Joseph hath charge of his master’s house: rejecteth his mistress’s solicitations: is falsely accused by her, and cast into prison, where he hath the charge of all the prisoners.
Ioseph being in great credite with his maister, hath the whole charge of his house. 7. Contemning his mystris solicitation to incontinencie, 13. is falsly accused by her to his maister: 20. and cast into prison, 21. Where againe he getteth credite, and hath the charge of al the prisoners.
1And Joseph was brought into Egypt, and Putiphar, an eunuch of Pharao, chief captain of the army, an Egyptian, bought him of the Ismaelites, by whom he was brought.Giuseppe adunque fu condotto in Egitto, e lo comperò Putiphar Egiziano eunuco di Faraone, capitano dell'esercito degl'Ismaeliti, che ve l'aveano condotto.THERFORE Ioseph was brought into Aegypt, and Putiphar an Eunuch of Pharao, prince of his armie, a man of Aegypt bought him, at the hand of the Ismaelites, by whom he was brought.Igitur Joseph ductus est in Ægyptum, emitque eum Putiphar eunuchus Pharaonis, princeps exercitus, vir ægyptius, de manu Ismaëlitarum, a quibus perductus erat. 2And the Lord was with him, and he was a prosperous man in all things: and he dwelt in his master’s house:E il Signore era con lui, e gli riusciva bene tutto quel che faceva: e abitava nella casa del suo padrone,And our Lord was with him, and he was a man, that in al things did prosperously: and he dwelt in his maisters house,Fuitque Dominus cum eo, et erat vir in cunctis prospere agens: habitavitque in domo domini sui, 3Who knew very well that the Lord was with him, and made all that he did to prosper in his hand.Il quale benissimo conoscea, che era con lui il Signore, e conduceva a buon fine tutto quello che intraprendeva.who knewe verie wel that our Lord was with him, and that al thinges which he did, were directed by him in his hand.qui optime noverat Dominum esse cum eo, et omnia, quæ gerebat, ab eo dirigi in manu illius. 4And Joseph found favour in the sight of his master, and ministered to him: and being set over all by him, he governed the house committed to him, and all things that were delivered to him:E Giuseppe trovò grazia dinanzi al suo padrone, e lo serviva, ed essendogli stata data da lui la soprintendenza di tutte le cose, governava la casa a sé affidata, e tutti i beni rimessi nelle sue mani.And Ioseph found grace before his maister, and ministred to him: by whom being made ruler ouer al his thinges, he gouerned the house committed to him, and al thinges that were deliuered vnto him:Invenitque Joseph gratiam coram domino suo, et ministrabat ei: a quo præpositus omnibus gubernabat creditam sibi domum, et universa quæ ei tradita fuerant: 5And the Lord blessed the house of the Egyptian for Joseph’s sake, and multiplied all his substance, both at home and in the fields.E il Signore benedisse la casa dell'Egiziano per amor di Giuseppe, e moltiplicò tutte le facoltà di lui tanto in casa, come alla campagna,and our Lord blessed the house of the Aegyptian for Iosephes sake, and multiplied as wel in houses, as in landes al his substance.benedixitque Dominus domui Ægyptii propter Joseph, et multiplicavit tam in ædibus quam in agris cunctam ejus substantiam:
6Neither knew he any other thing, but the bread which he ate. And Joseph was of a beautiful countenance, and comely to behold.Ed egli non avea altro pensiero, che di mettersi a tavola a mangiare. Or Giuseppe era di volto avvenente, e di graziosa presenza.Neither knew he any other thing, but the bread which he did eate. And Ioseph was of beautiful countenance, and comely fauored to behold.nec quidquam aliud noverat, nisi panem quo vescebatur. Erat autem Joseph pulchra facie, et decorus aspectu. 7And after many days, his mistress cast her eyes on Joseph, and said: Lie with me.Passato adunque assai tempo, la padrona fissò i suoi occhi sopra Giuseppe, e disse: Dormi meco.After manie dayes therfore his maistresse cast her eyes on Ioseph, and said: Sleepe with me.Post multos itaque dies injecit domina sua oculos suos in Joseph, et ait: Dormi mecum. 8But he in no wise consenting to that wicked act said to her: Behold, my master hath delivered all things to me, and knoweth not what he hath in his own house:Il quale non acconsentendo all'opera indegna, le disse: Tu vedi come il mio padrone avendo rimessa ogni cosa nelle mie mani, non sa quel che si abbia in sua casa:Who in no wise assenting to that wicked act, said to her: Behold, my maister hauing deliuered al thinges vnto me, knoweth not what he hath in his owne house:Qui nequaquam acquiescens operi nefario, dixit ad eam: Ecce dominus meus, omnibus mihi traditis, ignorat quid habeat in domo sua: 9Neither is there any thing which is not in my power, or that he hath not delivered to me, but thee, who art his wife; how then can I do this wicked thing, and sin against my God?E veruna cosa non è, ch'ei non abbia a me affidata, e di cui non m'abbia fatto padrone, fuori di te, che sei sua moglie: come adunque poss'io fare questo male, e peccare contro il mio Dio?neither is there any thing which is not in my power, or that he hath not deliuered to me, beside thee, that art his wife: how therfore can I do this wicked thing, and sinne against my God?nec quidquam est quod non in mea sit potestate, vel non tradiderit mihi, præter te, quæ uxor ejus es: quomodo ergo possum hoc malum facere, et peccare in Deum meum ? 10With such words as these day by day, both the woman was importunate with the young man, and he refused the adultery.Cogli stessi discorsi ogni dì e la donna inquietava il giovinetto, ed egli ricusava di peccare.With these kinde of wordes day by day both the woman was importune vpon the young man: and he refused the aduoutrie.Hujuscemodi verbis per singulos dies, et mulier molesta erat adolescenti: et ille recusabat stuprum.
