Genesis 39:1-6

Genesis 39:1-6

[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  [2] And the LORD  was with Joseph,  and he was a prosperous  and he was in the house  of his master  the Egyptian.  [3] And his master  saw  that the LORD  made all that he did  to prosper  in his hand.  [4] And Joseph  found  grace  in his sight,  and he served  him: and he made him overseer  over his house,  and all that he had  he put  into his hand.  [5] And it came to pass from the time  that he had made him overseer  in his house,  and over all that he had,  that the LORD  blessed  the Egyptian's  house  for Joseph's  sake;  and the blessing  of the LORD  was upon all that he had  in the house,  and in the field.  [6] And he left  all that he had in Joseph's  hand;  and he knew  not ought  he had, save  the bread  which he did eat.  And Joseph  was a goodly  person, and well  favoured. 

What does Genesis 39:1-6 Mean?

Contextual Meaning

The clause "the Lord was with Joseph" occurs four times in this chapter ( Genesis 39:2-3; Genesis 39:21; Genesis 39:23) and explains the reason for his success. The divine name "LORD," Yahweh, appears seven times in this chapter ( Genesis 39:2-3 [1], 5 [1], 21 , and23) but only one other time in the Jacob toledot ( Genesis 37:2 to Genesis 50:26): in Genesis 49:18. God had previously promised to be with Isaac and Jacob ( Genesis 26:3; Genesis 26:24; Genesis 26:28; Genesis 28:15; Genesis 28:20; Genesis 31:3). Yahweh is the name for God used. The covenant-keeping God of the patriarchs was with this son of Jacob far from home. Joseph had a fine physique and a handsome face, features that he seems to have inherited from his mother Rachel (cf. Genesis 29:17). He proved faithful in a little and therefore the Lord placed him in charge of much (cf. Luke 16:10). Note that God blessed Potiphar because of Joseph (cf. Genesis 12:3 a).
"The whole sequence of Genesis 39:2-6 is a particularly apt and clear example of the meaning of blessing in the Old Testament. Assistance and blessing belong together, though they are different. Blessing embraces both people and the rest of creation. The narrator simply presupposes that the blessing can flow over from the one whom Yahweh assists to a foreign people and adherents of a foreign religion precisely because of the one whom Yahweh assists. The power inherent in the blessing is expansive ..." [3]