Genesis 37:36

37:36 Now ¹  in Egypt the Midianites ²  sold Joseph ³  to Potiphar, one of Pharaoh’s officials, the captain of the guard. ⁴ 

Genesis 39:1

Joseph and Potiphar’s Wife

39:1 Now Joseph had been brought down to Egypt. ⁵  An Egyptian named Potiphar, an official of Pharaoh and the captain of the guard, ⁶  purchased him from ⁷  the Ishmaelites who had brought him there.

Genesis 39:20

39:20 Joseph’s master took him and threw him into the prison, ⁸  the place where the king’s prisoners were confined. So he was there in the prison. ⁹ 

[37:36]  ¹ tn The disjunctive clause formally signals closure for this episode of Joseph’s story, which will be resumed in Gen 39.

[37:36]  ² tc The MT spells the name of the merchants as מְדָנִים (mÿdanim, “Medanites”) rather than מִדְיָנִים (midyanim, “Midianites”) as in v. 28. It is likely that the MT is corrupt at this point, with the letter yod (י) being accidentally omitted. The LXX, Vulgate, Samaritan Pentateuch, and Syriac read “Midianites” here. Some prefer to read “Medanites” both here and in v. 28, but Judg 8:24, which identifies the Midianites and Ishmaelites, favors the reading “Midianites.”

[37:36]  ³ tn Heb “him”; the referent (Joseph) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[37:36]  ⁴ sn The expression captain of the guard might indicate that Potiphar was the chief executioner.

[39:1]  ⁵ tn The disjunctive clause resumes the earlier narrative pertaining to Joseph by recapitulating the event described in 37:36. The perfect verbal form is given a past perfect translation to restore the sequence of the narrative for the reader.

[39:1]  ⁶ sn Captain of the guard. See the note on this phrase in Gen 37:36.

[39:1]  ⁷ tn Heb “from the hand of.”

[39:20]  ⁸ tn Heb “the house of roundness,” suggesting that the prison might have been a fortress or citadel.

[39:20]  ⁹ sn The story of Joseph is filled with cycles and repetition: He has two dreams (chap. 37), he interprets two dreams in prison (chap. 40) and the two dreams of Pharaoh (chap. 41), his brothers make two trips to see him (chaps. 42-43), and here, for the second time (see 37:24), he is imprisoned for no good reason, with only his coat being used as evidence. For further discussion see H. Jacobsen, “A Legal Note on Potiphar’s Wife,” HTR 69 (1976): 177.