Kejadian 24:10

24:10 Then the servant took ten of his master’s camels and departed with all kinds of gifts from his master at his disposal. ¹  He journeyed ²  to the region of Aram Naharaim ³  and the city of Nahor.

Kejadian 39:4-6

39:4 So Joseph found favor in his sight and became his personal attendant. ⁴  Potiphar appointed Joseph ⁵  overseer of his household and put him in charge ⁶  of everything he owned. 39:5 From the time ⁷  Potiphar ⁸  appointed him over his household and over all that he owned, the Lord blessed ⁹  the Egyptian’s household for Joseph’s sake. The blessing of the Lord was on everything that he had, both ¹⁰  in his house and in his fields. ¹¹  39:6 So Potiphar ¹²  left ¹³  everything he had in Joseph’s care; ¹⁴  he gave no thought ¹⁵  to anything except the food he ate. ¹⁶ 

Now Joseph was well built and good-looking. ¹⁷ 

Kejadian 39:8-9

39:8 But he refused, saying ¹⁸  to his master’s wife, “Look, my master does not give any thought ¹⁹  to his household with me here, ²⁰  and everything that he owns he has put into my care. ²¹  39:9 There is no one greater in this household than I am. He has withheld nothing from me except you because you are his wife. So how could I do ²²  such a great evil and sin against God?”

Kejadian 44:1

The Final Test

44:1 He instructed the servant who was over his household, “Fill the sacks of the men with as much food as they can carry and put each man’s money in the mouth of his sack.

[24:10]  ¹ tn Heb “and every good thing of his master was in his hand.” The disjunctive clause is circumstantial, explaining that he took all kinds of gifts to be used at his discretion.

[24:10]  ² tn Heb “and he arose and went.”

[24:10]  ³ tn The words “the region of” are not in the Hebrew text, but are supplied in the translation for clarity.

[24:10]  sn Aram Naharaim means in Hebrew “Aram of the Two Rivers,” a region in northern Mesopotamia.

[39:4]  ⁴ sn The Hebrew verb translated became his personal attendant refers to higher domestic service, usually along the lines of a personal attendant. Here Joseph is made the household steward, a position well-attested in Egyptian literature.

[39:4]  ⁵ tn Heb “him”; the referent (Joseph) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[39:4]  ⁶ tn Heb “put into his hand.”

[39:5]  ⁷ tn Heb “and it was from then.”

[39:5]  ⁸ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Potiphar) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[39:5]  ⁹ sn The Hebrew word translated blessed carries the idea of enrichment, prosperity, success. It is the way believers describe success at the hand of God. The text illustrates the promise made to Abraham that whoever blesses his descendants will be blessed (Gen 12:1-3).

[39:5]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “in the house and in the field.” The word “both” has been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[39:5]  ¹¹ sn The passage gives us a good picture of Joseph as a young man who was responsible and faithful, both to his master and to his God. This happened within a very short time of his being sold into Egypt. It undermines the view that Joseph was a liar, a tattletale, and an arrogant adolescent.

[39:6]  ¹² tn Heb “he”; the referent (Potiphar) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[39:6]  ¹³ sn The Hebrew verb translated left indicates he relinquished the care of it to Joseph. This is stronger than what was said earlier. Apparently Potiphar had come to trust Joseph so much that he knew it was in better care with Joseph than with anyone else.

[39:6]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “hand.” This is a metonymy for being under the control or care of Joseph.

[39:6]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “did not know.”

[39:6]  ¹⁶ sn The expression except the food he ate probably refers to Potiphar’s private affairs and should not be limited literally to what he ate.

[39:6]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “handsome of form and handsome of appearance.” The same Hebrew expressions were used in Gen 29:17 for Rachel.

[39:8]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “and he said.”

[39:8]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “know.”

[39:8]  ²⁰ tn The word “here” has been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[39:8]  ²¹ tn Heb “hand.” This is a metonymy for being under the control or care of Joseph.

[39:9]  ²² tn The nuance of potential imperfect fits this context.