11Now it happened on a certain day, that Joseph went into the house, and was doing some business, without any man with him:Ma avvenne, che un dì Giuseppe entrò in casa, e si pose a far qualche cosa non avendo alcun con sé:And it chanced on a certaine day, that Ioseph went into the house, and did some businesse without anie man with him:Accidit autem quadam die ut intraret Joseph domum, et operis quippiam absque arbitris faceret: 12And she catching the skirt of his garment, said: Lie with me. But he leaving the garment in her hand, fled, and went out.E quella, preso l'orlo del suo mantello, gli disse: Vieni con me. Ma egli lasciato in man di lei il mantello, si fuggì fuori di casa.and she catching the skirte of his garment, said: Sleepe with me. who leauing the cloke in her hand, fled, and went forth abroad.et illa, apprehensa lacinia vestimenti ejus, diceret: Dormi mecum. Qui relicto in manu ejus pallio fugit, et egressus est foras. 13And when the woman saw the garment in her hands, and herself disregarded,E la donna veggendo in sue mani il mantello, e sé disprezzata:And when the woman sawe the garment in her handes, and her selfe to be contemned,Cumque vidisset mulier vestem in manibus suis, et se esse contemptam, 14She called to her the men of her house, and said to them: See, he hath brought in a Hebrew, to abuse us: he came in to me, to lie with me; and when I cried out,Chiamò a sé la gente di casa, e disse loro: Ecco che egli ha condotto qua quest'uomo Ebreo, perché ci facesse vergogna. Egli è venuto a trovarmi per peccare con me: e avendo io alzato le grida,she called to her the men of her house, and said to them: See he hath brought in an Hebrew, to delude vs: he came vpon me, for to lie with me: and when I had cried our,vocavit ad se homines domus suæ, et ait ad eos: En introduxit virum hebræum, ut illuderet nobis: ingressus est ad me, ut coiret mecum: cumque ego succlamassem, 15And he heard my voice, he left the garment that I held, and got him out.Egli all'udir la mia voce ha lasciato il mantello, per cui io lo teneva, e si è fuggito.and he heard my voice, he left the cloake that I hold, and fled forth.et audisset vocem meam, reliquit pallium quod tenebam, et fugit foras. 16For a proof therefore of her fidelity, she kept the garment, and shewed it to her husband when he returned home:In prova adunque della serbata fede fece veder al marito tornato a casa il mantello ritenuto,For an argument therfore of her credite, she reserued the cloake, and shewed it to her husband returning home,In argumentum ergo fidei retentum pallium ostendit marito revertenti domum,
17And said: The Hebrew servant, whom thou hast brought, came to me to abuse me.E disse: È venuto a trovarmi quel servo Ebreo, che tu hai condotto a svergognarmi:and said: There came vnto me the Hebrew seruant, whom thou didest bring hither, for to delude me:et ait: Ingressus est ad me servus hebræus quem adduxisti, ut illuderet mihi: 18And when he heard me cry, he left the garment which I held, and fled out.Il quale, sentito come io alzava le grida, ha lasciato il mantello, che io teneva, ed è scappato.and when he heard me crie, he left the cloke which I held, and fled forth.cumque audisset me clamare, reliquit pallium quod tenebam, et fugit foras. 19His master hearing these things, and giving too much credit to his wife’s words, was very angry,Tali cose avendo udite il padrone troppo facile a credere alle parole della moglie, ne concepì grande sdegno:His maister hearing these thinges, and geuing ouer light credite to his wiues wordes, was very wrath:His auditis dominus, et nimium credulus verbis conjugis, iratus est valde: 20And cast Joseph into the prison, where the king’s prisoners were kept, and he was there shut up.E fece metter Giuseppe nella prigione, in cui erano tenuti i rei di delitto commesso contro del re, ed egli fu quivi rinchiuso.and deliuered Ioseph into prison, where the kinges prisoners were kept, and he was there shut vp.tradiditque Joseph in carcerem, ubi vincti regis custodiebantur, et erat ibi clausus. 21But the Lord was with Joseph, and having mercy upon him gave him favour in the sight of the chief keeper of the prison:Ma il Signore fu con Giuseppe, e avendo compassione di lui fece sì, ch'ei trovò grazia dinanzi al provveditore della prigione.And our Lord was with Ioseph, and hauing mercie vpon him gaue him grace in the sight of the chiefe of the prison.Fuit autem Dominus cum Joseph, et misertus illius dedit ei gratiam in conspectu principis carceris. 22Who delivered into his hand all the prisoners that were kept in custody: and whatsoever was done, was under him.Il quale diede a lui potestà sopra tutti i prigionieri, che erano in quella carcere: e tutto quello che si facea, era fatto per suo ordine.Who deliuered in his hand al the prisoners that were kept in custodie: and whatsoeuer was done, was vnder him.Qui tradidit in manu illius universos vinctos qui in custodia tenebantur: et quidquid fiebat, sub ipso erat. 23Neither did he himself know any thing, having committed all things to him: for the Lord was with him, and made all that he did to prosper.E quegli non pensava a nulla, avendo dato di ogni cosa l'arbitrio a Giuseppe: perocché il Signore era con lui, e conduceva a buon fine tutto quel ch'ei faceva.Neyther did himselfe knowe any thing, hauing committed al things to him: for our Lord was with him, and directed al his workes.Nec noverat aliquid, cunctis ei creditis: Dominus enim erat cum illo, et omnia opera ejus dirigebat.
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Haydock
Ismaelites. They are called Madianites, Genesis 37:36. (Haydock)
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Menochius
Bread. A proverbial expression, to shew how entirely he reposed in Joseph's fidelity and prudence. (Menochius)
He was so rich, that he knew not the extent of his wealth. So Petronius says, Nescit quid habeat, adeo Zaplutus est. It may also be understood as a commendation of Joseph's disinterestedness.
