Potiphar's Wife Incident

In this moment of crisis the personal integrity of Joseph stands forth in sharp contrast to that of his brothers. What would Reuben (ch. 35:22) or Judah (ch. 38:16) have done under the circumstances? Little wonder that Jacob favored Joseph, and that Potiphar felt such confidence in him. This confidence in him reinforced his serene purpose to be true to God, and made even more desirable to him his lofty ideals of personal honor and integrity. Joseph's character stood firm under persistent attack. Wisely, he refused even to be in her company. In thus refusing, Joseph revealed sincerity, wisdom, and determination in the way of right. The stronger the temptation, the more resolute he became in resisting it.

In repeating her tale to her husband, Potiphar's wife indirectly blamed him for the supposed affront by referring to Joseph as "the Hebrew servant, which thou hast brought unto us" (v. 17). Potiphar's action in confining Joseph with political offenders may be considered extreme leniency in view of punishment customarily administered for the crime of which he stood accused. In later times the penalty for an attempt at adultery was a thousand blows upon the soles of the feet, and for the rape of a freewoman it was even more severe (Diodorus i. 78).

Potiphar's lenience no doubt reflected his confidence in Joseph's integrity, and in contrast, very little respect for his wife's account of the episode. Nevertheless Joseph's punishment seems to have been severe at first, for more happened to him than the Genesis narrative implies. According to Ps. 105:18, his "feet" were "hurt with fetters," and "he was laid in iron."

There is an Egyptian papyrus, now in the British Museum, that relates a "story of the two brothers" superficially resembling the story of Joseph and Potiphar's wife. Numerous scholars have taken it to be the original of the story of Joseph's experience, and although the two are similar in some respects, the differences far outweigh the similarities. The Egyptian story, furthermore, has a mythological setting, and is of later origin than the book of Genesis by at least 250 years.