Preface:

There are many chapter commentaries on the book of Genesis. This will be the most extensive examination of Genesis 39, where you will be able to examine in depth every word of the original text. Every attempt has been made to make this both a complete and self-contained study. Therefore, all references, vocabulary, and related concepts should be found within this extensive study. Easy access links to more in-depth studies of some vocabulary words, concepts and doctrines are also provided.

Outline of Chapter 39:

Introduction

         vv.     1–6           Joseph and Potiphar

         vv.     7–12         Joseph Being Pursued by Potiphar’s Wife

         vv.    13–19         The False Accusation of Potiphar’s Wife Against Joseph

         vv.    20–23         Joseph Is Placed with the King’s Prisoners

Addendum

Charts, Graphics and Short Doctrines:

         Preface               Quotations

         Introduction         Psalm 105 Graphic

         Introduction         A Brief Summary of Genesis

         Introduction         Links to the JEPD Theory (also known as Documentary Hypothesis)

         Introduction         The Original Human Authors of Genesis

         Introduction         Lessons to be Learned from Joseph

         Introduction         The Prequel of Genesis 39

         Introduction         The Doctrine of Rejection in the Life of Joseph (Dr. Robert Dean, Jr.)

         Introduction         The Principals of Genesis 39

         Introduction         The Places of Genesis 39

         Introduction         The Patriarchal Timeline for Genesis 39

         Introduction         Paragraph Divisions of Modern Translations for Genesis 39 (from Dr. Bob Utley)

         Introduction         A Synopsis of Genesis 39

         Introduction         William Ramey’s Chiasmos of Genesis 39:1–23

         Introduction         Dr. Robert Dean, Jr.: God Trains Joseph to be a Leader

         Introduction         Dr. Robert Dean, Jr. on the Providence of God

         Introduction         Reviewing the end of Genesis 37

         Introduction         The Contradiction that Wasn't

         Introduction         God’s hand in the life of Joseph

         Introduction 

         Introduction 

         Introduction 

         v. 

         v. 

         v.       2              Slavery, the Bible, Slavery in Ancient Times, a Modern View of Slavery

         v.       2              Review and Summary of Genesis 37 38 and 39:1–2

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         v. 

         v. 

         v. 

         v. 

         v.       8              Why God Allows Joseph To Be Enslaved

         v.       8              A Summary of Genesis 39:1–8

         v. 

         v. 

         v.       9               Joseph Reasoning with Potiphar’s Wife

         v. 

         v. 

         v. 

         v. 

         v. 

         v.      14              The Word “Hebrew”

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         v.      21              American at a Crossroads

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         Summary            A Set of Summary Doctrines and Commentary

         Summary            B. H. Carroll Summarizes Genesis 39

         Summary            Edersheim Summarizes Genesis 39

         Summary 

         Addendum          Why Genesis 39 is in the Word of God

         Addendum          What We Learn from Genesis 39

         Addendum          Josephus’ History of this Time Period

         Addendum          A Complete Translation of Genesis 39

         Addendum          Word Cloud from a Reasonably Literal Paraphrase of Genesis 39

         Addendum          Word Cloud from Exegesis of Genesis 39

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An Introduction to Genesis 39

I ntroduction: At this point in the book of Genesis, we return to Joseph, who is in Egypt, in slavery. We have seen Joseph’s brothers place him into a pit; and then Midianite traders took him out of the pit (it is possible that his brothers took him out of the pit), and sold him to some Ishmaelite traders, who then sold him to Potiphar, and officer of the Pharaoh of Egypt (we have also dealt with the alleged contradiction of this passage as well). That was Gen. 37. In Gen. 38, we spent time primarily with Judah, an older half-brother of Joseph, and we examined his very peculiar genealogical line, which leads us to King David and eventually to Jesus. With Gen. 39, we return to Egypt and will spend the rest of Genesis (for the most part) studying Joseph’s life in Egypt.