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Year of the World about 2286, Year before Christ 1718.
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His wife, and such things as could not be touched without sin; such as his daughter, if the woman, whom Joseph afterwards married, was the daughter of this man, Genesis 41:45.
Haydock
My God, Elohim; which might also be understood of his lord and master. The sin against the latter would be resented by God, who is offended by every transgression. (Haydock)
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Du Hamel
Both the woman was importunate, etc. Hebrew does not express this so fully. (Du Hamel)
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Menochius
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)
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Challoner
A proof of her fidelity, or an argument to gain credit, argumentum fidei. (Challoner)
Haydock
Love neglected, turns to fury. She wishes to take away Joseph's life, according to the laws of Egypt against adulterers. Diodorus says Sesostris burnt some women taken in the crime; and we must attribute it to divine Providence, that the enraged husband did not inflict instant death upon his slave. Perhaps he did not altogether believe him guilty. (Haydock)
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Menochius
Thou hast, etc. As if her husband were guilty of an indiscretion. (Menochius)
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Haydock
Too much. The proof was of an ambiguous nature. But Putiphar perhaps thought it unbecoming to distrust his wife, or to interrogate his slave. (Haydock)
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Calmet
Keeper. Pererius thinks this was the same Putiphar, who, recognizing the innocence of Joseph, allows him every indulgence in prison; but does not liberate him, for fear of the dishonour and resentment of his wife. (Calmet)
Haydock
He had before put him in irons. (Psalm104:18; Wisdom 10:13.) Joseph here exercises at once the four cardinal virtues. Prudence, in keeping out of the company of his mistress, as the Hebrew express it, ver. 10: "He yielded not to lie with her, or to be in her company." (Haydock)
Tirinus
Justice, in regard to his master. Fortitude, in bearing with all sorts of hardships, loss of character, etc. And Temperance, by refusing to gratify the most violent of all passions, at an age when it is the most insidious and ungovernable. This makes the fathers exclaim, We wonder more at the conduct of Joseph, than at the delivery of the three children from the Babylonian furnace. [Daniel iii.] For, like them, Joseph continues unhurt, and more shining, in the midst of the flames. (St. Chrysostom) (Tirinus)
Calmet
The stories of Hippolitus, Bellerophon, etc., seem to be copied from this. (Calmet)
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A proof of her fidelity.... or an argument to gain credit, argumentum fidei.
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Ioseph endued with al vertues was a special mirrhor of chastirie S. Amb. li. de Ioseph. c •.
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The foure cardinal vertues reigned in him.
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Temperance.
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Iustice.
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Fortitude.
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Prudence.
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God is more specially with his seruants in affliction then in prosperitie S Amb li. de Ioseph. c. 5
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St John Chrysostom † AD 407 A Commentary on the Acts of the Apostles 49
… the very things by which we are hurt, by these same are we benefited. Thus it was with Joseph: his mistress sought to ruin him: and she seemed indeed to be contriving his ruin, but by her contriving she placed him in a state of safety: for the house where that wild beast (of a woman) was kept was a den in comparison with which the prison was gentle. (
St John Chrysostom † AD 407 Homilies on Titus 4
And that servants are required to be thus disposed towards a Gentile master, I will show you by an example. Joseph, who was of a different religion from the Egyptian, was sold to the chief cook.
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St John Chrysostom † AD 407 Homilies on Second Corinthians 7
… For I see numbers admiring and commending, who yet are not enamored. ‘And how is it possible to admire and not be enamored?’ Clamor not, (for this I am coming to speak of,) but wait, and thou shalt hear Moses admiring the son of Jacob, and saying, “And Joseph was a goodly person, and well favored exceedingly.” (
St John Chrysostom † AD 407 Homilies on 1 Timothy 4
… God made thee beautiful, that He might increase the trials of thy modesty. For it is much harder for one that is lovely to be modest, than for one who has no such attractions, for which to be courted. Why does the Scripture tell us, that “Joseph was a goodly person, and well favored” (
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Aphrahat † AD 346 Aphrahat: Select Demonstrations 6.3
3. For it was through Eve that he came in upon Adam, and Adam was enticed because of his inexperience. And again he came in against Joseph through his master’s wife,
St Ambrose of Milan † AD 397 On the Duties of the Clergy 2.5
… Were they not blessed on whose good faith God received witness, as it is written: “The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob”? A wretched thing is slavery, but Joseph was not wretched; nay, clearly he was blessed, when he whilst in slavery checked the lusts of his mistress.
St Ambrose of Milan † AD 397 Concerning Repentance 1.14
72. Joseph saw the fire when the woman eager for adultery spoke to him.
St John Chrysostom † AD 407 Homilies on Second Corinthians 6
… Thus also Jacob said, “If the Lord will give me bread to eat and raiment to put on.” ( Gen. xxviii. 20 .) Thus also Joseph, “How shall I do this wickedness, and sin before God?” ( ib. xxxix. 9 .) But not so that barbarian woman; but as one drunken and insane , so spake she, saying, “Lie with me.” (
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 Our Lord’s Sermon on the Mount 2.9
… For “the furnace proveth the potter’s vessels, and the trial of tribulation righteous men.” Joseph therefore was tempted with the allurement of debauchery, but he was not brought into temptation.
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St Ambrose of Milan † AD 397 On the Duties of the Clergy 2.17
… Hear him as he humbles himself: “My lord on my account knoweth not what is in his house, and he hath committed all that he hath to my hand, neither hath he kept back anything from me but thee, because thou art his wife; how, then, can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?”
