Genesis · Chapter 39

V. 1. The Jews have a proverb, If the world did but know the worth of good men, they would hedge them about with pearls. Joseph was sold to an officer of Pharaoh, with whom he might get acquainted with public persons, and public business, and so be fitted for the preferment he was afterwards designed for. What God intends men for, he will be sure, some way or other, to qualify them for.

Verse 1. An officer of Pharaoh, captain of the guard] Mr. Ainsworth, supposing that his office merely consisted in having charge of the king’s prisoners, calls Potiphar provost marshal! See Clarke on “Genesis 37:36”, See Clarke on “Genesis 40:3”.

Verse 1. And Joseph was brought down into Egypt — The history of Joseph is one of the most remarkable, interesting, and instructive of any contained in the Scriptures or elsewhere. It affords us the clearest evidence of the providence of God conducting all things with amazing and stupendous wisdom, and making them “work together for good to those that love him;” nay, and causing even the wickedness of men to become subservient to the accomplishment of its designs. One design of God, with regard to Joseph, was to raise him to such a degree of greatness and power, as should oblige his brethren to bow down humbly before him: his brethren opposed this, and meant to humble him: but what they did with this view was the first step by which God led him to elevation and glory; and the horrible calumny of his unchaste mistress, which seemed to complete his misfortunes, was the circumstance which advanced him almost to the throne! This may afford us great comfort under all our troubles, as we may from hence be assured that God can make whatever shall be designed against us the means of promoting our happiness. The Jews have a proverb, If the world did but know the worth of good men, they would hedge them about with pearls. Joseph was sold to an officer of Pharaoh, with whom he might get acquainted with public persons and public business, and so be fitted for the preferment he was designed for. What God intends men for, he will be sure, some way or other, to qualify them for.

Verse 1. Potiphar. What a providence, that Joseph was bought by a man in whom Pharaoh had placed very much confidence. Captain of the guard. He seems to have been a military superintendent of the butchers, bakers, and every other class of servants in the king’s household.

JOSEPH IN SLAVERY AND IN PRISON, 1-23.

1. Down to Egypt — “Down from the Syrian Plains to the Desert, and down the Desert to the Nile Valley. The life of the chosen family now mingles for centuries with the stream of Egyptian civilization. The saviour of the Hebrew people, like his divine antitype, was to descend to the lowest depths that he might rise to the loftiest heights. ‘Down into Egypt,’ was down to the darkness of infamy also, in the estimation of men, where God was his solitary stay when utterly cut off from the sympathy of men, as the reward of virtue too high for them to see; yet up from that dungeon he was lifted to worldwide honour, sympathy, and love. Potiphar — This officer of Pharaoh (see Genesis 37:36) is not to be confounded with the Potipherah priest of On, or Heliopolis, whose daughter Joseph afterwards married. Genesis 41:45. The name seems to have been a common one in Egypt, since it is found very often written in hieroglyphics upon the monuments. The ancient Egyptian form of the name in the hieroglyphic inscriptions is PET-P-RA or PET-PH-RA, which signifies ‘belonging to the sun.’ GES., Thesaur. RA or RE, (with the article PRA or PhRA,) the SUN, was one of the great Egyptian gods, father of many deities, and is represented in the monuments by a circle with a dot in the centre, sometimes enveloped in the coil of a serpent, sometimes accompanied by a hawk. Poole, in Encyc. Brit. The name Pharaoh is derived from Phrah, since the Egyptian king was regarded as the representative of the sun. RAWL., Herodotus, ii, p. 241. “It is generally supposed by the Egyptologists that Joseph was sold into Egypt during the reign of the ‘shepherd kings,’ (Hyksos,) a foreign dynasty who invaded the country from the north, (although their origin and race is as yet uncertain,) dispossessed the native kings of Lower Egypt, and held dominion there, perhaps five or six centuries, when they were driven out by a native dynasty. This alien line of kings maintained itself with difficulty against the native princes who still held Upper Egypt, being hated by the Egyptian people, and ever ready therefore to form alliances with foreigners. The native Egyptians, on the other hand, were remarkably exclusive, having strong prejudices, and even hatred and contempt, for foreigners. The monumental literature of Egypt shows this intense antipathy to foreigners in a thousand forms. The wonderful and more than romantic history of Joseph could not have taken place under the native Pharaohs. A foreigner could not, under the native Egyptian rule, have been elevated to the second place of authority, nor could families of foreigners have been welcomed, as were the families of Israel, to settle in the kingdom. Poole, in Smith’s Dict. Here, then, in this Hyksos invasion and possession of Egypt during the time that the three great patriarchs were roaming through Palestine, we find a providential preparation for the Egyptian period of the history of the chosen people. Not only was ‘the Lord with Joseph’ after his arrival at Potiphar’s house, but he had long before prepared the kingdom for him.” — Newhall.

V. 2. Those that can separate us from all our friends, cannot deprive us of the gracious presence of our God. When Joseph had none of his relations with him, he had his God with him, even in the house of the Egyptian: Joseph was banished from his father’s house, but the Lord was with him. It is God’s presence with us that makes all we do prosperous. Those that would prosper, must therefore make God their friend; and those that do prosper, must therefore give God the praise.

Verse 2. The Lord was with Joseph — Those that can separate us from all our friends cannot deprive us of the gracious presence of our God. When Joseph had none of his relations with him, he had his God with him, even in the house of the Egyptian: Joseph was banished from his father’s house, but the Lord was with him. It is God’s presence with us that makes all we do prosperous. Those that would prosper must therefore make God their friend; and those that do prosper must therefore give God the praise. He was in the house of his master the Egyptian — He did not endeavour, as might have been expected, to effect an escape to his father, but demeaned himself patiently and faithfully in the station into which God’s providence had brought him.

Ver. 2. The Lord was with Joseph. The Targum reads, The Word of the Lord was Joseph’s helper; that is, the Messiah.

2. The Lord was with Joseph — The holy covenant God of Israel was not absent from his faithful servant. He ever encampeth round about them that fear him. A prosperous man — Making to prosper whatever he undertook. Compare the Psalmist’s description of the blessed or happy man. Psalm 1:3. He was in the house of his master — First as a house-servant, then overseer of all his possessions. Verses 4-6. Potiphar quickly discerned Joseph’s integrity and pious attention to all his affairs. He probably did not concern himself about the religious ideas of his slave, or learn from him any special doctrines of Jehovah. He doubtless adhered to his own Egyptian idolatries. But in verses 2-6 the sacred historian shows that the integrity and prosperity of Joseph were due to the divine providence which favoured the faithful son of Israel. “The great pictures of Egyptian civilization which are found in the monumental sepulchres, abound in representations of overseership in the house and in the field. Workmen are represented as engaged in various kinds of labour, such as gardening, farming, fishing, while the overseer watches and directs, and keeps the record of the work with a reed pen in a papyrus register. Division and subdivision of labour, and minute supervision, had at this time been carried to a high degree in this home of science and civilization. Great native talent as well as integrity is displayed in this sudden rise of a shepherd-lad, sold as a slave into such a land as Egypt. We see here unmistakable signs of superior abilities, which serve to explain the previous envy of his brethren. A man so clearly born to command must have displayed something of his power and the natural bent of his genius in early youth.” — Newhall.

Verse 3. His master saw that the Lord was with him — Many of the heathen acknowledged a supreme God, and his overruling providence in the affairs of men, although they did not glorify him as God, but worshipped the creature with, and more than, the Creator: Potiphar, however, would doubtless learn from Joseph many things concerning the one living and true God; and proving by experience that his affairs prospered, and that Joseph ascribed this prosperity to the especial blessing of Jehovah, he might be inclined to believe that Jehovah blessed him for Joseph’s sake.

JOSEPH IN SLAVERY AND IN PRISON, 1-23.