It is because of the incidents in Gen. 38 (and elsewhere) that requires the Hebrews to move away from the Land of Promise and away from the corrupting influence of the Canaanites. You will recall that Lot lived among great corruption, and it certainly distorted the thinking of his wife and two daughters. The actions of Judah, Levi and Simeon suggest that they had all become corrupted in their thinking. At some point, God will have the sons of Israel destroy most of the Canaanites, because of their great degeneracy.

You will note that the narratives that we have studied have centered upon Reuben, Simeon, Levi and Judah. This is because Reuben should have been the chosen line, but he never fully embraced his position as the leader of his younger brothers. The other 3 brothers would have been next in line, and it appears, from what we have studied so far, that none of them have the proper leadership skills. When the younger brothers wanted to sell Joseph into slavery, rather than put his foot down and tell them that was not going to happen, Reuben placated the brothers, intending to rescue Joseph later.

Levi and Simeon killed a number of innocent males, seeking revenge for the rape of their sister, Diana. And we just studied Judah who, was such a lousy father, that two of his sons died the sin unto death; and he failed in his responsibility to his daughter-in-law. Because of his own immoral behavior, Judah actually had relations with his daughter-in-law, and became her levirate husband (after almost having her executed).

Of the sons of Jacob, when it comes to the line of promise, the 4 eldest sons seem to have eliminated themselves by their own actions (unless, of course, one of them redeems himself); and the only person who seems to have any character at all is now acting as a slave in Egypt.

Psalm 105 Graphic; from Children's Bible School lessons; accessed March 15, 2016 (the graphic is a summary of stanza 6, not a recitation of it).

Psalm 105:16–23 gives us an overview of the next 11 chapters of Genesis.

When He [God] summoned a famine on the land and broke all supply of bread,

He had sent a man ahead of them, Joseph, who was sold as a slave.

His feet were hurt with fetters; his neck was put in a collar of iron;

until what he had said came to pass, the word of the LORD tested him.

The king sent and released him; the ruler of the peoples set him free;

he made him lord of his house and ruler of all his possessions,

to bind his princes at his pleasure and to teach his elders wisdom.

Then Israel came to Egypt; Jacob sojourned in the land of Ham. (Psalm 105:16–23; ESV; capitalized)

God’s plan called for the sons of Jacob to be moved to Egypt, away from the degeneracy of the Canaanites, which degeneracy was affecting his Jacob’s sons. They were beginning to accept the morality of the Canaanites. Judah, as we have seen, even married a Canaanite woman, and raised two sons who died the sin unto death as a result.

Application: You can be affected by your environment; you can absorb and take societal norms as your own, and believe that they are true and correct. I write this in 2016, and a huge number of millennials believe strongly that there is nothing wrong or immoral about homosexual actions; and that gay marriage ought to be viewed just like a normal marriage. Furthermore, many of them support laws allowing trans-gendered types to sue private businesses if they have the wrong bathroom policy. There has been a concerted effort in television programming and in our schools to convey these pro-deviant messages (more so with homosexuals than with transgendered-types) and several generations have now been corrupted with this false morality. These generations believe very strongly that, if you do not accept homosexuality as normal and the gay agenda as the 21^st century civil rights issue, that you are a bigot and a homophobe; and in their minds, you are no different than a racist lynch mob of the 1920's and 30's. The self-righteousness of these confused people can be so strong that they will refuse to associate with people who think differently than they do and express it (which is not a great loss).

Application: Another example of a confused morality recently assimilated by the millennials: Smoking is terrible, it is a bad habit; but there is little wrong with smoking marijuana. There seem to be very few judgments placed upon those who use harder drugs as well.

It is fascinating that, in much of what occurs in Gen. 37–38, God’s name is barely mentioned, and then just to judge and execute the sons of Judah. In Gen. 39, it will become clear the Joseph is favored by God. Further near the end of Genesis, Joseph acknowledges God’s overarching will in his life, despite the evil intentions of his brothers.

