In this blog, I share some thoughts about Genesis 39 in the Bible. The chapter is the story of Joseph being thrown in prison. Potiphar’s wife is usually counted as the villain of the story. However, I think Potiphar had his issues too. A successful marriage requires attention, love, and God
from both people.
Summary of Genesis 39:
Genesis 39 tells the story of Joseph in Egypt after being sold into slavery by his brothers. Here’s a summary:
Potiphar buys Joseph: After being sold by his brothers, Joseph is taken to Egypt and purchased by Potiphar, who is an influential officer in Pharaoh’s court and the captain of the guard.
Joseph Earns Respect: Joseph, who shouldn’t have been a slave in the first place, shows Potiphar just what a hard working, trustworthy slave looks like. It isn’t long before Potiphar appoints Joseph to lead his territory. Under Joseph’s impressive management, Potiphar’s home and dealings prosper.
Potiphar’s Wife Hits on Joseph: Potiphar’s wife becomes infatuated with Joseph and repeatedly attempts to seduce him. Joseph consistently resists her immoral advances.
Joseph Is Falsely Accused: Potiphar’s wife becomes resentful. Eventually, she decides to seek revenge by accusing Joseph of trying to rape her. Potiphar accepts her testimony with no questions asked. He sends Joseph to prison.
Joseph in Prison: Against all odds, Joseph thrives in prison. The warden trusts Joseph to manage the rest of the prisoners. Joseph grows spiritually. Instead of being humiliated, enraged, or defeated, Joseph learned new levels of prayer, humility, and compassion, benefited not just him but the other prisoners with a sense of faith, order, and peace.
Potiphar’s Wife Was in the Wrong
Cheating on your spouse, or attempting to do so, is a bad thing. It was uncool, granted. To make matters worse, she doubles down on sin; Potiphar’s wife sought revenge for Joseph refusing her, so she told Potiphar that Joseph tried to rape her. This woman was clearly in the wrong for her part. as far as Joseph part, whether he should have immediately alerted Potiphar what was going on is certainly up for debate. It’s unclear why he kept her advances a secret. Was he taking pity on the wife and hoping she changed her ways? Was he trying to spare Potiphar of emotional harm? Did Joseph feel like it was his job to get control of the situation? Whatever the case, I want to take a closer look at Potiphar.
But Potiphar Should Share Some Blame
What about Potiphar? Where does he fall in all of this? A surface level reading of the text shows us a man who fell victim to his wife’s deception and was no more than a tool in the game of the revenge his wife exacted upon Joseph for rejecting her offer to commit adultery. And we might think, poor him to begin with, given that unbeknownst to him, his wife was trying to commit adultery. But hold on…
Potiphar Was No Fool
Such a reading of the text characterizes Potiphar as a weak and gullible victim. To me, that isn’t consistent with what the text tells about who Potiphar was. Potiphar was a strong, clever, and analytical person. Look at what we know about him from the text. An easy example to point out is simply Potiphar’s political position in Egypt. He was a powerful officer of the court. Genesis 39:1 states that Potiphar “was captain of the guard for Pharaoh, the king of Egypt.” You don’t get that position by being an idiot. I am even imagining that had Potiphar been advising the Pharaoh of Moses’s time, we would have seen the Israelites freed earlier and not chased down by an army that ultimately all died in the Red Sea. That’s just my opinion, though.
Additionally, we can infer from the text that Potiphar was noticeably wise and a good judge of people since he hand-picked Joseph as his slave. Joseph ended up being the best slave he could‘ve ever chosen. Joseph helped Potiphar prosper greatly. God was with Joseph, which Potiphar was keen enough to recognize (Gen: 39: 3). How many other characters in the Bible spot when the Lord is with someone, and how often do those same people get duped by others? Potiphar is blessed with prosperity even more when he appoints Joseph the head of household (Gen 39: 3-6). Potiphar is a good reader of people, then. He doesn’t seem like he could be easily manipulated by others. Potiphar knows who he can put his trust in. His strength and acumen leads me to believe there is more to the story that meets the eye. I think we’ve been too busy admonishing Potiphar’s wife and admiring Joseph to notice that something doesn’t add up with Potiphar in this whole mess.
