Verse by Verse

⁴⁵ And Pharaoh called Joseph’s name Zaphnath-Paaneah. And he gave him as a wife Asenath, the daughter of Poti-Pherah priest of On. So Joseph went out over all the land of Egypt.

⁴⁶ Joseph was thirty years old when he stood before Pharaoh king of Egypt. And Joseph went out from the presence of Pharaoh, and went throughout all the land of Egypt.

⁴⁷ Now in the seven plentiful years the ground brought forth abundantly.

⁴⁸ So he gathered up all the food of the seven years which were in the land of Egypt, and laid up the food in the cities; he laid up in every city the food of the fields which surrounded them.

⁴⁹ Joseph gathered very much grain, as the sand of the sea, until he stopped counting, for it was immeasurable.

⁵⁰ And to Joseph were born two sons before the years of famine came, whom Asenath, the daughter of Poti-Pherah priest of On, bore to him.

⁵¹ Joseph called the name of the firstborn Manasseh: “For God has made me forget all my toil and all my father’s house.”

⁵² And the name of the second he called Ephraim: “For God has caused me to be fruitful in the land of my affliction.”

⁵³ Then the seven years of plenty which were in the land of Egypt ended,

⁵⁴ and the seven years of famine began to come, as Joseph had said. The famine was in all lands, but in all the land of Egypt there was bread.

⁵⁵ So when all the land of Egypt was famished, the people cried to Pharaoh for bread. Then Pharaoh said to all the Egyptians, “Go to Joseph; whatever he says to you, do.”

⁵⁶ The famine was over all the face of the earth, and Joseph opened all the storehouses and sold to the Egyptians. And the famine became severe in the land of Egypt.

⁵⁷ So all countries came to Joseph in Egypt to buy grain, because the famine was severe in all lands.

[Pharaoh] gave Joseph an Egyptian name, Zaphnath-paaneah, the exact meaning of which is somewhat doubtful. It has been variously interpreted as “Abundance of life,” “Savior of the World,” “Revealer of Secrets,” “God’s Word Speaking Life,” “Furnisher of Sustenance,” and so on. This variety of possible names at least indicates that Pharaoh probably conferred a name on him which was expressive of his unique contributions to Egypt at this time in her history.

Pharaoh next obtained a suitable wife for Joseph … The girl chosen was the daughter of an Egyptian priest. Nothing is said about her except her name and parentage. We can only assume that Joseph, dedicated as he was to the Lord, would not have consented to marry her unless he was satisfied that she would leave her own pagan beliefs to follow Jehovah. …

The girl’s name was Asenath, which apparently indicates something like “Dedicated to Neith,” Neigh being the Egyptian equivalent of the goddess Minerva. Thus there is little doubt that she had been brought up in the polytheistic Egyptian religion. Her father, Potipherah (meaning essentially the same thing as Potiphar, “given by Ra, the sun-god”), was actually a prominent priest in this religious system, located at the temple at On (probably the same as Heliopolis, a city specially devoted to the sun-god). … So far as the record goes, at least, Joseph never married any wife other than Asenath. — Morris, pages 587-588.

Joseph was 30 years old when he interpreted Pharaoh’s dream, which means that he had been away from his family for 13 years.

It was during the seven-year period of prosperity that two sons were born to Joseph and Asenath. These two sons were destined to give their names to two of the most prominent tribes of Israel.

The boys were named by Joseph in recognition of his unusual experiences. The first was named Manasseh, meaning, “Forgetting,” and signifying that God had caused Joseph to forget all the long years of suffering and rejection he had endured. …

His second son was named Ephraim (“Doubly Fruitful”) in thankfulness for the manner in which God had so richly blessed him and prospered him. — Morris, page 589

God caused the crops of Egypt to grow so abundantly that just 20% of the crop from the seven good years was enough to supply the needs of the Egyptians and the surrounding nations during the seven years of famine. Notice that Joseph didn’t just give away the grain, but sold it—perhaps to replenish the treasury for the cost of buying the grain to begin with.

³³ “Now therefore, let Pharaoh select a discerning and wise man, and set him over the land of Egypt.

³⁴ Let Pharaoh do this, and let him appoint officers over the land, to collect one-fifth of the produce of the land of Egypt in the seven plentiful years.

³⁵ And let them gather all the food of those good years that are coming, and store up grain under the authority of Pharaoh, and let them keep food in the cities.

³⁶ Then that food shall be as a reserve for the land for the seven years of famine which shall be in the land of Egypt, that the land may not perish during the famine.”

³⁷ So the advice was good in the eyes of Pharaoh and in the eyes of all his servants.

³⁸ And Pharaoh said to his servants, “Can we find such a one as this, a man in whom is the Spirit of God?”

³⁹ Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Inasmuch as God has shown you all this, there is no one as discerning and wise as you.

⁴⁰ You shall be over my house, and all my people shall be ruled according to your word; only in regard to the throne will I be greater than you.”

⁴¹ And Pharaoh said to Joseph, “See, I have set you over all the land of Egypt.”

⁴² Then Pharaoh took his signet ring off his hand and put it on Joseph’s hand; and he clothed him in garments of fine linen and put a gold chain around his neck.

⁴³ And he had him ride in the second chariot which he had; and they cried out before him, “Bow the knee!” So he set him over all the land of Egypt.

⁴⁴ Pharaoh also said to Joseph, “I am Pharaoh, and without your consent no man may lift his hand or foot in all the land of Egypt.”