What really stands out when comparing this chapter to Gen. 38 is, God’s personal name is given again and again in this chapter. God is only mentioned twice in the previous chapter, and in connection with administering the sin unto death to two of Judah’s sons. The proper name of the Revealed God (Y^ehowah) is found 7 times in Gen. 39. This tells us just how different these men were—Judah and his family as compared to Joseph, Judah’s younger half-brother.

This chapter marks the beginning of the last portion of Genesis. To summarize Genesis:

This also marks the final author of Genesis, namely Joseph. I understand the strong position which some have taken with respect to the authorship of Genesis and dropping it firmly in the lap of Moses. From some of the things which have been said, certainly someone, probably Moses, wrote the final draft of Genesis, but more as an editor than as an original author (and I am not referring to an editor, per se, but some bits of information were added here or there—possibly from several people). The strong desire to make Moses the author of Genesis may be a reaction to the those who split Genesis into several disjoint sections written by authors perhaps 1000-3000 years after the events of Genesis, and distinguished simply by their prominent use of God's name. This view of authorship has been refuted many times in the past. However, I think this should be summarized for those who are unaware that such a driving force exists. See The Doctrine of Documentary Hypothesis:

I believe that most of Genesis was written by a series of authors whose stories are found within Genesis. For the greater portion of Genesis, most of this was an almost seamless narrative, picked up every few chapters by a new writer of Scripture. It is not until the end of this book when the sources and the writing seem more disjoint, as though they may have come from different areas and were woven together perhaps (but not necessarily) by an editor. My personal opinion of authorship is below:

With chapter 39, we travel with Joseph into Egypt and follow his highly unusual life and rise to political power in that country. He is the only son of Jacob who indicates that he received any real spiritual training (the others may or may not have received it; but they did not exhibit any spiritual growth for decades).

The Patriarchal Timeline for Genesis 39

The NET Bible: The story of Joseph is filled with cycles and repetition: He has two dreams (chap. 37), he interprets two dreams in prison (chap. 40) and the two dreams of Pharaoh (chap. 41), his brothers make two trips to see him (chaps. 42-43), and here, for the second time (see 37:24), he is imprisoned for no good reason, with only his coat being used as evidence. For further discussion see H. Jacobsen, “A Legal Note on Potiphar’s Wife,” HTR 69 (1976): 177.

Gen. 39 picks right up where Gen. 37 left off. Gen. 38 briefly followed Judah and his line; but we go back to the same time frame and actions of Gen. 37. Appropriate transition language is added in order to indicate a change of place. There is no reason to think that we have different traditional narratives woven together hundreds of years later (although, if Joseph is the author of these final chapters, then he would have himself woven together narratives which he experienced with the narratives that he heard from his brothers or father).

Interestingly enough, Joseph does not follow out some incident in the lives of each of his 11 brothers/half-brothers. He only diverges to tell a story about Judah, because Judah will do something quite remarkable later on (which will help to explain why the line of Christ will come through Judah).

Joseph overhears his brothers and their discussions while he is in a pit (until they move further away from him). He may have filled in some details in this narrative after speaking to his brothers later (Reuben will be guilt-ridden over this event). I am assuming that the events beginning with Gen. 37:1 were recorded by Joseph. He appears to have integrated his own memories with those of his father and other brothers (Gen. 38 being a chief example of that).

Joseph will face numerous ups and downs in his life—two times, he might have reasonably assumed that his life was all over (when he was first put into slavery; and later, when he will be put into jail). Yet, God always was working everything for the good of Joseph and so that God could preserve and bless his entire family.

