A Story of Immorality
Joseph is an attractive man. Potiphar’s wife notices. She pursues Joseph.
We don’t know her motivation. Does her husband ignore her? Is she bored? Perhaps she’s merely promiscuous. Yet her reasons don’t matter. She tries to seduce Joseph.
Joseph resists. He explains why he won’t sleep with her, but she ignores his words, focusing only on her lust to be with him. This goes on day after day.
Joseph strives to stay away from her or makes sure someone is always around whenever she’s nearby. But one day, as he goes about his work, she realizes they are alone.
She becomes aggressive. She grabs him and draws him toward her. He pulls away. In his haste to escape her grasp, he leaves his cloak in her hands as he flees.
Unable to satisfy her desires, her lust turns to revenge.
She calls for her servants and spins a lie about what happened, of how Joseph pursued her, of how she screamed for help, and of how he ran off. She holds up his jacket as proof.
When Potiphar gets home, she repeats her lies to him. In a rage, he throws Joseph in prison, where he languishes for years.
Potiphar’s wife is an immoral woman who makes no effort to control her sexual desires. She is an unfaithful spouse—or at least she tries to be one.
When she can’t seduce Joseph or convince him to sleep with her, she concocts lies to destroy him.
How far will we go to get what we want, even when it’s wrong?
How low will we stoop to hurt those who get in our way?
[Read about Potiphar’s wife in Genesis 39:1–20. Discover a different encounter in 2 Samuel 13:1–19.]
Learn about 100 more biblical characters in More Old Testament Sinners and Saints, available in e-book, paperback, and hardcover. Get your copy today.
More Old Testament Sinners and Saints is part of the Bible Character Sketches series.
Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront status quo religion 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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