There’s no hint in Scripture that, when Joseph suggested that Pharaoh find a “discerning and wise man” (v.33), he expected Pharaoh to choose him. Although I also have to think, by this time, that his selection didn’t surprise him.

This chief administrator should be provided with a corps of capable and trustworthy deputies to administer his plan. It would be necessary to levy a “double tithe” on the produce of Egypt during the years of plenty. It has been shown by historians that tithing was practiced in ancient Egypt and other nations, as a form of tax or tribute to the king; but a 20 percent levy would be very unusual, and might well be resisted, especially if enacted by an unpopular sovereign. Thus, the chief administrator of this plan would have be be skilled in diplomacy and persuasion, as well as be of unquestioned integrity himself, in order to overcome the natural reluctance of the people to such a tax. — Morris, pages 583-584.

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Even though Joseph had been completely unknown … only a few hours earlier, it was transparently clear that here was a man of unique qualities, ideally suited to administer the plan he had formulated and proposed.

They also recognized that he was a man of unique spiritual attributes and that, indeed, this was the real reason for his other abilities. Though they could hardly have understood the doctrine of the Holy Spirit and the filling of the Spirit, nevertheless they acknowledged that in Joseph dwelt the Spirit of God. …

[Pharaoh] gave Joseph his signet ring, possession of which enabled its owner to place his seal and signature on official documents of state. He was clad in fine linen robes, the finest in Egypt. A golden chair, emblematic of his authority, was placed around his neck.

A royal procession of state was organized, with Joseph riding immediately behind Pharaoh in a chariot only slightly less ornate, … thus indicating to the entire populace that Joseph was now second in command of the kingdom. As he rode, men accompanying his chariot cried out to the people along the way to bow the knee to him. — Morris, pages 585-586.

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Joseph then advises Pharaoh to find a man discerning and wise who can implement the specific steps he describes to prepare for this famine. In marked contrast to his successor 400 years later “who did not know Joseph” (Exodus 1:8), the present Pharaoh responds ebulliently by affirming the truth of what Joseph’s God has informed him, as well as that Joseph is himself the very discerning and wise man needed for the task. Pharaoh thus makes Joseph second in authority only to himself (anticipating the same redemptive “positioning” (and hence God’s hand in such) of, inter alias, Esther and Mordechai at the opposite end of Israel’s Hebrew-Bible history: cf. esp. Esther 8:2; 10:3) and declares that “Apart from you, no one shall raise his hand or foot in all the land of Egypt.”  — Wechsler, page 255.

1 Then it came to pass, at the end of two full years, that Pharaoh had a dream; and behold, he stood by the river.

² Suddenly there came up out of the river seven cows, fine looking and fat; and they fed in the meadow.

³ Then behold, seven other cows came up after them out of the river, ugly and gaunt, and stood by the other cows on the bank of the river.

⁴ And the ugly and gaunt cows ate up the seven fine looking and fat cows. So Pharaoh awoke.

⁵ He slept and dreamed a second time; and suddenly seven heads of grain came up on one stalk, plump and good.

⁶ Then behold, seven thin heads, blighted by the east wind, sprang up after them.

⁷ And the seven thin heads devoured the seven plump and full heads. So Pharaoh awoke, and indeed, it was a dream.

⁸ Now it came to pass in the morning that his spirit was troubled, and he sent and called for all the magicians of Egypt and all its wise men. And Pharaoh told them his dreams, but there was no one who could interpret them for Pharaoh.

⁹ Then the chief butler spoke to Pharaoh, saying: “I remember my faults this day.

¹⁰ When Pharaoh was angry with his servants, and put me in custody in the house of the captain of the guard, both me and the chief baker,

¹¹ we each had a dream in one night, he and I. Each of us dreamed according to the interpretation of his own dream.

¹² Now there was a young Hebrew man with us there, a servant of the captain of the guard. And we told him, and he interpreted our dreams for us; to each man he interpreted according to his own dream.

¹³ And it came to pass, just as he interpreted for us, so it happened. He restored me to my office, and he hanged him.”

¹⁴ Then Pharaoh sent and called Joseph, and they brought him quickly out of the dungeon; and he shaved, changed his clothing, and came to Pharaoh.

¹⁵ And Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I have had a dream, and there is no one who can interpret it. But I have heard it said of you that you can understand a dream, to interpret it.”

¹⁶ So Joseph answered Pharaoh, saying, “It is not in me; God will give Pharaoh an answer of peace.”

¹⁷ Then Pharaoh said to Joseph: “Behold, in my dream I stood on the bank of the river.

¹⁸ Suddenly seven cows came up out of the river, fine looking and fat; and they fed in the meadow.

¹⁹ Then behold, seven other cows came up after them, poor and very ugly and gaunt, such ugliness as I have never seen in all the land of Egypt.

²⁰ And the gaunt and ugly cows ate up the first seven, the fat cows.

²¹ When they had eaten them up, no one would have known that they had eaten them, for they were just as ugly as at the beginning. So I awoke.

²² Also I saw in my dream, and suddenly seven heads came up on one stalk, full and good.

²³ Then behold, seven heads, withered, thin, and blighted by the east wind, sprang up after them.

²⁴ And the thin heads devoured the seven good heads. So I told this to the magicians, but there was no one who could explain it to me.”