Admittedly, this is not too different from the approach of Joseph Smith or of Mohammed. They happened to be very charismatic figures and they developed their authority hand-in-hand with their scriptures, so that the end result was very self-serving. However, this approach is not at all the model for the Old Testament canon, which was completed at the same time the Israel was destroyed as an independent nation and then reconstituted under the authority of other nations. This is also not the model for the New Testament, which is clearly centered on the Lord Jesus Christ, Who is never said to write anything down (apart from a disputed passage where he writes something in the dirt). The disciples, who had some authority after the Lord died and was risen, went to the Old Testament for their authority—and they wrote the various books of the New Testament, already having their authority established. And, interestingly enough, based upon Biblical and extra-Biblical sources, the disciples, for the most part, were not charismatic leaders (possibly with the exception of Peter).

Back to Genesis:

As we will see, Joseph played quite a part in the story of Egypt for a short time; however, we have no corroborating records. This does make some sense as we have shortly after Joseph's time there arose a Pharaoh who knew not Joseph. If the artifacts and historical documents of his day were so meager that he didn't know enough about Joseph to have an abiding respect for him, then we would be less likely today to find better records. So we cannot set up a coinciding history of the Jews and lay it along side of Egypt's history for this time period.

What should be true is that the author of this portion of God's Word—if Joseph is quite familiar with the customs and the culture of Egypt from the era—then this will be borne out in the next dozen chapters of Genesis. This lack of historical documentation and an examination of the parallels between this narrative and actual Egyptian culture and customs will be covered in more detail near the end of Gen. 41.

Now, let’s start Gen. 39. We will leave Canaan and the odd occurrences with the family of Jacob, and return to Egypt, where Joseph has been placed into slavery, purchased by Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh’s:

——————————

Joseph and Potiphar

Joseph has been sold by some Midianites to some Medanites, a branch of the large Ishmaelite caravan which was traveling through the land, who in turn sold him to an Egyptian official who was impressed by Joseph's youth, intelligence and physical beauty. Joseph parlayed his spiritual growth into vocational prosperity.

Here is how others have translated this verse:

Ancient texts:                       Note: I compare the Hebrew text to English translations of the Latin, Syriac and Greek texts, using the Douay-Rheims translation; George Lamsa’s translation, and Sir Lancelot Charles Lee Brenton’s translation as revised and edited by Paul W. Esposito, respectively. I often update these texts with non-substantive changes (e.g., you for thou, etc.). I often use the text of the Complete Apostles’ Bible instead of Brenton’s translation, because it updates the English text.

The Septuagint was the earliest known translation of a book (circa 200 b.c.). Since this translation was made before the textual criticism had been developed into a science and because different books appear to be translated by different men, the Greek translation can sometimes be very uneven.

When there are serious disparities between my translation and Brenton’s (or the text of the Complete Apostles’ Bible), I look at the Greek text of the Septuagint (the LXX) to see if a substantive difference actually exists (and I reflect these changes in the English rendering of the Greek text). I use the Greek LXX with Strong’s numbers and morphology available for e-sword. The only problem with this resource (which is a problem for similar resources) is, there is no way to further explore Greek verbs which are not found in the New Testament. Although I usually quote the Complete Apostles’ Bible here, I have begun to make changes in the translation when their translation conflicts with the Greek and note what those changes are.

The Masoretic text is the Hebrew text with all of the vowels (vowel points) inserted (the original Hebrew text lacked vowels). We take the Masoretic text to be the text closest to the original. However, differences between the Masoretic text and the Greek, Latin and Syriac are worth noting and, once in a great while, represent a more accurate text possessed by those other ancient translators.

In general, the Latin text is an outstanding translation from the Hebrew text into Latin and very trustworthy (I say this as a non-Catholic). Unfortunately, I do not read Latin—apart from some very obvious words—so I am dependent upon the English translation of the Latin (principally, the Douay-Rheims translation).

Underlined words indicate differences in the text.

Bracketed portions of the Dead Sea Scrolls are words, letters and phrases lost in the scroll due to various types of damage. Underlined words or phrases are those in the Dead Sea Scrolls but not in the Masoretic text.

