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:
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,
- BSB Then she told him the same story: “The Hebrew slave you brought us came to me to make sport of 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 23:1Thou shalt not raise a false report: put not thine hand with the wicked to be an unrighteous witness.
- Prov 19:9A false witness shall not be unpunished, and he that speaketh lies shall perish.
- Ps 37:14The wicked have drawn out the sword, and have bent their bow, to cast down the poor and needy, and to slay such as be of upright conversation.
- 1 Kgs 21:9–13And she wrote in the letters, saying, Proclaim a fast, and set Naboth on high among the people:
- Prov 12:19The lip of truth shall be established for ever: but a lying tongue is but for a moment.
- Ps 55:3Because of the voice of the enemy, because of the oppression of the wicked: for they cast iniquity upon me, and in wrath they hate me.
- Exod 20:16Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour.
- Gen 39:14That 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:
- Matt 26:65Then the high priest rent his clothes, saying, He hath spoken blasphemy; what further need have we of witnesses? behold, now ye have heard his blasphemy.
- Prov 19:5A false witness shall not be unpunished, and he that speaketh lies shall not escape.
- 1 Kgs 18:17And it came to pass, when Ahab saw Elijah, that Ahab said unto him, Art thou he that troubleth Israel?
- Ps 120:2–4Deliver my soul, O LORD, from lying lips, and from 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.