And it came to pass, as I lifted up my voice and cried ,.... For help from the servants, and frightened at his insolent attempt: that he left his garment with me, and fled out ; and then she brought it forth, and showed him it. read more
Joseph is the house of Potiphar. I. PURCHASED AS A SLAVE . 1. A sad lot. Worse even than being kidnapped by strangers, Joseph had been first sold by his brethren; carried into Egypt, he had there been exposed for sale in a slave-market; and now, as if he had been a beast of burden or a captive taken in war, he had been a second time purchased for money. Few fortunes are more touchingly sorrowful or more deeply humiliating than this which was now measured out to Jacob's... read more
Sunshine and shadow. I. THE BRIGHTENING SKY . The advancement of Joseph in the house of Potiphar. 1. To Joseph's sense it was a lightening in his bondage. 2. To Joseph's faith it was the smiling of Jehovah's face. 3. To Joseph's hope it was the dawning of a better day. II. THE THREATENING CLOUD . The temptation of Joseph by his mistress. Here was— 1. An assault upon his virtue, which, unless it were overcome, would deprive him of Jehovah's favor, and... read more
The righteous man. Again the word of the Lord tries Joseph, but not so much now as the word of prophecy, but as the word of command, the doctrine of righteousness. "The Egyptian's house is blessed for Joseph's sake." "The Lord was with Joseph, and he was a prosperous man." A lesson on the true method of prosperity. A prosperous man is one who has the Lord with him— 1. To give him favor with fellow-men. 2. To teach him wisdom, and put things into his hand. 3. To give him the... read more
Joseph and the wife of Potiphar. I. THE GREAT TEMPTATION . 1. The time of it. Never perhaps had Joseph's prospects been brighter since he left his father's house than towards the close of that decade of years which he spent in the Egyptian officer's employ; and yet then it was that, like a thunderbolt shot from a clear sky, a fierce temptation burst upon him. 2. The occasion of it. This was the beauty of Joseph''s person. Things innocent and lovely in themselves may... read more
And she laid up his garment by her (literally, by her side ) , until his lord came home (literally, until the coming of his lord to his house ). And she spake unto him according to these words, saying, The Hebrew servant, which thou hast brought unto us (here she charges her husband with being indirectly at least the cause of the alleged affront which had been put upon her), came in unto me to mock me :—"she seemed too modest to speak in plain terms of Joseph's crime (Lawson)— ... read more
- Joseph in Potiphar’s HouseAccording to our reckoning, Perez and Zerah were born when Judah was in his twenty-eighth year, and therefore, Joseph in his twenty-fourth. Here, then, we go back seven years to resume the story of Joseph.Genesis 39:1-6Joseph fares well with his first master. “Potiphar.” This is a racapitulation of the narrative in Genesis 37:0: “The Lord;” the God of covenant is with Joseph. “In the house.” Joseph was a domestic servant. “And his master saw.” The prosperity that... read more
Joseph’s rise to power (39:1-41:57)In contrast to Judah, Joseph was blameless in his behaviour in Egypt. Soon he was placed in charge of Potiphar’s household (39:1-6). When he rejected the immoral invitations of Potiphar’s wife, she turned against him bitterly and had him thrown into prison (7-20). Again his behaviour was blameless, and soon he was given a position of responsibility over the other prisoners (21-23).Among the prisoners who later joined Joseph were two of Pharaoh’s palace... read more
"And it came to pass about this time, that he went into the house to do his work; and there was none of the men of the house there within. And she caught him by his garment, saying, Lie with me: and he left his garment in her hand; and fled, and got him out. And it came to pass that when she saw that he had left his garment in her hand, and was fled forth, that she called unto the men of her house, and spake unto them, saying, See he hath brought in a Hebrew unto us to mock us: he came in unto... read more
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Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Genesis 39:13-18
Joseph's mistress, having tried in vain to make him a criminal, now endeavours to represent him as one; so to be revenged on him for his virtue. Now was her love turned into the utmost rage and malice, and she pretends she cannot endure the sight of him whom awhile ago she could not endure out of her sight. Chaste and holy love will continue, though slighted; but sinful love, like Amnon's to Tamar, is easily changed into sinful hatred. 1. She accused him to his fellow servants (Gen. 39:13-15)... read more