Limitless Word
she called her household servants. “Look,” she said, “this Hebrew has been brought to us to make sport of us. He came to me so he could sleep with me, but I screamed as loud as I could.
Genesis 39:14 · Berean Standard Bible
Parallel translations
  • WEB she called to the men of her house, and spoke to them, saying, “Behold, he has brought in a Hebrew to us to mock us. He came in to me to lie with me, and I cried with a loud voice.
  • KJV That she called unto the men of her house, and spake unto them, saying, See, he hath brought in an Hebrew unto us to mock us; he came in unto me to lie with me, and I cried with a loud voice:
  • NKJV that she called to the men of her house and spoke to them, saying, “See, he has brought in to us a Hebrew to mock us. He came in to me to lie with me, and I cried out with a loud voice.
  • NASB she called to the men of her household and said to them, “See, he has brought in a Hebrew to us to make fun of us; he came in to me to sleep with me, and I screamed.
  • NLT she called out to her servants. Soon all the men came running. “Look!” she said. “My husband has brought this Hebrew slave here to make fools of us! He came into my room to rape me, but I screamed.

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

She falsely accuses Joseph to the household, casting him as a foreign threat.

Overview

She manipulates the servants by appealing to resentment of 'a Hebrew' and posing as a victim. Her lie inverts the truth, accusing the innocent of the very thing she attempted. Joseph suffers for his righteousness, a pattern fulfilled supremely in the falsely accused Christ.

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 19

  • 1 Pet 4:14–19If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you.
  • Isa 54:17No weapon formed against you shall prosper, and you will refute every tongue that accuses you. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their vindication is from Me,” declares the LORD.
  • Isa 51:7Listen to Me, you who know what is right, you people with My law in your hearts: Do not fear the scorn of men; do not be broken by their insults.
  • 1 Pet 2:20How is it to your credit if you are beaten for doing wrong and you endure it? But if you suffer for doing good and you endure it, this is commendable before God.
  • Prov 10:18The one who conceals hatred has lying lips, and whoever spreads slander is a fool.
  • Luke 23:2And they began to accuse Him, saying, “We found this man subverting our nation, forbidding payment of taxes to Caesar, and proclaiming Himself to be Christ, a King.”
  • Gen 39:7and after some time his master’s wife cast her eyes upon Joseph and said, “Sleep with me.”
  • Gen 39:17Then she told him the same story: “The Hebrew slave you brought us came to me to make sport of me,
  • Gen 40:15For I was kidnapped from the land of the Hebrews, and even here I have done nothing for which they should have put me in this dungeon.”
  • Gen 10:21And sons were also born to Shem, the older brother of Japheth; Shem was the forefather of all the sons of Eber.
  • Gen 14:13Then an escapee came and reported this to Abram the Hebrew. Now Abram was living near the Oaks of Mamre the Amorite, a brother of Eshcol and Aner, all of whom were bound by treaty to Abram.
  • Ps 55:3at the voice of the enemy, at the pressure of the wicked. For they release disaster upon me and revile me in their anger.
  • Ps 120:3What will He do to you, and what will be added to you, O deceitful tongue?
  • Ps 35:11Hostile witnesses come forward; they make charges I know nothing about.
  • Matt 26:59Now the chief priests and the whole Sanhedrin were seeking false testimony against Jesus in order to put Him to death.
  • Matt 5:11Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me.
  • 1 Pet 3:14–18But even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed. “Do not fear what they fear; do not be shaken.”
  • Ezek 22:5Those near and far will mock you, O infamous city, full of turmoil.
  • 2 Cor 6:8through glory and dishonor, slander and praise; viewed as imposters, yet genuine;

Themes, concepts, people & topics

Topics (9)

Resources, by level

Commentaries & study tools

  • VideoBibleProject — Genesis videosBibleProject · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.

  • VideoWatch teaching on Genesis 39:14YouTube · Lay · Free

    Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.

  • CommentaryEnduring Word — verse-by-verseDavid Guzik · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.

  • CommentaryClassic commentaries for this verseBibleHub (20+ works) · Pastoral · Free

    Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.

  • CommentaryMatthew Henry on GenesisMatthew Henry · Pastoral · Free · evangelical

    The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).

  • ReferenceInterlinear, lexicon & Strong'sBlue Letter Bible · Seminary · Free

    Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.

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 39:14 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.