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St John Chrysostom † AD 407 Homilies on Second Corinthians 6
… 21 .) These things are the words of a living soul, of a soul discharging the functions proper to it. Thus also Jacob said, “If the Lord will give me bread to eat and raiment to put on.” ( Gen. xxviii. 20 .) Thus also Joseph, “How shall I do this wickedness, and sin before God?” (
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St Methodius † AD 311 The Banquet of the Ten Virgins; or Concerning Chastity 11.2
Thekla . 12. Thy valiant son Joseph, O Word, won the greatest prize of virginity, when a woman heated with desire forcibly drew him to an unlawful bed; but he giving no heed to her fled stripped, and crying aloud:—
St Ambrose of Milan † AD 397 On the Duties of the Clergy 1.17
… humble was he even to doing the work of a slave, modest, even to taking flight, enduring, even to bearing imprisonment, so forgiving of wrong as even to repay it with good. Whose modesty was such, that, when seized by a woman, he preferred to leave his garment in her hands in flight, rather than to lay aside his modesty.
St Ambrose of Milan † AD 397 On the Duties of the Clergy 1.18
… In our office indeed must no word be let fall at all unseemly, nor one that may give offence to modesty. But not only ought we to say nothing unbecoming to ourselves, but we ought not even to lend our ears to words of this sort. Thus Joseph fled and left his garment, that he might hear nothing inconsistent with his modesty.
St Ambrose of Milan † AD 397 On the Decease of His Brother Satyrus 2.24
24. Holy Joseph experienced the hatred of his brethren, the guile of those who envied him, the service of slavery, the mastership of merchantmen, the wantonness of his mistress, the ignorance of her husband, and the misery of prison.
St John Chrysostom † AD 407 The Homilies of St. John Chrysostom 18
Further: even though one were of necessity to go about naked on account of this sort of self-denial, neither so were it any disgrace. Since Adam too was “naked” in paradise, “and was not ashamed;” and Isaiah was “naked, and barefoot,” and more glorious than all the Jews; and Joseph
St John Chrysostom † AD 407 The Homilies of St. John Chrysostom 37
… For if even now thou art chaste, thou wouldest have become chaster by avoiding such sights. Let us not then delight in useless argument, nor devise unprofitable apologies: there being but one apology, to flee from the Babylonian furnace, to keep far from the Egyptian harlot, though one must escape her hands naked.
St Jerome † AD 420 The Letters of St. Jerome 48.4
… Hence, also, the apostle says: ‘It is good for a man not to touch’ a wife or ‘a woman,’ as if there were danger in the contact which he who should so touch one could not escape. Accordingly, when the Egyptian woman desired to touch Joseph he flung away his cloak and fled from her hands.
St Jerome † AD 420 The Letters of St. Jerome 71.3
A too careful management of one’s income, a too near calculation of one’s expenses—these are habits not easily laid aside. Yet to escape the Egyptian woman Joseph had to leave his garment with her.
St Jerome † AD 420 The Letters of St. Jerome 79.5
… “water will quench a flaming fire; and alms maketh an atonement for sins.” I will pass on now to his other virtues each one of which is to be found but in few men. Who ever entered the furnace of the King of Babylon without being burned? Was there ever a young man whose garment his Egyptian mistress did not seize?
St Jerome † AD 420 The Letters of St. Jerome 118.4
… When once you have put your hand to the plough you must not look back; when once you stand on the housetop you must think no more of your clothes within; to escape your Egyptian mistress
St Jerome † AD 420 The Letters of St. Jerome 145
… you ought not to come down to take your clothes, you ought not to look behind you, you ought not having put your hand to the plough, then to let it go. Rather, if you can, imitate Joseph and leave your garment in the hand of your Egyptian mistress,
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St John Chrysostom † AD 407 The Homilies of St. John Chrysostom 80
… For she, so far from being able to prevail over the righteous man, could not master so much as her own passion; but this man prevailed both over her and over that grievous disease. But if thou wilt, hear her very words, and thou shalt see the trophy. “Thou broughtest in unto us here an Hebrew servant to mock us.”
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St Jerome † AD 420 Against the Pelagians 3.6
… So then the Sun of Righteousness rises upon us when God makes His face to shine upon us and gives us strength. Joseph in Egypt was shut up in prison, and we next hear that the keeper of the prison, believing in his fidelity, committed everything to his hand. And the reason is given:
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Here Moses returns to the history of Joseph, interrupted in the preceding chapter through the history of the genealogy of Judah; for Moses pursues the deeds of Joseph and Judah before the other brothers, because Judah and Joseph divided the birthright of Reuben, from which he himself fell on account of incest, as will be evident in chapter XLIX, verses 3 and 4. AND PUTIPHAR BOUGHT HIM. — The Hebrews relate, says St. Jerome, that Putiphar bought Joseph on account of his excessive beauty, for a shameful service, and therefore God avenging him caused his virility to wither, so that he became a eunuch, and for that reason he was chosen as a priest of Heliopolis: and his daughter was Aseneth, whom Joseph later took as his wife. St. Jerome seems to approve this tradition, and Rupertus follows it. But others not unreasonably hold it to be a fable, fabricated by the Jews after their custom.
