Section 81 of 10439:1–23Genesis

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King James VersionGenesis 39:1–23

And Joseph was brought down to Egypt; and Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, captain of the guard, an Egyptian, bought him of the hands of the Ishmeelites, which had brought him down thither.

And the LORD was with Joseph, and he was a prosperous man; and he was in the house of his master the Egyptian.

And his master saw that the LORD was with him, and that the LORD made all that he did to prosper in his hand.

And Joseph found grace in his sight, and he served him: and he made him overseer over his house, and all that he had he put into his hand.

And it came to pass from the time that he had made him overseer in his house, and over all that he had, that the LORD blessed the Egyptian’s house for Joseph’s sake; and the blessing of the LORD was upon all that he had in the house, and in the field.

And he left all that he had in Joseph’s hand; and he knew not ought he had, save the bread which he did eat. And Joseph was a goodly person, and well favoured.

And it came to pass after these things, that his master’s wife cast her eyes upon Joseph; and she said, Lie with me.

But he refused, and said unto his master’s wife, Behold, my master wotteth not what is with me in the house, and he hath committed all that he hath to my hand;

There is none greater in this house than I; neither hath he kept back any thing from me but thee, because thou art his wife: how then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?

And it came to pass, as she spake to Joseph day by day, that he hearkened not unto her, to lie by her, or to be with her.

And it came to pass about this time, that Joseph went into the house to do his business; 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, 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 an Hebrew unto us to mock us; he came in unto me to lie with me, and I cried with a loud voice:

And it came to pass, when he heard that I lifted up my voice and cried, that he left his garment with me, and fled, and got him out.

And she laid up his garment by her, until his lord came home.

And she spake unto him according to these words, saying, The Hebrew servant, which thou hast brought unto us, came in unto me to mock me:

And it came to pass, as I lifted up my voice and cried, that he left his garment with me, and fled out.

And it came to pass, when his master heard the words of his wife, which she spake unto him, saying, After this manner did thy servant to me; that his wrath was kindled.

And Joseph’s master took him, and put him into the prison, a place where the king’s prisoners were bound: and he was there in the prison.

But the LORD was with Joseph, and shewed him mercy, and gave him favour in the sight of the keeper of the prison.

And the keeper of the prison committed to Joseph’s hand all the prisoners that were in the prison; and whatsoever they did there, he was the doer of it.

The keeper of the prison looked not to any thing that was under his hand; because the LORD was with him, and that which he did, the LORD made it to prosper.

Italic words were supplied in the English translation for clarity.

Scripture text: King James Version, Standardized 1769 text. Public domain in the United States.About this Bible text

Genesis 39:1–23

The LORD Is With Joseph in Slavery and Prison

Presence in the house, presence in the prison

Bought by Potiphar, Joseph prospers because the LORD is with him, and the household is entrusted to him. Potiphar's wife commands sex and continues day after day. Joseph refuses: the trust would be betrayed, and the act would be sin against God.

She seizes his garment, he flees, and the garment becomes false evidence. Joseph is imprisoned. The LORD remains with him there, and the keeper entrusts the prison to him. Presence is not a promise of comfort or immunity, and Joseph's appearance is not the cause of harassment.

How this should shape us

If someone with power repeatedly demands sexual access, name the coercion, seek safety, and involve independent help. Do not treat clothing, gender, or work assignment as consent, and do not equate success with God's approval of unjust systems.

Teach it back

Explain how Genesis 39 shows that the LORD is with Joseph in both Potiphar's house and prison. Include Joseph's enslaved status, the repeated sexual pressure, his reason for refusal, the garment-based accusation, and why success does not mean wealth or protection from injustice.

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The explanation above is meant to stand on its own. Open these notes only if you want language, history, disagreements, or source locations.

Where careful interpreters disagreeThe strongest options and their difficulties

Best judgment:

How certain? very strong

Best judgment:

How certain? probable

Best judgment:

How certain? uncertain

Best judgment:

How certain? uncertain

Research trail and exact locationsThe source record behind this section

King James (Authorized) Version — eng-kjv2006

Supports: Displayed text, garment and enslavement context, prison continuation, and later providence.

Genesis 39:1–23; 37:23–36; 40:1–23; 45:5–8; 50:20 in the pinned standardized 1769 KJV

Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible — Genesis

Supports: Success, hand, sexual commands, seizure and flight, Hebrew and slave labels, prison terminology, hesed, and repeated divine-presence wording.

WLC Genesis 39:1–23, especially vv. 2–6, 7–12, 14, 17, 20–23

NET Bible — Genesis with translators' notes

Supports: Success rather than wealth, household responsibility, food/private-affairs idiom, appearance, sexual euphemisms, repeated refusal, flight, ethnic labeling, accusation language, anger, prison phrase, hesed, and prison administration.

NET Genesis 39 notes 1–54, especially notes 4, 7, 16–22, 28–30, 33, 35–38, 42–54

Genesis

Supports: Final-form passage boundary, Joseph narrative movement, divine presence, integrity, false accusation, and transition to the royal prisoners.

Genesis commentary, section 39:1–23 and connections with 37:12–36 and 40:1–23

Genesis 37–50: Joseph — Study Guide

Supports: Modern literary-critical counterpoint for chapter placement, providence, Egyptian setting, and movement toward Pharaoh's court.

Genesis 37–50: Joseph study guide, Joseph-novella structure and Egyptian transition discussion

Divestiture, Deception, and Demotion: The Garment Motif in Genesis 37–39

Supports: Garments as markers of status and authority and as instruments of concealment, deception, recognition, and demotion across Genesis 37–39.

