Genesis 39:2

39:2 The Lord was with Joseph. He was successful ¹  and lived ²  in the household of his Egyptian master.

Genesis 39:5

39:5 From the time ³  Potiphar ⁴  appointed him over his household and over all that he owned, the Lord blessed ⁵  the Egyptian’s household for Joseph’s sake. The blessing of the Lord was on everything that he had, both ⁶  in his house and in his fields. ⁷ 

Genesis 39:21-23

39:21 But the Lord was with Joseph and showed him kindness. ⁸  He granted him favor in the sight of the prison warden. ⁹  39:22 The warden put all the prisoners under Joseph’s care. He was in charge of whatever they were doing. ¹⁰  39:23 The warden did not concern himself ¹¹  with anything that was in Joseph’s ¹²  care because the Lord was with him and whatever he was doing the Lord was making successful.

[39:2]  ¹ tn Heb “and he was a prosperous man.” This does not mean that Joseph became wealthy, but that he was successful in what he was doing, or making progress in his situation (see 24:21).

[39:2]  ² tn Heb “and he was.”

[39:5]  ³ tn Heb “and it was from then.”

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

[39:5]  ⁵ 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]  ⁶ tn Heb “in the house and in the field.” The word “both” has been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[39:5]  ⁷ 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.

[39:21]  ⁸ tn Heb “and he extended to him loyal love.”

[39:21]  ⁹ tn Or “the chief jailer” (also in the following verses).

[39:22]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “all which they were doing there, he was doing.” This probably means that Joseph was in charge of everything that went on in the prison.

[39:23]  ¹¹ tn Heb “was not looking at anything.”

[39:23]  ¹² tn Heb “his”; the referent (Joseph) has been specified in the translation for clarity.