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Commentary on Genesis 39 verses 7–12
Here is, I. A most shameful instance of impudence and immodesty in Joseph's mistress, the shame and scandal of her sex, perfectly lost to all virtue and honour, and not to be mentioned, nor thought of, without the utmost indignation. It was well that she was an Egyptian; for we must have shared in the confusion if such folly had been found in Israel. Observe,
I. Her sin began in the eye: She cast her eyes upon Joseph (Gen 39:7), who was a goodly person, and well-favoured, Gen 39:6. Note, (1.) Remarkable beauty, either of men or women, often proves a dangerous snare both to themselves and others, which forbids pride in it and commands constant watchfulness against the temptation that attends it; favour is deceitful - deceiving. (2.) We have great need to make a covenant with our eyes (Job 31:1), lest the eye infect the heart. Joseph's mistress had a husband that ought to have been to her for a covering of the eyes from all others, Gen 20:16.
2.She was daring and shameless in the sin. With an impudent face, and a harlot's forehead, she said, Lie with me, having already, by her wanton looks and unchaste desires, committed adultery with him in her heart. Note, Where the unclean spirit gets possession and dominion in a soul, it is as with the possessed of the devils (Luk 8:27, Luk 8:29), the clothes of modesty are thrown off and the bands and fetters of shame are broken in pieces. When lust has got head, it will stick at nothing, blush at nothing; decency, and reputation, and conscience, are all sacrificed to that Baal-peor. 3. She was urgent and violent in the temptation. Often she had been denied with the strongest reasons, and yet as often renewed her vile solicitations. She spoke to him day by day, Gen 39:10. Now this was, (1.) Great wickedness in her, and showed her heart fully set to do evil. (2.) A great temptation to Joseph. The hand of Satan, no doubt, was in it, who, when he found he could not overcome him with troubles and the frowns of the world (for in them he still held fast his integrity), assaulted him with soft and charming pleasures, which have ruined more than the former, and have slain their ten-thousands.
II. Here is a most illustrious instance of virtue and resolved chastity in Joseph, who, by the grace of God, was enabled to resist and overcome this temptation; and, all things considered, his escape was, for aught I know, as great an instance of the divine power as the deliverance of the three children out of the fiery furnace.
1.The temptation he was assaulted with was very strong. Never was a more violent onset made upon the fort of chastity than this recorded here. (1.) The sin he was tempted to was uncleanness, which considering his youth, his beauty, his single state, and his plentiful living at the table of a ruler, was a sin which, one would think, might most easily beset him and betray him. (2.) The tempter was his mistress, a person of quality, whom it was his place to obey and his interest to oblige, whose favour would contribute more than any thing to his preferment, and by whose means he might arrive at the highest honours of the court. On the other hand, it was at his utmost peril if he slighted her, and made her his enemy. (3.) Opportunity makes a thief, makes an adulterer, and that favoured the temptation. The tempter was in the house with him; his business led him to be, without any suspicion, where she was; none of the family were within (Gen 39:11); there appeared no danger of its being ever discovered, or, if it should be suspected, his mistress would protect him. (4.) To all this was added importunity, frequent constant importunity, to such a degree that, at last, she laid violent hands on him.
