[And He Walks With Me] Genesis 39

2        As Joseph’s account continued, a theme emerged: The Lord was with Joseph. This phrase is repeated three additional times in this chapter (3, 21, 23). Given that Joseph was in the unenviable situation of having been sold as a slave in a foreign land, and that the later occurrences of this phrase are when he was placed in prison for a crime he did not commit, this would seem counterintuitive. Yet, the reality is that, even when our circumstances are less than optimal, God is still with us.

5        The Lord’s presence with Joseph resulted in blessing, not only for Joseph but for the people around him. Indeed, the Lord blessed the Egyptian’s house because of Joseph, and the Lord’s blessing was on all that he owned, in his house and in his fields. The restatement provided emphasis: Potiphar was thoroughly blessed because God was with Joseph.

6        The fact that Potiphar did not concern himself with anything indicates that Joseph was a man of impeccable character and responsibility. That the same thing is said of the prison warden in vs 23 would punctuate that point.

9        Adultery was generally considered egregious sin by people of the ANE.^[83]  However, Joseph especially recognized it as an immense evil committed against God because he was especially cognizant of God’s presence with him (see note on 39:2).

12        To appear naked in public was a great shame in ancient cultures. Yet, Joseph preferred to risk this shame rather than remain in the room with his master’s wife. God’s people should be willing to risk great shame to avoid even the appearance of evil.

14        Spurned by Joseph, Potiphar’s wife now used the derogatory term Hebrew to refer to him. See note on 29:7-11 for the definition of Hebrew.

20        Imprisonment was not a common punishment for crimes in the ancient world. If Potiphar honestly believed his wife’s story about Joseph’s attempted sexual assault, Joseph would have been summarily executed. This suggests that Potiphar was actually angry with his wife.^[84]

21-23        the Lord was with Joseph. See note on 39:2.

The warden did not bother with anything. See note on 39:6.

[83] Sproul 2016, Genesis 39:9

[84] Keener and Walton 2016, Genesis 39:20