## Ibn Ezra on Genesis Chapter 39

###### Ibn Ezra on Genesis 39:6:1
[Ibn Ezra on Genesis 39:6:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Ibn%20Ezra%20on%20Genesis/r/39:6:1)

**ולא ידע אתו מאומה כי אם הלחם.** י"א שהוא כנוי לשכיבת אשתו וזה רחוק, ועוד כי אדוני יוסף סריס היה, והנכון בעיני שכל אשר לו היה בידו חוץ מן הלחם שלא היה אפילו נוגע בו בעבור היותו עברי, כי הנה מפורש "כי לא יוכלו המצרים לאכול את העברים לחם" (בראשית מג לב) כי פוטיפר ידע שיוסף עברי הוא וכן אשתו אומרת ראו הביא לנו איש עברי (בראשית לט יד):

**Ibn Ezra's commentary on the Pentateuch, tran. and annot. by H. Norman Strickman and Arthur M. Silver. Menorah Pub., 1988-2004:**
HE KNEW NOT AUGHT SAVE THE BREAD WHICH HE DID EAT. Some say that *the bread which he did eat* is a euphemism for a conjugal relationship.¹ However, this interpretation is far-fetched. Furthermore, Potiphar was a eunuch.². I.E. interprets *seris paroh* (an officer of Pharaoh) as Pharaoh’s eunuch. If he was a eunuch then *the bread which he did eat* obviously cannot refer to sexual intercourse. I believe that what this verse says is that Potiphar put Joseph in charge of everything that he had except for his bread, which Joseph was not permitted even to touch because he was a Hebrew, as we see from the verse *because the Egyptians might not eat bread with the Hebrews; for that is an abomination unto the Egyptians* (Gen. 43:32). Potiphar knew that Joseph was a Hebrew. Potiphar’s wife similarly said, *See, he hath brought in a Hebrew unto us to mock us* (v. 14).³

footnotes:
¹ Cf. Rashi.
² Cf. verse 1, Potiphar seris paroh
³ Which proves that his master knew that Joseph was a Hebrew.


###### Ibn Ezra on Genesis 39:6:2
[Ibn Ezra on Genesis 39:6:2](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Ibn%20Ezra%20on%20Genesis/r/39:6:2)

**ויהי יוסף יפה תואר.** כאמו:

**Ibn Ezra's commentary on the Pentateuch, tran. and annot. by H. Norman Strickman and Arthur M. Silver. Menorah Pub., 1988-2004:**
AND JOSEPH WAS OF BEAUTIFUL FORM. Like his mother.


###### Ibn Ezra on Genesis 39:10:1
[Ibn Ezra on Genesis 39:10:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Ibn%20Ezra%20on%20Genesis/r/39:10:1)

**לשכב אצלה.** אפילו לשכוב במקום קרוב ממנה או להיות עמה לדבר שיחות:

**Ibn Ezra's commentary on the Pentateuch, tran. and annot. by H. Norman Strickman and Arthur M. Silver. Menorah Pub., 1988-2004:**
[TO LIE BY HER.] To just lie next to her,⁴ or *to be with her*, to converse with her.

footnotes:
⁴ That is, just to lie next to her, “to lie next to her while both are fully clothed” (Nahmanides).


###### Ibn Ezra on Genesis 39:11:1
[Ibn Ezra on Genesis 39:11:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Ibn%20Ezra%20on%20Genesis/r/39:11:1)

**ויהי כהיום הזה.** משבוע אחד מהיום שהחלה לדבר לו שכבה עמי, או מחודש אחד, או אחר שנה תמימה והוא הנכון בעיני:

**Ibn Ezra's commentary on the Pentateuch, tran. and annot. by H. Norman Strickman and Arthur M. Silver. Menorah Pub., 1988-2004:**
AND IT CAME TO PASS ON A CERTAIN DAY. On the same day that she had first asked him to lay with her.⁵ It was on this same day a week later, or a month later or a full year later. The latter appears correct to me.

footnotes:
⁵ The Hebrew literally reads: And a day like this came to pass, i.e., a day like the one described above, that is, the day that she said, “lie with me.”


