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 43:23

43:23 “Everything is fine,” ⁷  the man in charge of Joseph’s household told them. “Don’t be afraid. Your God and the God of your father has given you treasure in your sacks. ⁸  I had your money.” ⁹  Then he brought Simeon out to them.

[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.

[43:23]  ⁷ tn Heb “and he said, ‘peace to you.’” Here the statement has the force of “everything is fine,” or perhaps even “calm down.” The referent of “he” (the man in charge of Joseph’ household) has been specified in the translation for clarity, and the order of the introductory clause and the direct discourse has been rearranged for stylistic reasons.

[43:23]  ⁸ sn Your God and the God of your father…This is the first clear reference in the story to the theme of divine providence – that God works through the human actions to do his will.

[43:23]  ⁹ tn Heb “your money came to me.”