Genesis 39:2

Gen 39:2 And the LORD was with Joseph, and he was a prosperous man; and he was in the house of his master the Egyptian.

Ver. 2. And the Lord was with Joseph, and he, &c.] "The Lord" also "is with you, while ye be with him": {2Ch 15:2} and so long you may promise yourselves prosperity; that of Gaius, howsoever, - that your souls shall prosper; and for most part also, your outward estates. If it fall out otherwise, it is because God will have godliness admired for itself. If ungodly men prosper, it is that ease may slay them, {Pro 1:32} and "that they may perish for ever." {Psa 37:20} Moritur Zacharias Papa, rebus pro Ecclesiae salute et Apostolicae sedis dignitate, non tam pie quam prospere gestis, saith Sigonius. This was little to his commendation, - that he was not so pious as he was prosperous.

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.

Gen 39:2. The Lord was with Joseph — Those that can separate us from all our friends cannot deprive us of the gracious presence of our God. When Joseph had none of his relations with him, he had his God with him, even in the house of the Egyptian: Joseph was banished from his father’s house, but the Lord was with him. It is God’s presence with us that makes all we do prosperous. Those that would prosper must therefore make God their friend; and those that do prosper must therefore give God the praise. He was in the house of his master the Egyptian — He did not endeavour, as might have been expected, to effect an escape to his father, but demeaned himself patiently and faithfully in the station into which God’s providence had brought him.

Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

2. The Lord was with Joseph — The holy covenant God of Israel was not absent from his faithful servant. He ever encampeth round about them that fear him.

A prosperous man — Making to prosper whatever he undertook. Compare the Psalmist’s description of the blessed or happy man. Psa_1:3.

He was in the house of his master — First as a house-servant, then overseer of all his possessions. Gen_39:4-6. Potiphar quickly discerned Joseph’s integrity and pious attention to all his affairs. He probably did not concern himself about the religious ideas of his slave, or learn from him any special doctrines of Jehovah. He doubtless adhered to his own Egyptian idolatries. But in Gen_39:2-6 the sacred historian shows that the integrity and prosperity of Joseph were due to the divine providence which favoured the faithful son of Israel.

“The great pictures of Egyptian civilization which are found in the monumental sepulchres, abound in representations of overseership in the house and in the field. Workmen are represented as engaged in various kinds of labour, such as gardening, farming, fishing, while the overseer watches and directs, and keeps the record of the work with a reed pen in a papyrus register. Division and subdivision of labour, and minute supervision, had at this time been carried to a high degree in this home of science and civilization. Great native talent as well as integrity is displayed in this sudden rise of a shepherd-lad, sold as a slave into such a land as Egypt. We see here unmistakable signs of superior abilities, which serve to explain the previous envy of his brethren. A man so clearly born to command must have displayed something of his power and the natural bent of his genius in early youth.” — Newhall.

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

39:2 God is mentioned for the first time (apart from 38:7-10) since Jacob built his altar in Bethel (35:1-15); his covenant name, “the Lord,” is used for the first time since Jacob left Laban (31:49).

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

The favor of God is the fountain of all prosperity.

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

he was in the house of his master--Those slaves who had been war captives were generally sent to labor in the field and subjected to hard treatment under the "stick" of taskmasters. But those who were bought with money were employed in domestic purposes, were kindly treated, and enjoyed as much liberty as the same class does in modern Egypt.

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

2. the Lord was with Joseph] This is the motif of the whole section. Jehovah stands by Joseph whether in trouble or in prosperity, in good report or in evil; cf. Gen_39:3; Gen_39:5; Gen_39:21; Gen_39:23. Joseph was one of those rare characters in which great personal attractiveness in manner and appearance was combined with high principle and good intellectual powers.

in the house] i.e. not sent out to labour in the field.

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.

And the Lord was with Joseph,.... Blessing him with his gracious presence, with discoveries of his love, and communion with himself, though destitute of the means of grace and ordinances of worship he enjoyed in his father's house; favouring him with bodily health, and protecting him from all evils and enemies:

and he was a prosperous man; in worldly things, and which was owing to the presence of God with him, and his blessing on him:

and he was in the house of his master the Egyptian; he continued there, and did not attempt to make his escape; or his employment lay chiefly, if not altogether, in the house, and herein he was prosperous, and continued to be so as long as he was in it; the Jews (n) say, he remained here twelve months. Near the pyramids built in the neighbourhood of Memphis, as is affirmed unanimously by the ancients, to this day is shown a hill, on which they say the house of Potiphar was built, whose servant the patriarch Joseph was, and some of the rubbish of the bricks are yet to be seen (o).

(n) Seder Olam Rabba, c. 2. p. 5. (o) Jablonski de Terra Goshen, Dissert. 6. sect. 6.

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

Those that can separate us from all our friends, cannot deprive us of the gracious presence of our God. When Joseph had none of his relations with him, he had his God with him, even in the house of the Egyptian: Joseph was banished from his father's house, but the Lord was with him. It is God's presence with us that makes all we do prosperous. Those that would prosper, must therefore make God their friend; and those that do prosper, must therefore give God the praise.

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

ויהי ה' את יוסף ויהי איש מצליח, he was successful in all things he undertook on his own behalf and also was successful in the house of his Egyptian master. Every task that was assigned to him he managed to carry out successfully.

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.