²⁵ Then Joseph said to Pharaoh, “The dreams of Pharaoh are one; God has shown Pharaoh what He is about to do:

²⁶ The seven good cows are seven years, and the seven good heads are seven years; the dreams are one.

²⁷ And the seven thin and ugly cows which came up after them are seven years, and the seven empty heads blighted by the east wind are seven years of famine.

²⁸ This is the thing which I have spoken to Pharaoh. God has shown Pharaoh what He is about to do.

²⁹ Indeed seven years of great plenty will come throughout all the land of Egypt;

³⁰ but after them seven years of famine will arise, and all the plenty will be forgotten in the land of Egypt; and the famine will deplete the land.

³¹ So the plenty will not be known in the land because of the famine following, for it will be very severe.

³² And the dream was repeated to Pharaoh twice because the thing is established by God, and God will shortly bring it to pass.

The cows (v.2) must have impressed Pharaoh especially in a religious sense, because the cow was the emblem of Isis, the revered Egyptian goddess of fertility. In the Egyptian “Book of the Dead,” the chief scripture of ancient Egypt, the god of vegetation and the nether world, Osiris, is represented as a great bull accompanied by seven cows.

The word used in the case of the cattle (akal) indicates the lean cattle actually chewed up the fat cattle. In the case of the grain the word is bala, indicating a process of swallowing, or engulfing. — Morris, pages 576-577

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seven heads (v.5) — A species of wheat, which grows in Egypt, bears, when perfect, seven ears on one stalk as its natural conformation. It differs from ours in having a solid steam, or at least a stem full of pith, in order to yield sufficient nourishment and support to so great a weight as the ears — Treasury, page 29

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east wind (v.6) — All the mischief done to corn or fruit by blasting, smutting, mildew, etc. are attributed to the east wind. In Egypt it is peculiarly destructive, because it comes through the parched deserts of Arabia, often destroying vast numbers of people. — Treasury, page 29.

shaved (v.14) — the first mention of shaving in the Bible

Joseph was in a prime position to bargain—for wealth, or at least his freedom. But he didn’t hesitate to give God all the credit  for his ability to interpret dreams (v.16). Joseph immediately assured Pharaoh, however, that God would interpret the dreams and that He had sent them intentionally to prepare Pharaoh for upcoming events.

When Pharaoh restated his dreams to Joseph, he added a few minor details. He said the lean cows were the ugliest he’d ever seen, and even after they at the seven fat cows, they remained as ugly (vs.19-21).

The fact that the dream had been given to Pharaoh twice was explained by [Joseph] to constitute firm assurance that God would indeed fulfill its predictions, and would do so beginning very soon. It is noteworthy that Joseph insisted, not less than four times, that all of this had come from God (vs. 16, 25, 28, 32). God had sent the dream, God had given the interpretation, and God would bring it all to pass. …

The two names for God are used quite selectively. Whenever Joseph was speaking to Egyptians about God, he used the name Elohim (“God”), as is befitting for those to whom God could be known only as a mighty Creator and Sovereign. Whenever the inspired writer of the narrative made comment about God’s dealing with Joseph, however, he used the covenant name, Jehovah (“LORD”), as this was the redemptive name by which He had made Himself specially known to the people of His peculiar promises. — Morris, pages 581-582.

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God does not resolve Joseph’s personal situation—which is, after all, only one thread in a much larger tapestry depicting His solicitude for His people—until the end of two full years, at which time Pharaoh has two dreams that cause his spirit to be troubled. Since Pharaoh could find no one to interpret these dreams … the chief cupbearer (implicitly prompted by God) recalls Joseph and tells Pharaoh of his ability to accurately interpret dreams. Significantly, when Pharaoh summons Joseph and asks if he can truly interpret dreams, Joseph’s response—his first recorded words in two years—is, “it is not in me,” which Hebrew expression may be more literally translated, “(It is) apart from me”—i.e., “It has nothing to do with me.” Not only has Joseph not grown bitter after spending thirteen years (unjustly) as a slave and then prisoner, but his focus is in fact set squarely on God and His glory—a focus which was undoubtedly essential to staving off despair during those years. Indeed, at the first opportunity, Joseph unabashedly emphasizes the sovereignty (and hence glory) of God to Pharaoh himself—and without fawning, for he tells him that “God will respond to Pharaoh’s situation” (not “God will give Pharaoh a favorable answer,” as it is sometimes translated. Hebrew sh?l?m (generally signifying “peace” or “completeness”) is here intended in the sense of “situation” or “welfare,” the state of which is as yet unknown. — Wechsler, pages 254-255.

1 It came to pass after these things that the butler and the baker of the king of Egypt offended their lord, the king of Egypt.

² And Pharaoh was angry with his two officers, the chief butler and the chief baker.

³ So he put them in custody in the house of the captain of the guard, in the prison, the place where Joseph was confined.

⁴ And the captain of the guard charged Joseph with them, and he served them; so they were in custody for a while.

⁵ Then the butler and the baker of the king of Egypt, who were confined in the prison, had a dream, both of them, each man’s dream in one night and each man’s dream with its own interpretation.

⁶ And Joseph came in to them in the morning and looked at them, and saw that they were sad.

⁷ So he asked Pharaoh’s officers who were with him in the custody of his lord’s house, saying, “Why do you look so sad today?”

⁸ And they said to him, “We each have had a dream, and there is no interpreter of it.” So Joseph said to them, “Do not interpretations belong to God? Tell them to me, please.”