1. Down to Egypt — “Down from the Syrian Plains to the Desert, and down the Desert to the Nile Valley. The life of the chosen family now mingles for centuries with the stream of Egyptian civilization. The saviour of the Hebrew people, like his divine antitype, was to descend to the lowest depths that he might rise to the loftiest heights. ‘Down into Egypt,’ was down to the darkness of infamy also, in the estimation of men, where God was his solitary stay when utterly cut off from the sympathy of men, as the reward of virtue too high for them to see; yet up from that dungeon he was lifted to worldwide honour, sympathy, and love. Potiphar — This officer of Pharaoh (see Genesis 37:36) is not to be confounded with the Potipherah priest of On, or Heliopolis, whose daughter Joseph afterwards married. Genesis 41:45. The name seems to have been a common one in Egypt, since it is found very often written in hieroglyphics upon the monuments. The ancient Egyptian form of the name in the hieroglyphic inscriptions is PET-P-RA or PET-PH-RA, which signifies ‘belonging to the sun.’ GES., Thesaur. RA or RE, (with the article PRA or PhRA,) the SUN, was one of the great Egyptian gods, father of many deities, and is represented in the monuments by a circle with a dot in the centre, sometimes enveloped in the coil of a serpent, sometimes accompanied by a hawk. Poole, in Encyc. Brit. The name Pharaoh is derived from Phrah, since the Egyptian king was regarded as the representative of the sun. RAWL., Herodotus, ii, p. 241. “It is generally supposed by the Egyptologists that Joseph was sold into Egypt during the reign of the ‘shepherd kings,’ (Hyksos,) a foreign dynasty who invaded the country from the north, (although their origin and race is as yet uncertain,) dispossessed the native kings of Lower Egypt, and held dominion there, perhaps five or six centuries, when they were driven out by a native dynasty. This alien line of kings maintained itself with difficulty against the native princes who still held Upper Egypt, being hated by the Egyptian people, and ever ready therefore to form alliances with foreigners. The native Egyptians, on the other hand, were remarkably exclusive, having strong prejudices, and even hatred and contempt, for foreigners. The monumental literature of Egypt shows this intense antipathy to foreigners in a thousand forms. The wonderful and more than romantic history of Joseph could not have taken place under the native Pharaohs. A foreigner could not, under the native Egyptian rule, have been elevated to the second place of authority, nor could families of foreigners have been welcomed, as were the families of Israel, to settle in the kingdom. Poole, in Smith’s Dict. Here, then, in this Hyksos invasion and possession of Egypt during the time that the three great patriarchs were roaming through Palestine, we find a providential preparation for the Egyptian period of the history of the chosen people. Not only was ‘the Lord with Joseph’ after his arrival at Potiphar’s house, but he had long before prepared the kingdom for him.” — Newhall.

Verse 4. He made him overseer] dyqph hiphkid, from dqp pakad, to visit, take care of, superintend; the same as episkopov, overseer or bishop, among the Greeks. This is the term by which the Septuagint often express the meaning of the original.

Verse 4. He made him overseer over all that he had — Committed all to his care and management. But it may be asked how this could be, since Joseph understood not the Egyptian language? In answer to which it may be observed, that, undoubtedly, as soon as he came thither he would do his utmost to obtain the knowledge of that language, and being a person of good parts, would soon obtain it, especially as there was a great affinity between that language and his own. Besides, it is not to be supposed that Joseph was highly advanced at once, but step by step, and after some considerable time. For, considering Potiphar’s office and station, it is not likely that he would thus prefer Joseph till he had had full evidence of his fidelity, as well as of his ability to manage so great a trust.

JOSEPH IN SLAVERY AND IN PRISON, 1-23.

1. Down to Egypt — “Down from the Syrian Plains to the Desert, and down the Desert to the Nile Valley. The life of the chosen family now mingles for centuries with the stream of Egyptian civilization. The saviour of the Hebrew people, like his divine antitype, was to descend to the lowest depths that he might rise to the loftiest heights. ‘Down into Egypt,’ was down to the darkness of infamy also, in the estimation of men, where God was his solitary stay when utterly cut off from the sympathy of men, as the reward of virtue too high for them to see; yet up from that dungeon he was lifted to worldwide honour, sympathy, and love. Potiphar — This officer of Pharaoh (see Genesis 37:36) is not to be confounded with the Potipherah priest of On, or Heliopolis, whose daughter Joseph afterwards married. Genesis 41:45. The name seems to have been a common one in Egypt, since it is found very often written in hieroglyphics upon the monuments. The ancient Egyptian form of the name in the hieroglyphic inscriptions is PET-P-RA or PET-PH-RA, which signifies ‘belonging to the sun.’ GES., Thesaur. RA or RE, (with the article PRA or PhRA,) the SUN, was one of the great Egyptian gods, father of many deities, and is represented in the monuments by a circle with a dot in the centre, sometimes enveloped in the coil of a serpent, sometimes accompanied by a hawk. Poole, in Encyc. Brit. The name Pharaoh is derived from Phrah, since the Egyptian king was regarded as the representative of the sun. RAWL., Herodotus, ii, p. 241. “It is generally supposed by the Egyptologists that Joseph was sold into Egypt during the reign of the ‘shepherd kings,’ (Hyksos,) a foreign dynasty who invaded the country from the north, (although their origin and race is as yet uncertain,) dispossessed the native kings of Lower Egypt, and held dominion there, perhaps five or six centuries, when they were driven out by a native dynasty. This alien line of kings maintained itself with difficulty against the native princes who still held Upper Egypt, being hated by the Egyptian people, and ever ready therefore to form alliances with foreigners. The native Egyptians, on the other hand, were remarkably exclusive, having strong prejudices, and even hatred and contempt, for foreigners. The monumental literature of Egypt shows this intense antipathy to foreigners in a thousand forms. The wonderful and more than romantic history of Joseph could not have taken place under the native Pharaohs. A foreigner could not, under the native Egyptian rule, have been elevated to the second place of authority, nor could families of foreigners have been welcomed, as were the families of Israel, to settle in the kingdom. Poole, in Smith’s Dict. Here, then, in this Hyksos invasion and possession of Egypt during the time that the three great patriarchs were roaming through Palestine, we find a providential preparation for the Egyptian period of the history of the chosen people. Not only was ‘the Lord with Joseph’ after his arrival at Potiphar’s house, but he had long before prepared the kingdom for him.” — Newhall.

JOSEPH IN SLAVERY AND IN PRISON, 1-23.

1. Down to Egypt — “Down from the Syrian Plains to the Desert, and down the Desert to the Nile Valley. The life of the chosen family now mingles for centuries with the stream of Egyptian civilization. The saviour of the Hebrew people, like his divine antitype, was to descend to the lowest depths that he might rise to the loftiest heights. ‘Down into Egypt,’ was down to the darkness of infamy also, in the estimation of men, where God was his solitary stay when utterly cut off from the sympathy of men, as the reward of virtue too high for them to see; yet up from that dungeon he was lifted to worldwide honour, sympathy, and love. Potiphar — This officer of Pharaoh (see Genesis 37:36) is not to be confounded with the Potipherah priest of On, or Heliopolis, whose daughter Joseph afterwards married. Genesis 41:45. The name seems to have been a common one in Egypt, since it is found very often written in hieroglyphics upon the monuments. The ancient Egyptian form of the name in the hieroglyphic inscriptions is PET-P-RA or PET-PH-RA, which signifies ‘belonging to the sun.’ GES., Thesaur. RA or RE, (with the article PRA or PhRA,) the SUN, was one of the great Egyptian gods, father of many deities, and is represented in the monuments by a circle with a dot in the centre, sometimes enveloped in the coil of a serpent, sometimes accompanied by a hawk. Poole, in Encyc. Brit. The name Pharaoh is derived from Phrah, since the Egyptian king was regarded as the representative of the sun. RAWL., Herodotus, ii, p. 241. “It is generally supposed by the Egyptologists that Joseph was sold into Egypt during the reign of the ‘shepherd kings,’ (Hyksos,) a foreign dynasty who invaded the country from the north, (although their origin and race is as yet uncertain,) dispossessed the native kings of Lower Egypt, and held dominion there, perhaps five or six centuries, when they were driven out by a native dynasty. This alien line of kings maintained itself with difficulty against the native princes who still held Upper Egypt, being hated by the Egyptian people, and ever ready therefore to form alliances with foreigners. The native Egyptians, on the other hand, were remarkably exclusive, having strong prejudices, and even hatred and contempt, for foreigners. The monumental literature of Egypt shows this intense antipathy to foreigners in a thousand forms. The wonderful and more than romantic history of Joseph could not have taken place under the native Pharaohs. A foreigner could not, under the native Egyptian rule, have been elevated to the second place of authority, nor could families of foreigners have been welcomed, as were the families of Israel, to settle in the kingdom. Poole, in Smith’s Dict. Here, then, in this Hyksos invasion and possession of Egypt during the time that the three great patriarchs were roaming through Palestine, we find a providential preparation for the Egyptian period of the history of the chosen people. Not only was ‘the Lord with Joseph’ after his arrival at Potiphar’s house, but he had long before prepared the kingdom for him.” — Newhall.

V. 6. He knew not ought he had, save the bread which he did eat-The servant had all the care and trouble of the estate, the master had only the enjoyment of it; an example not to be imitated by any master, unless he could be sure that he had one like Joseph for a servant.

