Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Genesis 39:14
That she called unto the men of her house, and spoke unto them, saying, See, he hath brought in a Hebrew unto us to mock us; he came in unto me to lie with me, and I cried with a loud voice:
14. an Hebrew ] The designation used by foreigners for “an Israelite” (cf. Gen 41:12, Gen 43:32), and probably for any one who belonged to the group of peoples, Israelite, Moabite, Ammonite, Edomite, who invaded and settled down in Palestine and the adjacent territories. The word is an appeal to the racial prejudice against Asiatic strangers.
to mock ] Cf. Pro 1:26. The idea is of wanton insult.
us ] As if none of the women in the house would be secure from insult, when the master’s wife had been subjected to such an affront from this young upstart foreigner. She implies that her husband’s confidence in his Hebrew slave meant disregard for the family’s honour.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Verse 14. He hath brought in a Hebrew unto us] Potiphar’s wife affects to throw great blame on her husband, whom we may reasonably suppose she did not greatly love. He hath brought in – he hath raised this person to all his dignity and eminence, to give him the greater opportunity to mock us. letsachek, here translated to mock, is the same word used in Ge 26:8, relative to Isaac and Rebekah; and is certainly used by Potiphar’s wife in Ge 39:17, to signify some kind of familiar intercourse not allowable but between man and wife.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
Unto the men of her house; to such as were in other parts of the house, whom she called in as witnesses for her husbands satisfaction.
He, i.e. my husband, whom she would not name, as it were out of disdain and high displeasure for being the occasion of this horrid affront. Thus the pronouns he and they are oft used by way of contempt, as Luk 4:24; 19:27; Joh 7:11; 8:10.
An Hebrew; so she calls him, to render him hateful and contemptible to the Egyptians.
To mock us; to abuse me; or to vitiate and defile me; for that word is oft used in an obscene sense. She insinuates, that this was not only an indignity to her, but an injury to all the family, which therefore they were obliged to revenge.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
14. Then she called unto the men ofher houseDisappointed and affronted, she vowed revenge andaccused Joseph, first to the servants of the house, and on his returnto her lord.
See, he hath brought in anHebrew . . . to mock usan affected and blind aspersion of herhusband for keeping in his house an Hebrew, the very abomination ofEgyptians.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
That she called unto the men of her house,…. Of that part of the house which belonged to her; her eunuchs that waited upon her, or that were in another part of the home, at some distance:
and spake unto them; when they came to her:
saying, see, he hath brought in an Hebrew unto us to mock us: she means her husband, whom through contempt, and in her passion, she names not, having lost all affection for him, as her addresses to Joseph showed; and so the Targum of Jonathan supplies it,
“your master hath brought, c.”
and Joseph she calls an Hebrew by way of reproach, and with a view to set her servants against him who before this might not have any great regard to him through envy at him, for the favours he enjoyed, and the authority he had; and because he prevented their doing wrong things to serve themselves, and hurt their master: and holding up his garment in her hand, which they knew full well, bid them look at it, and observe, that this was the issue of his Being brought into the house by their master; that though it was not with such an intention, which can hardly be thought to be her sense, yet this was the event of it; an attempt to abuse, vitiate, and corrupt her, and so bring contempt upon the whole family, and expose them to the scorn and mockery of men, for their mistress to be abused by a base foreigner: she explains herself more fully by saying,
he came in unto me to lie with me, and I cried with a loud voice; both of them lies; for it was she that solicited him to lie with her, and not he; nor did she cry out at all; and if she did, how came it she was not heard by them, as well as when she called unto them; thus her impure love was turned into hatred, which put her upon framing lies and calumnies; and which has been also done in cases similar to this s, as Sthenobaea against Bellerophon.
s Vid. Juvenal Satyr. 10. Apollodorum de Deorum Origin. l. 2. p. 70.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
14. She called unto the men of her house To other men-servants, who were under Joseph’s oversight . Like the evil woman of all times and nations, she was quick to ruin the man who would not follow her desires . She seeks first to make the men-servants witnesses in the case, and then waits until her husband’s return to repeat the same abominable falsehood to him . Gen 39:16-18. The story of Potiphar’s wife, whose traditionary name is Zuleekha, is told with much amplification by Josephus, ( Ant . , book ii, chap. iv,) and in Oriental romance. The Koran relates it in that chapter (12) to which Mohammed appealed as bearing the manifest signs of inspiration.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Gen 39:14. See, he hath brought, &c. These words breathe the highest indignation: she does not vouchsafe to name her husband; she calls him HE, see HE hath brought, &c. nor will she name Joseph but by an appellation most contemptuous to the AEgyptians; a Hebrew, a wandering stranger; see ch. Gen 43:32. And in Gen 43:17 she calls him the Hebrew servant. Artful and treacherous, she joins her husband in the common disgrace, to mock US, to disgrace himself as well as her, as every insult of that kind to a wife, is an insult to the husband. To mock or insult is often used in the Hebrew, and other languages, in that peculiar sense; as , , are in Greek; illudere, ludificari, et ludibrio babere, in Latin.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
2Sa 13:15 .
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Gen 39:14 That 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:
Ver. 14. See, he hath brought in an Hebrew. ] So she calls him, by way of contempt; as they called our Saviour Nazarene, and his followers Galileans. The Arians called the true Christians Ambrosians Athanasians, Homousians, &c. a And at this day, the most honourable name of Christian is in Italy and at Rome a name of reproach; and usually abused, to signify a fool, or a dolt. b
a Sir Humphrey Lynde.
b W. Fulke, Rhem. Test. on Acts xi., sec. iv.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
See. Figure of speech Asterismos. App-6.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
he hath: The base affection of this woman being disappointed, was changed into rancorous hatred, and she exults in the opportunity of being revenged on Joseph. She begins her accusation in the affected language of offended modesty, rage, and disdain, by charging her husband, whom we may reasonably assume she did not greatly love, with being an accessory to the indignity she pretended to have received: “He hath brought in a Hebrew,” a very abomination to an Egyptian, “to mock us,” insult and treat me in a base, unworthy manner.
an Hebrew: Gen 39:17, Gen 10:21, Gen 14:13, Gen 40:15, Psa 120:3, Eze 22:5
he came: Gen 39:7, Psa 35:11, Psa 55:3, Pro 10:18, Isa 51:7, Isa 54:17, Mat 5:11, Mat 26:59, Luk 23:2, 2Co 6:8, 1Pe 2:20, 1Pe 3:14-18, 1Pe 4:14-19
loud: Heb. great
Reciprocal: Pro 6:26 – the adulteress Jon 1:9 – I am Mat 2:16 – when
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
39:14 That 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 {h} cried with a loud voice:
(h) This declares that in which lack of restraint exists and to this is joined extreme impudency and deceit.