Genesis 39: Joseph a Slave in Egypt

The story now returns to Egypt, where Joseph was appointed overseer in the house of Potiphar, … captain of the guard in Pharaoh’s palace. The LORD was with him and he became a successful man. Potiphar’s wife tried repeatedly to seduce Joseph, but he steadfastly refused. He would not betray his master’s confidence or sin against his God. One day, she caught him by his garment. He squirmed out of it and fled, leaving her holding it. He lost his coat again!!  He saved his character and eventually gained a crown. She used the coat as “evidence” that Joseph had tried to rape her.

Genesis 39:1-3                                               New King James Version

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

• The name Potiphar means devoted to the sun. It was a name connected with the Egyptian religious system. An officer of Pharaoh: The ancient Hebrew word officer could be translated as eunuch — one who was castrated, normally for the sake of their service. It was a common practice in ancient times to make those highest in the royal courts eunuchs, to ensure they would be wholly devoted to their king. Because this practice was common, the term came to be used for all who served in important positions in a king’s court, whether they were actually eunuchs or not. Therefore, we really don’t know if Potiphar was a eunuch. 
• Captain of the guard: The idea behind this title means chief of police, or, probably more precisely, Potiphar was head of Pharaoh’s personal security force and head of their prison system. He was a highly-trusted official in the government of Egypt.

2   The Lord was with Joseph, and he was a successful man; and he was in the house of his master the Egyptian. 

• A successful man! He’s a slave, he has no freedom, no rights, no family. He has no ability to predict his own future. He has no money, no home to call his own. He has no foreseeable future, but God calls him a successful man. Why?
• We often complain to God that He put us in a terrible or difficult place. Yet God’s will is that we trust Him to bless us and make us successful (as He measures success) wherever we are.

“Externally it did not always appear that God was with him, for he did not always seem to be a prosperous man; but when you come to look into the inmost soul of this servant of God, you see his true likeness—he lived in communion with the Most High, and God is blessed him.” (Spurgeon)

• Some people think that they can’t be blessed unless they are in authority, in charge of things. Jesus lived and taught a better way —   a life as a servant. If you want to be great in God’s kingdom, learn to be the servant of all. 

Matthew 20:26                                              New King James Version

26   Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you, let him be your servant.

Matthew 20:28                                                New King James Version

28   just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.”

• There are many wonderful titles for Jesus the Messiah, but one of the most meaningful is Servant of the LORD                                                          (Matthew 12:18, Isaiah 42:1).
• Believers can and must learn the blessing of being a servant; it’s never forced upon a believer, but they can choose it.

GENESIS 39:4-5

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

• By his trust in God, diligent work: and blessing from God, Joseph showed Potiphar that God was real. 
• Followers of Jesus should live out the same principle today; others should see the difference Jesus makes in your lives by the way you work.
• The LORD was with him: Think of the contrast between Joseph and his brothers. The brothers were not sold as slaves, they slept in their own beds with their own families. Joseph was a slave, but free.
• The brothers were free, but slaves to secrets, shame, and guilt.

4   So Joseph found favor in his sight, and served him. Then he made him overseer of his house, and all that he had he put under his authority. 

5   So it was, from the time that he had made him overseer of his house and all that he had, that the Lord blessed the Egyptian’s house for Joseph’s sake; and the blessing of the Lord was on all that he had in the house and in the field. 

• Because of God’s blessing and Joseph’s faithfulness, God made sure Joseph was advanced in his position, even as a slave.
• It would have been easy for Joseph to do what we so often do: think little of his present position because it seemed so bad (he was a slave, after all). But Joseph believed God could bless him right where he was, so he didn’t wait for a better situation to be blessed by God.

GENESIS 39:6

6   Thus he left all that he had in Joseph’s hand, and he did not know what he had except for the bread which he ate.                                                               Now Joseph was handsome in form and appearance.

• This is the one big difference between Joseph and Jesus.

Isaiah 53:2                                            New King James Version

2 For He shall grow up before Him as a tender plant,                                                 And as a root out of dry ground.                                                                                He has no form or comeliness;                                                                                        And when we see Him,                                                                                              There is no beauty that we should desire Him.