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And the Lord was with him,—directing and prospering him and all his actions in all things, and making him lovable and pleasing to all. Thus St. Chrysostom. Whence it follows: "And he was a man (not in age, for he was a youth of seventeen years, but in prudence and gravity) dealing prosperously in all things." How blessed and fortunate is he whose actions God directs in all things! Note that Joseph also found God even in Egypt: for the pious and holy man, wherever he may be, finds God, according to that passage in Psalm 138: "If I ascend into heaven, thou art there." See the faithfulness of God, who never abandons his own in adversities, as the world does. See again, how every land is a strong man's fatherland. Stilpo, captured by Demetrius at Megara, and asked whether he had lost anything, replied: "War carries off no spoils from virtue." And Bias, his country captured, fleeing: "All my things," he said, "I carry with me." Joseph felt and did the same. St. Chrysostom adds, in homily 62, that Joseph in so many and such great calamities of his, did not fall in spirit, nor distrust his dream and God's promise concerning his exaltation, much less did he think himself abandoned by God; but "he bore all things," he says, "bravely and gently, hoping from God for a better lot, and not doubting that he would be exalted by this way. For this is God's manner," he says, "not to free from temptations and dangers men renowned for virtue, but to declare his own virtue in them, so that temptations themselves become for them an occasion of great joy. For this reason also Blessed David: In tribulation thou hast enlarged me; he does not say, Thou hast freed me, but thou hast enlarged me, that is, me. Hear St. Ambrose, in the book On Joseph, chapter IV: Every sin, he says, is servile; free is innocence. But how is he not a slave who is subject to lust? he incurs all fears, he lies in wait for the dreams of each: so that by the desire of one, he becomes the slave of all." And soon after: "Does it not seem to you that this man dominates in servitude, while that one serves in freedom? Joseph served, Pharaoh reigned: his servitude is more blessed than that kingdom. Finally, all Egypt would have collapsed from famine, had he not subjected his kingdom to servile counsel. Therefore the original slaves have whereof to glory: Joseph also served; they have what to imitate, so that they may learn that they can change their condition, not their character; that there is freedom even in slaves and constancy in servitude."
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Not Potiphar, but Joseph, says Jerome Prado in Ezekiel, chapter XIX, verse 39, that is to say, Joseph took nothing at all from so great a substance entrusted to him by his master, nor claimed for himself, except the necessary food for life: so that to know here is the same as to claim for himself, to acknowledge as his own, to ascribe to himself, as if Joseph were here praised for a rare continence, or abstinence. But, because in verse 13 the same thing is said, not of Joseph, but of the keeper of the prison, namely that he knew nothing of his own things, but entrusted all to Joseph: hence we shall better here also receive the same phrase in the same way, that is to say, Potiphar so entrusted all his things to Joseph, that he inquired about none of them, knew nothing of them, cared for nothing, except only that he reclined at table, and enjoyed those things which Joseph cared for and procured. Thus Philo and St. Ambrose.
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After many days,—about the eleventh year of his captivity and servitude in Egypt, when he was now twenty-seven years old. For in the seventeenth year of his age, Joseph was brought into Egypt, and in the thirtieth year he was freed from prison, in which he had been for three years because of this slander of his mistress, as I shall show in chapter XL, verse 4; he was therefore cast into prison in the twenty-seventh year of his age. AND HIS MISTRESS CAST HER EYES UPON JOSEPH.—Namely, the eyes are leaders in love. Whoever therefore wishes to be chaste, let him imitate Job saying, in chapter XXXI: "I made a covenant with my eyes, that I would not so much as think upon a virgin." Again, let young men learn here, says St. Ambrose, to beware of the eyes of women: for even those who do not wish to be loved are loved.
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HOW THEN CAN I DO THIS EVIL? — that I should be so ungrateful, unfaithful and unjust to my master who is so inclined toward me? AND SIN AGAINST MY GOD, — whom, as present everywhere, I behold and revere, whom as a father I love, and as an avenger I fear. Pererius piously notes here that there are three bonds by which holy men feel themselves most strongly bound, so that they cannot offend God. The first is reverence for the divine majesty, present everywhere and seeing all things. For holy men, always walking in the sight of God, seem to themselves unable not to do all things chastely and holily, and therefore, lest they offend the present divinity in any way, they most religiously avoid all those things which displease it. The impious do the contrary, of whom it is said in Psalm IX: "God is not in his sight: his ways are filthy at all times, thy judgments are removed from his face." Such were those elders lying in wait for Susanna, of whom it is said in Daniel XIII, 9: "They perverted their own sense, and turned away their eyes, that they might not see heaven, nor remember the just judgments." The second is the remembrance of the benevolence and beneficence of God toward oneself. And this is what the Lord says in Hosea XI: "I will draw them in the cords of Adam (that is, in those by which men are accustomed to be drawn, namely by love and benefits) in the bonds of charity." Who would not reckon it impossible for himself to sin against God, if he seriously considered God's so many and so great benefits toward him, past, present and future, which He promised to His own? and that God is He in whom we live, and move, and are, whose benefit it is, whatever good we have in body and soul? Finally, if he considered God in himself to be supremely good, most beautiful, most sweet, supremely lovable, and to show Himself such to us now and more so in heaven, if we constantly cleave to Him. See St. Augustine, sermon 83 On the Seasons, where, speaking of this Joseph of ours, he brings forth from St. Ambrose this golden saying: "A lover of the most beloved God, is not conquered by the love of a woman; chaste mind is not moved by the incitement of youth, nor by the authority of one who serves: truly a great man, who, when sold, did not know how to serve then, when loved did not love in return, when asked did not consent, when seized fled away." The third bond is the fear of God, conceived from the consideration of the most severe judgment and vengeance, which God will exercise both often in this life, and most certainly and most strictly on the day of judgment, where He will leave no sin, even the smallest, unpunished. Whence David, Psalm CXVIII: "Pierce thou my flesh with thy fear: for I am afraid of thy judgments." Hence St. Basil in that passage of Psalm XXXIII: "Come, children, hear me, I will teach you the fear of the Lord: When, he says, the appetite for sinning shall have seized thee, I wish thee to think of that horrible tribunal of Christ, in which the judge will preside