“But he refused, and said unto his master's wife, Behold, my master wotteth not what is with me in the house, and he hath committed all that he hath to my hand;”
My Notes
What Does Genesis 39:8 Mean?
"But he refused, and said unto his master's wife, Behold, my master wotteth not what is with me in the house, and he hath committed all that he hath to my hand." Potiphar's wife propositions Joseph, and he refuses. His refusal is grounded in three things: loyalty to Potiphar's trust, recognition that nothing in the household is withheld from him except her, and awareness that this would be sin against God (v. 9). His integrity isn't abstract — it's relational. He names what he'd be violating if he gave in.
The word "refused" is the same word used for Moses refusing to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter (Hebrews 11:24). It denotes a firm, deliberate rejection. Joseph doesn't waver, negotiate, or explore the possibility. He refuses. The clarity of the refusal reflects the clarity of his character.
Reflection Questions
- 1.What gives you the moral clarity to refuse when temptation comes from a position of power?
- 2.How does Joseph's relational reasoning (loyalty and trust) strengthen his moral resolve?
- 3.When has doing the right thing cost you more than doing the wrong thing would have?
- 4.What does Joseph's immediate refusal (no wavering) teach about how to handle temptation?
Devotional
He refused. Not hesitated. Not considered. Not weighed the options. Refused. Joseph's response to Potiphar's wife is one of the cleanest moments of moral clarity in the Old Testament.
Look at his reasoning. It's not abstract morality. It's relational logic. My master trusts me with everything. He's withheld nothing from me except you, because you're his wife. How could I violate that trust and sin against God? The argument moves from human loyalty to divine accountability in a single breath.
Joseph is a slave. He has no power. Potiphar's wife has all of it — she could (and does) destroy him with a false accusation. Refusing her is the most dangerous choice available to him. And he makes it anyway. Because some things are more important than safety.
This is what integrity looks like when it's tested. Not in a theology classroom. Not in a theoretical discussion about right and wrong. In a room, alone, with a powerful person offering something your body might want, and nobody watching. That's the test. And Joseph passes it not through superhuman willpower but through a clear-eyed understanding of who would be hurt and who he'd be sinning against.
The cost of his refusal is prison. The cost of surrender would have been his soul. He chose prison. And God met him there.
Commentary
Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.
But he refused, and said unto his master's wife,.... Reasoning with her about the evil nature of the crime she tempted…
- Joseph in Potiphar’s House According to our reckoning, Perez and Zerah were born when Judah was in his twenty-eighth…
My master wotteth not - Knoweth not, from the old Anglo-Saxon, witan, to know; hence, wit, intellect, understanding,…
Here is, I. A most shameful instance of impudence and immodesty in Joseph's mistress, the shame and scandal of her sex,…
The False Accusation
8. knoweth not, &c. Here, as in Gen 39:39, the marg., knoweth not with me what is, gives the…
Cross References
Related passages throughout Scripture