Verse Lens · Context pointer
Genesis 39:11 Explained in Context
Use this verse as a doorway into the larger passage—not as an isolated saying.
Verse 11. 11And 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.
King James Version — public domain in the United States · Bible text and permissions
Role in This Section
Joseph enters the house to do his work when none of the household men are inside. The verse supplies the setting for the seizure; it does not say Joseph arranged privacy or entered for a sexual meeting.
Read It With
- Genesis 39:1–23
Read verses 10–12 together. Day-by-day pressure precedes an ordinary work entry, and the next verse narrates the master's wife's seizure and Joseph's escape.
Why It Needs Context
The verse cannot be understood as evidence of consent or secret intent. Joseph's stated purpose is work, and the aggressor's action follows in verse 12.
Read Genesis 39:11–15 together
Why these verses belong together: Joseph enters to work, is seized, escapes, and then has the retained garment used in the first false accusation.
Verse 11. 11 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.
Verse 12. 12 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.
Verse 13. 13 And it came to pass, when she saw that he had left his garment in her hand, and was fled forth,
Verse 14. 14 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:
Verse 15. 15 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.
Continue in Context
The full thought-unit study remains the final contextual authority for this Verse Lens.
Read Genesis 39:1–23 — The LORD Is With Joseph in Slavery and PrisonSources used for this context pointer
How certain is this explanation? strong
These are the sources used directly for this lens. Language, grammar, disagreements, and the complete source shelf remain attached to the full thought-unit research record.
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 ↗