Genesis 39:12

Gen 39:12 And she caught him by his garment, saying, Lie with me: and he left his garment in her hand, and fled, and got him out.

Ver. 12. And she caught him by his garment.] By wanton touches and dalliance, mental adultery is oft committed. He that "toucheth his neighbour’s wife, shall not be innocent," saith Solomon. {Pro 6:29} This is the offensive "right hand," that must be "cut off." {Mat 5:30} The harlot "caught the silly simple, and kissed him; and with an impudent face said unto him; - "{ Pro 7:13} "till a dart struck through his liver": {Pro 7:23} cogit amare iecur.

And he left his garment in her hand.] This second time is Joseph stript of his garment; before, in the violence of envy, now of lust; before, of necessity, now of choice; before, to deceive his father, now his master. Infamy and other misery he was sure to suffer, but that must not drive from duty. {2Co 6:8} The Church "comes from the wilderness," that is, through troubles and afflictions, "leaning on her beloved"; {Son 8:5} choosing rather to suffer than to sin. The good heart goes in a right line to God, and will not fetch a compass, but strikes through all troubles and hazards to get to him. It will not break the hedge of ally commandment, to avoid any piece of foul way. The primitive Christians chose rather to be thrown to lions without, than left to lusts within: Ad leonem mayis quam lenonem, saith Tertullian. I had rather go to hell pure from sin, saith Anselm, than to heaven polluted with that filth. {a} I will rather leap into a bonfire, saith another of the fathers, than wilfully commit wickedness against God. {b} Of the mouse of Armenia they write, that she will rather die than be defiled with any filth. Insomuch as if her hole be besmeared with dirt, she will rather choose to be taken than to be polluted. Such are, or ought to be, the servants of God; "unspotted of the world," {Jas 1:27} "undefiled in the way." {Psa 119:1}

{a} Mallem purus a peccato et innocens gehennam intrare, &c.

{b} Potius in ardentem rogum insiluero quam ullum peccatum in Deum commisero. - Pintus, in Dan.

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

And she caught him by his garment, saying, lie with me,.... It is very probable that before this time, as soon as ever she began to speak to him, he got away as fast as he could, and would not hear her; wherefore she now laid hold on his garment, in order to detain him, that she might have time to parley with him, and so prevail:

and he left his garment in her hand, and fled, and got him out; it was his outward loose garment she laid hold on, out of which he slipped himself, and so got clear of her, and ran away, and got out of the house as fast as he could: this he did, because he would not struggle with his mistress for his garment, which no doubt by his strength he could have got from her; and partly lest he should by handling of her have carnal desires excited in him, and so be overcome with her temptation.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Out. He could easily have wrested it from her. But he would not do any thing that might seem disrespectful, nor claim what her impure hands had touched. (Menochius)

George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).

He left his garment in her hand, which he would not strive to get from her, partly, for reverence to his mistress; partly, in detestation of her wickedness, whereby even his garment might seem to be infected; and partly, to put himself and her out of the danger of further temptation.

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

When she laid hold on him, he left his garment in her hand - He would not stay to parley with the temptation, but flew out from it with the utmost abhorrence, he left his garment as one escaping for his life.

John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.

AND HE LEFT HIS GARMENT IN HER HAND. Out of respect for his mistress he did not wish to take the garment from her hand with his superior strength, and he removed it from upon himself, as it was a garment which one wears as a robe and headdress. But when she saw that he left his garment in her hands she feared lest he expose her to the people of the household or his master, and so she preceded him to them, saying that he had removed his garment to lie with her, but “when he saw that I screamed he fled in confusion.” This is the meaning of the verse, And it came to pass, when she saw that he had left his garment in her hand. This is also why she did not say, “And he left his garment in my hand,” but she instead told the men of her house and her husband, And he left his garment ‘etzli’ (with me). (with me) indicates that he himself had removed his garment, as explained above.

Ramban (Nachmanides) on the Tanakh — English translation: “Commentary on the Torah by Ramban (Nachmanides). Translated and annotated by Charles B. Chavel. New York, Shilo Pub. House, 1971-1976” (CC BY 4.0). Text via Sefaria.

And fled. So that he would not be overcome by desire.

And he went outside. As soon as he left the room he slowed down so that no one would ask questions. She, however, assumed that he continued running and that people would soon know what happened; therefore she called to the men of the household.

Sforno on the Tanakh — English translation: “Yalkut, Sifsei Chachomim Chumash, Metsudah Publications, 2009” (CC BY 4.0). Text via Sefaria.