• We were never drawn to Jesus by His looks, but by who He is and what He has done for us. That makes Him the most Beautiful.
• Now it looks like Joseph has it easy, no doubt God has protected him.
• We need to remember there’s a process of time here that Joseph hasn’t had family  friends or comfort.
• Joseph did rise to the top, but it took a while to happen.
• Joseph was 17 years old when he was sold into slavery                       (Genesis 37:2).
• He was 30 when Pharaoh promoted him (Genesis 41:46).
• Joseph was in prison for two years before his promotion                               (Genesis 41:1).
• Therefore, Joseph was in Potiphar’s house for 11 years.
• It took 11 years for the full measure of God’s blessing to be accomplished in Joseph’s life. 11 years seems like a long time. Many think if advancement is from God, it must come quickly. Sometimes this is the case, but not normally. Normally, God allows good things to develop slowly. 
• Human children have the longest development time both in the womb and in childhood compared to animals. In the world of plants, it takes many years for an acorn to become an oak; yet a squash might grow almost overnight. 
• Potiphar left all that he had in Joseph’s hand: This means that Joseph was a hard worker. When he came to Egypt, he was at a great disadvantage. He knew nothing of the language, culture, customs, or ways of doing business. He had to get up early and stay up late to both do his job and to learn Egyptian ways.
• It seems that Joseph grew up watching others work. Something happened to him in his crisis; he accepted God’s transforming work. God gave Joseph great administrative skill, and now the heart of a hard-working servant was added to that.
• When we leave all that we have in Jesus’ hand, our home and life will be blessed — and for Jesus’ sake.

GENESIS 39:7-8

7   And it came to pass after these things that his master’s wife cast longing eyes on Joseph, and she said, “Lie with me.”

8   But he refused and said to his master’s wife, “Look, my master does not know what is with me in the house, and he has committed all that he has to my hand. 

• Potiphar’s wife was undeniably forward towards Joseph. Literally, some called Potiphar a eunuch of Pharaoh (Genesis 39:1). If Potiphar was literally a castrated eunuch, this shows that his wife could be looking for relational activity elsewhere. But that just gives her an excuse.
• Joseph was an attractive man (Genesis 39:6) and perhaps this had everything to do with it. 
• That he seemed beyond the reach of Potiphar’s wife was also probably a factor. People tend to want what they can’t have.
• Satan wants us to think our temptation is unique: that no other person could understand what we are going through in a particular temptation. 

1 Corinthians 10:13                                       New King James Version

13   No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man;  but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.

• Don’t tell me the devel made you do it, you chose it…

GENESIS 39:9-13

9   There is no one greater in this house than I, nor has he kept back anything from me but you, because you are his wife. How then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?”

10   So it was, as she spoke to Joseph day by day, that he did not heed her, to lie with her or to be with her.

11   But it happened about this time, when Joseph went into the house to do his work, and none of the men of the house was inside, 

• Potiphar’s wife knew Joseph avoided her, so she made a deliberate plan to trap him. Surely, it was she who arranged it that none of the men of the house was inside.

12   that she caught him by his garment, saying, “Lie with me.” But he left his garment in her hand, and fled and ran outside. 

13   And so it was, when she saw that he had left his garment in her hand and fled outside, 

• Joseph resisted this tremendous moment of temptation when he ran outside. Joseph did what we are all supposed to do when faced with this kind of situation: he fled and ran.
• If we are not actually running towards sin, we have a tendency to at least linger in its presence. But we are commanded to do the only safe thing: run away from these lusts of the flesh, and run as fast as we can.

GENESIS 39:14-23

14   that she called to the men of her house and spoke to them, saying, “See, he has brought in to us a Hebrew to mock us. He came in to me to lie with me, and I cried out with a loud voice. 

• In an age when punishment was brutal and life was cheap — especially the life of a slave — Potiphar’s wife knew her accusation would mean a death sentence for Joseph. That’s why she didn’t say his name; she didn’t want to think of him as a real person.

15   And it happened, when he heard that I lifted my voice and cried out, that he left his garment with me, and fled and went outside.”

16   So she kept his garment with her until his master came home. 

• It must have offended and grieved Joseph to be accused under such an outrageous lie. Yet he did not seem to defend himself against this false accusation, even as Jesus was silent before His accusers.

17   Then she spoke to him with words like these, saying, “The Hebrew servant whom you brought to us came in to me to mock me; 

18   so it happened, as I lifted my voice and cried out, that he left his garment with me and fled outside.”

19   So it was, when his master heard the words which his wife spoke to him, saying, “Your servant did to me after this manner,” that his anger was aroused. 

