Genesis 39:1-6
Lexham English Bible
Joseph in Potiphar’s House
39 Now Joseph had been brought down to Egypt, and Potiphar, a court official of Pharaoh, commander of the guard, an Egyptian, bought him from the hand of the Ishmaelites who had brought him down there. 2 And Yahweh was with Joseph, and he became a successful man. And he was in the house of his master, the Egyptian. 3 And his master observed that Yahweh was with him, and everything that was in his hand to do Yahweh made successful. 4 And Joseph found favor in his eyes and he served him. Then he appointed him[a] over his house and all that he owned he put into his hand. 5 And it happened that from the time he appointed him over his house and over all that he had, Yahweh blessed the house of the Egyptian on account of Joseph. And the blessing of Yahweh was upon all that he had in the house and in the field. 6 And he left all that he had in the hand of Joseph, and he did not worry about anything[b] except the food that he ate. Now Joseph was well built and handsome.[c]
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- Genesis 39:4 That is, Joseph
- Genesis 39:6 Literally “he did not know with him anything”
- Genesis 39:6 Literally “beautiful of form and beautiful of appearance”
Genesis 39:1-6
New English Translation
Joseph and Potiphar’s Wife
39 Now Joseph had been brought down to Egypt.[a] An Egyptian named Potiphar, an official of Pharaoh and the captain of the guard,[b] purchased him from[c] the Ishmaelites who had brought him there. 2 The Lord was with Joseph. He was successful[d] and lived[e] in the household of his Egyptian master. 3 His master observed that the Lord was with him and that the Lord made everything he was doing successful.[f] 4 So Joseph found favor in his sight and became his personal attendant.[g] Potiphar appointed Joseph[h] overseer of his household and put him in charge[i] of everything he owned. 5 From the time[j] Potiphar[k] appointed him over his household and over all that he owned, the Lord blessed[l] the Egyptian’s household for Joseph’s sake. The blessing of the Lord was on everything that he had, both[m] in his house and in his fields.[n] 6 So Potiphar[o] left[p] everything he had in Joseph’s care;[q] he gave no thought[r] to anything except the food he ate.[s]
Now Joseph was well built and good-looking.[t]
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- Genesis 39:1 tn The disjunctive clause resumes the earlier narrative pertaining to Joseph by recapitulating the event described in 37:36. The perfect verbal form is given a past perfect translation to restore the sequence of the narrative for the reader.
- Genesis 39:1 sn Captain of the guard. See the note on this phrase in Gen 37:36.
- Genesis 39:1 tn Heb “from the hand of.”
- Genesis 39:2 tn Heb “and he was a prosperous man.” This does not mean that Joseph became wealthy, but that he was successful in what he was doing, or making progress in his situation (see 24:21).
- Genesis 39:2 tn Heb “and he was.”
- Genesis 39:3 tn The Hebrew text adds “in his hand,” a phrase not included in the translation for stylistic reasons.
- Genesis 39:4 sn The Hebrew verb translated became his personal attendant refers to higher domestic service, usually along the lines of a personal attendant. Here Joseph is made the household steward, a position well-attested in Egyptian literature.
- Genesis 39:4 tn Heb “him”; the referent (Joseph) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
- Genesis 39:4 tn Heb “put into his hand.”
- Genesis 39:5 tn Heb “and it was from then.”
- Genesis 39:5 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Potiphar) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
- Genesis 39:5 sn The Hebrew word translated blessed carries the idea of enrichment, prosperity, success. It is the way believers describe success at the hand of God. The text illustrates the promise made to Abraham that whoever blesses his descendants will be blessed (Gen 12:1-3).
- Genesis 39:5 tn Heb “in the house and in the field.” The word “both” has been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
- Genesis 39:5 sn The passage gives us a good picture of Joseph as a young man who was responsible and faithful, both to his master and to his God. This happened within a very short time of his being sold into Egypt. It undermines the view that Joseph was a liar, a tattletale, and an arrogant adolescent.
- Genesis 39:6 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Potiphar) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
- Genesis 39:6 sn The Hebrew verb translated left indicates he relinquished the care of it to Joseph. This is stronger than what was said earlier. Apparently Potiphar had come to trust Joseph so much that he knew it was in better care with Joseph than with anyone else.
- Genesis 39:6 tn Heb “hand.” This is a metonymy for being under the control or care of Joseph.
- Genesis 39:6 tn Heb “did not know.”
- Genesis 39:6 sn The expression except the food he ate probably refers to Potiphar’s private affairs and should not be limited literally to what he ate.
- Genesis 39:6 tn Heb “handsome of form and handsome of appearance.” The same Hebrew expressions were used in Gen 29:17 for Rachel.
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