Joseph’s master took him, and put him into the prison, the place where the king’s prisoners were bound, and he was there in custody. But Yahweh was with Joseph, and showed kindness to him, and gave him favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison. The keeper of the prison committed to Joseph’s hand all the prisoners who were in the prison. Whatever they did there, he was responsible for it. The keeper of the prison didn’t look after anything that was under his hand, because Yahweh was with him; and that which he did, Yahweh made it prosper.
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Genesis 39:20-23 sits inside this longer paragraph.
When his master heard the words of his wife, which she spoke to him, saying, “This is what your servant did to me,” his wrath was kindled. Joseph’s master took him, and put him into the prison, the place where the king’s prisoners were bound, and he was there in custody. But Yahweh was with Joseph, and showed kindness to him, and gave him favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison. The keeper of the prison committed to Joseph’s hand all the prisoners who were in the prison. Whatever they did there, he was responsible for it. The keeper of the prison didn’t look after anything that was under his hand, because Yahweh was with him; and that which he did, Yahweh made it prosper.
Parallel Translations
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Joseph’s master took him, and put him into the prison, the place where the king’s prisoners were bound, and he was there in custody.
But Yahweh was with Joseph, and showed kindness to him, and gave him favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison.
The keeper of the prison committed to Joseph’s hand all the prisoners who were in the prison. Whatever they did there, he was responsible for it.
The keeper of the prison didn’t look after anything that was under his hand, because Yahweh was with him; and that which he did, Yahweh made it prosper.
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And Joseph’s master took him, and put him into the prison, a place where the king’s prisoners were bound: and he was there in the prison.
But the LORD was with Joseph, and shewed him mercy, and gave him favour in the sight of the keeper of the prison.
And the keeper of the prison committed to Joseph’s hand all the prisoners that were in the prison; and whatsoever they did there, he was the doer of it.
The keeper of the prison looked not to any thing that was under his hand; because the LORD was with him, and that which he did, the LORD made it to prosper.
Show all 3 translations
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And Joseph's master took him, and put him into the prison, the place where the king's prisoners were bound; and he was there in the prison.
But the LORD was with Joseph, and showed kindness unto him, and gave him favour in the sight of the keeper of the prison.
And the keeper of the prison committed to Joseph's hand all the prisoners that were in the prison; and whatsoever they did there, he was the doer of it.
The keeper of the prison looked not to any thing that was under his hand, because the LORD was with him; and that which he did, the LORD made it to prosper.
Cross-references (45)
- Isaiah 41:10 (v21) Don’t you be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you. Yes, I will help you. Yes, I will…
- Isaiah 43:2 (vv21, 23) When you pass through the waters, I will be with you, and through the rivers, they will not overflow you. When you walk through the fire,…
- Exodus 3:21 (v21) I will give this people favor in the sight of the Egyptians, and it will happen that when you go, you shall not go empty-handed.
- Psalms 1:3 (v23) He will be like a tree planted by the streams of water, that produces its fruit in its season, whose leaf also does not wither. Whatever he…
- Genesis 39:2-3 (v23) Yahweh was with Joseph, and he was a prosperous man. He was in the house of his master the Egyptian. His master saw that Yahweh was with…
Show all 40 cross-references
- Acts 7:9-10 (v21) “The patriarchs, moved with jealousy against Joseph, sold him into Egypt. God was with him, and delivered him out of all his afflictions,…
- 1 Peter 3:17 (v21) For it is better, if it is God’s will, that you suffer for doing well than for doing evil.
- Daniel 6:22 (vv21, 23) My God has sent his angel, and has shut the lions’ mouths, and they have not hurt me; because as before him innocence was found in me; and…
- Genesis 40:15 (v20) For indeed, I was stolen away out of the land of the Hebrews, and here also I have done nothing that they should put me into the dungeon.”
- Genesis 40:3-4 (vv22–23) He put them in custody in the house of the captain of the guard, into the prison, the place where Joseph was bound. The captain of the…
- Genesis 21:22 (v21) At that time, Abimelech and Phicol the captain of his army spoke to Abraham, saying, “God is with you in all that you do.
- Genesis 39:2 (v21) Yahweh was with Joseph, and he was a prosperous man. He was in the house of his master the Egyptian.
- Genesis 39:4 (v22) Joseph found favor in his sight. He ministered to him, and Potiphar made him overseer over his house, and all that he had he put into his…
- Exodus 11:3 (v21) Yahweh gave the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians. Moreover, the man Moses was very great in the land of Egypt, in the sight of…
- Exodus 12:36 (v21) Yahweh gave the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians, so that they let them have what they asked. They plundered the Egyptians.
