She came and grabbed him by his cloak, demanding, “Come on, sleep with me!” Joseph tore himself away, but he left his cloak in her hand as he ran from the house.
Parallel translations
- WEB She caught him by his garment, saying, “Lie with me!” He left his garment in her hand, and ran outside.
- KJV And she caught him by his garment, saying, Lie with me: and he left his garment in her hand, and fled, and got him out.
- BSB She grabbed Joseph by his cloak and said, “Sleep with me!” But leaving his cloak in her hand, he escaped and ran outside.
- NKJV that she caught him by his garment, saying, “Lie with me.” But he left his garment in her hand, and fled and ran outside.
- NASB So she grabbed him by his garment, saying, “Sleep with me!” But he left his garment in her hand and fled, and went outside.
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
When she seizes his garment demanding he lie with her, Joseph flees, leaving the garment behind.
Overview
Joseph chooses flight over compromise, refusing the sin even at the cost of his cloak and his reputation. His decisive escape echoes the biblical counsel to flee temptation (1 Corinthians 6:18; 2 Timothy 2:22). He would rather suffer loss than sin against God.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 13
- 2 Tim 2:22Flee from youthful lusts; but pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.
- Prov 7:13–27So she caught him, and kissed him. With an impudent face she said to him:
- 1 Pet 2:11Beloved, I beg you as foreigners and pilgrims, to abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul;
- Prov 6:5Free yourself, like a gazelle from the hand of the hunter, like a bird from the snare of the fowler.
- Prov 5:8Remove your way far from her. Don’t come near the door of her house,
- Eccl 7:26I find more bitter than death the woman whose heart is snares and traps, whose hands are chains. Whoever pleases God shall escape from her; but the sinner will be ensnared by her.
- 1 Cor 15:33Don’t be deceived! “Evil companionships corrupt good morals.”
- Gen 39:8But he refused, and said to his master’s wife, “Behold, my master doesn’t know what is with me in the house, and he has put all that he has into my hand.
- Mark 14:51–52A certain young man followed him, having a linen cloth thrown around himself, over his naked body. The young men grabbed him,
- Gen 39:10As she spoke to Joseph day by day, he didn’t listen to her, to lie by her, or to be with her.
- Ezek 16:30–31“‘“How weak is your heart,” says the Lord Yahweh, “since you do all these things, the work of an impudent prostitute;
- Prov 1:15My son, don’t walk on the path with them. Keep your foot from their path,
- 1 Sam 15:27As Samuel turned around to go away, Saul grabbed the skirt of his robe, and it tore.
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 39:12 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.