⁹ Then the chief butler told his dream to Joseph, and said to him, “Behold, in my dream a vine was before me,

¹⁰ and in the vine were three branches; it was as though it budded, its blossoms shot forth, and its clusters brought forth ripe grapes.

¹¹ Then Pharaoh’s cup was in my hand; and I took the grapes and pressed them into Pharaoh’s cup, and placed the cup in Pharaoh’s hand.”

¹² And Joseph said to him, “This is the interpretation of it: The three branches are three days.

¹³ Now within three days Pharaoh will lift up your head and restore you to your place, and you will put Pharaoh’s cup in his hand according to the former manner, when you were his butler.

¹⁴ But remember me when it is well with you, and please show kindness to me; make mention of me to Pharaoh, and get me out of this house.

¹⁵ For indeed I was stolen away from the land of the Hebrews; and also I have done nothing here that they should put me into the dungeon.”

¹⁶ When the chief baker saw that the interpretation was good, he said to Joseph, “I also was in my dream, and there were three white baskets on my head.

¹⁷ In the uppermost basket were all kinds of baked goods for Pharaoh, and the birds ate them out of the basket on my head.”

¹⁸ So Joseph answered and said, “This is the interpretation of it: The three baskets are three days.

¹⁹ Within three days Pharaoh will lift off your head from you and hang you on a tree; and the birds will eat your flesh from you.”

²⁰ Now it came to pass on the third day, which was Pharaoh’s birthday, that he made a feast for all his servants; and he lifted up the head of the chief butler and of the chief baker among his servants.

²¹ Then he restored the chief butler to his butlership again, and he placed the cup in Pharaoh’s hand.

²² But he hanged the chief baker, as Joseph had interpreted to them.

²³ Yet the chief butler did not remember Joseph, but forgot him.

Joseph was 17 years old when he was sold into slavery in Egypt (Genesis 37:2), and 30 years old when he appeared before Pharaoh and was put in charge of the nation’s grain (Genesis 41:46).

The chief butler of Pharaoh was the overseer of his vineyards and wine cellar, as well as his personal cupbearer, responsible to see that all drinks served the king were both safe and of best quality. Likewise the chief baker was responsible for the food which Pharaoh ate. It is said that both of these men were “officers,” but again the word used is (as in the case of Potiphar) actually the Hebrew word for “eunuchs.”… In some way, these two men had offended (literally “sinned against”) Pharaoh, and so were thrown into the same prison where Joseph was. … They were imprisoned in “the house of the captain of the guard.” This was Potiphar’s title … — this was the prison over which Potiphar had jurisdiction. — Morris, page 569.

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All the officers in the employment of the ancient kings of Egypt were taken from the most illustrious families of the priesthood in the country; no slave or common person being ever permitted to serve in the presence of the king. As these persons were of the most noble families, it is natural to expect they would be put, when accused, into the state prison. — The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge, page 28.

The passage doesn’t say whether the dreams of the butler and baker were sent by God to enable Joseph to demonstrate his ability to interpret them. It seems probable.  Joseph had had experiences of his own with dreams (Genesis 37:6-9).

The interpretation of the butler’s dream seems pretty straightforward. Joseph’s contribution largely lies in his determining that the three branches represent three days. Joseph explained that he, like the butler, was wrongly imprisoned, and asked the man to remember him and speak on his behalf. Joseph only mentioned that he was “stolen away from the land of the Hebrews,” and didn’t mention that his own brothers had sold him.

It was only after the baker saw that the interpretation of the butler’s dream “was good,” that he decided to tell Joseph his own dream. He had dreamed that he carried three baskets, the topmost one filled with bread, but before he could serve the food to Pharaoh, birds ate the bread. Joseph informed him that the three baskets were three days, but that he would be hung on a tree and the birds would eat his flesh.

Apparently Pharaoh had delayed announcing the findings of his investigation and his resultant verdict until the date of his own birthday, which was, as it turned out, the third day after the two dreams.

It was customary for the king to give a banquet for his servants on his birthday. … One might speculate that whatever plot had been laid against Pharaoh might have been intended to be consummated on this occasion; if so, this would lend peculiar significance to its exposure and punishment at this time. … Two full years (Genesis 41:1) were to lapse before [the butler] would remember and bring Joseph to Pharaoh’s attention. — Morris, pages 574-575.

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God’s hand in the affair now becomes more explicit as He prepares the way to Joseph’s elevation—and thus Israel’s preservation—via the dreams He gives to two newly-arrived prisoners from Pharaoh’s court. [Although Joseph’s interpretation proved true] the chief cupbearer … forgot him (v.23). In this Joseph is undoubtedly continuing to learn what it means to wait upon the Lord as He continues to prepare the present path of deliverance and maneuver “the heart of the king … like channels of water in (His) hand” (Proverbs 21:1). A notable parallel, moreover, which is clearly intended to bear out the same theological principle, may be found in the “forgetting” of king Ahasuerus to reward Mordechai’s deed (likewise concerning two of the king’s officials) until that time when it is most effectively suited to the delivery of Israel (and not just the elevation of Mordechai; see Esther 6. — Wechsler, pages 253-254.

⁷ And it came to pass after these things that his master’s wife cast longing eyes on Joseph, and she said, “Lie with me.”

⁸ But he refused and said to his master’s wife, “Look, my master does not know what is with me in the house, and he has committed all that he has to my hand.