2.His resistance of the temptation was very brave, and the victory truly honourable. The almighty grace of God enabled him to overcome this assault of the enemy,
(1.)By strength of reason; and wherever right reason may be heard, religion no doubt will carry the day. He argues from the respect he owed both to God and his master, Gen 39:8, Gen 39:9. [1.] He would not wrong his master, nor do such an irreparable injury to his honour. He considers, and urges, how kind his master had been to him, what a confidence he had reposed in him, in how many instances he had befriended him, for which he abhorred the thought of making such an ungrateful return. Note, We are bound in honour, as well as justice and gratitude, not in any thing to injure those that have a good opinion of us and place a trust in us, how secretly soever it may be done. See how he argues (Gen 39:9): "There is none greater in this house than I, therefore I will not do it." Note, Those that are great, instead of being proud of their greatness, should use it as an argument against sin. "Is none greater than I? Then I will scorn to do a wicked thing; it is below me to serve a base lust; I will not disparage myself so much." [2.] He would not offend his God. This is the chief argument with which he strengthens his aversion to the sin. How can I do this? not only, How shall I? or, How dare I? but, How can I? Id possumus, quod jure possumus - We can do that which we can do lawfully. It is good to shut out sin with the strongest bar, even that of an impossibility. He that is born of God cannot sin, Jo1 3:9. Three arguments Joseph urges upon himself. First, He considers who he was that was tempted. "I; others may perhaps take their liberty, but I cannot. I that am an Israelite in covenant with God, that profess religion, and relation to him: it is next to impossible for me to do so." Secondly, What the sin was to which he was tempted: This great wickedness. Others might look upon it as a small matter, a peccadillo, a trick of youth; but Joseph had another idea of it. In general, when at any time we are tempted to sin, we must consider the great wickedness there is in it, let sin appear sin (Rom 7:13), call it by its own name, and never go about to lessen it. Particularly let the sin of uncleanness always be looked upon as great wickedness, as an exceedingly sinful sin, that wars against the soul as much as any other. Thirdly, Against whom he was tempted to sin - against God; not only, "How shall I do it, and sin against my master, my mistress, myself, my own body and soul; but against God?" Note, Gracious souls look upon this as the worst thing in sin that it is against God, against his nature and his dominion, against his love and his design. Those that love God do for this reason hate sin.
(2.)By stedfastness of resolution. The grace of God enabled him to overcome the temptation by avoiding the tempter. [1.] He hearkened not to her, so much as to be with her, Gen 39:10. Note, Those that would be kept from harm must keep themselves out of harm's way. Avoid it, pass not by it. Nay, [2.] When she laid hold of him, he left his garment in her hand, Gen 39:12. He would not stay so much as to parley with the temptation, but flew out from it with the utmost abhorrence; he left his garment, as one escaping for his life. Note, It is better to lose a good coat than a good conscience.
Further, she said to him, “Lie with me.” The first weapons of the adulteress are those of the eyes, the second those of words, but one who is not seduced by the eyes can resist the word. A defense is at hand when the passions are still free. And so it is written that “he refused.” Therefore Joseph first overcame her attack through a struggle in his heart and drove her back with the shield of his soul, so to speak; then he launched his word like a spear to force her retreat. “And he spoke to the wife of his master.” She is correctly called the wife of the master, and not the mistress of the house, for she could not extort what she wanted to obtain. For how was she the mistress? She did not have the power of one who rules; she did not observe the discipline of a mistress; she provided mere servants with enticements to lust. But Joseph was a master who did not take up the torches of that lover, did not feel the bonds of that seducer, was not terrified by any fear of death and preferred to die free of sin rather than to choose participation in guilty power. He was free who believed it shameful not to make recompense for favor. Indeed, Joseph does not make his excuses as a frightened man, nor is he on his guard as one fearful of danger. Rather, he flees the charge of ingratitude and the stain of sin as one who owes a debt to his master’s kindness and his own blamelessness, and, as a just man, he is terrified of the contagion of guilt. The adulteress threw her third dart by the persistency of her invitation, but Joseph did not listen to her. After the first words, one has something to guard against. Lust is not only impure but insolent, demanding and wanton as well, and the adulteress has respect for nothing. She who felt no sorrow at her first loss of modesty lies in wait to perform her seduction.Finally, when Joseph went in by reason of his duty and the office entrusted to him and the witnesses and household servants were far off, she seized him and said, “Lie with me.” He is absolved by the testimony of Scripture, because he was unable to abandon the service entrusted to him by his master. Indeed, it is not enough that Joseph entered the inside of his house without concern as one who could not be seduced; the just man had an obligation to take care not to give opportunity to a woman in a state of frenzy, else she might be undone by his sin. But while he perceived that the wife of his master was his adversary, still he had to guard against giving offense to his master by neglecting his duty. At the same time, he supposed her forwardness still consisted in speech, not in laying hands on him. Joseph is absolved for having entered in and praised for having slipped away; he did not value the clothing of his body higher than the chastity of his soul. He left the clothing, which the adulteress held back in her hands, as if it were not his, and considered foreign to him the garments that the impure woman had been able to touch and seize. Joseph was, after all, a great man. Although sold, he did not know the nature of a slave. Although much loved, he did not love in return. Although asked, he did not acquiesce. Although seized, he fled away. When he was approached by his master’s wife, he could be held by his garment but not seduced in his soul. He did not endure even her words for long, either, because he judged it to be a contagion if he should delay very long; else the incentives to lust might pass over to him through the hands of the adulteress. Therefore Joseph stripped off his garment and cast off the sin. He left behind the clothing by which he was held and fled away, stripped to be sure, but not naked, because he was covered better by the covering of modesty. Yes, a man is not naked unless guilt has made him naked.