###### Ibn Ezra on Genesis 39:11:2
[Ibn Ezra on Genesis 39:11:2](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Ibn%20Ezra%20on%20Genesis/r/39:11:2)

**לעשות מלאכתו.** מלאכת הבית או הממון כי פקיד היה על הכל, ודרש ואין איש דברי יחיד:

**Ibn Ezra's commentary on the Pentateuch, tran. and annot. by H. Norman Strickman and Arthur M. Silver. Menorah Pub., 1988-2004:**
TO DO HIS WORK. To supervise the housework or to oversee his master’s wealth, for Joseph was in charge of everything. The Midrash pertaining to *and there was none of the men*⁶, 9, Joseph wanted to have intercourse with Potiphar’s wife but found himself impotent (Weiser and Krinsky according to one interpretation). Or the reference may be to *Soteh* 36b, that he wanted to have intercourse with Potiphar’s wife but his father’s image appeared before him and as a result Joseph refrained from sinning. Thus *and there was none of the men of the house there within* but his father’s image was there. is an individual opinion.⁷

footnotes:
⁶ The Hebrew literally reads: and there was no man. According to Tanchuma, Va-yeshev
⁷ Hence it is not binding.


###### Ibn Ezra on Genesis 39:14:1
[Ibn Ezra on Genesis 39:14:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Ibn%20Ezra%20on%20Genesis/r/39:14:1)

**הביא לנו.** בעלי:

**Ibn Ezra's commentary on the Pentateuch, tran. and annot. by H. Norman Strickman and Arthur M. Silver. Menorah Pub., 1988-2004:**
HE HATH BROUGHT UNTO US. That is, my husband.⁸

footnotes:
⁸ Our verse is short for: my husband hath brought unto us (Weiser).


###### Ibn Ezra on Genesis 39:19:1
[Ibn Ezra on Genesis 39:19:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Ibn%20Ezra%20on%20Genesis/r/39:19:1)

**ויחר אפו.** ואעפ"י כן לא הרגו כי בספק היה הדבר אצלו:

**Ibn Ezra's commentary on the Pentateuch, tran. and annot. by H. Norman Strickman and Arthur M. Silver. Menorah Pub., 1988-2004:**
THAT HIS WRATH WAS KINDLED. Potiphar nevertheless did not kill Joseph because he wasn’t certain as to the truth of his wife’s accusation.


###### Ibn Ezra on Genesis 39:21:1
[Ibn Ezra on Genesis 39:21:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Ibn%20Ezra%20on%20Genesis/r/39:21:1)

**בית הסהר.** לא נדע אם הוא לשון הקדש, או לשון מצרים בעבור שפי' אחריו ואמר מה הוא, כמו האחשתרנים (אסתר ח, י) שהוא לשון פרס ופי' שהם בני הרמכים:

**Ibn Ezra's commentary on the Pentateuch, tran. and annot. by H. Norman Strickman and Arthur M. Silver. Menorah Pub., 1988-2004:**
PRISON. We can not ascertain whether *bet ha-sohar* (the prison) is a Hebrew or Egyptian word in view of the fact that the Bible goes on to explain its meaning⁹. as it does with the Persian word *ha-achashteranim* (that were used in the King’s service) which is followed by the Hebrew *bene ha-rammakhim* (bred of the stud)¹⁰ is Hebrew for *achashteranim*. (Est. 8:10).

footnotes:
⁹ Were it a Hebrew word there would be no reason to explain the place where the King’s prisoners were bound
¹⁰ According to I.E. bene ha-rammakhim


###### Ibn Ezra on Genesis 39:22:1
[Ibn Ezra on Genesis 39:22:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Ibn%20Ezra%20on%20Genesis/r/39:22:1)

**ואת כל אשר עושים.** יש אומרים כי היה מתעסק באומנות שיחיה ממנה, כאשר הי' עושים האסורים, והקרוב אלי שפירושו כל אשר הי' צריכים כאילו היה הוא העושה כי פקיד היה עליהם, והפסוק הבא אחריו לעד:

**Ibn Ezra's commentary on the Pentateuch, tran. and annot. by H. Norman Strickman and Arthur M. Silver. Menorah Pub., 1988-2004:**
AND WHATSOEVER THEY DID THERE, HE WAS THE DOER OF IT. Some interpret this to mean that Joseph, like all the other prisoners, was engaged in work to support himself.¹¹ However, I believe that the meaning of our verse is: and whatsoever they had to do there he was, as it were, the doer of it, because he was their supervisor. The next verse bears out the latter interpretation.¹², which implies that Joseph did not actually do any work, but supervised the others.

footnotes:
¹¹ That is, whatever they did he did.
¹² Verse 23 relates that the keeper of the prison looked not to anything that was under his hand