Potiphar

Biblical Account

Potiphar is named twice in Genesis. According to Genesis 37:36, the Midianites brought Joseph to Egypt and sold him "unto Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh's, and captain of the guard." Genesis 39:1 recounts the same event, stating that Potiphar bought Joseph "of the hands of the Ishmeelites." The title "captain of the guard" denotes the commander of the troops responsible for guarding and escorting the king.

According to Genesis 39, the LORD was with Joseph, and he prospered in all that he did. Seeing this, Potiphar made Joseph overseer of his household and entrusted him with his house and all his possessions. God blessed Potiphar's house for Joseph's sake (Genesis 39:2-6).

Potiphar's wife later attempted repeatedly to seduce Joseph. Joseph refused, saying, "How then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?" (Genesis 39:9). She then used the garment Joseph had left behind when he fled as evidence to accuse him falsely. Potiphar, greatly angered, put Joseph into the prison where the king's prisoners were held (Genesis 39:19-20). Genesis 40 also mentions the "captain of the guard" and the prison in his house, though the text does not name this captain of the guard again.

Significance Within Scripture

Potiphar's house is the setting in which Joseph rises from the status of a slave and is then cast into prison. This experience leads into the later account of Joseph becoming ruler over Egypt. The Joseph narrative as a whole concludes from the perspective of providence, affirming that God works even in the midst of human evil and injustice (Genesis 50:20).

The New Testament does not mention Potiphar by name. In his sermon, Stephen simply summarizes how Joseph was sold into Egypt and how God was with him and delivered him out of all his afflictions (Acts 7:9-10).

Interpretation and Points of Discussion

• The term "officer": The Hebrew word saris, rendered "officer," can also refer in other passages to a castrated official, that is, a eunuch. This has prompted discussion of whether Potiphar was a eunuch. Many scholars, noting that he had a wife, understand the word here in its general sense of a high-ranking official. Some Jewish traditions describe him as having actually been castrated, but the text offers no basis for this.
• The severity of the punishment: Although Joseph, a slave, stood accused of attempting to violate his master's wife, Potiphar did not have him executed but instead put him in prison. Some commentators take this as evidence that Potiphar did not fully believe his wife's account. The text, however, does not reveal his inner thoughts.
• Distinction from Potipherah: Potipherah, Joseph's father-in-law mentioned in Genesis 41:45, was a priest of On. Although the names are similar, Scripture presents them as different individuals. Some Jewish traditions identify the two as the same person.
• The name of his wife: Scripture does not give the name of Potiphar's wife. In later Jewish and Islamic tradition and literature, she is known by the name Zuleika (Zulaikha).

In the Korean Church

In Korean church preaching and Sunday school curricula, Potiphar is treated mainly as part of a single episode within the Joseph narrative. Joseph's becoming "a prosperous man" in Potiphar's house (Genesis 39:2) is frequently cited as an example of diligence and faithfulness. The scene in which Joseph rejects the advances of Potiphar's wife (Genesis 39:9) is commonly used in sermons for youth and young adults to emphasize sexual purity and integrity before God. In such sermons, Potiphar himself usually appears as a background figure who serves to highlight Joseph's character.