I will only list the translation from the Dead Sea Scrolls if it exists and if it is different from the Masoretic text.

The Targum of Onkelos is actually the Pentateuchal Targumim, which are The Targums of Onkelos and Jonathan Ben Uzziel. On the Pentateuch With The Fragments of the Jerusalem Targum From the Chaldee by J. W. Etheridge, M.A. From http://www.becomingjewish.org/texts/targum/onkelos_genesis.html and first published in 1862.

Ancient texts:

Masoretic Text (Hebrew)        And Joseph was taken down Egypt-ward. And so bought him Potiphar an officer of pharaoh, a captain of the guards, a man of Egyptian, from a hand of the Ishmaelites who brought him down there.

Dead Sea Scrolls                   .

Targum (Onkelos)                  But Joseph was brought down into Mizraim, and Potiphar, a chief of Pharoh, a chief of the killers, a Mizraite man, bought him from the hand of the Arabaee who had brought him down thither.

Targum (Pseudo-Jonathan)   But Joseph was brought down into Mizraim; and Potiphar [I have omitted two clauses in this chapter], . . . a man of Mizraim, a chief of Pharoh, a chief of the executioners, bought him with the pledge [Quando servos vendbebantur emporti dare sponsionem quod illos furati sint.--Castel, fol. 2889] of the Arabians who had brought him down thither.

Revised Latin Vulgate            And Joseph was brought into Egypt, and Putiphar an eunuch of Pharao, chief captain of the army, an Egyptian, bought him of the Ismaelites, by whom he was brought.

Aramaic ESV of Peshitta        Yoseph was brought down to Egypt. Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh's, the captain of the guard, an Egyptian, bought him from the hand of the Ishmaelites that had brought him down there.

Peshitta (Syriac)                    AND Joseph was brought down to Egypt; and Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, commander of the guard, an Egyptian, bought him from the Arabians who had brought him down there.

Septuagint (Greek)                Egypt - Joseph and Potiphar's wife. Gn.39.1-23

And Joseph was brought down to Egypt; and Petephres the eunuch of Pharao, the captain of the guard, an Egyptian, bought him of the hands of the Ismaelites, who brought him down thither.

NETS (Greek)                        .

Brenton’s Septuagint             .

Significant differences: 

Limited Vocabulary Translations:

Bible in Basic English             Now Joseph was taken down to Egypt; and Potiphar the Egyptian, a captain of high position in Pharaoh's house, got him for a price from the Ishmaelites who had taken him there.

Easy English                          Joseph in Egypt

Now the *Ishmaelite merchants took Joseph down to Egypt. Potiphar, an officer of *Pharaoh, bought him from them.

Easy-to-Read Version–2006  Joseph Is Sold to Potiphar in Egypt

The traders who bought Joseph took him down to Egypt. They sold him to the captain of Pharaoh’s guard, Potiphar. The Lord helped Joseph become a successful man. Joseph lived in the house of his master, Potiphar the Egyptian.

God’s Word™                         Joseph in Potiphar’s House

Joseph had been taken to Egypt. Potiphar, one of Pharaoh’s Egyptian officials and captain of the guard, bought him from the Ishmaelites who had taken him there.

Good News Bible (TEV)         Joseph and Potiphar's Wife

Now the Ishmaelites had taken Joseph to Egypt and sold him to Potiphar, one of the king's officers, who was the captain of the palace guard.

International Children’s B.     Joseph Is Sold to Potiphar

Now Joseph had been taken down to Egypt. An Egyptian named Potiphar was an officer to the king of Egypt. He was the captain of the palace guard. He bought Joseph from the Ishmaelites who had brought him down there.

The Message                         After Joseph had been taken to Egypt by the Ishmaelites, Potiphar an Egyptian, one of Pharaoh’s officials and the manager of his household, bought him from them.

Names of God Bible               .