Verse 6. Joseph was a goodly person, and well favoured.] harm hpyw rat hpy yepkeh thoar, vipheh mareh, beautiful in his person, and beautiful in his countenance. The same expressions are used relative to Rachel; see them explained Genesis 29:17. The beauty of Joseph is celebrated over all the East, and the Persian poets vie with each other in descriptions of his comeliness. Mohammed spends the twelfth chapter of the Koran entirely on Joseph, and represents him as a perfect beauty, and the most accomplished of mortals. From his account, the passion of Zuleekha (for so the Asiatics call Potiphar’s wife) being known to the ladles of the court, they cast the severest reflections upon her: in order to excuse herself, she invited forty of them to dine with her, put knives in their hands, and gave them oranges to cut, and caused Joseph to attend. When they saw him they were struck with admiration, and so confounded, that instead of cutting their oranges they cut and hacked their own hands, crying out, [Arabic] hasha lillahi ma hadha bashara in hadha illa malakon kareemon. “O God! this is not a human being, this is none other than a glorious angel!”-Surat xii., verse 32.

Two of the finest poems in the Persian language were written by the poets Jamy and Nizamy on the subject of Joseph and his mistress; they are both entitled Yusuf we Zuleekha. These poems represent Joseph as the most beautiful and pious of men; and Zuleekha the most chaste, virtuous, and excellent of women, previous to her having seen Joseph; but they state that when she saw him she was so deeply affected by his beauty that she lost all self-government, and became a slave to her passion. Hafiz expresses this, and apologizes for her conduct in the following elegant couplet:— [Arabic]

[Arabic]

Men az an husn-i roz afzoon keh Yusuf dasht danistam

Keh ishk az pardah-i ismat beroon arad Zuleekhara.

“I understand, from the daily increasing beauty which Joseph possessed, How love tore away the veil of chastity from Zuleekha.”

The Persian poets and eastern historians, however, contrive to carry on a sort of guiltless passion between them till the death of Potiphar, when Zuleekha, grown old, is restored to youth and beauty by the power of God, and becomes the wife of Joseph. What traditions they had beside the Mosaic text for what they say on this subject, are now unknown; but the whole story, with innumerable embellishments, is so generally current in the East that I thought it not amiss to take this notice of it. The twelfth chapter of the Koran, which celebrates the beauty, piety, and acts of this patriarch, is allowed to be one of the finest specimens of Arabic composition ever formed; and the history itself, as told by Moses, is one of the most simple, natural, affecting, and well-told narratives ever published. It is a master-piece of composition, and never fails of producing its intended effect on the mind of a careful reader. The Arab lawgiver saw and felt the beauties and excellences of his model; and he certainly put forth all the strength of his own language, and all the energy of his mind, in order to rival it.

Verse 6. He knew not aught he had — Persuaded of Joseph’s faithfulness and diligence, and relying on his care, he took no part in the management of his own affairs, but left them wholly to this young but trusty Hebrew. The servant had all the care and trouble of the estate, and the master only the enjoyment of it. In this Potiphar is an example not to be imitated by any master, unless he could be sure that he had one like Joseph for a servant.

JOSEPH IN SLAVERY AND IN PRISON, 1-23.

1. Down to Egypt — “Down from the Syrian Plains to the Desert, and down the Desert to the Nile Valley. The life of the chosen family now mingles for centuries with the stream of Egyptian civilization. The saviour of the Hebrew people, like his divine antitype, was to descend to the lowest depths that he might rise to the loftiest heights. ‘Down into Egypt,’ was down to the darkness of infamy also, in the estimation of men, where God was his solitary stay when utterly cut off from the sympathy of men, as the reward of virtue too high for them to see; yet up from that dungeon he was lifted to worldwide honour, sympathy, and love. Potiphar — This officer of Pharaoh (see Genesis 37:36) is not to be confounded with the Potipherah priest of On, or Heliopolis, whose daughter Joseph afterwards married. Genesis 41:45. The name seems to have been a common one in Egypt, since it is found very often written in hieroglyphics upon the monuments. The ancient Egyptian form of the name in the hieroglyphic inscriptions is PET-P-RA or PET-PH-RA, which signifies ‘belonging to the sun.’ GES., Thesaur. RA or RE, (with the article PRA or PhRA,) the SUN, was one of the great Egyptian gods, father of many deities, and is represented in the monuments by a circle with a dot in the centre, sometimes enveloped in the coil of a serpent, sometimes accompanied by a hawk. Poole, in Encyc. Brit. The name Pharaoh is derived from Phrah, since the Egyptian king was regarded as the representative of the sun. RAWL., Herodotus, ii, p. 241. “It is generally supposed by the Egyptologists that Joseph was sold into Egypt during the reign of the ‘shepherd kings,’ (Hyksos,) a foreign dynasty who invaded the country from the north, (although their origin and race is as yet uncertain,) dispossessed the native kings of Lower Egypt, and held dominion there, perhaps five or six centuries, when they were driven out by a native dynasty. This alien line of kings maintained itself with difficulty against the native princes who still held Upper Egypt, being hated by the Egyptian people, and ever ready therefore to form alliances with foreigners. The native Egyptians, on the other hand, were remarkably exclusive, having strong prejudices, and even hatred and contempt, for foreigners. The monumental literature of Egypt shows this intense antipathy to foreigners in a thousand forms. The wonderful and more than romantic history of Joseph could not have taken place under the native Pharaohs. A foreigner could not, under the native Egyptian rule, have been elevated to the second place of authority, nor could families of foreigners have been welcomed, as were the families of Israel, to settle in the kingdom. Poole, in Smith’s Dict. Here, then, in this Hyksos invasion and possession of Egypt during the time that the three great patriarchs were roaming through Palestine, we find a providential preparation for the Egyptian period of the history of the chosen people. Not only was ‘the Lord with Joseph’ after his arrival at Potiphar’s house, but he had long before prepared the kingdom for him.” — Newhall.

Ver. 7. It came to pass. In the eleventh year of Joseph’s servitude, when he was twenty-seven years of age, and well acquainted with the language and laws of Egypt.

7. Cast her eyes upon Joseph — Having briefly but impressively explained how Joseph became exalted in the house of his Egyptian master, and now Potiphar trusted every thing to his management; also having, at the close of verse 6, mentioned the great personal beauty of the Hebrew slave, the writer has prepared us to understand the power of the great temptation which came to Joseph. The licentiousness of Egyptian women is evidenced by numerous testimonies. The monuments, as well as ancient writers, show that they did not live the secluded life to which the women of other eastern nations were compelled. See Wilkinson, Ancient Egypt, vol. i, p. 144; vol. ii, p. 224. An Egyptian papyrus in the British Museum relates the story of two brothers, the wife of the elder of whom acts and speaks toward the younger almost in the same words that Potiphar’s wife used with Joseph. See Ebers, Egypten, p. 311.

Verse 8. My master wotteth not] Knoweth not, from the old Anglo-Saxon [A.S.], witan, to know; hence [A.S.], wit, intellect, understanding, wisdom, prudence.

JOSEPH IN SLAVERY AND IN PRISON, 1-23.

1. Down to Egypt — “Down from the Syrian Plains to the Desert, and down the Desert to the Nile Valley. The life of the chosen family now mingles for centuries with the stream of Egyptian civilization. The saviour of the Hebrew people, like his divine antitype, was to descend to the lowest depths that he might rise to the loftiest heights. ‘Down into Egypt,’ was down to the darkness of infamy also, in the estimation of men, where God was his solitary stay when utterly cut off from the sympathy of men, as the reward of virtue too high for them to see; yet up from that dungeon he was lifted to worldwide honour, sympathy, and love. Potiphar — This officer of Pharaoh (see Genesis 37:36) is not to be confounded with the Potipherah priest of On, or Heliopolis, whose daughter Joseph afterwards married. Genesis 41:45. The name seems to have been a common one in Egypt, since it is found very often written in hieroglyphics upon the monuments. The ancient Egyptian form of the name in the hieroglyphic inscriptions is PET-P-RA or PET-PH-RA, which signifies ‘belonging to the sun.’ GES., Thesaur. RA or RE, (with the article PRA or PhRA,) the SUN, was one of the great Egyptian gods, father of many deities, and is represented in the monuments by a circle with a dot in the centre, sometimes enveloped in the coil of a serpent, sometimes accompanied by a hawk. Poole, in Encyc. Brit. The name Pharaoh is derived from Phrah, since the Egyptian king was regarded as the representative of the sun. RAWL., Herodotus, ii, p. 241. “It is generally supposed by the Egyptologists that Joseph was sold into Egypt during the reign of the ‘shepherd kings,’ (Hyksos,) a foreign dynasty who invaded the country from the north, (although their origin and race is as yet uncertain,) dispossessed the native kings of Lower Egypt, and held dominion there, perhaps five or six centuries, when they were driven out by a native dynasty. This alien line of kings maintained itself with difficulty against the native princes who still held Upper Egypt, being hated by the Egyptian people, and ever ready therefore to form alliances with foreigners. The native Egyptians, on the other hand, were remarkably exclusive, having strong prejudices, and even hatred and contempt, for foreigners. The monumental literature of Egypt shows this intense antipathy to foreigners in a thousand forms. The wonderful and more than romantic history of Joseph could not have taken place under the native Pharaohs. A foreigner could not, under the native Egyptian rule, have been elevated to the second place of authority, nor could families of foreigners have been welcomed, as were the families of Israel, to settle in the kingdom. Poole, in Smith’s Dict. Here, then, in this Hyksos invasion and possession of Egypt during the time that the three great patriarchs were roaming through Palestine, we find a providential preparation for the Egyptian period of the history of the chosen people. Not only was ‘the Lord with Joseph’ after his arrival at Potiphar’s house, but he had long before prepared the kingdom for him.” — Newhall.

