Then she told him the same story: “The Hebrew slave you brought us came to me to make sport of me,
Parallel translations
- WEB She spoke to him according to these words, saying, “The Hebrew servant, whom you have brought to us, came in to me to mock me,
- KJV And she spake unto him according to these words, saying, The Hebrew servant, which thou hast brought unto us, came in unto me to mock me:
- NKJV Then she spoke to him with words like these, saying, “The Hebrew servant whom you brought to us came in to me to mock me;
- NASB Then she spoke to him with these words: “The Hebrew slave, whom you brought to us, came in to me to make fun of me;
- NLT Then she told him her story. “That Hebrew slave you’ve brought into our house tried to come in and fool around with me,” she said.
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 repeats the false charge to Potiphar, blaming the Hebrew servant he brought home.
Overview
She tells her husband the same lie, shifting subtle blame onto Potiphar for bringing Joseph in. Her words are crafted to provoke his anger and shield herself. Joseph's faithful obedience to God is repaid with a damning falsehood.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 12
- Exod 23:1“You shall not spread a false report. Do not join the wicked by being a malicious witness.
- Prov 19:9A false witness will not go unpunished, and one who pours out lies will perish.
- Ps 37:14The wicked have drawn the sword and bent the bow to bring down the poor and needy, to slay those whose ways are upright.
- 1 Kgs 21:9–13In the letters she wrote: “Proclaim a fast and give Naboth a seat of honor among the people.
- Prov 12:19Truthful lips endure forever, but a lying tongue lasts only a moment.
- 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.
- Exod 20:16You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
- Gen 39:14she 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.
- Matt 26:65At this, the high priest tore his clothes and declared, “He has blasphemed! Why do we need any more witnesses? Look, now you have heard the blasphemy.
- Prov 19:5A false witness will not go unpunished, and one who utters lies will not escape.
- 1 Kgs 18:17When Ahab saw Elijah, he said to him, “Is that you, O troubler of Israel?”
- Ps 120:2–4Deliver my soul, O LORD, from lying lips and a deceitful tongue.
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 39:17 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.