- Psalms 105:19 (v21) until the time that his word happened, and Yahweh’s word proved him true.
- Daniel 1:9 (v21) Now God made Daniel find kindness and compassion in the sight of the prince of the eunuchs.
- Romans 8:31-32 (v21) What then shall we say about these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who didn’t spare his own Son, but delivered him up…
- 1 Peter 4:14-16 (v21) If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed; because the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you. On their part he is…
- Genesis 49:23-24 (vv21, 23) The archers have severely grieved him, shot at him, and persecuted him: But his bow remained strong. The arms of his hands were made…
- 1 Samuel 2:30 (vv22–23) “Therefore Yahweh, the God of Israel, says, ‘I said indeed that your house and the house of your father should walk before me forever.’ But…
- Genesis 40:3 (v21) He put them in custody in the house of the captain of the guard, into the prison, the place where Joseph was bound.
- Psalms 37:3-11 (v23) Trust in Yahweh, and do good. Dwell in the land, and enjoy safe pasture. Also delight yourself in Yahweh, and he will give you the desires…
- Proverbs 16:7 (v21) When a man’s ways please Yahweh, he makes even his enemies to be at peace with him.
- 1 Peter 3:13-14 (v21) Now who will harm you if you become imitators of that which is good? But even if you should suffer for righteousness’ sake, you are…
- Genesis 39:6-7 (v22) He left all that he had in Joseph’s hand. He didn’t concern himself with anything, except for the food which he ate. Joseph was well-built…
- Genesis 39:9 (v22) No one is greater in this house than I am, and he has not kept back anything from me but you, because you are his wife. How then can I do…
- Genesis 40:1-3 (v20) After these things, the butler of the king of Egypt and his baker offended their lord, the king of Egypt. Pharaoh was angry with his two…
- Genesis 41:9-14 (v20) Then the chief cup bearer spoke to Pharaoh, saying, “I remember my faults today. Pharaoh was angry with his servants, and put me in custody…
- Psalms 37:3 (v22) Trust in Yahweh, and do good. Dwell in the land, and enjoy safe pasture.
- Psalms 37:11 (v22) But the humble shall inherit the land, and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace.
- Psalms 105:18-19 (v20) They bruised his feet with shackles. His neck was locked in irons, until the time that his word happened, and Yahweh’s word proved him true.
- Psalms 106:46 (v21) He made them also to be pitied by all those who carried them captive.
- Isaiah 53:8 (v20) He was taken away by oppression and judgment. As for his generation, who considered that he was cut off out of the land of the living and…
- Daniel 3:21-22 (v20) Then these men were bound in their pants, their tunics, and their mantles, and their other clothes, and were cast into the middle of the…
- Romans 8:37 (v21) No, in all these things, we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.
- 2 Timothy 2:9 (v20) in which I suffer hardship to the point of chains as a criminal. But God’s word isn’t chained.
- 1 Peter 2:19 (v20) For it is commendable if someone endures pain, suffering unjustly, because of conscience toward God.
- Psalms 76:10 (v20) Surely the wrath of man praises you. The survivors of your wrath are restrained.
- Psalms 105:22 (v21) to discipline his princes at his pleasure, and to teach his elders wisdom.
40 distinct cross-references across this passage (45 total citations).
Cross-references from openbible.info (CC BY 4.0)
Explain this passage (16 sources)
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John Calvin 1540 · Public Domain On vv20–21 20. And put him into the prison. Though Moses…
20. And put him into the prison. Though Moses does not state with what degree of severity Joseph was afflicted at the beginning of his imprisonment, yet we readily gather that he was not allowed any liberty, but was thrust into some obscure dungeon. The authority of Potiphar was paramount; he had the keeper of the prison under his power, and at his disposal. What clemency could be hoped for from a man who was jealous and carried away with the vehemence of his anger? There is no doubt that what is related of Joseph in Psalm 105:18,
“His feet were made fast in fetters, and the iron entered into his soul,”
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had been handed down by tradition from the fathers. What a reward of innocence! For, according to the flesh, he might ascribe whatever he was suffering to his integrity. Truly, in this temptation he must have mourned in great perplexity and anxiety before God. And though Moses does not record his prayers, yet, since it is certain that he was not crushed beneath the cross, and did not murmur against it, it is also probable that he was reposing on the hope of Divine help. And to flee unto God is the only stay which will support us in our afflictions, the only armor which renders us invincible.