V. 9. How can I sin against God-Not only how shall I do it and sin against my master, my mistress, myself, my own body and soul, but against God?-Gracious souls look upon this as the worst thing in sin, that it is against God, against his nature and his dominion, against his love and his design. They that love God, for this reason hate sin.

Verse 9. How then] Ëyaw veeik, and how? Joseph gives two most powerful reasons for his noncompliance with the wishes of his mistress: 1. Gratitude to his master, to whom he owed all that he had. 2. His fear of God, in whose sight it would be a heinous offence, and who would not fail to punish him for it. With the kindness of his master and the displeasure of God before his eyes, how could he be capable of committing an act of transgression, which would at once have distinguished him as the most ungrateful and the most worthless of men?

Verse 9. How can I do this great wickedness? — How can I, to whom my master has shown so much kindness, when I was a poor, forlorn stranger from a foreign land, and was offered to him in the capacity of a slave; on whom he has conferred so many, and such great favours, keeping back from my enjoyment no part of his property but thee, because thou art his wife; — how can I be guilty of such ingratitude as thus to wound him in the tenderest part? How can I, in whom he has reposed such confidence, and to whom he has committed so great a trust as to make me steward and governor of all he has, thus shamefully deceive that confidence, and betray that trust? How can I be so unjust to him as to injure him, in a matter which of all others would give him the greatest pain, and rob him of his greatest and most valuable treasure, the affections and honour of his wife, and his own honour involved therein? How can I be so unkind and cruel to thee, as to countenance and entangle thee in so much guilt and wickedness, laying thee open to the daily reproaches of thy own mind, making an eternal breach and separation between thee and thy husband, and rendering thy whole future life a scene of bitterness and distress? How can I expose thee to the displeasure and wrath of the righteous Lawgiver and just Judge of all the earth, who is the everlasting avenger of all such crimes? And how can I, who profess to be a worshipper and servant of Jehovah, the God of truth, justice, and holiness, do any wickedness, especially such great wickedness as that of committing adultery with the wife of my bountiful benefactor and kind master? How can I thus sin, not only against my master, my mistress, myself, my own body and soul, but against God? — Gracious souls look upon this as the worst thing in sin, that it is against God; against his nature and his dominion, against his love and his design. They that love God for this reason hate sin.

9. This great wickedness — Joseph’s answer is most noble. He sees and shows the monstrous criminality of thus abusing his master’s confidence; it would be a double sin, wickedness against Potiphar, sin against God.

V. 10. He hearkened not to her, so much as to be with her. Those that would be kept from harm, must keep themselves out of harm’s way.

Verses 10-12. She spake to Joseph from day to day — Joseph was single, was in the vigour of youth, was a man of like passions with us, was solicited and importuned to gratify those passions, and that in a way that promised both present pleasure and profit, and by one on whom he was dependant, and whom it was dangerous to provoke; whose frown might be followed by great sufferings, and whose favour might advance and establish his prosperity: opportunity and privacy also were afforded. But Joseph feared God; Joseph believed in a judgment to come. He therefore denied himself, and would not, for the sake of those pleasures of sin which are but for a season, involve himself in the divine wrath, and in certain and lasting misery and ruin. Hence he hearkened not to her, so much as to be with her. Finding her dead to all sense of shame, and deaf to the calls of duty, honour, conscience, and the fear of God, and that she was not to be reclaimed, he avoided her company, being distrustful of himself. For those that would be kept from harm must keep out of harm’s way. And when she laid hold on him, he left his garment in her hand — He would not stay to parley with the temptation, but flew from it with the utmost abhorrence, as one escaping for his life.

JOSEPH IN SLAVERY AND IN PRISON, 1-23.

1. Down to Egypt — “Down from the Syrian Plains to the Desert, and down the Desert to the Nile Valley. The life of the chosen family now mingles for centuries with the stream of Egyptian civilization. The saviour of the Hebrew people, like his divine antitype, was to descend to the lowest depths that he might rise to the loftiest heights. ‘Down into Egypt,’ was down to the darkness of infamy also, in the estimation of men, where God was his solitary stay when utterly cut off from the sympathy of men, as the reward of virtue too high for them to see; yet up from that dungeon he was lifted to worldwide honour, sympathy, and love. Potiphar — This officer of Pharaoh (see Genesis 37:36) is not to be confounded with the Potipherah priest of On, or Heliopolis, whose daughter Joseph afterwards married. Genesis 41:45. The name seems to have been a common one in Egypt, since it is found very often written in hieroglyphics upon the monuments. The ancient Egyptian form of the name in the hieroglyphic inscriptions is PET-P-RA or PET-PH-RA, which signifies ‘belonging to the sun.’ GES., Thesaur. RA or RE, (with the article PRA or PhRA,) the SUN, was one of the great Egyptian gods, father of many deities, and is represented in the monuments by a circle with a dot in the centre, sometimes enveloped in the coil of a serpent, sometimes accompanied by a hawk. Poole, in Encyc. Brit. The name Pharaoh is derived from Phrah, since the Egyptian king was regarded as the representative of the sun. RAWL., Herodotus, ii, p. 241. “It is generally supposed by the Egyptologists that Joseph was sold into Egypt during the reign of the ‘shepherd kings,’ (Hyksos,) a foreign dynasty who invaded the country from the north, (although their origin and race is as yet uncertain,) dispossessed the native kings of Lower Egypt, and held dominion there, perhaps five or six centuries, when they were driven out by a native dynasty. This alien line of kings maintained itself with difficulty against the native princes who still held Upper Egypt, being hated by the Egyptian people, and ever ready therefore to form alliances with foreigners. The native Egyptians, on the other hand, were remarkably exclusive, having strong prejudices, and even hatred and contempt, for foreigners. The monumental literature of Egypt shows this intense antipathy to foreigners in a thousand forms. The wonderful and more than romantic history of Joseph could not have taken place under the native Pharaohs. A foreigner could not, under the native Egyptian rule, have been elevated to the second place of authority, nor could families of foreigners have been welcomed, as were the families of Israel, to settle in the kingdom. Poole, in Smith’s Dict. Here, then, in this Hyksos invasion and possession of Egypt during the time that the three great patriarchs were roaming through Palestine, we find a providential preparation for the Egyptian period of the history of the chosen people. Not only was ‘the Lord with Joseph’ after his arrival at Potiphar’s house, but he had long before prepared the kingdom for him.” — Newhall.

Verses 10-12. She spake to Joseph from day to day — Joseph was single, was in the vigour of youth, was a man of like passions with us, was solicited and importuned to gratify those passions, and that in a way that promised both present pleasure and profit, and by one on whom he was dependant, and whom it was dangerous to provoke; whose frown might be followed by great sufferings, and whose favour might advance and establish his prosperity: opportunity and privacy also were afforded. But Joseph feared God; Joseph believed in a judgment to come. He therefore denied himself, and would not, for the sake of those pleasures of sin which are but for a season, involve himself in the divine wrath, and in certain and lasting misery and ruin. Hence he hearkened not to her, so much as to be with her. Finding her dead to all sense of shame, and deaf to the calls of duty, honour, conscience, and the fear of God, and that she was not to be reclaimed, he avoided her company, being distrustful of himself. For those that would be kept from harm must keep out of harm’s way. And when she laid hold on him, he left his garment in her hand — He would not stay to parley with the temptation, but flew from it with the utmost abhorrence, as one escaping for his life.

11. About this time — The time, or day, definite in the writer’s mind as that on which this event occurred.

V. 12. When she laid hold on him, he left his garment in her hand-He would not stay to parley with the temptation, but flew out from it with the utmost abhorrence, he left his garment as one escaping for his life.