⁹ There is no one greater in this house than I, nor has he kept back anything from me but you, because you are his wife. How then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?”

¹⁰ So it was, as she spoke to Joseph day by day, that he did not heed her, to lie with her or to be with her.

¹¹ But it happened about this time, when Joseph went into the house to do his work, and none of the men of the house was inside,

¹² that she caught him by his garment, saying, “Lie with me.” But he left his garment in her hand, and fled and ran outside.

¹³ And so it was, when she saw that he had left his garment in her hand and fled outside,

¹⁴ that she called to the men of her house and spoke to them, saying, “See, he has brought in to us a Hebrew to mock us. He came in to me to lie with me, and I cried out with a loud voice.

¹⁵ And it happened, when he heard that I lifted my voice and cried out, that he left his garment with me, and fled and went outside.”

¹⁶ So she kept his garment with her until his master came home.

¹⁷ Then she spoke to him with words like these, saying, “The Hebrew servant whom you brought to us came in to me to mock me;

¹⁸ so it happened, as I lifted my voice and cried out, that he left his garment with me and fled outside.”

¹⁹ So it was, when his master heard the words which his wife spoke to him, saying, “Your servant did to me after this manner,” that his anger was aroused.

²⁰ Then Joseph’s master took him and put him into the prison, a place where the king’s prisoners were confined. And he was there in the prison.

²¹ But the Lord was with Joseph and showed him mercy, and He gave him favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison.

²² And the keeper of the prison committed to Joseph’s hand all the prisoners who were in the prison; whatever they did there, it was his doing.

²³ The keeper of the prison did not look into anything that was under Joseph’s authority, because the Lord was with him; and whatever he did, the Lord made it prosper.

Joseph’s imprisonment and subsequent events are mentioned in Psalm 105:17-22: He sent a man before them—Joseph—who was sold as a slave. They hurt his feet with fetters, he was laid in irons. until the time that his word came to pass, the word of the Lord tested him. The king sent and released him, the ruler of the people let him go free. He made him lord of his house, and ruler of all his possessions, to bind his princes at his pleasure, and teach his elders wisdom.

In rejecting [Potiphar’s wife’s] invitation, Joseph tried not to offend her. [He didn’t say that] she was unattractive or undesirable, nor that he was condemning her as immoral for making such a proposal, but that there were greater considerations which must take precedence. His master, and her husband, trusted him fully; it would be a terrible betrayal of his trust for Joseph to take the one thing he had kept from him, his own wife. Even more importantly, such an action would be a great sin against God Himself! Even though neither her husband nor the other servants should ever find out, God would know. … Potiphar’s wife, however, was nor persuaded by Joseph’s good and proper reasoning, but continued day after day trying to attract him to her bed. Joseph not only continued to refuse, but began to avoid her altogether, trying not even “to be with her.” — Morris, pages 561-562

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The passionate desire of Potiphar’s wife suddenly turned into the rage of a woman scorned. Knowing that her desire for Joseph was not completely impossible of fulfillment, her only thought was to humiliate him as deeply as possible for his rejection of her. Joseph’s garment (apparently a sort of long cloak or robe) was still in her hand. She knew it would be interpreted as evidence incriminating her unless she quickly took the initiative by accusing Joseph.

Accordingly she began to make a loud outcry, calling for the men servants to come help her. She cleverly appealed to their latent jealously of Joseph and resentment of Potiphar by suggesting it was her husband’s fault for bringing in an outsider (“an Hebrew”). … [Potiphar’s wife] seemed to place the blame on Potiphar himself for giving a foreign slave such authority in freedom around the house. … There is no indication that Joseph made any effort to defend himself from these charges. — Morris, page 562-564.

There really isn’t much to say about this passage except that Joseph must have been extraordinarily impressive—everywhere he went, people in power turned over all their responsibilities to him and trusted him completely. Obviously God was orchestrating it, but still, those in power thought they were making the decision and thought they had good reasons for doing so.

1 Now Joseph had been taken down to Egypt. And Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, captain of the guard, an Egyptian, bought him from the Ishmaelites who had taken him down there.

² The Lord was with Joseph, and he was a successful man; and he was in the house of his master the Egyptian.

³ And his master saw that the Lord was with him and that the Lord made all he did to prosper in his hand.

⁴ So Joseph found favor in his sight, and served him. Then he made him overseer of his house, and all that he had he put under his authority.

⁵ So it was, from the time that he had made him overseer of his house and all that he had, that the Lord blessed the Egyptian’s house for Joseph’s sake; and the blessing of the Lord was on all that he had in the house and in the field.

⁶ Thus he left all that he had in Joseph’s hand, and he did not know what he had except for the bread which he ate. Now Joseph was handsome in form and appearance.

[Many] scholars believe that [Joseph’s time in Egypt] was during the reign of the Hyksos kings in Egypt. They were foreign invaders, probably at least partially of Semitic stock, who came from the East and conquered Egypt according to the standard chronology, about 1720 B.C. They were also called the “Shepherd Kings.” Many believe that it was because of their Semitic origin that the rules of Egypt in Joseph’s day treated the children of Israel so well when Jacob and his family moved to Egypt. The Hyksos were expelled from Egypt prior to Moses’ time, so that the pharaoh of the new dynasty “knew not Joseph,” and soon began to persecute the Hebrew “relatives” of the Hyksos. While this general background and its inferences may be correct, they should not be regarded as firmly established. — Morris, page 558.