John Calvin's Commentaries (1540-1563) — public domain. Text from the Calvin Translation Society English edition (1840s-50s) via the Christian Classics Ethereal Library (ccel.org). Calvin's coverage is partial (roughly two-thirds of the Bible); uncommented books and verses are honest gaps, never fabricated. The 19th-century editor's footnotes and remarks are omitted so the notes are faithfully Calvin's own voice.
Geneva Bible translators 1599 · Public Domain On vv20–22 Hebrew, in the prison house.
Hebrew, in the prison house.
His evil intreatment in the prison may be gathered of Ps. 105:18.
Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain.
John Trapp 1656 · Public Domain On vv20–23 Gen 39:20 And Joseph’s master took him, and put…
Gen 39:20 And Joseph’s master took him, and put him into the prison, a place where the king’s prisoners [were] bound: and he was there in the prison.
Ver. 20. And Joseph’s master took him.] It was a providence that he had not presently slain him upon that false accusation. The devil is first a liar, and then a murderer; {Joh 8:44} but he is limited by God. Joseph is imprisoned in the round tower, where "they hurt his feet with fetters; the iron entered into his soul." {Psa 105:18, marg.} He, meanwhile, either pleads not, or is not heard. Doubtless he denied the fact; but durst not accuse the offender. His innocency might afterwards appear, and thereupon the chief keeper show him favour. {Gen 39:21} But his master should have been better advised. If he lived till Joseph was advanced, he had as good cause to fear his power, as ever Joseph’s brethren had. Cardinal Wolsey was first schoolmaster of Magdalen School in Oxford; after that, beneficed by Marquess Dorset, whose children he had there taught; where he had not long been, but one Sir James Paulet, upon some displeasure, set him by the heels: which affront was afterwards neither forgotten nor forgiven. For when the schoolmaster became Lord Chancellor of England, he sent for him; and after a sharp reproof, imprisoned him: {a} a good precedent for men in authority which work their own wiles without wit; not to punish out of humour, &c. Discite iustitiam moniti, &c. Despise not any man’s lowness; we know not his destiny.
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{a} Negotiations of Card. Wols., p. 2.
John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Matthew Poole 1685 · Public Domain On vv20–22 Quest. Why did he not kill him, the crime…
Quest. Why did he not kill him, the crime being capital, and he having so undoubted a power in his hand to do it?
Answ. It is probable he was a little moderated by Joseph’s apology, which doubtless he made for himself, though it be not here recorded.
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2. This is to be ascribed to the good providence of God, which restrains the waves of the sea, and the passions of men, and sets them their bounds which they shall not pass, which watched over Joseph in a peculiar manner.
The king’s prisoners; traitors, or great offenders against the king, whose prison doubtless was none of the easiest and therefore it is called a dungeon, Gen 40:15; 41:14; and he endured great hardship in it. See Psa 105:18.
Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
John Gill 1763 · Public Domain On vv20–23 And Joseph's master took him, and put him into…
And Joseph's master took him, and put him into the prison,.... Which was in or adjoining to his house, Gen 40:3; of himself he had power to do this, as the captain of the guard; and as he was the chief of the executioners, as some take his office to be, it is much he did not in his passion deliver him up into their hands to put him to death at once; but it may be through the great respect he had had for Joseph, which was not wholly extinguished by this impeachment of him; and especially if he heard Joseph's apology for himself before he committed him, his passion might subside a little, though for the credit of his wife he might take this step; or however things were so overruled by the providence of God, who has the hearts of all men in his hands, that he should do what he did. The word for "prison" has the signification of roundness, and may be rendered the "round house" (t), or "round tower"; and some Jewish writers, as Mercer observes, take it to be in this form, that it was made under ground, and at the top of it was an hole which let in light, and at which they went into it. Aben Ezra is at a loss to say whether it is an Hebrew or Egyptian word, and inclines to the latter, because he thinks it is explained in the next clause:
a place where the king's prisoners were bound; such as were guilty of high treason, or however of high crimes and misdemeanours against him; and so was a prison in which men were strictly kept and used hardly, as was Joseph at first, as appears from Psa 105:18,
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and he was there in the prison; he continued there, some of the Jewish writers say (u) ten years, others twelve (w); and so long he must be, if he was but one year in Potiphar's house; for there were thirteen years between his being sold into Egypt, and his appearance before Pharaoh; he was seventeen when he was sold, and he was thirty when he stood before Pharaoh, being took out of prison, see Gen 37:2; but it is more likely that he was a longer time in Potiphar's house, and a lesser time in prison.
