What does Genesis 39:8 mean?
Potiphar's wife (Genesis 39:1) has put Joseph in a terrible position. Noticing that he is a good-looking, successful young slave (Genesis 39:6), she has demanded he have sex with her. Normally, disobeying the master's wife would hold grave consequences. Sleeping with the master's wife, on the other hand, could also lead to a death sentence for a slave.Joseph's answer is supremely honorable and moral. He refuses to have sex with her, but he makes it clear to Potiphar's wife he is not doing so to avoid punishment. Nor is he concerned about being caught. Rather, he explains the great trust Potiphar has put in him (Genesis 39:9). To violate that trust, even by invitation, would be a despicable sin.