Another interpretation (of Gen. 39:1): WHEN JOSEPH WAS TAKEN DOWN TO EGYPT, POTIPHAR … BOUGHT HIM . What is the meaning of WHEN JOSEPH WAS TAKEN DOWN? That he moved the Egyptians from place to place. It is just as you say (in Gen. 47:21): HE REMOVED THE PEOPLE BY CITIES FROM ONE END OF EGYPT'S BORDER TO THE OTHER . Thus he was taking them up from here and putting them there so that they would not taunt the Israelites by calling them exiles and children of exiles.⁴⁸. 60b; Targum Pseudo-Jonathan, Gen. 47:21; Frag. (Jerusalem) Targum, Gen. 47:21.

footnotes: ⁴⁸ Hul

(Gen. 39:1, cont.:) POTIPHAR … BOUGHT HIM. Why was he named Potiphar (rt.: PTPR). Because he fattened (rt.: PTM) bulls (rt.: PR) for idol worship.⁴⁹

footnotes: ⁴⁹ Gen. R. 86:3.

Another interpretation: Why was he named Potiphar? Because he entered Pharaoh's house and made his house potinos⁵⁰, which means “radiant.” {i.e., wealthy}. Thus he made the Pharaoh's house shine.

footnotes: ⁵⁰ From the Gk.: photeinos

(Gen. 39:1, cont.:) POTIPHAR, A EUNUCH OF PHARAOH AND CAPTAIN OF THE GUARD, BOUGHT HIM ; nevertheless (according to vs. 2): THE LORD WAS WITH JOSEPH, AND HE WAS A SUCCESSFUL MAN . R. Abbahu said: Do I only have evidence that the Lord was with him in prosperity? Where is it shown that the Lord was with him , even in trouble? See, he wrote (in vs. 20): SO JOSEPH'S MASTER TOOK HIM AND PUT HIM IN PRISON. Nevertheless (according to vs. 21): THE LORD WAS WITH JOSEPH. R. Abbahu said: You have someone who loves his friend in prosperity. When trouble came to him, he acted as though he did not know him. But the Holy One is not like that. Rather (according to Gen. 39:20-21): WHILE HE WAS THERE IN PRISON, THE LORD WAS WITH JOSEPH. Both in trouble and in prosperity, he was with him.

(Gen. 39:2, cont.:) AND HE WAS A SUCCESSFUL MAN. He used to gird up his loins; and, when his master would say to him: Pour me a glass of water, he would pour it. Then he would say : Give me cold water , and he would give it to him out of the same vessel. When his master would say to him: Give me wine, he would give it to him. Then he would say : Give it to me tripled (i.e., mixed with two parts of water).⁵¹ He would give it to him, and it would become sweet by itself.⁵²., Gen. 9:8; Gen. R. 86:5. It is therefore stated (in Gen. 39:2, cont.): AND HE WAS A SUCCESSFUL MAN.

footnotes: ⁵¹ So Buber, p. 186, n. 66. ⁵² Cf. Tanh

(Gen. 39:3:) WHEN HIS MASTER SAW THAT THE LORD WAS WITH HIM…. He saw that his works were different. And why all this? (Gen. 39:2:) THE LORD WAS WITH JOSEPH.