(t) "rotundam turrim", Junius & Tremellius; "domum rotundi carceris", Piscator: "round house", Ainsworth; "vox Hebraea significat carcerem rotundum in modum lunae", Vatablus; so Ben Melech. (u) Pirke Eliezer, c. 39. (w) Seder Olam Rabba, c. 2. p. 5. Shalshalet Hakabala, fol. 3. 2.
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
John Wesley 1765 · Public Domain On vv20–21 Where the king's prisoners were bound - Potiphar, it…
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 cv, 18, but God designed it to pave the way to his enlargement. Our Lord Jesus, like Joseph was bound, and numbered with the transgressors.
John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.
Adam Clarke 1810 · Public Domain On vv20–21 Verse 20. Put him into the prison] בית סהר…
Verse 20. Put him into the prison] בית סהר beith sohar, literally the round house; in such a form the prison was probably built.
Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Joseph Benson 1811 · Public Domain On v20 Gen 39:20-21. Where the king’s prisoners were bound —…
Gen 39:20-21. 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,” Psa 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.
Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary 1859 · Public Domain On v21 Keeper. Pererius thinks this was the same Putiphar, who,…
Keeper. Pererius thinks this was the same Putiphar, who, recognizing the innocence of Joseph, allows him every indulgence in prison; but does not liberate him, for fear of the dishonour and resentment of his wife. (Calmet) --- He had before put him in irons. (Psalm civ. 18; Wisdom x. 13.) Joseph here exercises at once the four cardinal virtues. Prudence, in keeping out of the company of his mistress, as the Hebrew express it, ver. 10: "He yielded not to lie with her, or to be in her company." (Haydock) --- Justice, in regard to his master. Fortitude, in bearing with all sorts of hardships, loss of character, &c. And Temperance, by refusing to gratify the most violent of all passions, at an age when it is the most insidious and ungovernable. This makes the fathers exclaim, We wonder more at the conduct of Joseph, than at the delivery of the three children from the Babylonian furnace. [Daniel iii.] For, like them, Joseph continues unhurt, and more shining, in the midst of the flames. (St. Chrysostom) (Tirinus) --- The stories of Hippolitus, Bellerophon, &c., seem to be copied from this. (Calmet)
George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown 1871 · Public Domain On vv20–21 Joseph's master took him, and put him into the…
Joseph's master took him, and put him into the prison--the roundhouse, from the form of its construction, usually attached to the dwelling of such an officer as Potiphar. It was partly a subterranean dungeon (Gen 41:14), though the brick-built walls rose considerably above the surface of the ground, and were surmounted by a vaulted roof somewhat in the form of an inverted bowl. Into such a dungeon Potiphar, in the first ebullition of rage, threw Joseph and ordered him to be subjected further to as great harshness of treatment (Psa 105:18) as he dared; for the power of masters over their slaves was very properly restrained by law, and the murder of a slave was a capital crime.
a place where the king's prisoners were bound--Though prisons seem to have been an inseparable appendage of the palaces, this was not a common jail--it was the receptacle of state criminals; and, therefore, it may be presumed that more than ordinary strictness and vigilance were exercised over the prisoners. In general, however, the Egyptian, like other Oriental prisons, were used solely for the purposes of detention. Accused persons were cast into them until the charges against them could be investigated; and though the jailer was responsible for the appearance of those placed under his custody, yet, provided they were produced when called, he was never interrogated as to the way in which he had kept them.
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
Daniel D. Whedon 1874 · Public Domain On vv20–21 20. Put him into the prison — Or, house…
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.
Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges 1878 · Public Domain On vv20–21 20. into the prison] Lit. “into the house of…
20. into the prison] Lit. “into the house of roundness,” or “the round house.” Possibly the Heb. expression, “the house of sohar,” may be an attempt to transliterate an Egyptian word, with a similar sound, by means of a familiar Heb. word sohar. LXX ὀχύρωμα, Lat. carcer. It only occurs here, and Gen_39:23, and Gen_40:3; Gen_40:5. On the whole, if Joseph’s master believed the tale that had been told him, the punishment inflicted was less violent than we should have expected in such an age.