NIRV                                      Joseph and the Wife of Potiphar

Joseph had been taken down to Egypt. An Egyptian named Potiphar had bought him from the Ishmaelite traders who had taken him there. Potiphar was one of Pharaoh’s officials. He was the captain of the palace guard.

New Simplified Bible              .

Thought-for-thought translations; paraphrases:

Common English Bible           Joseph’s rise and betrayal

When Joseph had been taken down to Egypt, Potiphar, Pharaoh’s chief officer, the commander of the royal guard and an Egyptian, purchased him from the Ishmaelites who had brought him down there.

Contemporary English V.       The Ishmaelites took Joseph to Egypt and sold him to Potiphar, the king's official in charge of the palace guard.

The Living Bible                     When Joseph arrived in Egypt as a captive of the Ishmaelite traders, he was purchased from them by Potiphar, a member of the personal staff of Pharaoh, the king of Egypt. Now this man Potiphar was the captain of the king’s bodyguard and his chief executioner.

New Berkeley Version           .

New Century Version             Joseph Is Sold to Potiphar

Now Joseph had been taken down to Egypt. An Egyptian named Potiphar was an officer to the king of Egypt and the captain of the palace guard. He bought Joseph from the Ishmaelites who had brought him down there.

New Life Version                    Now Joseph had been taken down to Egypt by the Ishmaelites. And Potiphar, an Egyptian leader, the head of the soldiers of Pharaoh's house, bought him from the Ishmaelites.

New Living Translation           Joseph in Potiphar’s House

When Joseph was taken to Egypt by the Ishmaelite traders, he was purchased by Potiphar, an Egyptian officer. Potiphar was captain of the guard for Pharaoh, the king of Egypt.

Partially literal and partially paraphrased translations:

American English Bible          Meanwhile, JoSeph had been taken down to Egypt. And an Egyptian named Potiphar ([who was] Pharaoh's councilor and captain of the guard) bought him from the IshMaElites who had carried him there.

Beck’s American Translation .

International Standard V        Joseph is Delivered to Potiphar

Meanwhile, Joseph had been delivered to Egypt and turned over to Potiphar, one of Pharaoh’s court officials and the Commander-in-Chief of the imperial guards. An Egyptian, he bought Joseph from the Ishmaelites, who had brought him down there.

New Advent (Knox) Bible       Meanwhile, Joseph had been taken away into Egypt, where his Ismaelite owners sold him to an Egyptian called Putiphar, one of Pharao’s courtiers, and captain of his guard.

Today’s NIV                          .

Translation for Translators               In Egypt, Joseph refused to have sex with Potiphar's wife

Meanwhile, the descendants of Ishmael took Joseph down to Egypt. There Potiphar bought Joseph from them. Potiphar was an Egyptian who was one of the king's officials and the captain of the king's ◂palace guards/guards who protected the king►.

Mostly literal renderings (with some occasional paraphrasing):

Awful Scroll Bible                   Joseph is to have been brought down to the Egypt. Potiphar, a eunuch of Pharaoh, the chief of the guards, a Egyptian man, was to acquire him from the hand of the Ishma-elites. Even is he to have been brought down.

Conservapedia                       Joseph was brought down to Egypt. Potiphar, a eunuch in the service of Pharaoh, chief of the executioners, an Egyptian, bought him out of the hands of the Ishmaelites who had brought him there. Any officer as ranking in Egyptian society as the chief executioner had to submit to castration as a condition of employment. But such offices carried with them such honor and privilege that the loss of one's procreative ability was a small price to pay. The chief executioner was commandant of the royal bodyguard force and head of the ancient Egyptian equivalent of the Bureau of Prisons.

Ferrar-Fenton Bible                History of Joseph Continued

Thus Joseph had been taken down to Mitzer, and sold to Potiphar, Pharoh's General, Commander of the Guards, a Mitzerite, from the hands of the Ishmaelites who had brought him there.