Verses 10-12. She spake to Joseph from day to day — Joseph was single, was in the vigour of youth, was a man of like passions with us, was solicited and importuned to gratify those passions, and that in a way that promised both present pleasure and profit, and by one on whom he was dependant, and whom it was dangerous to provoke; whose frown might be followed by great sufferings, and whose favour might advance and establish his prosperity: opportunity and privacy also were afforded. But Joseph feared God; Joseph believed in a judgment to come. He therefore denied himself, and would not, for the sake of those pleasures of sin which are but for a season, involve himself in the divine wrath, and in certain and lasting misery and ruin. Hence he hearkened not to her, so much as to be with her. Finding her dead to all sense of shame, and deaf to the calls of duty, honour, conscience, and the fear of God, and that she was not to be reclaimed, he avoided her company, being distrustful of himself. For those that would be kept from harm must keep out of harm’s way. And when she laid hold on him, he left his garment in her hand — He would not stay to parley with the temptation, but flew from it with the utmost abhorrence, as one escaping for his life.

JOSEPH IN SLAVERY AND IN PRISON, 1-23.

1. Down to Egypt — “Down from the Syrian Plains to the Desert, and down the Desert to the Nile Valley. The life of the chosen family now mingles for centuries with the stream of Egyptian civilization. The saviour of the Hebrew people, like his divine antitype, was to descend to the lowest depths that he might rise to the loftiest heights. ‘Down into Egypt,’ was down to the darkness of infamy also, in the estimation of men, where God was his solitary stay when utterly cut off from the sympathy of men, as the reward of virtue too high for them to see; yet up from that dungeon he was lifted to worldwide honour, sympathy, and love. Potiphar — This officer of Pharaoh (see Genesis 37:36) is not to be confounded with the Potipherah priest of On, or Heliopolis, whose daughter Joseph afterwards married. Genesis 41:45. The name seems to have been a common one in Egypt, since it is found very often written in hieroglyphics upon the monuments. The ancient Egyptian form of the name in the hieroglyphic inscriptions is PET-P-RA or PET-PH-RA, which signifies ‘belonging to the sun.’ GES., Thesaur. RA or RE, (with the article PRA or PhRA,) the SUN, was one of the great Egyptian gods, father of many deities, and is represented in the monuments by a circle with a dot in the centre, sometimes enveloped in the coil of a serpent, sometimes accompanied by a hawk. Poole, in Encyc. Brit. The name Pharaoh is derived from Phrah, since the Egyptian king was regarded as the representative of the sun. RAWL., Herodotus, ii, p. 241. “It is generally supposed by the Egyptologists that Joseph was sold into Egypt during the reign of the ‘shepherd kings,’ (Hyksos,) a foreign dynasty who invaded the country from the north, (although their origin and race is as yet uncertain,) dispossessed the native kings of Lower Egypt, and held dominion there, perhaps five or six centuries, when they were driven out by a native dynasty. This alien line of kings maintained itself with difficulty against the native princes who still held Upper Egypt, being hated by the Egyptian people, and ever ready therefore to form alliances with foreigners. The native Egyptians, on the other hand, were remarkably exclusive, having strong prejudices, and even hatred and contempt, for foreigners. The monumental literature of Egypt shows this intense antipathy to foreigners in a thousand forms. The wonderful and more than romantic history of Joseph could not have taken place under the native Pharaohs. A foreigner could not, under the native Egyptian rule, have been elevated to the second place of authority, nor could families of foreigners have been welcomed, as were the families of Israel, to settle in the kingdom. Poole, in Smith’s Dict. Here, then, in this Hyksos invasion and possession of Egypt during the time that the three great patriarchs were roaming through Palestine, we find a providential preparation for the Egyptian period of the history of the chosen people. Not only was ‘the Lord with Joseph’ after his arrival at Potiphar’s house, but he had long before prepared the kingdom for him.” — Newhall.

JOSEPH IN SLAVERY AND IN PRISON, 1-23.

1. Down to Egypt — “Down from the Syrian Plains to the Desert, and down the Desert to the Nile Valley. The life of the chosen family now mingles for centuries with the stream of Egyptian civilization. The saviour of the Hebrew people, like his divine antitype, was to descend to the lowest depths that he might rise to the loftiest heights. ‘Down into Egypt,’ was down to the darkness of infamy also, in the estimation of men, where God was his solitary stay when utterly cut off from the sympathy of men, as the reward of virtue too high for them to see; yet up from that dungeon he was lifted to worldwide honour, sympathy, and love. Potiphar — This officer of Pharaoh (see Genesis 37:36) is not to be confounded with the Potipherah priest of On, or Heliopolis, whose daughter Joseph afterwards married. Genesis 41:45. The name seems to have been a common one in Egypt, since it is found very often written in hieroglyphics upon the monuments. The ancient Egyptian form of the name in the hieroglyphic inscriptions is PET-P-RA or PET-PH-RA, which signifies ‘belonging to the sun.’ GES., Thesaur. RA or RE, (with the article PRA or PhRA,) the SUN, was one of the great Egyptian gods, father of many deities, and is represented in the monuments by a circle with a dot in the centre, sometimes enveloped in the coil of a serpent, sometimes accompanied by a hawk. Poole, in Encyc. Brit. The name Pharaoh is derived from Phrah, since the Egyptian king was regarded as the representative of the sun. RAWL., Herodotus, ii, p. 241. “It is generally supposed by the Egyptologists that Joseph was sold into Egypt during the reign of the ‘shepherd kings,’ (Hyksos,) a foreign dynasty who invaded the country from the north, (although their origin and race is as yet uncertain,) dispossessed the native kings of Lower Egypt, and held dominion there, perhaps five or six centuries, when they were driven out by a native dynasty. This alien line of kings maintained itself with difficulty against the native princes who still held Upper Egypt, being hated by the Egyptian people, and ever ready therefore to form alliances with foreigners. The native Egyptians, on the other hand, were remarkably exclusive, having strong prejudices, and even hatred and contempt, for foreigners. The monumental literature of Egypt shows this intense antipathy to foreigners in a thousand forms. The wonderful and more than romantic history of Joseph could not have taken place under the native Pharaohs. A foreigner could not, under the native Egyptian rule, have been elevated to the second place of authority, nor could families of foreigners have been welcomed, as were the families of Israel, to settle in the kingdom. Poole, in Smith’s Dict. Here, then, in this Hyksos invasion and possession of Egypt during the time that the three great patriarchs were roaming through Palestine, we find a providential preparation for the Egyptian period of the history of the chosen people. Not only was ‘the Lord with Joseph’ after his arrival at Potiphar’s house, but he had long before prepared the kingdom for him.” — Newhall.

Verse 14. He hath brought in a Hebrew unto us] Potiphar’s wife affects to throw great blame on her husband, whom we may reasonably suppose she did not greatly love. He hath brought in-he hath raised this person to all his dignity and eminence, to give him the greater opportunity to mock us. qjpl letsachek, here translated to mock, is the same word used in Genesis 26:8, relative to Isaac and Rebekah; and is certainly used by Potiphar’s wife in Genesis 39:17, to signify some kind of familiar intercourse not allowable but between man and wife.

14. She called unto the men of her house — To other men-servants, who were under Joseph’s oversight. Like the evil woman of all times and nations, she was quick to ruin the man who would not follow her desires. She seeks first to make the men-servants witnesses in the case, and then waits until her husband’s return to repeat the same abominable falsehood to him. Verses 16-18. The story of Potiphar’s wife, whose traditionary name is Zuleekha, is told with much amplification by Josephus, (Ant., book ii, chap. iv,) and in Oriental romance. The Koran relates it in that chapter (12) to which Mohammed appealed as bearing the manifest signs of inspiration.

JOSEPH IN SLAVERY AND IN PRISON, 1-23.