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Potiphar, to whom Joseph was sold, was captain of Pharaoh’s bodyguard, and also probably in charge of political executions ordered by Pharaoh. He is also called an “officer” of Pharaoh, the Hebrew word being saris, meaning “eunuch,” or “chamberlain.” It was evidently customary in ancient pagan countries, beginning with Sumeria, to require prominent officers associated closely with the king’s court to be castrated, perhaps to ensure full-hearted devotion to the duties required of them and to minimize the possibility of their taking over the kingdom by military coup to establish a dynasty of their own. — Morris, page 559.

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This chapter clearly establishes the pan-historical (yet unpopular and often unrecognized) principle of righteous-remnant living—to wit, that “all who desire to live godly … will be persecuted” (2 Timothy 3:12). It is through such persecution, however that the greatest “training in righteousness” (2 Timothy 3:16) often occurs as the believer learns what it is to truly depend on God in the process. In the present chapter, accordingly, we see God complementing Joseph’s efforts at godly living by causing him to “find favor” in the sight of key individuals (a key phrase denoting God’s “behind-the-scenes” activity) and blessing the results of his work in a way that ultimately benefits the welfare of Israel, God’s covenant people. — Wechsler, page 252.

²⁴ And it came to pass, about three months after, that Judah was told, saying, “Tamar your daughter-in-law has played the harlot; furthermore she is with child by harlotry.” So Judah said, “Bring her out and let her be burned!”

²⁵ When she was brought out, she sent to her father-in-law, saying, “By the man to whom these belong, I am with child.” And she said, “Please determine whose these are—the signet and cord, and staff.”

²⁶ So Judah acknowledged them and said, “She has been more righteous than I, because I did not give her to Shelah my son.” And he never knew her again.

²⁷ Now it came to pass, at the time for giving birth, that behold, twins were in her womb.

²⁸ And so it was, when she was giving birth, that the one put out his hand; and the midwife took a scarlet thread and bound it on his hand, saying, “This one came out first.”

²⁹ Then it happened, as he drew back his hand, that his brother came out unexpectedly; and she said, “How did you break through? This breach be upon you!” Therefore his name was called Perez.

³⁰ Afterward his brother came out who had the scarlet thread on his hand. And his name was called Zerah.

Even though Tamar was living back in her own father’s home, she was still under Judah’s authority, nominally engaged to his son Shelah. The penalty for adultery in such a case, even in an ungodly society like that of Canaan, was death, as may be observed in the Code of Hammurabi and other ancient codes. In all such systems there seems to have been a double standard, with much more severe penalties being imposed on the woman than on the man, evidently on the basis of the shame attached to a man having some other man’s child born in his family. — Morris, page 555.

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The midwife attending the birth first saw a tiny hand emerge and, in order to keep the twins distinct, assuming this one would be born first, she tied a scarlet thread on his hand. But then, surprisingly, his hand drew back, and the other twin forged ahead and came out first. The latter was named Perez, meaning “breaking-through,” in token of the manner of his birth. The other was named Zerah, meaning “rising.” It was he on whose hand had been tied the scarlet thread.

Tamar, therefore, had the distinction of being one of the few women whose names are listed in the official genealogy of Jesus (Matthew 1:3). The others were Rahab, Ruth, and the one who had been the wife of Uriah, that is, Bathsheba (Matthew 1:5-6). It is remarkable that all four of these women were non-Jews … Tamar was a Canaanite, Rahab a native of Jericho and thus presumably also a Canaanite, Ruth was a Moabitess, and Bathsheba probably a Hittite (at least by marriage to Uriah, if not by birth). — Morris, pages 556-557.

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Judah’s “turning-point” comes when Tamar reveals that he is in fact the father, whereupon Judah is resolutely (and very publicly!) confronted with his sins—namely: (1) his failure to show compassion and do his “duty” towards Tamar (as well as his son Er) by giving her to Shelah as his wife; (2) his engaging in illicit sex with a harlot (as he thought Tamar to be); and (3) his hypocrisy in mercilessly calling for the execution of Tamar (and her baby) for the very same sin he committed—with her, as he now realizes. Expressive of his contrition, Judah declares that Tamar “is more righteous than I”—which comparison is, of course, relative—that is to say, Tamar was more righteous than Judah in the drama of this chapter, but certainly not perfectly righteous, for though the conception of a son from Judah’s line was her right, the way in which she went about ensuring that conception was still sinful. God, nonetheless, “causes all things to work together for good … to those who are called according to His purpose” (Romans 8:28), and from Tamar’s conception are born twins, Perez and Zerah, from the former of whom would descend Jesus, the culmination of the Path of Redemption here being laid. — Wechsler, page 251.

¹² Now in the process of time the daughter of Shua, Judah’s wife, died; and Judah was comforted, and went up to his sheepshearers at Timnah, he and his friend Hirah the Adullamite.

¹³ And it was told Tamar, saying, “Look, your father-in-law is going up to Timnah to shear his sheep.”

¹⁴ So she took off her widow’s garments, covered herself with a veil and wrapped herself, and sat in an open place which was on the way to Timnah; for she saw that Shelah was grown, and she was not given to him as a wife.

¹⁵ When Judah saw her, he thought she was a harlot, because she had covered her face.

¹⁶ Then he turned to her by the way, and said, “Please let me come in to you”; for he did not know that she was his daughter-in-law. So she said, “What will you give me, that you may come in to me?”