on a lofty throne; and all His creature will stand there, trembling at the sight of His glory: we too shall be brought individually, about to give account of those things which we have done in life: soon to those who have perpetrated evil, certain terrible and deformed angels will stand by, bearing fiery countenances before them, and breathing fire upon men, namely the impious. To these things think of the deep abyss, and the inextricable darkness, and fire lacking splendor, and having the power to burn, but deprived of light; then the kind of worm, injecting poison, and devouring flesh, hungering insatiably, and never feeling satiety, and inflicting intolerable pains by the very gnawing. Finally, what is most grievous of all, that reproach and eternal confusion. Fear these things, and by this fear as by a bridle, restrain thy soul from the concupiscence of sins." Thus St. Basil. Chaste Susanna imitated chaste Joseph, when solicited to wickedness she said: "I am in distress on every side; but it is better for me to fall into your hands without doing the deed, than to sin in the sight of the Lord." Thus all the Saints resisted sin even unto death. Paul, Romans VIII: "Who shall separate us from the charity of Christ? tribulation, or distress, etc. I am sure that neither death, nor life," etc. Rufinus said to the Emperor Theodosius that he would take care that Ambrose would loosen the chains imposed upon him. To whom Theodosius replied: "I know the constancy of Ambrose, and that by no terror of royal majesty will he transgress the law of God." When the Empress Eudoxia threatened St. Chrysostom, his followers said to him: "You threaten that man in vain; he fears nothing but sin." St. Louis, king of France, learned as a boy from his mother Blanche "rather to suffer death than to consent to mortal sin." Tobias to his son: "Beware lest you ever consent to sin; you will have many good things if you fear God." St. Edmund, archbishop of Canterbury: "I would rather," he said, "hurl myself into a most burning fire than knowingly commit any sin against God." The Wise Man: "Flee from sin as from the face of a serpent." St. Anselm: "If on this side I could see the horror of sin, and on that side the pain of hell bodily, and I were necessarily to be immersed in one of them, I would choose hell rather than sin." Thus the Maccabees, thus the Martyrs preferred torments to sin. Hear also the Gentiles: Aristotle, III Ethics: "It is better to die than to do anything against the good of virtue." Seneca: "And if I knew that men would be ignorant and God would forgive, nevertheless I would not wish to sin, on account of the baseness of sin." For what is sin? It is a corpse, it is leprosy, it is a most foul sewer: it is a monster of rational nature: it is an offense and injury to divine Majesty: it is guilt of eternal fire: it is deicide, it is the killing of Christ. Papinian the Jurist, though a Gentile, preferred to die rather than to defend the parricide of Caracalla the Emperor, who had killed his brother Geta: Spartianus is witness in his life of Caracalla. Democles, a boy in the bath, to escape the lust of King Demetrius, threw himself into boiling water: he preferred to die rather than to defile himself: Plutarch is witness in the Life of Demetrius.
39:10
Note here the unconquerable constancy of Joseph. For even great trees, struck by large and frequent blows, are felled; even the hardest stones are hollowed out by tiny drops falling constantly: how much more is man, by the magnitude and persistence of temptations, capable of being overcome, whose flesh is not bronze, as Job says, nor is his strength the strength of stones; yet Joseph did not yield, neither to the infirmity of human nature, nor to the proneness of youthful age to lust, nor to the persistent solicitation of his mistress, nor to the riches and promises which she offered, nor to threats and most grave dangers, to which he would expose himself if he refused the deed. Learn here that no temptation, however great it may be, is insuperable, and that you will be inexcusable if you allow yourself to be overcome by it, since you can and ought to overcome every temptation, equally as Joseph, through the grace of God, especially if you are constantly mindful of eternity and of eternal glory or of hell: be certain for eternity. STUPRUM,—adultery.
39:12
12. Lacinia,—hem or edge of a garment. Josephus adds that she feigned illness and solicited Joseph on a solemn feast day, when the household was away from home. But Josephus seems to add this, as well as other things, from his own invention beyond the truth; for if it were so, how then did the woman, verse 13, after Joseph had fled, cry out and call the servants of the house? Fled.—Joseph could have, being a young man robust in the flower of his age, forcibly torn this garment of his from the woman, but he would not: and this for two reasons. First, out of reverence, lest he inflict any violence upon his mistress. Second, because the most effective remedy against the temptations of lust is not struggle, but flight. Whence the Apostle says: "Flee fornication." See concerning this flight and the avoidance of familiarity with women, St. Augustine, sermon 230 On the Temporal, where among other things he says thus: "Joseph, in order to escape the unchaste mistress, fled; therefore against the assault of lust seize upon flight, if you wish to obtain victory: nor should it be shameful for you to flee, if you desire to obtain the palm of chastity. Among all the struggles of Christians, the battles of chastity alone are harder, where the struggle is daily and victory rare: here therefore daily martyrdoms cannot be lacking to Christians. For if chastity, and truth, and justice is Christ; and if he who lies in wait for them is a persecutor, he who wishes both to defend them in others and to guard them in himself will be a Martyr." Rightly therefore St. Bernard in the Shorter Sentences: "Frugality," he says, "in abundance, generosity in poverty, chastity in youth, is martyrdom without blood." Third, Joseph fled, lest he either touch the woman or be touched by her: because the very touch of a woman, as if contagious and poisonous, is to be fled by a man no less than the bite of a rabid dog, says St. Jerome, book I Against Jovinian. Note here: Imitate and take up with Joseph the twofold shield of chastity. The first is the remembrance of God's presence, love and fear, if namely you think both of God's presence, God's judgment, God's vengeance and hell; and also of God's goodness, beauty and delights, which surpass all the beauty and pleasure of bodies immeasurably, concerning which I spoke at verse 9. The second is flight from occasions and temptations, and especially from women. Thus Joseph fled, leaving behind his garment. But what if flight is not permitted? Hear what St. Euphrasias the Martyr did, who, condemned to a brothel because she would not sacrifice to idols, when she was attacked by a wicked young man, eluding him by this stratagem, both consulted her modesty and obtained martyrdom. "If," she said, "you will spare me, I will teach you a drug, with which anointed, in battles you will be harmed by no weapon or iron." He promised, if she would prove the truth of this; then she said: "Make trial on me; and anointing her neck with wax mixed with oil: Strike," she said, "it as forcefully as you can." The young man did so, and with one blow cut off her head. In this stratagem you will admire equally