When Joseph was accused by his master’s wife, he could be held by his clothing but was unable to be captivated in soul. He did not even tolerate her words for a long time, considering it a dangerous influence if he delayed any longer, lest through the hands of the adulteress the attractions of lust penetrate his soul. Therefore by removing his garments he shook off all accusation; leaving the clothes with which he was held he fled, robbed indeed but not naked, for he was covered still more with the clothing of purity. No one is naked except the man whom guilt has exposed. In earlier times too we have the fact that after Adam had disregarded God’s command by his transgression and contracted the debt of serious sin, he was naked; for this reason he himself said, “I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; and I hid.” Adam asserts he is naked because he has lost the adornment of divine protection; and he hid himself because he did not have the garment of faith, which he had laid aside by his transgression. You see an important fact: Adam was naked, although he did not lose his tunic; Joseph, who was stripped of his clothing, which he left in the hands of the adulteress, was not naked. The same Scripture asserts that the former was naked and the latter was not. Therefore Joseph despoiled himself rather than become naked when he preserved the garments of virtue incorrupt. He stripped himself of the old man with its actions, in order to put on the new man who is renewed unto knowledge according to the image of the Creator. Adam, however, remained naked because he could not clothe himself again after he was stripped of his singularly privileged virtue. For this reason he took a tunic made of skins, since as a sinner he could not have a spiritual one.
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SUMMARY
Genesis 39:12 vividly portrays Joseph's unwavering moral integrity in the face of intense sexual temptation. When Potiphar's wife physically assaults him, demanding he "lie with me," Joseph decisively flees the compromising situation, leaving his outer garment in her grasp. This pivotal act highlights Joseph's profound commitment to God and purity, demonstrating a resolute refusal to sin, even when such faithfulness immediately leads to false accusation and personal suffering.
CONTEXT
EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS
Genesis 39:12 vividly portrays the culmination of Potiphar's wife's relentless pursuit of Joseph, transitioning from verbal enticement to a desperate physical assault. Her aggressive action, "And she caught him by his garment," signifies a forceful attempt to control and compel Joseph. Her direct command, "saying, Lie with me," leaves no ambiguity about her illicit intent. Joseph's response is immediate and decisive: he prioritizes his purity and relationship with God above all else, even his personal safety or reputation. His actions are described with a series of powerful verbs that convey urgency and finality. He does not hesitate, negotiate, or rationalize; he simply acts.
Key Word Analysis
Verse Breakdown
Literary Devices
The verse employs several powerful literary devices. Action-oriented verbs dominate, such as "caught," "left," "fled," and "got out," creating a sense of rapid, decisive movement and high drama. This serves to emphasize Joseph's immediate and non-negotiable response to temptation. The contrast between Potiphar's wife's aggressive pursuit and Joseph's resolute flight highlights their opposing moral stances. The symbolism of the "garment" is crucial; it represents Joseph's personal integrity and, ironically, becomes the false evidence used to condemn him. Its abandonment signifies his willingness to sacrifice personal safety and reputation for the sake of purity. The scene is also a moment of intense climax, the culmination of ongoing temptation, resolved by Joseph's definitive and exemplary act of resistance.
THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
Joseph's decisive action in Genesis 39:12 provides a profound theological statement on the nature of sin, integrity, and divine sovereignty. His immediate flight, even at great personal cost, underscores that true purity is not merely the absence of outward transgression but a heart-level commitment to God that prioritizes His honor above all else. This choice exemplifies a proactive approach to temptation, recognizing the danger and taking immediate, physical steps to remove oneself from its grip. Furthermore, Joseph's suffering for righteousness, though seemingly a setback, is ultimately woven into God's larger tapestry of redemption, demonstrating that God can use even unjust adversity to accomplish His divine purposes.
REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
Joseph's response in Genesis 39:12 serves as a timeless and potent model for confronting temptation, particularly those that are intensely personal, morally compromising, and physically pressing. It teaches us the critical importance of establishing clear moral boundaries beforehand, as Joseph had consistently done by refusing Potiphar's wife's advances. When faced with overwhelming temptation, especially in matters of sexual purity, the wisest and most godly strategy is often immediate and physical removal from the situation; one must not linger, rationalize, or attempt to negotiate with sin. Joseph's ultimate motivation was not merely to avoid displeasing Potiphar but, more profoundly, to avoid sinning "against God," demonstrating that true integrity is rooted in a deep reverence for the Lord and a recognition that all sin is ultimately an offense against Him. Finally, Joseph's story reminds us to trust God with the consequences of our obedience; while his choice led to immediate suffering and unjust imprisonment, Joseph's faithfulness was ultimately rewarded by God, illustrating that costly obedience is always the best path within God's sovereign and redemptive plan.
Questions for Reflection
FAQ
Why did Joseph leave his garment behind?
Answer: Joseph left his garment behind as a necessary and decisive act to escape the physical grasp of Potiphar's wife and flee the compromising situation. By abandoning his outer robe, he prioritized preserving his moral purity and avoiding sin over retaining a valuable possession. This act, while leading directly to false accusation and subsequent imprisonment, demonstrated his absolute and immediate commitment to escaping the temptation, even at significant personal cost. It was a physical manifestation of his spiritual resolve.
Does Joseph's flight imply cowardice?
Answer: No, Joseph's flight was an act of profound courage, wisdom, and spiritual strength, not cowardice. True courage in the face of temptation often means recognizing one's vulnerability and taking decisive action to remove oneself from a dangerous situation. It demonstrates self-control, a deep understanding of the nature of sin, and a profound commitment to God's will. Biblically, fleeing certain temptations, especially sexual immorality, is not only commanded (1 Corinthians 6:18; 2 Timothy 2:22) but is presented as a wise and godly response, indicating a strong will to resist rather than a lack of bravery.
CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
Joseph's unyielding integrity in the face of intense sexual temptation, his suffering for righteousness, and his ultimate exaltation to a position of power that saved his people, profoundly foreshadow the life and redemptive work of Jesus Christ. Like Joseph, Christ was tempted "in all points as we are, yet without sin" (Hebrews 4:15), demonstrating perfect obedience to the Father's will. Joseph's willingness to suffer unjustly—being falsely accused and imprisoned for his purity—points to Christ, who willingly endured the ultimate injustice and suffering on the cross, remaining perfectly pure, in order to secure salvation for humanity. Just as Joseph's perceived setback led to his elevation and the preservation of his family from famine, Christ's sacrificial obedience and death led to His resurrection and exaltation to the right hand of God (Philippians 2:8-11), providing spiritual preservation and eternal life for all who believe (John 3:16). Joseph's story thus serves as a powerful type, revealing God's sovereign plan to bring good out of suffering through the obedience of His chosen servant, culminating in the ultimate Servant, Jesus Christ.