1. Down to Egypt — “Down from the Syrian Plains to the Desert, and down the Desert to the Nile Valley. The life of the chosen family now mingles for centuries with the stream of Egyptian civilization. The saviour of the Hebrew people, like his divine antitype, was to descend to the lowest depths that he might rise to the loftiest heights. ‘Down into Egypt,’ was down to the darkness of infamy also, in the estimation of men, where God was his solitary stay when utterly cut off from the sympathy of men, as the reward of virtue too high for them to see; yet up from that dungeon he was lifted to worldwide honour, sympathy, and love. Potiphar — This officer of Pharaoh (see Genesis 37:36) is not to be confounded with the Potipherah priest of On, or Heliopolis, whose daughter Joseph afterwards married. Genesis 41:45. The name seems to have been a common one in Egypt, since it is found very often written in hieroglyphics upon the monuments. The ancient Egyptian form of the name in the hieroglyphic inscriptions is PET-P-RA or PET-PH-RA, which signifies ‘belonging to the sun.’ GES., Thesaur. RA or RE, (with the article PRA or PhRA,) the SUN, was one of the great Egyptian gods, father of many deities, and is represented in the monuments by a circle with a dot in the centre, sometimes enveloped in the coil of a serpent, sometimes accompanied by a hawk. Poole, in Encyc. Brit. The name Pharaoh is derived from Phrah, since the Egyptian king was regarded as the representative of the sun. RAWL., Herodotus, ii, p. 241. “It is generally supposed by the Egyptologists that Joseph was sold into Egypt during the reign of the ‘shepherd kings,’ (Hyksos,) a foreign dynasty who invaded the country from the north, (although their origin and race is as yet uncertain,) dispossessed the native kings of Lower Egypt, and held dominion there, perhaps five or six centuries, when they were driven out by a native dynasty. This alien line of kings maintained itself with difficulty against the native princes who still held Upper Egypt, being hated by the Egyptian people, and ever ready therefore to form alliances with foreigners. The native Egyptians, on the other hand, were remarkably exclusive, having strong prejudices, and even hatred and contempt, for foreigners. The monumental literature of Egypt shows this intense antipathy to foreigners in a thousand forms. The wonderful and more than romantic history of Joseph could not have taken place under the native Pharaohs. A foreigner could not, under the native Egyptian rule, have been elevated to the second place of authority, nor could families of foreigners have been welcomed, as were the families of Israel, to settle in the kingdom. Poole, in Smith’s Dict. Here, then, in this Hyksos invasion and possession of Egypt during the time that the three great patriarchs were roaming through Palestine, we find a providential preparation for the Egyptian period of the history of the chosen people. Not only was ‘the Lord with Joseph’ after his arrival at Potiphar’s house, but he had long before prepared the kingdom for him.” — Newhall.

JOSEPH IN SLAVERY AND IN PRISON, 1-23.

1. Down to Egypt — “Down from the Syrian Plains to the Desert, and down the Desert to the Nile Valley. The life of the chosen family now mingles for centuries with the stream of Egyptian civilization. The saviour of the Hebrew people, like his divine antitype, was to descend to the lowest depths that he might rise to the loftiest heights. ‘Down into Egypt,’ was down to the darkness of infamy also, in the estimation of men, where God was his solitary stay when utterly cut off from the sympathy of men, as the reward of virtue too high for them to see; yet up from that dungeon he was lifted to worldwide honour, sympathy, and love. Potiphar — This officer of Pharaoh (see Genesis 37:36) is not to be confounded with the Potipherah priest of On, or Heliopolis, whose daughter Joseph afterwards married. Genesis 41:45. The name seems to have been a common one in Egypt, since it is found very often written in hieroglyphics upon the monuments. The ancient Egyptian form of the name in the hieroglyphic inscriptions is PET-P-RA or PET-PH-RA, which signifies ‘belonging to the sun.’ GES., Thesaur. RA or RE, (with the article PRA or PhRA,) the SUN, was one of the great Egyptian gods, father of many deities, and is represented in the monuments by a circle with a dot in the centre, sometimes enveloped in the coil of a serpent, sometimes accompanied by a hawk. Poole, in Encyc. Brit. The name Pharaoh is derived from Phrah, since the Egyptian king was regarded as the representative of the sun. RAWL., Herodotus, ii, p. 241. “It is generally supposed by the Egyptologists that Joseph was sold into Egypt during the reign of the ‘shepherd kings,’ (Hyksos,) a foreign dynasty who invaded the country from the north, (although their origin and race is as yet uncertain,) dispossessed the native kings of Lower Egypt, and held dominion there, perhaps five or six centuries, when they were driven out by a native dynasty. This alien line of kings maintained itself with difficulty against the native princes who still held Upper Egypt, being hated by the Egyptian people, and ever ready therefore to form alliances with foreigners. The native Egyptians, on the other hand, were remarkably exclusive, having strong prejudices, and even hatred and contempt, for foreigners. The monumental literature of Egypt shows this intense antipathy to foreigners in a thousand forms. The wonderful and more than romantic history of Joseph could not have taken place under the native Pharaohs. A foreigner could not, under the native Egyptian rule, have been elevated to the second place of authority, nor could families of foreigners have been welcomed, as were the families of Israel, to settle in the kingdom. Poole, in Smith’s Dict. Here, then, in this Hyksos invasion and possession of Egypt during the time that the three great patriarchs were roaming through Palestine, we find a providential preparation for the Egyptian period of the history of the chosen people. Not only was ‘the Lord with Joseph’ after his arrival at Potiphar’s house, but he had long before prepared the kingdom for him.” — Newhall.

Ver. 17. The Hebrew servant—came in to mock me. The story of Hipponome, a beautiful youth, son of Glaucus, king of Epyrus or Corinth, found in pagan fable, seems to corroborate this part of the Mosaic history. Homer, bk. 6. Hipponome having killed his brother Beller, was surnamed Bellerophon; that is, murderer of Beller, fled to the court of Proëte, where the king received him with great hospitality. But the queen, Stenobœa or Antéè, falling passionately in love with him, assayed by all means to allure him to her desires; but unable to succeed, the tide of passion turned at length to hatred: she accused him to her husband, as having insulted her modesty. Proëte, unwilling to stain his asylum with blood, sent him with a sealed letter to his son-in-law, Jobates king of Lydia, containing proofs of his guilt, and commanding his execution. Jobates, however, having need of his services in his wars against the Solymonites, a warlike people of Asia, gave him a commission in his army. See Deuteronomy 33:16, 17.

JOSEPH IN SLAVERY AND IN PRISON, 1-23.

1. Down to Egypt — “Down from the Syrian Plains to the Desert, and down the Desert to the Nile Valley. The life of the chosen family now mingles for centuries with the stream of Egyptian civilization. The saviour of the Hebrew people, like his divine antitype, was to descend to the lowest depths that he might rise to the loftiest heights. ‘Down into Egypt,’ was down to the darkness of infamy also, in the estimation of men, where God was his solitary stay when utterly cut off from the sympathy of men, as the reward of virtue too high for them to see; yet up from that dungeon he was lifted to worldwide honour, sympathy, and love. Potiphar — This officer of Pharaoh (see Genesis 37:36) is not to be confounded with the Potipherah priest of On, or Heliopolis, whose daughter Joseph afterwards married. Genesis 41:45. The name seems to have been a common one in Egypt, since it is found very often written in hieroglyphics upon the monuments. The ancient Egyptian form of the name in the hieroglyphic inscriptions is PET-P-RA or PET-PH-RA, which signifies ‘belonging to the sun.’ GES., Thesaur. RA or RE, (with the article PRA or PhRA,) the SUN, was one of the great Egyptian gods, father of many deities, and is represented in the monuments by a circle with a dot in the centre, sometimes enveloped in the coil of a serpent, sometimes accompanied by a hawk. Poole, in Encyc. Brit. The name Pharaoh is derived from Phrah, since the Egyptian king was regarded as the representative of the sun. RAWL., Herodotus, ii, p. 241. “It is generally supposed by the Egyptologists that Joseph was sold into Egypt during the reign of the ‘shepherd kings,’ (Hyksos,) a foreign dynasty who invaded the country from the north, (although their origin and race is as yet uncertain,) dispossessed the native kings of Lower Egypt, and held dominion there, perhaps five or six centuries, when they were driven out by a native dynasty. This alien line of kings maintained itself with difficulty against the native princes who still held Upper Egypt, being hated by the Egyptian people, and ever ready therefore to form alliances with foreigners. The native Egyptians, on the other hand, were remarkably exclusive, having strong prejudices, and even hatred and contempt, for foreigners. The monumental literature of Egypt shows this intense antipathy to foreigners in a thousand forms. The wonderful and more than romantic history of Joseph could not have taken place under the native Pharaohs. A foreigner could not, under the native Egyptian rule, have been elevated to the second place of authority, nor could families of foreigners have been welcomed, as were the families of Israel, to settle in the kingdom. Poole, in Smith’s Dict. Here, then, in this Hyksos invasion and possession of Egypt during the time that the three great patriarchs were roaming through Palestine, we find a providential preparation for the Egyptian period of the history of the chosen people. Not only was ‘the Lord with Joseph’ after his arrival at Potiphar’s house, but he had long before prepared the kingdom for him.” — Newhall.

JOSEPH IN SLAVERY AND IN PRISON, 1-23.

