Genesis 39:1

And Joseph was brought down to Egypt; and Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, captain of the guard, an Egyptian, bought him of the hands of the Ishmeelites, which had brought him down thither.

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Word by word — the Hebrew

Word	Hebrew	Strong’s	Meaning
Joseph	וְיוֹסֵ֖ף ve.yo.Sef	H3130	Joseph · conjunction + proper noun, a man's name
down	הוּרַ֣ד hu.Rad	H3381	to descend (literally · verb, hophal perfect, 3rd person masculine singular
Egypt	מִצְרָ֑יְמָה mitz.Ra.ye.mah	H4714	Mitsrajim · proper noun, a place name + directional suffix
Potiphar	פּוֹטִיפַר֩ po.ti.Far	H6318	Potiphar · proper noun, a man's name
officer	סְרִ֨יס se.Ris	H5631	a eunuch · noun, common masculine singular construct
Pharaoh	פַּרְעֹ֜ה par.'Oh	H6547	Paroh · noun, masculine singular absolute
captain	שַׂ֤ר sar	H8269	a head person (of any rank or class) · noun, common masculine singular construct
guard	הַטַּבָּחִים֙ ha.ta.ba.Chim	H2876	properly · definite article + noun, common masculine plural absolute
Egyptian	אִ֣ישׁ 'ish	H376	a man as an individual or a male person · noun, common masculine singular absolute
bought	וַיִּקְנֵ֡הוּ vai.yik.Ne.hu	H7069	to erect · conjunction + verb, qal sequential imperfect, 3rd person masculine singular + pronominal suffix, 3rd person masculine singular
hands	מִיַּד֙ mi.Yad	H3027	a hand (the open one (indicating power · preposition + noun, common both genders singular construct
Ishmeelites	הַיִּשְׁמְעֵאלִ֔ים hai.yish.me.'e.Lim	H3459	a Jishmaelite or descendant of Jishmael · definite article + noun, gentilic masculine plural absolute
down	הוֹרִדֻ֖הוּ ho.ri.Du.hu	H3381	to descend (literally · verb, hiphil perfect, 3rd person common plural + pronominal suffix, 3rd person masculine singular

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (James Strong, 1890/1894), public domain; digitized by Open Scriptures (CC BY-SA). KJV word tagging: eBible.org (public domain). Original-language text, parsing and brief lexicon: STEPBible.org data from Tyndale House, Cambridge (CC BY 4.0).

Cross-references

Genesis 37:28 Then there passed by Midianites merchantmen; and they drew and lifted up Joseph out of the pit, and sold Joseph to the Ishmeelites for twent…
Psalms 105:17 He sent a man before them, even Joseph, who was sold for a servant:
Genesis 37:25 And they sat down to eat bread: and they lifted up their eyes and looked, and, behold, a company of Ishmeelites came from Gilead with their…
Genesis 37:36 And the Midianites sold him into Egypt unto Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh’s, and captain of the guard.
Acts 7:9 And the patriarchs, moved with envy, sold Joseph into Egypt: but God was with him,
Genesis 45:4 And Joseph said unto his brethren, Come near to me, I pray you. And they came near. And he said, I am Joseph your brother, whom ye sold into…

Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Genesis 39:1-6

Here is, I. Joseph bought (Gen 39:1), and he that bought him, whatever he gave for him, had a good bargain of him; it was better than the merchandise of silver. The Jews have a proverb, "If the world did not know the worth of good men, they would hedge them about with pearls." He was sold to an officer of Pharaoh, with whom he might get acquainted with public persons and public business, and so be fitted for the preferment for which he was designed. Note, 1. What God intends men for he will be sure, some way or other, to qualify them for. 2. Providence is to be acknowledged in the disposal even of poor servants and in their settlements, and therein may perhaps be working towards something gr…

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Adam Clarke on Genesis 39:1

An officer of Pharaoh, captain of the guard - Mr. Ainsworth, supposing that his office merely consisted in having charge of the king's prisoners, calls Potiphar provost marshal! See Clarke on Gen 37:36 (note), See Clarke on Gen 40:3 (note).

