָּׂא אֵשֶׁת אֲדֹנָיו אֶת עֵינֶיהָ ("his master's wife lifted her eyes") — The phrase "lifted her eyes" signals desire and intent (cf. Genesis 13:10, where Lot "lifted his eyes" toward the well-watered Jordan plain). The woman is never named — she is identified only by her relationship to her husband, which underscores the violation she proposes.
Joseph's refusal is a model of moral reasoning. He cites three grounds: (1) his master's trust — Potiphar has withheld nothing; (2) the woman's status — "you are his wife"; and (3) the theological dimension — וְחָטָאתִי לֵאלֹהִים ("and sin against God"). Notably, Joseph frames the act not merely as a betrayal of Potiphar but as הָרָעָה הַגְּדֹלָה הַזֹּאת ("this great wickedness") — a sin against God himself. This is one of the clearest statements of moral theology in Genesis.
יוֹם יוֹם ("day by day") — The repetition indicates persistence over an extended period. The woman's advances were not a single impulsive moment but a sustained campaign. The text adds two levels to Joseph's refusal: he would not לִשְׁכַּב אֶצְלָהּ ("lie beside her") — the specific sexual act — and would not even לִהְיוֹת עִמָּהּ ("be with her") — proximity that could lead to temptation.
The False Accusation (vv. 11-18)
11 One day, however, Joseph went into the house to attend to his work, and not a single household servant was inside. 12 She grabbed Joseph by his cloak and said, "Sleep with me!" But leaving his cloak in her hand, he escaped and ran outside. 13 When she saw that he had left his cloak in her hand and had run out of the house, 14 she called her household servants. "Look," she said, "this Hebrew has been brought to us to make sport of us. He came to me so he could sleep with me, but I screamed as loud as I could. 15 When he heard me scream for help, he left his cloak beside me and ran out of the house." 16 So Potiphar's wife kept Joseph's cloak beside her until his master came home. 17 Then she told him the same story: "The Hebrew slave you brought us came to me to make sport of me, 18 but when I screamed for help, he left his cloak beside me and ran out of the house."
11 Now one such day, he went into the house to do his work, and none of the men of the house were there in the house. 12 She seized him by his garment, saying, "Lie with me!" But he left his garment in her hand and fled and went outside. 13 When she saw that he had left his garment in her hand and had fled outside, 14 she called to the men of her household and said to them, "Look — he brought us a Hebrew man to mock us! He came to me to lie with me, and I cried out with a loud voice. 15 When he heard me raise my voice and cry out, he left his garment beside me and fled and went outside." 16 She kept his garment beside her until his master came home. 17 Then she spoke to him with these same words, saying, "The Hebrew slave whom you brought to us came to me to mock me. 18 But when I raised my voice and cried out, he left his garment beside me and fled outside."
Notes
וַתִּתְפְּשֵׂהוּ בְּבִגְדוֹ ("she seized him by his garment") — The verb תָּפַשׂ ("to seize, grab") is a strong physical action. The garment (בֶּגֶד) is the same word used throughout this scene — it becomes the central piece of false evidence. This is the third time in the Joseph narrative that a garment plays a pivotal role: the כְּתֹנֶת פַּסִּים was stripped by his brothers (Genesis 37:23), and now his בֶּגֶד is seized by his master's wife. In both cases, the garment is used to deceive, and Joseph descends.
וַיָּנָס וַיֵּצֵא הַחוּצָה ("he fled and went outside") — The rapid succession of verbs conveys urgency: he fled, he went out, outside. Joseph does not negotiate or linger — he runs. This is later cited as a model of fleeing temptation (cf. 2 Timothy 2:22).
לְצַחֶק בָּנוּ ("to mock us / make sport of us") — The verb צָחַק has a range of meanings: "to laugh, play, mock." It can carry sexual overtones (cf. Genesis 26:8, where Isaac is "laughing" with Rebekah in a way that reveals their marital relationship). Potiphar's wife uses the word ambiguously — implying both sexual assault and humiliation. Her accusation is carefully crafted: to the household servants (v. 14), she says "he brought us" (blaming their master for introducing a dangerous foreigner); to Potiphar (v. 17), she says "the Hebrew slave you brought to us" — a pointed accusation that makes Potiphar complicit.
Note the escalation of ethnic othering in the wife's accusation: אִישׁ עִבְרִי ("a Hebrew man") to the servants, and הָעֶבֶד הָעִבְרִי ("the Hebrew slave") to Potiphar. She weaponizes Joseph's foreignness, portraying him as a threatening outsider. The term עִבְרִי ("Hebrew") is used almost exclusively in the Old Testament when Israelites are identified by or to non-Israelites.
Joseph Imprisoned (vv. 19-23)
19 When his master heard the story his wife told him, saying, "This is what your slave did to me," he burned with anger. 20 So Joseph's master took him and had him thrown into the prison where the king's prisoners were confined. While Joseph was there in the prison, 21 the LORD was with him and extended kindness to him, granting him favor in the eyes of the prison warden. 22 And the warden put all the prisoners under Joseph's care, so that he was responsible for all that was done in the prison. 23 The warden did not concern himself with anything under Joseph's care, because the LORD was with Joseph and gave him success in whatever he did.
19 When his master heard the words of his wife that she spoke to him — "This is what your slave did to me" — his anger burned. 20 Joseph's master took him and put him into the prison, the place where the king's prisoners were confined, and he was there in the prison. 21 But the LORD was with Joseph and extended steadfast love to him, and gave him favor in the eyes of the keeper of the prison. 22 The keeper of the prison put into Joseph's hand all the prisoners who were in the prison, and whatever was done there — he was the one who did it. 23 The keeper of the prison did not look into anything that was in his hand, because the LORD was with him, and whatever he did, the LORD made it prosper.
Notes
וַיִּחַר אַפּוֹ ("his anger burned") — Literally, "his nostril burned" — the Hebrew idiom for rage. However, some commentators have noted that Potiphar's response is surprisingly restrained. Under Egyptian law, a slave who assaulted his master's wife could have been executed. Instead, Potiphar sends Joseph to בֵּית הַסֹּהַר ("the prison") — specifically the royal prison where אֲסִירֵי הַמֶּלֶךְ ("the king's prisoners") were held. This was not a common dungeon but a more privileged detention facility. Some interpreters suggest Potiphar may have had doubts about his wife's story.
וַיֵּט אֵלָיו חָסֶד ("he extended steadfast love to him") — The word חֶסֶד is one of the richest theological terms in the Hebrew Bible, denoting God's loyal love, covenant faithfulness, and steadfast kindness. The ESV's "steadfast love" captures this well. God's חֶסֶד toward Joseph is not dependent on Joseph's circumstances — it reaches him even in prison.
The parallel between Joseph's role in Potiphar's house and in the prison is remarkable and clearly intentional. In both settings: (1) Joseph is given charge of everything; (2) the authority figure does not concern himself with anything in Joseph's hand; (3) the LORD is with Joseph and gives him success. The vocabulary is nearly identical — the narrator uses the same phrases from vv. 3-6 in vv. 21-23, creating a structural bracket. The message is clear: whether in a nobleman's villa or a royal dungeon, God's presence produces the same result.
The chapter ends with Joseph in prison — his lowest point so far. He has been betrayed by his brothers, enslaved, falsely accused, and imprisoned. Yet the final word of the chapter is not about Joseph's suffering but about God's faithfulness: יְהוָה מַצְלִיחַ ("the LORD made it prosper"). This sets the stage for the next chapter, where the prison becomes the platform for Joseph's eventual rise to power.