What is the main point of Genesis 39?
The biblical record in Genesis 39 informs us that Joseph’s master, Potiphar, had a wife that desired to have a sexual relationship with Joseph. She was bold about her desire because she personally asked Joseph to “lie with me”: (Genesis 39:7).
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Which Egyptian official was Joseph’s master?
Potiphar
Potiphar is the captain of Pharaoh’s guard who is said to have purchased Joseph as a slave and, impressed by his intelligence, makes him the master of his household.
What does Potiphar’s wife symbolize?
In the book of Genesis and Jewish traditions, exemplified in Midrashic texts and the Aggadah, the wife of Potiphar (or Zuleika as named in the Jewish Aggadah) is firmly established in her representation of the wiliness of women which men are urged to avert in fear that it would threaten their righteousness (Amos 242; …
Why did Jacob love Joseph more than his other sons?
According to the book of Genesis, Jacob loved Joseph more than any of his other sons because Joseph was born to Jacob after he was already an old man. He was also the first born of Jacob’s second wife (and true love). Because of his love for Joseph, Jacob blessed him with a coat of many colors.
How long was Joseph in jail for?
two years
How Long Was Joseph in Prison? Joseph was in prison for two years after he interpreted the dreams of the chief butler and baker (see Genesis 41:1). He was sold into slavery when he was about seventeen (see Genesis 37:2), and he was thirty years of age when he became vice-regent to the pharaoh (see Genesis 41:46).
What was God’s promise to Joseph?
Following in the promise originally given to Abraham about making him a blessing to others, God’s covenantal blessing is definitely upon Joseph: he is a blessing to Potiphar’s house (39:3, 5), to the warden in prison (39:23), to the cupbearer, whose life was spared by Pharaoh, and then ultimately to Egypt and his own …
What do we learn from Joseph and Potiphar’s wife?
In Genesis 39:13–18 we learn that Potiphar’s wife lied and accused Joseph of seeking to have inappropriate relations with her. Read Genesis 39:19–20, looking for what happened to Joseph as a result of the lies Potiphar’s wife told about him.
Why did Joseph sleep with the wife of Potiphar?
The only thing that Potiphar withholds from Joseph is his wife. Potiphar’s wife, like Joseph, was made to serve a human master. Her willingness to sleep with Joseph is a sexual subversion that the bible could condone—it would be an act of liberation through sex.
What was Joseph’s special gift from God?
Jacob gave him a coat with long sleeves because of a mistranslation in the King James Version of the Bible: “coat with long sleeves” was translated incorrectly as “coat of many colors.” Long-sleeved or many-colored, the significance was the same.
What does Joseph symbolize?
The name Joseph is a biblical name. Its earliest origins can be traced back to the Old Testament of the Bible, where it was defined as “he will add” in Hebrew. In the Old Testament, Joseph appears in its Hebrew form Yosef as the favored 11th son of Jacob.
What does story of Joseph teach us?
Joseph’s dreams first get him into trouble, but his ability to understand them leads him to be chosen by the Pharaoh and to save the world. We could learn a lesson about the mysteries of how the world works. Believers and non-believers can see it as an illustration of the need to keep trying and persevere.
How long did Joseph suffer?
(8-14) Genesis 42:8. Why Did Joseph’s Brothers Fail to Recognize Him? It had been twenty-two years since the sons of Jacob had last seen Joseph—thirteen years of slavery and prison for Joseph, seven years of plenty, and two years of famine (see Genesis 45:11)—before Jacob’s family was forced to go to Egypt for grain.
What does Joseph’s story teach us?
What is the main point of the story of Joseph?
Its people survive despite their own foolishness and wickedness, indeed, ironically, in part because of these. The story is told as a testimony to the operation of divine providence: “. . . you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good . . .” (Genesis 50:20) sums up its moral.
How did Joseph resist the temptation of Potiphar’s wife?
“And she caught him by his garment, saying, Lie with me: and he left his garment in her hand, and fled, and got him out” (Gen. 39:7–12; emphasis added). Joseph’s response is as powerful now as it was then: “How then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?”
What do we learn from the story of Joseph and Potiphar’s wife?
What the story of Joseph teaches us?
Perhaps the most powerful lesson from the life of Joseph was that he trusted God completely. This is both a spiritual lesson and a leadership. Through the 23 years in Egypt before his brothers came, he kept the faith and trusted God.
What was God’s purpose for Joseph?
Joseph became the overseer of a vast amount of grain that would deliver Egypt and many other people from a future famine. This was the main purpose that God had for Joseph’s life. He had absolute control over who would receive any grain that was stored up in Egypt.
What does the story of Joseph teach us about suffering?
The overarching life lesson gleaned from the experience of Joseph can be expressed this way: “Life’s road has potholes and obstacles, but God (not coincidence) builds a bridge over the potholes using the very obstacles that once blocked our way—IF AND ONLY IF we trust and obey Him.
What was the purpose of Joseph’s suffering?
Joseph put it this way: “You (brothers of mine) meant to harm me, BUT GOD intended it for a good purpose, so He could preserve the lives of many people…” (Genesis 50:20).
What was Joseph’s special gift?
What promise did God make to Joseph?
“And the Lord sware unto Joseph that he would preserve his seed for ever, saying, I will raise up Moses, and a rod shall be in his hand, and he shall gather together my people, and he shall lead them as a flock, and he shall smite the waters of the Red Sea with his rod.
Why did God give Joseph dreams?
God used those dreams to give Joseph a job where he could help many people.
What was Joseph’s purpose?