Meanest Women of the Bible – Potiphar’s Wife

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Scripture: Genesis 39:1-20

Key Verses:
⁹No one is greater in this house than I am. My master has withheld nothing from me except you, because you are his wife. How then could I do such a wicked thing and sin against God?” ¹⁰And though she spoke to Joseph day after day, he refused to go to bed with her or even be with her.
¹¹One day he went into the house to attend to his duties, and none of the household servants was inside. ¹²She caught him by his cloak and said, “Come to bed with me!” But he left his cloak in her hand and ran out of the house.
Genesis 39:9-12

Observations

Context

Potiphar was the captain of the Egyptian king’s guard – a high-ranking official.
Potiphar purchased Joseph after his brothers sold him to slave traders on their way to Egypt.
Potiphar was impressed with, everything Joseph did, and made him master of his household.

Geography

Later in Joseph’s life, the Pharaoh gave Joseph’s Semite family the best land of Egypt: Goshen. Genesis 45:10 says that Joseph who lived at Pharaoh’s court was close to his family. Potiphar likely lived in that same vicinity.

Events – A woman spurned

God blessed the household of Potiphar because Joseph had found favor with God.
Potiphar recognized this, and entrusted Joseph with much.
Potiphar’s wife garnered all of her feminine wiles to seduce Joseph, day after day.
Joseph made it clear that he found the idea wicked. He refused to betray his master, Potiphar.
Joseph was usually able to avoid her, until one day, as Genesis 39:11-12 says, “none of the household servants were inside.”
She grabbed his cloak, but he slipped out of it and dashed away.
She became enraged and made up a story.
She accused Joseph of rape, using the cloak as evidence.
Potiphar reluctantly put Joseph in the king’s prison.

Discussion

What was going on with Potiphar’s wife- was she having a mid-life crisis?
- Was she tired of being ignored by Potiphar?
- Did she simply have uncontainable lust for Joseph?
- Was she jealous of Joseph’s favor, and wanted to drag him down?
Did she set him up? Did she give the rest of the servants a short vacation or send them on an errand to get Joseph alone?

Interpretation

Setting

The events happened in a Potiphar’s home, most likely spacious with many orchards and gardens, since Potiphar was wealthy. Joseph was the primary caretake of the entire property.

Genre/Author

Historical narrative written by Moses.

Takeaways

Joseph tried to avoid putting himself in a compromising situation.
Despite his best efforts, she managed to get him alone.
His integrity won the day. He bolted away from the temptation before him.
His purity angered Potiphar’s wife.
Joseph was innocent, but was still punished.
The good news is God used what happened for Joseph’s good and God’s glory (Genesis 50:20).

Discussion

Why did Potiphar’s wife continue to pursue Joseph when he made his intention clear?
Scripture doesn’t record what Joseph said to Potiphar about the encounter. Would you have protested your innocence if you were in his shoes, knowing it was likely hopeless?
Why did Potiphar spare Joseph’s life? How do you think his lady reacted to that?

Correlation

Proverbs 5:3-4 – “For the lips of an immoral woman are as sweet as honey, and her mouth is smoother than oil. But in the end she is as bitter as poison, as dangerous as a double-edged sword.”

Discussion

Did Potiphar have any idea what his wife was really like? Or was he too busy being captain of the Egyptian king’s guard?
Consider the analogy: lips sweet as honey, mouth smoother than oil; but in the end bitter as poison, dangerous as a double-edged sword. What is this word-picture telling us?

Application

Generic Applications

Throughout Scripture, God warns about the inevitable bad outcome of sexual sin.
Sometimes, bad things happen to us even when we are obedient and virtuous.

Group Discussion

There’s no promise that doing the right thing will always work out for the short term. Have you ever experienced negative consequences for doing the right thing? Did you regret doing the right thing?
How can being proactive and intentional in avoiding compromising situations prevent getting between a rock and a hard place?
If we find ourselves between a rock and a hard place, what should we do?
What would you say to a married woman acting like Potiphar’s wife with you?

Bible study methodology adapted from Searching the Scriptures with permission from Tyndale House:

Swindoll, Charles, Searching the Scriptures. Tyndale House Publishers, 2016.

Daniel P Warner