11
It happenedוַיְהִיone dayכְּהַיּוֹם הַזֶּהthat he wentוַיָּבֹאinto the houseהַבַּיְתָהto doלַעֲשׂוֹתhis work,מְלַאכְתּוֹand noneוְאֵין אִישׁof the menמֵאַנְשֵׁיof the houseהַבַּיִתwas thereשָׁםin the house.בַּבָּיִת
Genesis 39:11
Study it in the app“It happened one day that he went into the house to do his work, and none of the men of the house was there in the house.”
Joseph refuses to betray his master's trust, and runs outsideTemptation
With the Hebrew beneath
Genesis 39:11, word by word
- It happenedיְהִיyehi
happen
For something to occur or take place; many stories open with this word.
Where else “yehi” appears- one dayיּוֹםyom
day
The day, the hours of light, or a whole day.
Where else “yom” appears- that he wentיָּבֹאyavo
enter
To go into a place.
Where else “yavo” appears- into the houseבַּיְתָbayta
house
A building to live in, or an enclosed place to keep something or someone.
Where else “bayta” appears- to doעֲשׂוֹתasot
do
To carry out an act or to deal with someone in a certain way, for good or ill.
Where else “asot” appears- his workמְלַאכְתּmelacht
work
The work one does or is assigned: building, serving, tending.
Where else “melacht” appears- and noneאִישׁish
each
Literally "a man": any person; with "not", not a single person.
Where else “ish” appears
The context
10Though she spoke to Joseph day after day, he did not listen to her, to lie beside her, to be with her.
11 · This verse (above)
12She caught him by his garment, saying, “Lie with me.” But he left his garment in her hand and fled and went outside.
To study Genesis 39 in a group
1. What it says
What happened to Joseph in Potiphar’s house, and why did he end up in prison (vv. 2-20)?
2. What it means
What does it mean that YHWH was with Joseph even in prison (vv. 21-23)?
3. How I live it
How can you keep your integrity when doing the right thing costs you?