¹⁷ And he said, “I will send a young goat from the flock.” So she said, “Will you give me a pledge till you send it?”

¹⁸ Then he said, “What pledge shall I give you?” So she said, “Your signet and cord, and your staff that is in your hand.” Then he gave them to her, and went in to her, and she conceived by him.

¹⁹ So she arose and went away, and laid aside her veil and put on the garments of her widowhood.

²⁰ And Judah sent the young goat by the hand of his friend the Adullamite, to receive his pledge from the woman’s hand, but he did not find her.

²¹ Then he asked the men of that place, saying, “Where is the harlot who was openly by the roadside?” And they said, “There was no harlot in this place.”

²² So he returned to Judah and said, “I cannot find her. Also, the men of the place said there was no harlot in this place.”

²³ Then Judah said, “Let her take them for herself, lest we be shamed; for I sent this young goat and you have not found her.”

Timnah (v.12) — probably a town which was later located in the border of Judah, between Jerusalem and Diospolis, given to Dan, and mentioned in the history of Samson as belonging to the Philistines (Judges 14:1).

[Tamar] was actually posing as a temple prostitute, rather than as a common harlot, as is evident from the fact that the word used to describe her later by the Canaanite men themselves (Hebrew cedesha, meaning “one set apart” is used in verses 21-22) was the word used for this purpose. — Morris, page 553.

sat in an open place (v.14) — the common behavior of a prostitute (Proverbs 7:12; Jeremiah 3:2). “Open place” means “the door of eyes,” and some believe it is a proper name referring to Enaim, a city in Judah.

your signet and cord (v.18) — The “Signet” is a ring-seal, with which impressions were made to ascertain property, etc. Jeremiah 22:24 says it was worn on the hand; though it might also have been suspended from the neck by a ribband. “Cord” from a word meaning “to twist,” may mean either a wreath for the arm or neck, a twisted collar, or a bracelet. It may have been a collar by which the signet was suspended; although here it is used in the plural.

It must be recognized that the Biblical record itself does not condemn or criticize [Tamar]. … We cannot judge Judah’s actions so charitably, however. In fact, he later acknowledged that he had sinned (v.26). — Morris, page 553.

1 It came to pass at that time that Judah departed from his brothers, and visited a certain Adullamite whose name was Hirah.

² And Judah saw there a daughter of a certain Canaanite whose name was Shua, and he married her and went in to her.

³ So she conceived and bore a son, and he called his name Er.

⁴ She conceived again and bore a son, and she called his name Onan.

⁵ And she conceived yet again and bore a son, and called his name Shelah. He was at Chezib when she bore him.

⁶ Then Judah took a wife for Er his firstborn, and her name was Tamar.

⁷ But Er, Judah’s firstborn, was wicked in the sight of the Lord, and the Lord killed him.

⁸ And Judah said to Onan, “Go in to your brother’s wife and marry her, and raise up an heir to your brother.”

⁹ But Onan knew that the heir would not be his; and it came to pass, when he went in to his brother’s wife, that he emitted on the ground, lest he should give an heir to his brother.

¹⁰ And the thing which he did displeased the Lord; therefore He killed him also.

¹¹ Then Judah said to Tamar his daughter-in-law, “Remain a widow in your father’s house till my son Shelah is grown.” For he said, “Lest he also die like his brothers.” And Tamar went and dwelt in her father’s house.

The events in this chapter are referred to in Genesis 46:12, in David’s genealogy in 1 Chronicles 2:3-4, Ruth 4:12, and in Jesus’ genealogy in Matthew 1:3.

Adullam was a small Canaanite settlement about eight miles northwest of [Jacob’s] home. Some commentaries condemn Judah—perhaps rightly—for choosing a wife from the Canaanites, but what other options did he have? Laban’s family was not only closely related, but they were idol worshipers and antagonistic toward Jacob. Esau’s and Ishmael’s families had both mixed with the Canaanites. The Bible doesn’t tell us Tamar’s background.

Morris’ quote (below) is speculation but compelling enough, I thought, to be included here:

Shua’s daughter … was a true Canaanite, not only in parentage but in character, and was evidently unwilling to be converted to the worship of Jehovah. It is true that the Bible does not say this, but the inference is justified in view of the fact that all three of her sons were rejected by God from carrying on in Judah’s patriarchal line. Two of them, at least, were notoriously wicked, and it is likely that their characters largely reflected their mother’s character and teaching. — Morris, page 547

Er = watcher (named by Judah). His wickedness in the sight of the Lord may have been, in part, a refusal to consummate his marriage. Or, since God planned to include Tamar as an ancestor of the Messiah, it may be that God put Er to death before Tamar could conceive by him.

Onan = strong (named by his mother)

Shelah (also named by his mother), born in Chezib, apparently a small town near Adullam. He never did marry Tamar, but he did marry someone because he became the ancestor of the Shelanites, in the tribe of Judah (Numbers 26:20).

