Genesis 39:6

39:6 So Potiphar ¹  left ²  everything he had in Joseph’s care; ³  he gave no thought ⁴  to anything except the food he ate. ⁵ 

Now Joseph was well built and good-looking. ⁶ 

Genesis 41:2

41:2 seven fine-looking, fat cows were coming up out of the Nile, ⁷  and they grazed in the reeds.

Genesis 41:18

41:18 Then seven fat and fine-looking cows were coming up out of the Nile, and they grazed in the reeds. ⁸ 

[39:6]  ¹ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Potiphar) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[39:6]  ² 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]  ³ tn Heb “hand.” This is a metonymy for being under the control or care of Joseph.

[39:6]  ⁴ tn Heb “did not know.”

[39:6]  ⁵ 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]  ⁶ tn Heb “handsome of form and handsome of appearance.” The same Hebrew expressions were used in Gen 29:17 for Rachel.

[41:2]  ⁷ tn Heb “And look, he was standing by the Nile, and look, from the Nile were coming up seven cows, attractive of appearance and fat of flesh.” By the use of the particle הִנֵּה (hinneh, “look”), the narrator invites the audience to see the dream through Pharaoh’s eyes.

[41:18]  ¹³ tn Heb “and look, from the Nile seven cows were coming up, fat of flesh and attractive of appearance, and they grazed in the reeds.”