Genesis 39:20 - Exposition

And Joseph's master took him, and put him into the prison ,—literally house of enclosure ; sohar, from sahar, to encircle, meaning probably a turreted, arched, or rounded building for the confinement of prisoners— a place where the king's prisoners ( i.e. State offenders) were bound: and he was there in the prison . This, which some regard as having been a mild punishment (Delitzsch, Keil), since, according to Diodorus Siculus, the laws of the Egyptians were specially severe in their penalties for offences against women, is represented by a Hebrew psalmist ( Psalms 105:18 ) as having been accompanied with bodily tortures, at least for a time; for his speedy elevation to a place of trust within the prison almost gives countenance to the idea (Kurtz, Lange, &c.;) that Potiphar did not believe his wife's story, and only incarcerated Joseph for the sake of appearances. That Joseph was not immediately punished with death is not improbable (Bohlen), but exceedingly natural, since Joseph was Potiphar's favorite (Havernick).