JSOT 26.4 (2002), pp. 47–62; official abstract and exposed notes

The Wife of Potiphar, Sexual Harassment, and False Rape Allegation: Genesis 39 in Select Social Contexts of the Past and Present

Supports: Joseph's vulnerability, repeated harassment, power reversal, garment and ethnicity interpretation, false-allegation reception, gender stereotyping, and rape-culture safeguards.

The Bible and Gender Troubles in Africa (2019), pp. 73–114, especially pp. 74–79, 101–112

Violence in the Story of Joseph and His Master's Wife

Supports: Participant reference, enslaved powerlessness, verbal comparison with 2 Samuel 13, and harassment or violence rather than a balanced seduction scene.

Korean Journal of Old Testament Studies 29.1 (2023), pp. 45–71; official English abstract and metadata

Sources for This Section

These records identify the source, the claim it supports, and the exact location used. A source remains evidence to evaluate; it does not replace the biblical text.

Biblical text

King James (Authorized) Version — eng-kjv2006

eBible.org and CrossWire Bible Society

USFM archive eng-kjv2006_usfm.zip; source files dated 2026-08-19; downloaded 2026-08-24; archive SHA-256 aec1b3b26c622fd3d963d2bbac963016b9513246ffbfa20da00bb100372ea007; normalized corpus SHA-256 09aef51d90488aa7b9722b3fd9a93f4b25f6bf2064c5fd798fb39673c300ddf2.

Supports: Displayed text, garment and enslavement context, prison continuation, and later providence.

Exact location: Genesis 39:1–23; 37:23–36; 40:1–23; 45:5–8; 50:20 in the pinned standardized 1769 KJV

Open source ↗

hebrew text morphology and lemma data

Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible — Genesis

Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible Project

Open Scriptures, Version 2.2 released 2021; repository inspected 2026

Supports: Success, hand, sexual commands, seizure and flight, Hebrew and slave labels, prison terminology, hesed, and repeated divine-presence wording.

Exact location: WLC Genesis 39:1–23, especially vv. 2–6, 7–12, 14, 17, 20–23

Open source ↗

Translation and textual notes

NET Bible — Genesis with translators' notes

Biblical Studies Press

Biblical Studies Press, Digital edition accessed 2026

Supports: Success rather than wealth, household responsibility, food/private-affairs idiom, appearance, sexual euphemisms, repeated refusal, flight, ethnic labeling, accusation language, anger, prison phrase, hesed, and prison administration.

Exact location: NET Genesis 39 notes 1–54, especially notes 4, 7, 16–22, 28–30, 33, 35–38, 42–54

Open NET Genesis 39 ↗

modern open whole book commentary

Genesis

T. Desmond Alexander

The Gospel Coalition Bible Commentary, 2023

Supports: Final-form passage boundary, Joseph narrative movement, divine presence, integrity, false accusation, and transition to the royal prisoners.

Exact location: Genesis commentary, section 39:1–23 and connections with 37:12–36 and 40:1–23

Open source ↗

modern critical open study guide

Genesis 37–50: Joseph — Study Guide

Joel S. Baden and Yale Bible Study

Yale Divinity School, 2021 course; page inspected 2026

Supports: Modern literary-critical counterpoint for chapter placement, providence, Egyptian setting, and movement toward Pharaoh's court.

Exact location: Genesis 37–50: Joseph study guide, Joseph-novella structure and Egyptian transition discussion

Open source ↗

One scholarly structural interpretation

Divestiture, Deception, and Demotion: The Garment Motif in Genesis 37–39

John R. Huddlestun

Journal for the Study of the Old Testament 26.4, 2002

Supports: Garments as markers of status and authority and as instruments of concealment, deception, recognition, and demotion across Genesis 37–39.

Exact location: JSOT 26.4 (2002), pp. 47–62; official abstract and exposed notes

Open source ↗

open gender trauma and reception study

The Wife of Potiphar, Sexual Harassment, and False Rape Allegation: Genesis 39 in Select Social Contexts of the Past and Present

Johanna Stiebert

University of Bamberg Press, Bible in Africa Studies 22, 2019

Supports: Joseph's vulnerability, repeated harassment, power reversal, garment and ethnicity interpretation, false-allegation reception, gender stereotyping, and rape-culture safeguards.

Exact location: The Bible and Gender Troubles in Africa (2019), pp. 73–114, especially pp. 74–79, 101–112

Open source ↗

peer reviewed participant reference and sexual violence study

Violence in the Story of Joseph and His Master's Wife

Yoo-ki Kim

Korean Journal of Old Testament Studies 29.1, pages 45–71, 2023

Supports: Participant reference, enslaved powerlessness, verbal comparison with 2 Samuel 13, and harassment or violence rather than a balanced seduction scene.

Exact location: Korean Journal of Old Testament Studies 29.1 (2023), pp. 45–71; official English abstract and metadata

Open source ↗

Genesis 39:1–23, King James Version

Presence in the house, presence in the prison

How this should shape us

Teach it back

Go deeper

King James (Authorized) Version — eng-kjv2006

Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible — Genesis

NET Bible — Genesis with translators' notes

Genesis

Genesis 37–50: Joseph — Study Guide

Divestiture, Deception, and Demotion: The Garment Motif in Genesis 37–39

The Wife of Potiphar, Sexual Harassment, and False Rape Allegation: Genesis 39 in Select Social Contexts of the Past and Present

Violence in the Story of Joseph and His Master's Wife