the place … were bound] These words are considered by many scholars to be introduced by the Compiler, in order to lead up to the description of the prison scene in the E narrative of ch. 40.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Pulpit Commentary 1880 · Public Domain On vv20–22 And Joseph"s master took him, and put him into…
And Joseph"s master took him, and put him into the prison, literally house of enclosure; sohar, from sahar, to encircle, meaning probably a turreted, arched, or rounded building for the confinement of prisonersa place where the king"s prisoners (i.e. State offenders) were bound: and he was there in the prison. This, which some regard as having been a mild punishment (Delitzsch, Keil), since, according to Diodorus Siculus, the laws of the Egyptians were specially severe in their penalties for offences against women, is represented by a Hebrew psalmist (Psa_105:18) as having been accompanied with bodily tortures, at least for a time; for his speedy elevation to a place of trust within the prison almost gives countenance to the idea (Kurtz, Lange, &c.) that Potiphar did not believe his wife"s story, and only incarcerated Joseph for the sake of appearances. That Joseph was not immediately punished with death is not improbable (Bohlen), but exceedingly natural, since Joseph was Potiphar"s favorite (Havernick). ;
The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Alexander MacLaren 1905 · Public Domain On v20 Gen 39:20 - Gen 39:23. - Gen 40:1 -…
Genesis
GOODNESS IN A DUNGEON
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Gen 39:20 - Gen 39:23. - Gen 40:1 - Gen 40:15.
Potiphar was ‘captain of the guard,’ or, as the title literally runs, chief of the executioners. In that capacity he had charge of the prison, which was connected with his house {Gen 40:3}. It is, therefore, quite intelligible that he should have put Joseph in confinement on his own authority, and the distinction drawn between such a prisoner and the ‘king’s prisoners,’ who were there by royal warrant or due process of law, is natural. Such high-handed treatment of a slave was a small matter, and it was merciful as well as arrogant, for death would have been the punishment of the crime of which Joseph was accused. Either Potiphar was singularly lenient, or, as is perhaps more probable, he did not quite believe his wife’s story, and thought it best to hush up a scandal. The transfer of Joseph from the house to the adjoining prison would be quietly managed, and then no more need be said about an ugly business.
So now we see him at the lowest ebb of his fortunes, flung down in a moment by a lie from the height to which he had slowly been climbing, having lost the confidence of his master, and earned the unslumbering hatred of a wicked woman. He had wrecked his career by his goodness. ‘What a fool!’ says the world. ‘How badly managed things are in this life,’ say doubters, ‘that virtue should not be paid by prosperity!’ But the end, even the nearer end in this life, will show whether he was a fool, and whether things are so badly arranged; and the lesson enforced by the picture of Joseph in his dungeon, and which young beginners in life have special need to learn, is that, come what will of it, right is right, and sin is sin, that consequences are never to deter from duty, and that it is better to have a clean conscience and be in prison than do wickedness and sit at a king’s table. A very threadbare lesson, but needing to be often repeated.
‘But the Lord was with Joseph.’ That is one of the eloquent ‘buts’ of Scripture. The prison is light when God is there, and chains do not chafe if He wraps His love round them. Many a prisoner for God since Joseph’s time has had his experience repeated, and received tenderer tokens from Him in a dungeon than ever before. Paul the prisoner, John in Patmos, Bunyan in Bedford jail, George Fox in Lancaster Castle, Rutherford in Aberdeen, and many more, have found the Lord with them, and showing them His kindness. We may all be sure that, if ever faithfulness to conscience involves us in difficulties, the faithfulness and the difficulties will combine to bring to us sweet and strong tokens of God’s approval and presence, the winning of which will make a prison a palace and a gate of heaven.
Joseph’s relations to jailer and fellow-prisoners are beautiful and instructive. The former is called ‘the keeper of the prison,’ and is evidently Potiphar’s deputy, in more immediate charge of the prison. Of course, the great man had an underling to do the work, and probably that underling was not chosen for sweetness of temper or facile leniency to his charges. But he fell under the charm of Joseph’s character-all the more readily, perhaps, because his occupation had not brought many good men to his knowledge. This jewel would flash all the more brightly for the dark background of criminals, and the jailer would wonder at a type of character so unlike what he was accustomed to. Eastern prisons to-day present a curious mixture of cruelty and companionship. The jailers are on intimate terms with prisoners, and yet are ready to torture them. There is no discipline, nor any rules, nor inspection. The jailer does as he likes. So it seems to have been in Egypt, and there would be nothing unnatural in making a prisoner jailer of the rest, and leaving everything in his hands. The ‘keeper of the prison’ was lazy, like most of us, and very glad to shift duties on to any capable shoulders. Such a thing would, of course, be impossible with us, but it is a bit of true local colouring here.
