Potiphar Reacts to His Wife’s Accusations
Through a series of events outside his control, Joseph has become a slave owned by Potiphar. Potiphar is one of Pharaoh’s officials and captain of the guard.
God’s favor is on Joseph in Potiphar’s household, and he proves himself to the captain. Potiphar eventually puts his entire estate under the care of his slave. Potiphar’s home and property prosper because of Joseph’s diligent work and God’s blessing on him.
Joseph conducts himself so well that Potiphar trusts him with everything. His only concern at home is what he will eat. Joseph handles all else.
But one day this perfect situation falls apart. Potiphar’s wife comes to him in a rage, claiming that Joseph tried to rape her.
Furious, Potiphar throws Joseph into prison.
Though we may assume Potiphar does this because of what he believes Joseph did, why didn’t he take a harsher action?
As captain of the guard, we can assume he has the power to do something more punitive than prison. And since Joseph is a slave, he has no rights. Could Potiphar have used his power to execute Joseph?
But what if prison is an act of mercy, something done out of esteem for Joseph? Perhaps Potiphar suspects his wife is to blame and not his servant.
Has she cheated on him in the past? What if Potiphar knows in his spirit that Joseph is innocent, that he’s the victim?
If this is the case, Potiphar can’t punish his wife without the situation becoming public. And if he dismisses her allegations by doing nothing, that would only strain his relationship with his wife even more.
In this instance, we see that throwing Joseph in prison is the easiest recourse for Potiphar.
Regardless of the reasons behind Potiphar’s actions, the fact remains that innocent Joseph lands in prison.
When we hear a condemning story about someone, do we believe it or try to verify the truth?
How can we rectify our mistake when we believe what someone told us, only to later learn it was a lie?
[Read about Potiphar in Genesis 39:1–20. Discover what happens to Joseph next in Genesis 40.]
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More Old Testament Sinners and Saints is part of the Bible Character Sketches series.
Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront status quo Christianity and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.
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