the cunning of the virgin and her constancy: Nicephorus is witness, book VII of History, chapter XIII. For there was no other remedy available to her for preserving her chastity at that time, except this pious deception, to which the young man, lusting after her modesty, forced her; in order to preserve which, she preferred to die; hence she justly deceived the young man, who therefore must be considered the author of her death, both physically and morally. She herself therefore is a martyr, not a murderer of herself. Note secondly, with Rupert, the heroic virtues of Joseph: first, temperance and continence; because being a young man of twenty-seven years, and handsome, and loved and entreated by his mistress with ample promises in secret, he did not return her love, but remained constant in his chastity. Second, justice and fidelity; because he abhorred his master's bed. Third, prudence; because being apprehended he fled. Fourth, fortitude; because he did not fear the rages of the mad lover, imprisonment and death itself, and despised them for the sake of his chastity. Fifth, constancy; because being accosted daily by his mistress, like adamant he resisted and stood firm. Hence St. Chrysostom says he marvels more at the deed of Joseph than at the three Hebrew boys remaining unharmed in the Babylonian furnace. For just as they, so also Joseph in the midst of fires remained unharmed, not burned, but shone forth purer, more whole, stronger and brighter: so that it may justly be cried out to Joseph what was cried out to St. Dominic (not the founder of the Order, but another of the same Order) in a similar temptation as victor, by demons: "Thou hast conquered, thou hast conquered; because thou hast been in fire, and hast not been burned." Hence also St. Ambrose marvels at Joseph thus ruling over concupiscence and all things. Hear him, in the book On Joseph, chapter V: "Great, he says, is the man Joseph, who, though sold, knew not the spirit of servitude, though loved did not love in return, though asked did not consent, though seized fled away. When he was approached by the wife of his lord, he could be held by her garment, but could not be captured in mind: and he did not even endure her words for long; for he judged it a contagion, if he should linger longer, lest through the hands of an adulteress the incentives of lust should pass. And so he cast off his garment, he cast off the crime. He was lord, who did not receive the torches of one loving, who did not feel the bonds of one acting as a procuress, whom no fear of death terrified, who preferred to die free from crime rather than to choose the fellowship of criminal power." And St. Gregory, homily 15 on Ezekiel: "We strive, he says, to overcome the allurements of the flesh. Let Joseph come to mind, who, when his mistress tempted him, strove to preserve the continence of the flesh even at the risk of his life. Whence it came to pass that, because he knew well how to rule his own members, he was also set over all Egypt to be ruled." Allegorically: Joseph, says Rupertus, is Christ, the Egyptian woman is the Synagogue, which loves the Messiah carnally, expecting his earthly and carnal kingdom; but Christ, leaving to her his cloak, that is the ceremonies of the law, flees to the Gentiles, by whom he is adored in spirit and in truth. Symbolically, Philo: Joseph, he says, is a prince, or king; Potiphar the master is the people, with whom rests the right of the kingdom itself; his wife is concupiscence and lust, by which the people are often led: to this Joseph constantly resists, that is, a true prince, if he sincerely loves and protects the common good. So tropologically, the master is reason, the wife is concupiscence: to this Joseph resists, that is, the continent and constant spirit.
39:13
Note here the versatile nature, shamelessness and depravity of the woman, namely: "Either a woman loves, or hates; there is no third thing." Secondly, her wickedness, boldness and deceits, by which she turns her own crime against Joseph. Thirdly, her furies, by which she prepares death for him whom she had before loved, namely: A woman is most savage then, / When shame spurs her to hatred.
39:19
For he did not give Joseph a place to defend himself, nor did he inquire into the deed; but immediately condemned the innocent man. Secondly, the jealous man did not notice that this very garment was evidence of violence proceeding from the woman, and of Joseph's innocence and reverence. For if he himself (as Philo wisely says) had wished to use force against his mistress, he would easily have kept his garment, since as a woman he was stronger, indeed would even have torn it from the woman.
39:20
"They humiliated," says David, Psalm 104, "his feet in fetters, iron passed through his soul;" but shortly after, God directing, Joseph became free even among the bound, indeed a prince. Joseph consoled himself in prison, thinks Josephus, considering God to be more powerful than those who bound him. For he knew that God and his innocence were his care; nor did he doubt that God would snatch him from these bonds with glory, either present or future. Whence "willingly," says St. Ambrose, "he underwent this martyrdom of chastity, of prison and death." For Joseph, inasmuch as he was imprisoned on the calumny of adultery, was in certain danger of martyrdom and death. Allegorically, Joseph is Christ, who, innocent, was betrayed by Judas and the Jews, and was shut up in the prison of death, but among the dead as if made free by God the Father, received the power and dominion of all the bound, and thus of hell. Thus Prosper and Rupertus. Hear St. Ambrose, in the book On Joseph, chapter VI: "Consider now," he says, "that true Hebrew (Christ), that interpreter not of dreams, but of truth and of a most glorious vision, who from that fullness of divinity, from the abundance of heavenly grace came into this bodily prison; whom the allurement of this world could not change, etc.; finally, seized by a certain adulterous hand of the Synagogue, having laid hold of the garment of his body, he put off flesh, ascended free from death. The harlot calumniated him, where she could not see him: whom prison did not terrify, whom the infernal regions did not hold; nay, even whither as if to be punished he descended, thence he freed others; where they themselves were bound by the bonds of death, there he himself loosened the bonds of the dead." Again, our patriarch Joseph by his chastity, innocence, patience, and grace foreshadowed Joseph the spouse of the Blessed Virgin, whose dignity and sanctity before very many other Saints can be gathered even from this, that he was the nourisher of Christ and the Virgin, and that he was called and believed to be the father of Christ. For, as St. Bernard says, homily 2 on Missus est: "That Joseph sold through fraternal envy and led into Egypt prefigured the selling of Christ: this Joseph, fleeing Herodian envy, carried Christ into Egypt. That one, keeping faith with his master, was unwilling to mingle with his mistress: this one, recognizing his mistress, the mother of his Lord, as a virgin, and himself continent, faithfully guarded her. To that one was given understanding in the mysteries of dreams: to this one was given to be conscious and a partaker of heavenly sacraments. That one preserved grain, not for himself, but for all the people: this one received the living bread from heaven to be preserved, both for himself and for the whole world."
