Genesis 39:16

Old Testament Law (Torah) ASV (1901)

What does Genesis 39:16 say?

The American Standard Version records this verse as: “And she laid up his garment by her, until his master came home.” Read the surrounding verses and the named sources below before drawing broader conclusions.

The verse

And she laid up his garment by her, until his master came home.
Genesis 39:16 — American Standard Version

Context — Genesis 39

American Standard Version (1901) — public domain. Click any verse for its study page.
16And she laid up his garment by her, until his master came home.

What do historical commentaries say?

John Gill's Exposition
John Gill (1697–1771) · Exposition of the Old and New Testament · 18th-century historical commentary
“And she laid up his garment by her, etc.] As a proof of what she laid to his charge, and as a testimony against him: until her lord came home; or until his lord came home, for the pronoun refers to Joseph, and so Jarchi interprets it; who either was gone a journey, or gone to court that day, being an officer of Pharaoh’s, or to the public place where the festival was kept that day, if it was such an one.”
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Barnes' Notes
Albert Barnes (1798–1870) · Notes on the Whole Bible · 19th-century historical commentary
“- Joseph in Potiphar’s House According to our reckoning, Perez and Zerah were born when Judah was in his twenty-eighth year, and therefore, Joseph in his twenty-fourth. Here, then, we go back seven years to resume the story of Joseph. Genesis 39:1-6 Joseph fares well with his first master. “Potiphar.” This is a racapitulation of the narrative in Genesis 37:0: “The Lord;” the God of covenant is with Joseph. “In the house.” Joseph was a domestic servant. “And his master saw.” The prosperity that attended all Joseph’s doings was so striking as to show that the Lord was with him. “Set him over” - made him overseer of all that was in his house. “The Lord blessed the Mizrite’s house.” He blesses…”
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Related study paths

Sources and verification