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

• Without proper investigation, Joseph’s master ordered him to prison; but even there we will see Joseph was blessed. 
• The fact that Joseph was not executed may indicate that Potiphar did not entirely believe his wife; he couldn’t help knowing her true character. The truth of Romans 8:28 (“all things”) is wonderfully displayed in this chapter. God was working behind the scenes for Joseph. He resisted temptation and sought to avoid occasions for sin (vv. 8–10). Despite this, his would-be seducer framed him. And so for a second time Joseph found himself in chains. 

Psalm 105:17-19                                            New King James Version

17   He sent a man before them—                                                                      Joseph—who was sold as a slave.                                                                                       18   They hurt his feet with fetters,                                                                                           He was laid in irons.                                                                                              19   Until the time that his word came to pass,

• Under the circumstances: he should have been upset. But he was not “under the circumstances”; he was above them and saw God’s hand in them. His time in prison was “training time for reigning time.” So, things that were meant by others for evil turned out to be for good.

GENESIS 39:21-23

21   But the Lord was with Joseph and showed him mercy, and He gave him favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison. 

22   And the keeper of the prison committed to Joseph’s hand all the prisoners who were in the prison; whatever they did there, it was his doing. 

23   The keeper of the prison did not look into anything that was under Joseph’s authority, because the Lord was with him; and whatever he did, the Lord made it prosper.

• Joseph’s experiences in Potiphar’s house and the prison are direct parallels that demonstrate his consistent character and God’s unwavering presence. In both locations, Joseph begins as a lowly servant or prisoner but is quickly promoted to a position of total administrative authority.
• Some interpretations suggest the prison was actually located on Potiphar’s estate, as he was the “captain of the guard”. 
• This means Joseph remained within Potiphar’s sphere of influence just in a different capacity.
• A “Transfer,” Not a Dead End: Joseph’s move from the house to the prison was a strategic “transfer” rather than a setback. 
• It placed him exactly where he needed to be to meet Pharaoh’s butler and baker, which eventually led him to the throne.
• Consistency of Character: Joseph’s integrity remained identical in both places. He served with excellence as a top-tier slave and a model prisoner, proving he was ready for national leadership.

In ancient Egypt, the distinction between a slave and a “king’s prisoner” was often blurred because both groups were forms of coerced labor. 

• Key Legal Differences

1. Origin of Status Slaves: Individuals became slaves through various means, including debt-servicing, being born to enslaved parents, or being sold in a marketplace. 
2. Some even “sold themselves” into slavery to escape poverty. 

3. King’s Prisoners: These were typically war captives (foreigners) or citizens guilty of crimes against the state like treason or theft of public property. They were technically the Pharaoh’s personal property. King’s Prisoners: Generally held in a state-run facility (the “house of the king”) or a “Great Prison”. Release or pardon was usually required a direct royal decree

4. Ownership and Management of Slaves: Could be owned by private individuals, temples, or the community. They could be rented out, traded, or gifted like assets. 

5. Rights and Protections of Slaves: Surprisingly, they held several legal rights. They could own property, marry free citizens, enter into legal contracts, and testify in court. They were protected from murder and extreme abuse by law.

God knows exactly what he is doing.  The Bible does not provide an exact number for the total population of the “king’s prison” where Joseph was held, but it describes a hierarchy that implies a significant group of inmates.

• Administrative Scale: The keeper of the prison committed “all the prisoners” to Joseph’s hand. This phrasing suggests a group large enough to require a dedicated manager and administrative oversight.
• Royal Specialized Facility: It is described as the place where “the king’s prisoners”—typically high-ranking officials or political prisoners—were bound.
• Physical Structure: Some Jewish commentaries and older translations refer to it as a “round house” or a tower, suggesting a specific, established building on the estate of the captain of the guard.

“Death was the only penalty Joseph could reasonably expect. His reprieve presumably owed much to the respect he had won; and Potiphar’s mingled wrath and restraint may reflect a faint misgiving about the full accuracy of the charge.”

• From privilege in his father’s house.
• To the pit his brothers threw him into.
• To being in property in the slave market.
• To the privilege of managing Potiphar’s house.
• To the principled stand against temptation.
• To the perjury of false accusation.
• To the prison of Pharaoh.

We can see the mercy in this, because if Potiphar had believed his wife, he certainly would have put Joseph to death.