וְיֹוסֵף הוּרַד מִצְרָיְמָה וַיִּקְנֵהוּ פֹּוטִיפַר סְרִיס פַּרְעֹה שַׂר הַטַּבָּחִים אִישׁ מִצְרִי מִיַּד  39:1

הַיִּשְׁמְעֵאלִים אֲשֶׁר הֹורִדֻהוּ שָׁמָּה

Gene. 39:1  Now Joseph had been brought down to Egypt, and Potiphar, an officer of Pharoah, captain of the guard, an Egyptian, bought him from the hand of the Ishmaelites who had brought him down there.

וַיְהִי יְהוָה אֶת־יֹוסֵף וַיְהִי אִישׁ מַצְלִיחַ וַיְהִי בְּבֵית אֲדֹנָיו הַמִּצְרִי  39:2

Gene. 39:2  And the Lord was with Joseph, so he was a man of prosperity while he was in the house of his master, the Egyptian.

וַיַּרְא אֲדֹנָיו כִּי יְהוָה אִתֹּו וְכֹל אֲשֶׁר־הוּא עֹשֶׂה יְהוָה מַצְלִיחַ בְּיָדֹו  39:3

Gene. 39:3  And his master saw that the Lord was with him, and all that he was doing, the Lord made to prosper in his hand.

וַיִּמְצָא יֹוסֵף חֵן בְּעֵינָיו וַיְשָׁרֶת אֹתֹו וַיַּפְקִדֵהוּ עַל־בֵּיתֹו וְכָל־יֶשׁ־לֹו נָתַן בְּיָדֹו  39:4

Gene. 39:4  And Joseph gained favor in his eyes as he served him.  And he made him overseer over his household, and he put all that was his in his hand.

וַיְהִי מֵאָז הִפְקִיד אֹתֹו בְּבֵיתֹו וְעַל כָּל־אֲשֶׁר יֶשׁ־לֹו וַיְבָרֶךְ יְהוָה אֶת־בֵּית הַמִּצְרִי בִּגְלַל יֹוסֵף וַיְהִי  39:5

בִּרְכַּת יְהוָה בְּכָל־אֲשֶׁר יֶשׁ־לֹו בַּבַּיִת וּבַשָּׂדֶה

Gene. 39:5  And it happened, from when he made him overseer in his house and over all that was his, that the Lord blessed the house of the Egyptian for the sake of Joseph and the blessing of the Lord was on all that was his, in the house and in the field.

וַיַּעֲזֹב כָּל־אֲשֶׁר־לֹו בְּיַד־יֹוסֵף וְלֹא־יָדַע אִתֹּו מְאוּמָה כִּי אִם־הַלֶּחֶם אֲשֶׁר־הוּא אֹוכֵל וַיְהִי יֹוסֵף  39:6

יְפֵה־תֹאַר וִיפֵה מַרְאֶה

Gene. 39:6  And he left all that was his in the hand of Joseph, and he considered nothing but only the food that he ate was with him.  And Joseph was of handsome form and fair of appearance.

וַיְהִי אַחַר הַדְּבָרִים הָאֵלֶּה וַתִּשָּׂא אֵשֶׁת־אֲדֹנָיו אֶת־עֵינֶיהָ אֶל־יֹוסֵף וַתֹּאמֶר שִׁכְבָה עִמִּי  39:7

Gene. 39:7  And it happened after these things that his master's wife cast her eyes toward Joseph, and she said, “Lie with me.”

וַיְמָאֵן וַיֹּאמֶר אֶל־אֵשֶׁת אֲדֹנָיו הֵן אֲדֹנִי לֹא־יָדַע אִתִּי מַה־בַּבָּיִת וְכֹל אֲשֶׁר־יֶשׁ־לֹו נָתַן בְּיָדִי  39:8

Gene. 39:8  But he refused, and he said to the wife of his master, “Though my master does not know what is in the house with me, yet all that is his, he has put in my hand.”

אֵינֶנּוּ גָדֹול בַּבַּיִת הַזֶּה מִמֶּנִּי וְלֹא־חָשַׂךְ מִמֶּנִּי מְאוּמָה כִּי אִם־אֹותָךְ בַּאֲשֶׁר אַתְּ־אִשְׁתֹּו וְאֵיךְ  39:9

אֶעֱשֶׂה הָרָעָה הַגְּדֹלָה הַזֹּאת וְחָטָאתִי לֵאלֹהִים

Gene. 39:9  “He is not greater in this house than I am, and he has not withheld from me anything but only you, in that you are his wife.  So how can I do this great wickedness and sin against God?”

Against God, not against Potiphar!  Here again we see the scribe evoking a prohibition that was not specified by God until the desert wandering of the Israelites after the Exodus, several hundred years later than the time of Joseph.  Can this mean that Joseph, along with his other powers for which he was chosen by God, knew the future and the laws that God would provide to His people?  This can’t be ruled out for any of the early fathers.  Otherwise you would have to consent to considering the scribe fallible, careless, and/or foolish (which he/they was/were not!).

וַיְהִי כְּדַבְּרָהּ אֶל־יֹוסֵף יֹום יֹום וְלֹא־שָׁמַע אֵלֶיהָ לִשְׁכַּב אֶצְלָהּ לִהְיֹות עִמָּהּ  39:10

Gene. 39:10   And it happened, as she spoke to Joseph day by day, that he did not listen to her, to lie near her, to be with her.