1. Down to Egypt — “Down from the Syrian Plains to the Desert, and down the Desert to the Nile Valley. The life of the chosen family now mingles for centuries with the stream of Egyptian civilization. The saviour of the Hebrew people, like his divine antitype, was to descend to the lowest depths that he might rise to the loftiest heights. ‘Down into Egypt,’ was down to the darkness of infamy also, in the estimation of men, where God was his solitary stay when utterly cut off from the sympathy of men, as the reward of virtue too high for them to see; yet up from that dungeon he was lifted to worldwide honour, sympathy, and love. Potiphar — This officer of Pharaoh (see Genesis 37:36) is not to be confounded with the Potipherah priest of On, or Heliopolis, whose daughter Joseph afterwards married. Genesis 41:45. The name seems to have been a common one in Egypt, since it is found very often written in hieroglyphics upon the monuments. The ancient Egyptian form of the name in the hieroglyphic inscriptions is PET-P-RA or PET-PH-RA, which signifies ‘belonging to the sun.’ GES., Thesaur. RA or RE, (with the article PRA or PhRA,) the SUN, was one of the great Egyptian gods, father of many deities, and is represented in the monuments by a circle with a dot in the centre, sometimes enveloped in the coil of a serpent, sometimes accompanied by a hawk. Poole, in Encyc. Brit. The name Pharaoh is derived from Phrah, since the Egyptian king was regarded as the representative of the sun. RAWL., Herodotus, ii, p. 241. “It is generally supposed by the Egyptologists that Joseph was sold into Egypt during the reign of the ‘shepherd kings,’ (Hyksos,) a foreign dynasty who invaded the country from the north, (although their origin and race is as yet uncertain,) dispossessed the native kings of Lower Egypt, and held dominion there, perhaps five or six centuries, when they were driven out by a native dynasty. This alien line of kings maintained itself with difficulty against the native princes who still held Upper Egypt, being hated by the Egyptian people, and ever ready therefore to form alliances with foreigners. The native Egyptians, on the other hand, were remarkably exclusive, having strong prejudices, and even hatred and contempt, for foreigners. The monumental literature of Egypt shows this intense antipathy to foreigners in a thousand forms. The wonderful and more than romantic history of Joseph could not have taken place under the native Pharaohs. A foreigner could not, under the native Egyptian rule, have been elevated to the second place of authority, nor could families of foreigners have been welcomed, as were the families of Israel, to settle in the kingdom. Poole, in Smith’s Dict. Here, then, in this Hyksos invasion and possession of Egypt during the time that the three great patriarchs were roaming through Palestine, we find a providential preparation for the Egyptian period of the history of the chosen people. Not only was ‘the Lord with Joseph’ after his arrival at Potiphar’s house, but he had long before prepared the kingdom for him.” — Newhall.

JOSEPH IN SLAVERY AND IN PRISON, 1-23.

1. Down to Egypt — “Down from the Syrian Plains to the Desert, and down the Desert to the Nile Valley. The life of the chosen family now mingles for centuries with the stream of Egyptian civilization. The saviour of the Hebrew people, like his divine antitype, was to descend to the lowest depths that he might rise to the loftiest heights. ‘Down into Egypt,’ was down to the darkness of infamy also, in the estimation of men, where God was his solitary stay when utterly cut off from the sympathy of men, as the reward of virtue too high for them to see; yet up from that dungeon he was lifted to worldwide honour, sympathy, and love. Potiphar — This officer of Pharaoh (see Genesis 37:36) is not to be confounded with the Potipherah priest of On, or Heliopolis, whose daughter Joseph afterwards married. Genesis 41:45. The name seems to have been a common one in Egypt, since it is found very often written in hieroglyphics upon the monuments. The ancient Egyptian form of the name in the hieroglyphic inscriptions is PET-P-RA or PET-PH-RA, which signifies ‘belonging to the sun.’ GES., Thesaur. RA or RE, (with the article PRA or PhRA,) the SUN, was one of the great Egyptian gods, father of many deities, and is represented in the monuments by a circle with a dot in the centre, sometimes enveloped in the coil of a serpent, sometimes accompanied by a hawk. Poole, in Encyc. Brit. The name Pharaoh is derived from Phrah, since the Egyptian king was regarded as the representative of the sun. RAWL., Herodotus, ii, p. 241. “It is generally supposed by the Egyptologists that Joseph was sold into Egypt during the reign of the ‘shepherd kings,’ (Hyksos,) a foreign dynasty who invaded the country from the north, (although their origin and race is as yet uncertain,) dispossessed the native kings of Lower Egypt, and held dominion there, perhaps five or six centuries, when they were driven out by a native dynasty. This alien line of kings maintained itself with difficulty against the native princes who still held Upper Egypt, being hated by the Egyptian people, and ever ready therefore to form alliances with foreigners. The native Egyptians, on the other hand, were remarkably exclusive, having strong prejudices, and even hatred and contempt, for foreigners. The monumental literature of Egypt shows this intense antipathy to foreigners in a thousand forms. The wonderful and more than romantic history of Joseph could not have taken place under the native Pharaohs. A foreigner could not, under the native Egyptian rule, have been elevated to the second place of authority, nor could families of foreigners have been welcomed, as were the families of Israel, to settle in the kingdom. Poole, in Smith’s Dict. Here, then, in this Hyksos invasion and possession of Egypt during the time that the three great patriarchs were roaming through Palestine, we find a providential preparation for the Egyptian period of the history of the chosen people. Not only was ‘the Lord with Joseph’ after his arrival at Potiphar’s house, but he had long before prepared the kingdom for him.” — Newhall.

V. 20. Where the king’s prisoners were bound-Potiphar, it is likely, chose that prison because it was the worst; for there the irons entered into the soul, Psalm 105:18, but God designed it to pave the way to his enlargement. Our Lord Jesus, like Joseph was bound, and numbered with the transgressors.

Verse 20. Put him into the prison] rhs tyb beith sohar, literally the round house; in such a form the prison was probably built.

Verses 20, 21. Where the king’s prisoners were bound — Potiphar, it is likely, chose that prison because it was the worst; for there “the irons entered into the soul,” Psalm 105:18, but God designed it to pave the way to his enlargement. Our Lord Jesus, like Joseph, was bound, and numbered with transgressors. But the Lord was with Joseph, and showed him mercy. No gates nor bars can shut out his gracious presence from his people. God gave him favour in sight of the keeper of the prison — God can raise up friends for his people, even where they little expect them. The keeper saw that God was with him, and that every thing prospered under his hand, and therefore intrusted him with the management of the affairs of the prison.

Ver. 20. Put him into the prison. That grace which softened Reuben’s heart to save his brother, now softened Potiphar’s to mitigate Joseph’s punishment. What has the man to fear who trusts in God? If God abase him for a moment, it is to exalt him for ever.

20. Put him into the prison — Or, house of the round tower, “the fortified house where the king’s prisoners were guarded. A very light punishment, considering the severity of the Egyptian laws, apparently showing that it was inflicted rather to save his wife’s reputation than to punish Joseph. (Le Clerc.) There is no evidence that Joseph attempted to vindicate himself. Indeed, it would have been useless. It was one of those fearful trials which shut the righteous man up to a single course, namely, to suffer, and wait in faith.” — Newhall.

V. 21. But the Lord was with Joseph and shewed him mercy. God despiseth not his prisoners, Psalm 69:33. No gates nor bars can shut out his gracious presence from his people.

God gave him favour in the sight of the keeper of the prison-God can raise up friends for his people even where they little expect them. The keeper saw that God was with him, and that every thing prospered under his hand, and therefore intrusted him with the management of the affairs of the prison.

Verse 21. The Lord was with Joseph] It is but of little consequence where the lot of a servant of God may be cast; like Joseph he is ever employed for his master, and God honours him and prospers his work.

1. HE who acknowledges God in all his ways, has the promise that God shall direct all his steps. Joseph’s captivity shall promote God’s glory; and to this end God works in him, for him, by him. Even the irreligious can see when the Most High distinguishes his followers. Joseph’s master saw that Jehovah was with him; and from this we may learn that the knowledge of the true God was in Egypt, even before the time of Joseph, though his worship was neither established nor even tolerated there. Both Abraham and Isaac had been in Egypt, and they had left a savour of true godliness behind them.

2. Joseph’s virtue in resisting the solicitations of his mistress was truly exemplary. Had he reasoned after the manner of men, he might have soon found that the proposed intrigue might be carried on with the utmost secrecy and greatly to his secular advantage. But he chose to risk all rather than injure a kind benefactor, defile his conscience, and sin against God. Such conduct is so exceedingly rare that his example has stood on the records of time as almost without a parallel, admired by all, applauded by most, and in similar circumstances, I am afraid, imitated by few. The fable of the brave and virtuous Bellerophon and Sthenobæa, wife of Prœtus, king of the Argives, was probably founded on this history.

3. Joseph fled and got him out. To know when to fight and when to fly are of great importance in the Christian life. Some temptations must be manfully met, resisted, and thus overcome; from others we must fly. He who stands to contend or reason, especially in such a case as that mentioned here, is infallibly ruined. Principiis obsta, “resist the first overtures of sin,” is a good maxim. After-remedies come too late.

