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;
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:
- 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;
- 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. Don’t join your hand with the wicked to be a malicious witness.
- Prov 19:9A false witness shall not be unpunished. He who utters lies shall perish.
- Ps 37:14The wicked have drawn out the sword, and have bent their bow, to cast down the poor and needy, to kill those who are upright on the path.
- 1 Kgs 21:9–13She wrote in the letters, saying, “Proclaim a fast, and set Naboth on high among the people.
- Prov 12:19Truth’s lips will be established forever, but a lying tongue is only momentary.
- Ps 55:3Because of the voice of the enemy, Because of the oppression of the wicked. For they bring suffering on me. In anger they hold a grudge against me.
- Exod 20:16“You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.
- Gen 39:14she 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.
- Matt 26:65Then the high priest tore his clothing, saying, “He has spoken blasphemy! Why do we need any more witnesses? Behold, now you have heard his blasphemy.
- Prov 19:5A false witness shall not be unpunished. He who pours out lies shall not go free.
- 1 Kgs 18:17When Ahab saw Elijah, Ahab said to him, “Is that you, you troubler of Israel?”
- Ps 120:2–4Deliver my soul, Yahweh, from lying lips, 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.