וַיְהִי כְּהַיֹּום הַזֶּה וַיָּבֹא הַבַּיְתָה לַעֲשֹׂות מְלַאכְתֹּו וְאֵין אִישׁ מֵאַנְשֵׁי הַבַּיִת שָׁם בַּבָּיִת  39:11

Gene. 39:11   And it was, that on a certain day when he went into the house to do his work and there was no one of the men of the house there in the house,

וַתִּתְפְּשֵׂהוּ בְּבִגְדֹו לֵאמֹר שִׁכְבָה עִמִּי וַיַּעֲזֹב בִּגְדֹו בְּיָדָהּ וַיָּנָס וַיֵּצֵא הַחוּצָה  39:12

Gene. 39:12   that she caught him by his garment, saying, “Lie with me.”  And he left his garment in her hand and fled and escaped outside.

וַיְהִי כִּרְאֹותָהּ כִּי־עָזַב בִּגְדֹו בְּיָדָהּ וַיָּנָס הַחוּצָה  39:13

Gene. 39:13   And it happened when she saw that he had left his garment in her hand and he had fled outside,

וַתִּקְרָא לְאַנְשֵׁי בֵיתָהּ וַתֹּאמֶר לָהֶם לֵאמֹר רְאוּ הֵבִיא לָנוּ אִישׁ עִבְרִי לְצַחֶק בָּנוּ בָּא אֵלַי לִשְׁכַּב עִמִּי  39:14

וָאֶקְרָא בְּקֹול גָּדֹול

Gene. 39:14   that she called to the men of her house and said to them, “See, he has brought a Hebrew man to us to laugh at us.  He came to me to lie with me, but I would cry out in a loud voice.”

וַיְהִי כְשָׁמְעֹו כִּי־הֲרִימֹתִי קֹולִי וָאֶקְרָא וַיַּעֲזֹב בִּגְדֹו אֶצְלִי וַיָּנָס וַיֵּצֵא הַחוּצָה  39:15

Gene. 39:15   “And it happened when he heard that I raised my voice and would cry out, that he left his garment near me and he fled and escaped outside.”

וַתַּנַּח בִּגְדֹו אֶצְלָהּ עַד־בֹּוא אֲדֹנָיו אֶל־בֵּיתֹו  39:16

Gene. 39:16   And she laid away his garment near her until his master came into his house.

וַתְּדַבֵּר אֵלָיו כַּדְּבָרִים הָאֵלֶּה לֵאמֹר בָּא־אֵלַי הָעֶבֶד הָעִבְרִי אֲשֶׁר־הֵבֵאתָ לָּנוּ לְצַחֶק בִּי  39:17

Gene. 39:17   And she spoke to him according to these words saying, “The Hebrew servant whom you have brought to us came in to me to toy with me.”

וַיְהִי כַּהֲרִימִי קֹולִי וָאֶקְרָא וַיַּעֲזֹב בִּגְדֹו אֶצְלִי וַיָּנָס הַחוּצָה  39:18

Gene. 39:18   “And it happened after my raising my voice and and I would cry out, that he left his garment by me and fled outside.”

וַיְהִי כִשְׁמֹעַ אֲדֹנָיו אֶת־דִּבְרֵי אִשְׁתֹּו אֲשֶׁר דִּבְּרָה אֵלָיו לֵאמֹר כַּדְּבָרִים הָאֵלֶּה עָשָׂהּ לִי עַבְדֶּךָ  39:19

וַיִּחַר אַפֹּו

Gene. 39:19   And it happened when his master heard the words of his wife that she spoke to him saying, “According to these things your servant did to me,” that his anger was kindled.

וַיִּקַּח אֲדֹנֵי יֹוסֵף אֹתֹו וַיִּתְּנֵהוּ אֶל־בֵּית הַסֹּהַר מְקֹום אֲשֶׁר־אֲסוּרֵי הַמֶּלֶךְ אֲסוּרִים וַיְהִי־שָׁם  39:20

בְּבֵית הַסֹּהַר

Gene. 39:20   And the master of Joseph took him and put him into the prison, the place where the prisoners of the king were being kept, and he remained there in the prison.

The word for prisoners of, yreWsa, is assumed to be misspelled, with a vav where a yad should be.  The root of the word in error would be aser, a verb meaning to bind or to take prisoner.  The assumed correct root would be asir, meaning prisoner.  I find it intriguing that the word following the king, which is translated as were being kept, has the same root as the alleged misspelled word, so is spelled with the vav.  This could suggest that the scribe was indeed careless at this point.  Hard to believe, but possible.

וַיְהִי יְהוָה אֶת־יֹוסֵף וַיֵּט אֵלָיו חָסֶד וַיִּתֵּן חִנֹּו בְּעֵינֵי שַׂר בֵּית־הַסֹּהַר  39:21

Gene. 39:21   But the Lord was with Joseph and showed kindness to him and gave him favor in the eyes of the keeper of the prison.

וַיִּתֵּן שַׂר בֵּית־הַסֹּהַר בְּיַד־יֹוסֵף אֵת כָּל־הָאֲסִירִם אֲשֶׁר בְּבֵית הַסֹּהַר וְאֵת כָּל־אֲשֶׁר עֹשִׂים שָׁם הוּא  39:22

הָיָה עֹשֶׂה

Gene. 39:22   And the keeper of the prison gave all the prisoners who were in the prison into the hand of Joseph, so he was in charge of all that they were doing there.

אֵין שַׂר בֵּית־הַסֹּהַר רֹאֶה אֶת־כָּל־מְאוּמָה בְּיָדֹו בַּאֲשֶׁר יְהוָה אִתֹּו וַאֲשֶׁר־הוּא עֹשֶׂה יְהוָה מַצְלִיחַ  39:23

Gene. 39:23   The keeper of the prison did not look to any things under his hand in that the Lord was with him, and what he did, the Lord made prosper.

 

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