God’s Truth (Tyndale)           Joseph was brought unto Egypt, and Putiphar a lord of Pharaos: and his chief marshal an Egyptian, bought him of the Ismaelites which brought him there.

HCSB                                     Joseph in Potiphar’s House

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

Jubilee Bible 2000                  .

H. C. Leupold                         Joseph’s Imprisonment because of his Steadfastness (39:1-23)

And as for Joseph he was brought down to Egypt, and Potiphar, a eunuch of Pharaoh’s, captain of the bodyguard, an Egyptian man, bought him from the Ishmaelites who had brought him down there.

Lexham English Bible            Joseph in Potiphar’s House

Now Joseph had been brought down to Egypt, and Potiphar, a court official of Pharaoh, commander of the guard, an Egyptian, bought him from the hand of the Ishmaelites who had brought him down there.

NIV, ©2011                             .

Tree of Life Version                Joseph Succeeds in Adversity

Now Joseph had been brought down to Egypt. Potiphar, an official of Pharaoh, commander of the bodyguards, bought him from the hand of the Ishmaelites, who had brought him down there.

Catholic Bibles (those having the imprimatur):

Christian Community (1988)  Now Joseph was taken down to Egypt, and Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, commander of the guard, an Egyptian, bought him from the Ishma elites who had brought him there.

The Heritage Bible                 And Joseph was descended to Egypt, and Potiphar, a eunuch of Pharaoh, chief ruler of the executioners, an Egyptian man, set him up [qanah, to set upright, to erect, to arrange, used very often for a purchase, but the meaning is that the person who purchased the person or land set it up for himself, as Boaz did when he set upright the land of Elimelech and Naomi, and Ruth who came with the land, Ruth 4:4-10. Qanah is used only in transactions involving persons and land. When grain or water or such things are purchased, different words are used. This shows that God’s Word recognizes purchases of persons or land as only a temporary set up. Even God’s erecting the heavens and the earth is a temporary set up.] from the hands of the Ishmaelites, who had descended him there.

New American Bible (2002)   When Joseph was taken down to Egypt, a certain Egyptian (Potiphar, a courtier of Pharaoh and his chief steward) bought him from the Ishmaelites who had brought him there. (Potiphar . . . chief steward): These words in the text serve to harmonize Genesis 39 from the Yahwist source with Genesis 37;36; ⇒ 40:1-23 from the Elohist. In the former, the Ishmaelites who bought Joseph from his brothers (⇒ Genesis 37:28) sold him to the unnamed "Egyptian master" of ch 39. In the latter, the Midianites who kidnaped Joseph (⇒ Genesis 37:28; ⇒ 40:15) sold him to Potiphar, Pharaoh's chief steward (⇒ Genesis 37:36), whose house was used as a royal prison (⇒ Genesis 40:2-3). [I include this, but disagree with the premise of it.]

New American Bible (2011)   Joseph’s Temptation.

When Joseph was taken down to Egypt, an Egyptian, Potiphar, an official of Pharaoh and his chief steward, bought him from the Ishmaelites who had brought him there.

New Jerusalem Bible             Now Joseph had been taken down into Egypt. Potiphar the Egyptian, one of Pharaoh's officials and commander of the guard, bought him from the Ishmaelites who had taken him down there.

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

Revised English Bible            WHEN Joseph was taken down to Egypt by the Ishmaelites, he was bought from them by an Egyptian, Potiphar, one of Pharaoh's court officials, the captain of the guard.

Jewish/Hebrew Names Bibles:

Complete Jewish Bible           (v) Yosef was brought down to Egypt, and Potifar, an officer of Pharaoh’s and captain of the guard, an Egyptian, bought him from the Yishma‘elim who had brought him there.

exeGeses companion Bible   YOSEPH IN MISRAYIM

And Yoseph descends to Misrayim;

and Potiphar, a eunuch of Paroh,

governor of the slaughterers, a man - a Misrayim,

chattels him from the hands of the Yishma Eliy,

who descended him there.