It was already a custom in those days that, if a man died without children, his next younger brother should marry his wife and “raise up seed to his brother.” The first son from such a marriage would then be recognized legally as the son and heir of the dead brother. This was the so-called Levirate marriage, which later was incorporated as a part of the Mosaic law (Deuteronomy 25:5-1-; Matthew 22:24). The obvious step [after Er had died], therefore, was to enforce the Levirate (a word from the Latin levir, meaning “brother-in-law”) regulation … and to have Tamar marry Judah’s second son, Onan. …

It was not the overt act of spilling the seed on the ground that occasioned Onan’s death, but rather his rebellion against his duty to give Tamar a son. Judah either didn’t know why his first two sons died, or else suspected that Shelah would sin in the same way and “also die like his brothers.” — Morris, page 549

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This last section of Genesis (i.e., the “generations of Jacob,” from 37:2 to 50:26) is [not] primarily to present the story of Joseph. … The primary purpose of this last section, consistent with the overall purpose of 11:27—50:26, is to complete and consolidate the biblical framework of God’s “Path of Redemption.” In keeping with this purpose, the present chapter is in fact quite integral, for by its focus on Judah it anticipates, or “sets up,” the essential place that he will come to occupy (even greater than that of Joseph!) in that Path of Redemption, and by virtue of the specific episode it relates, the reader is given to understand that spiritual “turning point” in Judah’s life (like that for his father in 32:24-30) that explains the dramatic moral reversal in [the] attitude and behavior [of] his father’s new favorite son (since Joseph is assumed dead) in 44:18-34. The way to this “turning point” for Judah is set up by his own sin and less than ideal behavior (as is often the case with such spiritual “turning points”)—first, in not doing that which “duty” requires, to wit: giving Tamar, the widow of his two older sons, to his surviving son Shelah as his wife. — Wechsler, pages 249-250.

²³ So it came to pass, when Joseph had come to his brothers, that they stripped Joseph of his tunic, the tunic of many colors that was on him.

²⁴ Then they took him and cast him into a pit. And the pit was empty; there was no water in it.

²⁵ And they sat down to eat a meal. Then they lifted their eyes and looked, and there was a company of Ishmaelites, coming from Gilead with their camels, bearing spices, balm, and myrrh, on their way to carry them down to Egypt.

²⁶ So Judah said to his brothers, “What profit is there if we kill our brother and conceal his blood?

²⁷ Come and let us sell him to the Ishmaelites, and let not our hand be upon him, for he is our brother and our flesh.” And his brothers listened.

²⁸ Then Midianite traders passed by; so the brothers pulled Joseph up and lifted him out of the pit, and sold him to the Ishmaelites for twenty shekels of silver. And they took Joseph to Egypt.

²⁹ Then Reuben returned to the pit, and indeed Joseph was not in the pit; and he tore his clothes.

³⁰ And he returned to his brothers and said, “The lad is no more; and I, where shall I go?”

³¹ So they took Joseph’s tunic, killed a kid of the goats, and dipped the tunic in the blood.

³² Then they sent the tunic of many colors, and they brought it to their father and said, “We have found this. Do you know whether it is your son’s tunic or not?”

³³ And he recognized it and said, “It is my son’s tunic. A wild beast has devoured him. Without doubt Joseph is torn to pieces.”

³⁴ Then Jacob tore his clothes, put sackcloth on his waist, and mourned for his son many days.

³⁵ And all his sons and all his daughters arose to comfort him; but he refused to be comforted, and he said, “For I shall go down into the grave to my son in mourning.” Thus his father wept for him.

³⁶ Now the Midianites had sold him in Egypt to Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh and captain of the guard.

The traders who bought Joseph are referred to as Ishmaelites in verse 28 and Midianites in verse 36. Both Ishmael and Midean were sons of Abraham (Genesis 16:15; 25:2) and their descendants often mixed together. The two names are also used interchangeably in Judges 8:22-24.

the grave (v.35) = Sheol — this is the first reference in Scripture of this place of departed spirits.

As the brothers [minus Reuben] were eating, they saw other visitors coming in the distance—a caravan following the regular nearby trade route from the mountains of Gilead down into Egypt. Gilead was a plateau region east of the Jordan and extending down from about the Sea of Galilee to the Dead Sea. … It was a lushly forested region, specially known for its balms and spices. — Morris. page 543

While the brothers plotted and bargained to sell Joseph, he was pleading with them to free him and let him live (Genesis 42:21).

Without Reuben’s knowledge, Judah then takes the lead—also showing some compassion (“for he is our brother, our own flesh”)—in selling their brother to Ishmaelite traders on their way down to Egypt—thus already bearing out the enmity God declared in Genesis 16:12 would arise between Ishmael and his brothers (note that, since Ishmael was Joseph’s great-uncle, these Ishmaelites would have been his second cousins, no further than two or three times removed). Continuing the cautionary sub-theme of the potential influence on children of parent patterns of sin, the sons of Jacob in turn try their hand at deception by dipping Joseph’s tunic in the blood of a goat and bringing it to their father, who concludes that a wild beast has devoured Joseph, for whom he then mourns for many days. —  Wechsler, page 249.

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Jacob continues mourning for so many days that finally his sons became seriously concerned and tried to “comfort” him (a sharp commentary on their hypocrisy). His daughters also tried to comfort him. This is the first mention of any daughters besides Dinah, though they are also mentioned in Genesis 46:7, 15, so that he must have had at least on other daughter.

Potiphar is called an “officer,” but the Hebrew word is saris, meaning “eunuch,” which fact is no doubt partially explanatory of his wife’s later attempt to seduce Joseph. His office was the rather unsavory duty of captain of the “guard,” or, more literally, the “slaughterers” or “executioners” for Pharaoh, the king of Egypt. — Morris, page 545.