Första MosebokenKapitel 39

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Joseph had been taken down to Egypt, and Potiphar, an Egyptian officer of Pharaoh and captain of the guard, bought him from the Ishmaelites who had brought him there.

The LORD was with Joseph, and he prospered. He lived in the house of his Egyptian master,

and his master saw that the LORD was with him and that the LORD gave success to everything he did.

So Joseph found favor in his eyes and became his personal attendant. He put him in charge of his household and entrusted everything he owned to his care.

From the time he put Joseph in charge of his house and all he owned, the LORD blessed the Egyptian's household because of Joseph. The blessing of the LORD rested on everything he had, both in the house and in the field.

So he left everything he owned in Joseph's care and gave no thought to anything except the food he ate. Now Joseph was handsome and well built.

After some time, his master's wife took notice of Joseph and said, "Come to bed with me."

But he refused. "Look," he said to her, "my master gives no thought to anything in this house; he has put everything he owns into my hands.

No one in this house stands above me, and he has withheld nothing from me except you, because you are his wife. How then could I do such a great evil and sin against God?"

Day after day she kept at him, but he would not listen to her or lie with her or be with her.

One such day he came into the house to do his work, and none of the household servants was there.

She caught hold of his cloak and said, "Come to bed with me!" But he left his cloak in her hand and ran out of the house.

When she saw that he had left his cloak in her hand and had fled outside,

she called the men of her household and said to them, "Look, he has brought us a Hebrew to make sport of us! He came to me to lie with me, but I screamed at the top of my voice." [Footnote: "He" here refers to her husband, the master of the house — an accusation she repeats in verse 17.]

When he heard me raise my voice and scream, he left his cloak beside me and ran out of the house."

She kept his cloak beside her until his master came home,

and then she told him the same story: "That Hebrew slave you brought us came to me to make sport of me.

But when I raised my voice and screamed, he left his cloak beside me and fled outside."

When his master heard what his wife told him—"This is how your slave treated me"—he burned with anger.

Joseph's master took him and put him in the prison where the king's prisoners were held, and there he remained.

But the LORD was with Joseph and showed him steadfast love, and he granted him favor in the eyes of the prison warden.

The warden put Joseph in charge of all the prisoners in the prison, and everything that was done there was done by him.

The warden paid no attention to anything under Joseph's care, because the LORD was with him and gave him success in whatever he did.

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Sammanfattning2

Kapitel 39

Main Theme: God is with Joseph in adversity—both as a slave and as a prisoner in Egypt.

Content: Joseph is sold to Potiphar, captain of Pharaoh's bodyguard, and the LORD causes him to succeed in everything he does. Potiphar puts him in charge of his entire household. When Potiphar's wife tries to seduce Joseph, he refuses her out of loyalty to his master and to God. She falsely accuses him, and Joseph is thrown into prison. But even there the LORD is with him, and the prison warden gives him responsibility for all the prisoners.

Key Words/Images:

The LORD was with Joseph – This phrase is repeated four times and shows that God's presence is the source of Joseph's success.
The garment left behind – Joseph flees from sin and leaves his garment, which is used as false evidence against him.
Temptation and faithfulness – Joseph refuses to sin against God, even when it costs him his freedom.
From household manager to prison overseer – The pattern repeats: Joseph is given responsibility and succeeds because God is with him.

Historisk kontext

Historical and Cultural Context for Genesis 39

People

Potiphar (פּוֹטִיפַר) is an Egyptian official with the titles "סְרִיס פַּרְעֹה" (Pharaoh's courtier/eunuch) and "שַׂר הַטַּבָּחִים" (chief of the bodyguard). The name is Egyptian and likely means "the one whom Ra has given." The title saris could denote a castrated court official, but in ancient Egypt it was often used more generally for high-ranking court officials, which explains why he was married. His position as "chief of the bodyguard" (or "of the slaughterers") indicates a military-administrative role responsible for Pharaoh's personal security.

Potiphar's wife remains unnamed in the biblical text, which is a deliberate literary device. Later Jewish and Islamic tradition gave her the name Zuleika. Her role illustrates the power that high-ranking Egyptian women could wield within the household, while her false accusation highlights the vulnerability of slaves within the legal system.

Places

Potiphar's house represents a wealthy Egyptian nobleman's home from either the Middle or New Kingdom. Archaeological excavations of such houses reveal complex structures with separate quarters for women, servants, and storage rooms. Joseph's role as steward ("over the house") corresponds to the well-known Egyptian position imy-r pr (householder), a high-ranking administrative post documented in many Egyptian inscriptions.

The prison (בֵּית הַסֹּהַר) is described as the place "where the king's prisoners were bound." This was likely a state prison for political prisoners and court personnel who had fallen out of favor, rather than an ordinary jail. Egyptian sources confirm the existence of such special institutions linked to the royal court.

Events and Customs

Slave purchase and household slaves: The chapter begins with Joseph being sold to Potiphar by the Ishmaelites. In ancient Egypt, trade in Asian slaves was common, and many Semitic names are preserved in Egyptian household records from this period. Slaves could attain significant responsibility and trust, as Joseph's career illustrates.

Sexual seduction and false accusations: The story of a woman attempting to seduce a young man and then falsely accusing him when he rejects her has a remarkable parallel in the Egyptian "Tale of Two Brothers" (Papyrus d'Orbiney, c. 1200 BCE). This literary parallel shows that the motif was known in Egyptian culture and lends authentic color to the narrative.

Key Terms

"Ivri" (עִבְרִי) – "Hebrew": This is the term Potiphar's wife uses for Joseph (vv. 14, 17). The word is consistently used in Genesis when Egyptians or other foreigners refer to Israelites and may be related to the Egyptian term ʿapiru/habiru, a social designation for wandering or marginalized peoples found in many ancient Near Eastern texts.

"Sin against God" (וְחָטָאתִי לֵאלֹהִים): Joseph's refusal is motivated not only by loyalty to Potiphar but also as a sin against God. This theological perspective is central—adultery is understood as a breach of divine order, not merely a social offense.

Chapter-Specific Findings

Egyptian administrative papyri from the Middle and New Kingdoms document Semitic slaves in Egyptian households, some holding positions similar to Joseph's stewardship role. The Brooklyn Papyrus (c. 1740 BCE) contains a list of household slaves in which approximately half have Semitic names, confirming the historical plausibility of the setting for the Joseph narrative. Egyptian wall paintings from noble tombs also depict Asian servants in various roles within wealthy households.

Personer2

Potiphar1 Joseph6

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Nyckelord9

Joseph — One of Jacob's sons, known for his ability to interpret dreams and his righteousness.
Potiphar — An Egyptian officer who bought Joseph as a slave and put him in charge of his household.
Potiphar's wife — The woman who tried to seduce Joseph but was rejected by him.
False Accusations — Potiphar's wife accused Joseph of attempting to rape her after he rejected her advances.
Prison — The place where Joseph was sent after being falsely accused by Potiphar's wife.
Dream Interpreter — The ability to interpret dreams, which Joseph was known for having.
Trust — Joseph was entrusted with great responsibility both in Potiphar's house and later in prison.
Integrity — Joseph's moral principles and honesty, which led him to reject Potiphar's wife's advances.
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