Hebraic Transliteration           .

Hebrew Names Version         .

JPS (Tanakh—1985)               When Joseph was taken down to Egypt, a certain Egyptian, Potiphar, a courtier of Pharaoh and his chief steward, bought him from the Ishmaelites who had brought him there.

Judaica Press Complete T.    .

Kaplan Translation                 Joseph's Temptation

Joseph had been brought down to Egypt, and Potiphar, one of Pharaoh's Egyptian officers, the captain of the guard, had purchased him from the Arabs who had brought him there. The Kaplan Translation, particularly in Exodus through Deuteronomy, takes note of historic rabbinic opinions.

Natural Israelite Bible             .

Orthodox Jewish Bible           And Yosef was brought down to Mitzrayim; and Potiphar, a saris Pharaoh, Sar Hatabachim (captain of the bodyguard), a Mitzri, bought him of the hands of the Yishme’elim, which had brought him down to there.

Restored Names Version       .

The Scriptures 1998              And Yosĕph had been taken down to Mitsrayim. And Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, captain of the guard, a Mitsrite, bought him from the Yishmaʽĕlites who had taken him down there.

Expanded/Embellished Bibles:

The Amplified Bible                Joseph’s Success in Egypt

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

The Expanded Bible              Joseph Is Sold to Potiphar

Now Joseph had been taken down to Egypt. An Egyptian named Potiphar was an officer to ·the king of Egypt [^LPharaoh] and the chief butcher [37:36]. He bought Joseph from the Ishmaelites who had brought him down there.

The Geneva Bible                  .

Kretzmann’s Commentary    Verses 1-6

Joseph Finds Favor with Potiphar

And Joseph was brought down to Egypt; and Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, captain of the guard, an Egyptian, bought him of the hands of the Ishmaelites, which had brought him down thither. The statement of Gen. 37:36 is here repeated, since the story of Joseph is now resumed. He was sold as a slave to Potiphar, the chief officer of Pharaoh's bodyguard, and incidentally the chief executioner.

NET Bible®                             Joseph and Potiphar’s Wife

Now Joseph had been brought down to Egypt. An Egyptian named Potiphar, an official of Pharaoh and the captain of the guard, purchased him from [Heb “from the hand of.”] the Ishmaelites who had brought him there. When it comes to making an actual material change to the text, the NET Bible® is pretty good about indicating this. Since most of these corrections will be clear in the more literal translations below and within the Hebrew exegesis itself, I will not continue to list every NET Bible® footnote. Some of their notes will be reproduced in the exegesis of the chapter.

Syndein/Thieme                     And Joseph was brought down to Egypt. And Potiphar {name means 'devoted to the sun god'}, a nobleman {3rd or 4th in the land} of Pharaoh, 'chief of the police system', an Egyptian {from a line of Egyptian nobility - from a great family also}, bought him of the hands of the Ishmaelites, who had brought him down there.

{Note: 'Captain of the guard' is really the 'chief of police system in empire'.}.

Now Joseph had been taken to Egypt. Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh and captain of the guard, himself an Egyptian, bought him from the Ishmaelites who had brought him there to sell along with their goods and wares.

Literal, almost word-for-word, renderings:

Brenner’s Mechanical Trans....and Yoseph ^[Adding] had been brought down unto Mitsrayim ^[Troubles] and Potiphar ^{[Belonging to the sun]}, the eunuch of Paroh ^{[Great house]}, the noble of the slaughtering ones, man of Mitsrayim ^[Troubles], purchased him from the hand of the ones of Yishma'el ^{[El will listen]} who had brought him down unto there,...

Concordant Literal Version    And Joseph was brought down to Egypt. And bought is he by Potiphar, a eunuch of Pharaoh, chief of the executioners, an Egyptian man, from the hand of the Ishmaelites who had brought him down there.

A Conservative Version         .

Context Group Version          .