Potiphar Was Disconnected
Potiphar and his wife…why weren’t they happy? What if their relationship was in shambles way before Joseph came on the scene. I just can’t understand how else Potiphar would not have been savvy to what was really going on. And for this part in a failing relationship, well really two relationships if you count his and as well as his relationship with Joseph, Potiphar is guilty. On some level, Potiphar had to have been disconnected from both his wife and Joseph.
It isn’t explicitly in the text, but it’s at least possible that Potiphar was disconnected in his marriage and from the going-ons in his own household. This story wreaks of a guy who was probably a workaholic, and, like many guys today, not attuned with his wife’s thoughts, feelings, wants, and needs. Perhaps he was promiscuous himself beforehand, and this was his wife’s way of getting back at him. Women in those time didn’t exactly share equal social status with men. Indeed, I can’t help but notice that we aren’t ever told her real name, symbolic of how she’s less important. That should bother ua. It invoke empathy for her side, which is now the forever-untold version of what happened. At the very least, this should warrant her the benefit of the doubt.
We really have no idea what went on between Potiphar and his wife for the time leading up to when Joseph entered their lives. However, it’s safe to say that Potiphar and his wife were not happy. To put this all on the wife is to know little about the nature of dysfunctional relationships. As the saying goes, it takes two to tango. Potiphar’s tragic participation in injustice stemmed from his inability to form/maintain a successful relationship with his wife.
We Can Learn from Potiphar
Keep the Marriage a Priority
The story stresses the importance putting one’s marriage first, and fostering a relationship with your spouse over other people in one’s life. If you’re a workaholic–like maybe Potiphar–knock it off. If you let the hurly burly of life distract you from your closest relationships, which is the true and only substantive part of life, cut it out and refocus on your loved ones.
Secondly, the distance between Potiphar and his wife was not completely comprehended by either one of them before it was too late. Therefore, it behooves us to make efforts to stay hyper-aware of our lover’s emotion-life and internal thoughts. Pains are burning below the surface long before they erupt into our actions. Loneliness grows like a cancer does- quietly, and while we sleep, till the point that we’ll suddenly do, say, and try anything to relief, no matter how temporary, illogical, or, ironically is often the case, more lonely in the end. A relationship should be vigilantly nurtured. It’s based upon honestly, respect, trust, and love.
The Bible asserts that the husband and wife must completely submit and sacrifice themselves to each other. Since I’ve focused on Potiphar, the husband, let me cite Ephesians 5: 28, which states that husbands “ought to love their wives as they love their own bodies. For a man who loves his wife actually shows love for himself.” This mindset is just one way to make one’s spouse a priority.
Keep God the Center in the Marriage
The healthiest marriage is one that keeps God at the center. We are all selfish, fearful, and fallible- both the husband and wife. We need our love for , and worship of, God to be the focus. Marriage a union designed by God and blessed by God. A couple should pray together, asking God how they best serve Him and each other. We should stay in the Word, finding God’s living counsel. We don’t know what happened to Potiphar and his wife later on, but the Bible teaches that we should forgive each other as God forgave us (Matthew 6:14), and that’s the true, reparative power of love.
God Can Repurpose Our Mistakes
Last, the story can teach us about God. He uses all things for His good purposes (Romans 8:28). Joseph’s jailbird dreams ended up saving Egypt from starvation, literally. He listened to God and faithfully interpreted dreams. Joseph being thrown in prison was critical in shaping Joseph into the man God intended him to be. In the rest of Genesis, we see Joseph become the second most powerful person in Egypt behind Pharoah. He also saves and forgives his brothers who had sold him into slavery (Genesis 40-50).
I’d love to hear your thoughts.
Jordan Tate 