Genesis 39:18 - Printer Friendly

ESV: But as soon as I lifted up my voice and cried, he left his garment beside me and fled out of the house."

NIV: But as soon as I screamed for help, he left his cloak beside me and ran out of the house."

NASB: but when I raised my voice and screamed, he left his garment beside me and fled outside.'

CSB: but when I screamed for help, he left his garment beside me and ran outside."

NLT: But when I screamed, he ran outside, leaving his cloak with me!'

KJV: And it came to pass, as I lifted up my voice and cried, that he left his garment with me, and fled out.

NKJV: so it happened, as I lifted my voice and cried out, that he left his garment with me and fled outside.”

Potiphar's wife concludes her false accusation against Joseph (Genesis 39:7–17). She claims Joseph took off his cloak and attempted to rape her, so she screamed, and he ran away. Whether or not Potiphar then spoke to Joseph, or anyone else, we are not told. The following verse suggests that he did not, and that his reaction came only after hearing her words (Genesis 39:19).

On one hand, this will be a difficult lie for Potiphar to see through. Joseph was likely seen running from the house without his cloak. The servants heard the scream and then heard the story—albeit a false one—straight from Potiphar's wife. A young, attractive, successful slave might well have let his position go to his head and attempted such a thing.

The expected response would be for Potiphar to have Joseph executed immediately, if not to kill the slave himself. On the other hand, Potiphar's wife has been extremely aggressive in her attempts at seduction. And Potiphar gave Joseph a restriction which otherwise would seem to go without saying: that the master's wife was off-limits. That, and Potiphar's relatively merciful punishment (Genesis 39:20), suggests he might not have fully trusted his wife's version of the story.

Genesis 39:1–18 describes Joseph's rise and fall as the slave of Potiphar, the captain of the guard in Egypt. He arrives in this situation after being sold by his own brothers (Genesis 37:26–28). The Lord continues to be with Joseph and to bless him. Potiphar promotes Joseph to the head manager of his household, even giving credit to the Joseph's God for all the success that follows. Potiphar's wife is also impressed with Joseph, but in a less honorable way. She persistently tempts him to sleep with her. When Joseph refuses, she unfairly frames the young Hebrew slave for attempted rape.

Joseph's arrival as a slave in Egypt is not the end of his story. The Lord continues to be with him and to bless him. Joseph rises to become the right-hand man of his master, Potiphar, the captain of the guard. Eventually, he is betrayed by a false accusation of rape by his master's scorned wife. Even then, Joseph finds the Lord is still with him, still blessing him, even in prison. Soon Joseph oversees every aspect of the prison, serving once again under God's faithful blessing.

In chapter 37, Joseph narrowly escaped being murdered by his own brothers (Genesis 37:18–20), only to be sold as a slave (Genesis 37:26–28). Chapter 39 picks up his story after taking a detour into the scandalous life of Judah. Though a slave in Egypt, Joseph thrives under the Lord's blessing. He rises to the top position in his master's household, only to be jailed on a false accusation of attempted rape. Still, Joseph continues to be blessed by God, again rising to become the jailer's most trusted servant. Joseph's reputation and ability to interpret dreams will factor into his rise within the government of Egypt.

The book of Genesis establishes fundamental truths about God. Among these are His role as the Creator, His holiness, His hatred of sin, His love for mankind, and His willingness to provide for our redemption. We learn not only where mankind has come from, but why the world is in its present form. The book also presents the establishment of Israel, God's chosen people. Many of the principles given in other parts of Scripture depend on the basic ideas presented here in the book of Genesis. Within the framework of the Bible, Genesis explains the bare-bones history of the universe leading up to the captivity of Israel in Egypt, setting the stage for the book of Exodus.