Joseph won hearts because God was with him, as the story is careful to point out. Our religion should recommend us, and therefore itself, to those who have to do with us. It is not enough that we should be severely righteous, as Joseph had been, or ready to meet trouble with stoical resignation, but we are to be gentle and lovable, gracious towards men, because we receive grace from God. We owe it to our Lord and to our fellows, and to ourselves, to be magnets to attract to Jesus, by showing how fair He can make a life. Joseph in prison found work to do, and he did not shirk it. He might have said to himself: ‘This is poor work for me, who had all Potiphar’s house to rule. Shall such a man as I come down to such small tasks as this?’ He might have sulked or desponded in idleness, but he took the kind of work that offered, and did his best by it. Many young people nowadays do nothing, because they think themselves above the small humdrum duties that lie near them. It would do some of us good to remember Joseph in the jail, and his cheerful discharge of what his hands found to do there.
Of course, work done ‘because the Lord was with him,’ in the consciousness of His presence, and in obedience to Him, went well. ‘The Lord made it to prosper,’ as He always will make such work.
‘When thou dost favour any action,
It runs, it flies.’
And even if, sometimes, work done in the fear of the Lord does not outwardly prosper, it does so in deepest truth, if it work in us the peaceable fruit of righteousness. We need to have a more Christian idea of what constitutes prosperity, and then we shall understand that there are no exceptions to the law that, if a man does his work by God and with God and for God, ‘that which he does, the Lord makes it to prosper.’
The help that Joseph gave by interpreting the two high officials’ dreams cannot be considered here in detail, but we note that the names of similar officers, evidently higher in rank than we should suppose, with our notions of bakers and butlers, are found in Egyptian documents, and that these two were ‘king’s prisoners,’ and put in charge of Potiphar, who alleviated their imprisonment by detailing Joseph as their attendant, thus showing that his feeling to the young Hebrew was friendly still. Dreams are the usual method of divine communication in Genesis, and belong to a certain stage in the process of revelation. The friend of God, who is in touch with Him, can interpret these. ‘The secret of the Lord is with them that fear Him,’ and it is still true that they who live close by God have insight into His purposes. Joseph showed sympathy with the two dreamers, and his question, ‘Why look ye so sadly?’ unlocked their hearts. He was not so swallowed up in his own trouble as to be blind to the signs of another’s sorrow, or slow to try to comfort. Grief is apt to make us selfish, but it is meant to make us tender of heart and quick of hand to help our fellows in calamity. We win comfort for our own sorrows by trying to soothe those of others. Jesus stooped to suffer that He might succour them that suffer, and we are to tread in His steps.
Alexander MacLaren, Expositions of Holy Scripture (1904–1910) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
unfoldingWord translationNotes 2017 · CC BY-SA 4.0 On v21 But Yahweh was with Joseph
But Yahweh was with Joseph
This refers to how Yahweh took care of Joseph and was kind to him. AT: "But Yahweh was kind to Joseph" or "But Yahweh took care of Joseph" (See: Idiom)
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showed covenant faithfulness to him
The abstract noun "faithfulness" can be stated as "faithful" or "faithfully." AT: "was faithful to his covenant with him" or "faithfully loved him" (See: Abstract Nouns)
He gave him favor in the sight of the prison warden
This means Yahweh caused the prison warden to approve of Joseph and to treat him well. AT: "Yahweh caused the prison warden to be pleased with Joseph" (See: Idiom)
the prison warden
"the prison manager" or "the man in charge of the prison"
gave into Joseph's hand
Here "hand" represents Joseph's power or trust. AT: "put Joseph in charge of" (See: Metaphor)
Whatever they did there, Joseph was in charge of it
"Joseph was in charge of everything they did there"
because Yahweh was with him
This refers to how Yahweh helped Joseph and guided him. AT: "because Yahweh guided Joseph" (See: Idiom)
Whatever he did, Yahweh prospered
"Yahweh caused everything that Joseph did to prosper"
translationWords
Yahweh
covenant faithfulness
favor
prison
unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.
Tyndale Open Study Notes 2022 · CC BY-SA 4.0 On v21 39:21-23 Joseph thrived in prison because God was with…
39:21-23 Joseph thrived in prison because God was with him. Each time Joseph prospered, he was put in charge of something.
Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.