But it happened about this time, when Joseph went into the house to do his work, and none of the men of the house was inside,
Parallel translations
- WEB About this time, he went into the house to do his work, and there were none of the men of the house inside.
- KJV And it came to pass about this time, that Joseph went into the house to do his business; and there was none of the men of the house there within.
- BSB One day, however, Joseph went into the house to attend to his work, and not a single household servant was inside.
- NASB Now it happened one day that he went into the house to do his work, and none of the people of the household was there inside.
- NLT One day, however, no one else was around when he went in to do his work.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
One day Joseph enters the house to work when no other servants are present.
Overview
The absence of witnesses creates the moment of greatest danger and temptation. Joseph's commitment to duty places him in a vulnerable situation he did not seek. The scene tests whether his integrity holds when no one is watching.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 6
- Eph 5:12For the things which are done by them in secret, it is a shame even to speak of.
- Eph 5:3But sexual immorality, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not even be mentioned among you, as becomes saints;
- Jer 23:24Can anyone hide himself in secret places so that I can’t see him?” says Yahweh. “Don’t I fill heaven and earth?” says Yahweh.
- Prov 9:17“Stolen water is sweet. Food eaten in secret is pleasant.”
- Job 24:15The eye also of the adulterer waits for the twilight, saying, ‘No eye shall see me.’ He disguises his face.
- Mal 3:5I will come near to you to judgment; and I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, and against the adulterers, and against the perjurers, and against those who oppress the hireling in his wages, the widow, and the fatherless, and who deprive the foreigner of justice, and don’t fear me,” says Yahweh of Armies.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
From the first promise that the seed of the woman would crush the serpent (3:15), through Abraham's blessing to all nations and Judah's coming ruler, Genesis sows every seed that flowers in Christ — the true offspring, the better Adam, the ram caught for Isaac.
How Genesis 39:11 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.