Genesis 39:14

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.

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.

39:14 Though Potiphar’s wife was addressing slaves, she appealed to them as fellow Egyptians (us) to enlist them as witnesses against the despised Hebrew (see 43:32) who had won Potiphar’s trust.

Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Or, to do us villainy and shame.

This declareth that where incontinence is, thereunto is joined extreme impudency and craft.

Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain. Text via Bolls.life.

Then she called unto the men of her house--Disappointed and affronted, she vowed revenge and accused Joseph, first to the servants of the house, and on his return to her lord.

See, he hath brought in an Hebrew . . . to mock us--an affected and blind aspersion of her husband for keeping in his house an Hebrew, the very abomination of Egyptians.

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

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. לפחק 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.

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

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.

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

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.

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

Unto the men of her house; to such as were in other parts of the house, whom she called in as witnesses for her husband’s 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.

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

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.

Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

ראו הביא לנו SEE, HE HATH BROUGHT IN UNTO US — This is an elliptical phrase: “he hath brought in to us” without stating plainly who brought him in She was referring to her husband.

עברי A HEBREW — is one who came from the other side (עבר) of the river Euphrates, being at the same time of the sons of Eber (אדניו).

Rashi on the Tanakh — English translations: “The Judaica Press complete Tanach with Rashi, translated by A. J. Rosenberg” (CC BY 4.0); “Pentateuch with Rashi's commentary by M. Rosenbaum and A.M. Silbermann, 1929-1934” (public domain); “The Metsudah Tanach series, Lakewood, N.J” (CC BY 4.0); and “The Book of Joshua, Metsudah Publications, 1997” (CC BY 4.0). Text via Sefaria.

SEE, HE HATH BROUGHT IN A HEBREW UNTO US. The meaning thereof is that the Hebrews were hated by the Egyptians. They did not eat with them, this being a matter of abhorrence to them. They did not purchase them as servants except as vinedressers and plowmen, but they would not permit them to come into their homes. This is why she said: “Behold, the master has done us evil by bringing a Hebrew into our home, and he has further appointed him as overseer and ruler, and now he has fittingly seen to mock us.” [The point of her statement] is similar to that which is said in the verse, He that delicately bringeth up his servant from a child shall have him become a master at the last. This is the meaning of her saying, Whom thou hast brought unto us, as his being brought into their house was in itself embarassing to them.In the verse before us, the expression, He has brought us, refers to her husband. She does not mention him by name out of respect, or perhaps because such is the ethical way for women to speak, or perhaps because it is known who brought Joseph into the house. Similarly, in many places in the book of Job it speaks of Almighty G-d anonymously because the conversants know that they are speaking of Him. Similarly, in the verse, And he said to Abner, Why hast thou gone in unto my father’s concubine? the name of the speaker is not mentioned, and no reference is made to him at all in the above verse because it is known that he was Ish-bosheth.

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.

ותקרא לאנשי ביתה, how is that possible seeing that none of them were in the house at the time?ואקרא בקול גדול.ותאמר..לאמר, to tell her husband.

הביא לנו, they said to him (accusingly) how he could have brought such a man.

בנו, a word denoting glory, i.e. how could he be “over us, in a superior position?”

Radak on the Tanakh — English translations: “Sefaria Community Translation” (CC0 1.0 (public-domain dedication)); “Eliyahu Munk, HaChut Hameshulash” (CC BY 4.0); “Rabbi Mike Feuer, Jerusalem Anthology” (CC BY 4.0); and “R. David Kimhi on the first book of Psalms, Translated by R.G. Finch, London, 1919” (public domain). Text via Sefaria.