John Gill on Genesis 39:1

And Joseph was brought down to Egypt,.... By the Ishmaelites, Genesis 37:28; as in a following clause: and Potiphar an officer of Pharaoh, captain of the guard, an Egyptian; as his name also shows, which signifies the fruit of Pot or Phut, that is, the son or grandson of one of that name (m); which might be common in Egypt, since it was the name of a son of Ham, Genesis 10:6, from whom the land of Egypt is called the land of Ham, Psalm 105:23; of this man and his offices; see Gill on Genesis 37:36, he bought him: that is, "Joseph": of the hands of the Ishmaelites, who had brought him down thither; what they gave for him we know, but what they sold him for to Potiphar is not said; no doubt…

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John Calvin on Genesis 39:1-2

And Joseph was brought down. For the purpose of connecting it with the remaining part of the history, Moses repeats what he had briefly touched upon, that Joseph had been sold to Potiphar the Egyptian: he then subjoins that God was with Joseph, so that he prospered in all things. For although it often happens that all things proceed with wicked men according to their wish, whom God nevertheless does not bless with his favor; still the sentiment is true and the expression of it proper, that it is never well with men, except so far as the Lord shows himself to be gracious to them. For he vouchsafes his blessing, for a time, even to reprobates, with whom he is justly angry, in order that he may…

The Church Fathers

TRANSITION. — The Scripture goes on to repeat that Joseph was taken to Egypt and was bought by Potiphar, the eunuch of Pharaoh . With this phrase the sacred text returns to the order from where it had left, to narrate what we have exposed previously. [
— Augustine of Hippo, QUESTIONS ON GENESIS, Q. 129 (tr. J. Litteral, draft)

The Church Fathers: public-domain translations (Ante-Nicene and Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers), verse-indexed by SermonIndex (CC BY 4.0).

Dictionary and topics

Captain — (1.) Heb. sar (1 Sam. 22:2; 2 Sam. 23:19). Rendered “chief,” Gen. 40:2; 41:9; rendered also “prince,” Dan. 1:7; “ruler,” Judg. 9:30; “governor,’ 1 Kings 22:26. This same Hebrew word denotes a…
Chamberlain — A confidential servant of the king (Gen. 37:36; 39:1). In Rom. 16:23 mention is made of “Erastus the chamberlain.” Here the word denotes the treasurer of the city, or the quaestor, as the Romans…
Ishmael — God hears. (1.) Abraham’s eldest son, by Hagar the concubine (Gen. 16:15; 17:23). He was born at Mamre, when Abraham was eighty-six years of age, eleven years after his arrival in Canaan (16:3;…
Ishmeelite — (1 Chronicles 2:17) and Ish’me-elites (descendants of Ishmael), (Genesis 37:25,27,28; 39:1) the form in which the descendants of Ishmael are given in a few places in the Authorized Version.
Ishmeelites — (Gen. 37:28; 39:1, A.V.) should be “Ishmaelites,” as in the Revised Version.
Merchant — The Hebrew word so rendered is from a root meaning “to travel about,” “to migrate,” and hence “a traveller.” In the East, in ancient times, merchants travelled about with their merchandise from place…
Potiphar — Dedicated to Ra; i.e., to the sun-god, the Egyptian to whom the Ishmaelites sold Joseph (Gen. 39:1). He was “captain of the guard”, i.e., chief, probably, of the state police, who, while they formed…
Temptation — (1.) Trial; a being put to the test. Thus God “tempted [Gen. 22: 1; R.V., ‘did prove’] Abraham;” and afflictions are said to tempt, i.e., to try, men (James 1:2, 12; comp. Deut. 8:2), putting their…
Civil Service · APPOINTMENT IN, ON ACCOUNT OF MERIT — APPOINTMENT IN, ON ACCOUNT OF MERIT
Egypt · History of Israel in: Joseph sold into — History of Israel in: Joseph sold into
Ishmaelites

Genesis 39:1

Word by word — the Hebrew

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Genesis 39:1-6

Adam Clarke on Genesis 39:1

John Gill on Genesis 39:1

John Calvin on Genesis 39:1-2

The Church Fathers

Dictionary and topics

Genesis 39:1

Word by word — the Hebrew

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Genesis 39:1-6

Adam Clarke on Genesis 39:1

John Gill on Genesis 39:1

John Calvin on Genesis 39:1-2

The Church Fathers

Dictionary and topics

Tyndale Open Study Notes on Genesis 39:1–end

Rashi on Genesis 39:1