4. A woman of the spirit of Potiphar’s wife is capable of any species of evil. When she could not get her wicked ends answered, she began to accuse. This is precisely Satan’s custom: he first tempts men to sin, and then accuses them as having committed it, even where the temptation has been faithfully and perseveringly resisted! By this means he can trouble a tender conscience, and weaken faith by bringing confusion into the mind. Thus the inexperienced especially are often distracted and cast down; hence Satan is properly called the accuser of the brethren, Revelation 12:10.

Very useful lessons may be drawn from every part of the relation in this chapter, but detailing the facts and reasoning upon them would be more likely to produce than prevent the evil. An account of this kind cannot be touched with too gentle a hand. Others have been profuse here; I chose to be parsimonious, for reasons which the intelligent reader will feel as well as myself. Let this remark be applied to what has been said on the sin of Onan, see Clarke “Genesis 38:29”.

GENESIS

Verses 20, 21. Where the king’s prisoners were bound — Potiphar, it is likely, chose that prison because it was the worst; for there “the irons entered into the soul,” Psalm 105:18, but God designed it to pave the way to his enlargement. Our Lord Jesus, like Joseph, was bound, and numbered with transgressors. But the Lord was with Joseph, and showed him mercy. No gates nor bars can shut out his gracious presence from his people. God gave him favour in sight of the keeper of the prison — God can raise up friends for his people, even where they little expect them. The keeper saw that God was with him, and that every thing prospered under his hand, and therefore intrusted him with the management of the affairs of the prison.

21. The Lord was with Joseph — “Jehovah is with him in the prison as well as in the house of Potiphar, and he wins the confidence of his new master, the jailer, as completely as he did that of Potiphar. Amid allurements and enticements, and amid degradation and suffering, in honour and dishonour, Joseph’s faith and integrity shine on the same. Unlike his father Jacob, or even his great-grandfather Abraham, Joseph is never seen to slip into temptation. He reveals the most steady and uniform faith, and on the whole the best-balanced character that we find in the patriarchal age. Especially is Joseph a remarkable example of youthful piety. In fact, while Abraham lives as a hoary sage in our imagination, Joseph rises before us ever in the beauty and freshness of youth. At the age of seventeen he exchanged the simple pastoral life of Palestine, with its tents and pastures and sheepfolds, for the massive cities and luxurious splendours of Egyptian civilization; the rude altars of Beth-el and Beer-sheba for the bewildering grandeur of temples which fill the soul with awe today; yet he never forgot the God of his fathers, and to the law of that God he clung, not only in obedience, but in love, when to disobey would seem to have been the dictate of every worldly interest. He came to that land a slave, and friendless, yet by the simple force of character he rose to be next to Pharaoh. This is moral greatness and grandeur.” — Newhall.

Ver. 22. The keeper. We find Joseph prosperous in his master’s house; we find him prosperous in prison; and by and by we find him steward of the whole kingdom. God never lost sight of the dreams he gave his servant: not only the sheaves and stars, but Egypt must bow down to the man whom God exalts.

JOSEPH IN SLAVERY AND IN PRISON, 1-23.

1. Down to Egypt — “Down from the Syrian Plains to the Desert, and down the Desert to the Nile Valley. The life of the chosen family now mingles for centuries with the stream of Egyptian civilization. The saviour of the Hebrew people, like his divine antitype, was to descend to the lowest depths that he might rise to the loftiest heights. ‘Down into Egypt,’ was down to the darkness of infamy also, in the estimation of men, where God was his solitary stay when utterly cut off from the sympathy of men, as the reward of virtue too high for them to see; yet up from that dungeon he was lifted to worldwide honour, sympathy, and love. Potiphar — This officer of Pharaoh (see Genesis 37:36) is not to be confounded with the Potipherah priest of On, or Heliopolis, whose daughter Joseph afterwards married. Genesis 41:45. The name seems to have been a common one in Egypt, since it is found very often written in hieroglyphics upon the monuments. The ancient Egyptian form of the name in the hieroglyphic inscriptions is PET-P-RA or PET-PH-RA, which signifies ‘belonging to the sun.’ GES., Thesaur. RA or RE, (with the article PRA or PhRA,) the SUN, was one of the great Egyptian gods, father of many deities, and is represented in the monuments by a circle with a dot in the centre, sometimes enveloped in the coil of a serpent, sometimes accompanied by a hawk. Poole, in Encyc. Brit. The name Pharaoh is derived from Phrah, since the Egyptian king was regarded as the representative of the sun. RAWL., Herodotus, ii, p. 241. “It is generally supposed by the Egyptologists that Joseph was sold into Egypt during the reign of the ‘shepherd kings,’ (Hyksos,) a foreign dynasty who invaded the country from the north, (although their origin and race is as yet uncertain,) dispossessed the native kings of Lower Egypt, and held dominion there, perhaps five or six centuries, when they were driven out by a native dynasty. This alien line of kings maintained itself with difficulty against the native princes who still held Upper Egypt, being hated by the Egyptian people, and ever ready therefore to form alliances with foreigners. The native Egyptians, on the other hand, were remarkably exclusive, having strong prejudices, and even hatred and contempt, for foreigners. The monumental literature of Egypt shows this intense antipathy to foreigners in a thousand forms. The wonderful and more than romantic history of Joseph could not have taken place under the native Pharaohs. A foreigner could not, under the native Egyptian rule, have been elevated to the second place of authority, nor could families of foreigners have been welcomed, as were the families of Israel, to settle in the kingdom. Poole, in Smith’s Dict. Here, then, in this Hyksos invasion and possession of Egypt during the time that the three great patriarchs were roaming through Palestine, we find a providential preparation for the Egyptian period of the history of the chosen people. Not only was ‘the Lord with Joseph’ after his arrival at Potiphar’s house, but he had long before prepared the kingdom for him.” — Newhall.

JOSEPH IN SLAVERY AND IN PRISON, 1-23.

1. Down to Egypt — “Down from the Syrian Plains to the Desert, and down the Desert to the Nile Valley. The life of the chosen family now mingles for centuries with the stream of Egyptian civilization. The saviour of the Hebrew people, like his divine antitype, was to descend to the lowest depths that he might rise to the loftiest heights. ‘Down into Egypt,’ was down to the darkness of infamy also, in the estimation of men, where God was his solitary stay when utterly cut off from the sympathy of men, as the reward of virtue too high for them to see; yet up from that dungeon he was lifted to worldwide honour, sympathy, and love. Potiphar — This officer of Pharaoh (see Genesis 37:36) is not to be confounded with the Potipherah priest of On, or Heliopolis, whose daughter Joseph afterwards married. Genesis 41:45. The name seems to have been a common one in Egypt, since it is found very often written in hieroglyphics upon the monuments. The ancient Egyptian form of the name in the hieroglyphic inscriptions is PET-P-RA or PET-PH-RA, which signifies ‘belonging to the sun.’ GES., Thesaur. RA or RE, (with the article PRA or PhRA,) the SUN, was one of the great Egyptian gods, father of many deities, and is represented in the monuments by a circle with a dot in the centre, sometimes enveloped in the coil of a serpent, sometimes accompanied by a hawk. Poole, in Encyc. Brit. The name Pharaoh is derived from Phrah, since the Egyptian king was regarded as the representative of the sun. RAWL., Herodotus, ii, p. 241. “It is generally supposed by the Egyptologists that Joseph was sold into Egypt during the reign of the ‘shepherd kings,’ (Hyksos,) a foreign dynasty who invaded the country from the north, (although their origin and race is as yet uncertain,) dispossessed the native kings of Lower Egypt, and held dominion there, perhaps five or six centuries, when they were driven out by a native dynasty. This alien line of kings maintained itself with difficulty against the native princes who still held Upper Egypt, being hated by the Egyptian people, and ever ready therefore to form alliances with foreigners. The native Egyptians, on the other hand, were remarkably exclusive, having strong prejudices, and even hatred and contempt, for foreigners. The monumental literature of Egypt shows this intense antipathy to foreigners in a thousand forms. The wonderful and more than romantic history of Joseph could not have taken place under the native Pharaohs. A foreigner could not, under the native Egyptian rule, have been elevated to the second place of authority, nor could families of foreigners have been welcomed, as were the families of Israel, to settle in the kingdom. Poole, in Smith’s Dict. Here, then, in this Hyksos invasion and possession of Egypt during the time that the three great patriarchs were roaming through Palestine, we find a providential preparation for the Egyptian period of the history of the chosen people. Not only was ‘the Lord with Joseph’ after his arrival at Potiphar’s house, but he had long before prepared the kingdom for him.” — Newhall.