Genesis 39:1

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►.

Translation for Translators

In The King James Version

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 Ishmeelites, which had brought him down thither.

In Context

2Because Yahweh helped Joseph, he was able to do his work very well, and lived in the house of his Egyptian master.

Read all of Genesis 39

Cross References

Genesis 37:28When those traders from the Midian area came near, Joseph’s brothers pulled him up out of the pit/cistern. Then they sold him to the men from Midian for 20 pieces of silver. The traders then took Joseph to Egypt.

Genesis 45:4Then Joseph said to his brothers, “Come close to me!” When they came closer, he said, “I am your brother Joseph! I am the one you sold to traders who brought me here to Egypt!

Acts 7:9“ You know that Jacob’s older sons became jealous because their father favored their younger brother Joseph. So they sold him to merchants/traders who took him [MTY] to Egypt. There he became a slave of an official who lived there. But God helped Joseph.

Matthew Henry on Genesis 39:1

At this chapter we return to the story of Joseph. We have him here, I. A servant, a slave in Potiphar's house ( ver. 1 ), and yet there greatly honoured and favoured, 1. By the providence of God, which made him, in effect, a master, ver. 2-6 . 2. By the grace of God, which made him more than a conqueror over a strong temptation to uncleanness, ver. 7-12 . II. We have him here a sufferer, falsely accused ( ver. 13-18 ), imprisoned ( ver. 19, 20 ), and yet his imprisonment made both honourable and comfortable by the… Read the whole commentary →

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Study Genesis 39:1