39:23
Not Joseph, but the keeper of the prison, to whom the bound and all things in the prison were entrusted by Joseph. See the words at verse 6. Elegantly St. Chrysostom (or whoever is the author: for the style smells of a Latin author), homily On Joseph Sold, vol. 1: "Joseph, most holy, enters," he says, "the custody, a visitor rather than a defendant; a provider, not a companion; a physician, not a patient. So he becomes the superintendent of all, becomes a procurator for the consolation of the condemned. Rejoice, innocence, and exult; rejoice, I say, because everywhere you are unharmed, everywhere secure. If you are tempted, you profit; if you are humiliated, you are raised up; if you fight, you conquer; if you are killed, you are crowned. You in servitude are free, in danger safe, in custody joyful. The powerful honor you, princes regard you, magnates seek you out. The good obey you, the wicked envy you, rivals are zealous, enemies succumb. Nor can you ever fail to be victorious, even if among men a just judge should fail you."
Machine translation from the Latin, not reviewed.
39:1
v. 1 « Igitur Ioseph ductus est 1n Aegyptum, emitque eum Putiphar eunuchus Pharaonis, princeps exercitus, vir Aegyptius, de manu Ismaelitarum , a quibus perductus erat ». Resumitur (cf. 37,36) narratio insertis Iudae actis abrupta (Aug.). Vir Aegyptius non est otiosum additamentum (Di/Im.) : quo tempore Hyksos Aegypto imperabant, certe Aegyptii non ita multi summis officiis adhibebantur (Kn.).
39:2
v. 2 « Fuitque Domnus cum eo, et erat vir in cunctis prospere agens, habitavitque in domo domini sui », non in praediis (Calm.) : cum enim negotia quaeque feliciter expediret, factus est hero maxime necessarius.
39:3
v. 3 « Qui optime noverat Dominum esse cum eo et omnia, quae gereret, ab eo dirigi in manu illius », ad prosperum finem perduci. Hebr. : et vidit dominus etus etc., quocum facile nectitur v. 4 exprimens quid haec videns Putiphar senserit et egerit : « Invenitque Ioseph gratiam coram domino suo » — ita etiam Sam. LXX, contra reliquos : coram eo — « et ministrabat e. À quo praepositus omnibus gubernabat creditam sibi domum et unersa, quae ei tradita fuerant ». Simplicius Hebr. : et praeposuit eum domui suae et omnia , quae habebat, dedit 1n manu etus. Dein praegnantius : E! factum est, ex quo praeposuit eum domui suae et omnibus, quae habebat, benedixit etc.
39:5
v. 5 « Benedixitque Dominus domui Aegypti propter Ioseph , et multiplicavit tam in aedibus quam in agris cunctam eius substantiam »;
39:6
v. 6 « nec quidquam aliud noverat, nisi panem quo vescebatur ». rationem dati et accepti reposceret ». Quid vero de pane? Putat Grotius, Putipharem « securum rerum omnium epulis tantum indulsisse ». Sensus potius est, virum tam integre Iosepho confisum esse, ut, dummodo statis horis cibum mensae appositum reperiret, contentus esset nec ullam ceterorum rationem requireret. « Erat autem loseph pulchra facie et decorus adspectu ». v. '1 « Post »nultos itaque dies » — sed reliqui omnes pos! verba haec, quod interpretatur Chrys. « post creditam ei potestatem ». Cf. eandem formulam 40,1 et 48,1 — « intecit domina sua oculos suos in Ioseph et ait : Dormi mecum ». « Discant viri cavere etiam oculos feminarum : adamantur enim et qui nolunt amari » (Amór.).
39:8
v. 8 « Qui nequaquam acquiescens [opert nefario] dixit ad eam : Ecce, dominus meus, omnibus mihi traditis , ignorat , quid habeat in domo sua », — pro nà Sam. LXX vow —
39:9
v. 9 « nec quidquam est, quod non in mea stt potestate vel non tradiderit mihi, praeter te, quae uxor eus es ». Sed contra Vulg. LXN 3338 accipiendum est pro masc., non pro neutro : nec ?pse mator est me in domo hac. « Quomodo ergo possum hoc malum facere et peccare in Deum [meum]? » Reliqui praeter LXX hoc malum grande : id, quod malum est de se, peius evadit repensa pro beneficiis ingratitudine; neque herum solummodo laedit, sed Deum quoque offendit. Mulieri Dei oblitae in memoriam revocat Deum (CArys.).
39:10
v. 10 « Hutuscemodi verbis per singulos dies et mulier molesta erat adolescenti, et ille recusabat stuprum ».
39:11
v. 11 « Accidit autem quodam die , ut intraret Ioseph . domum et operis quidquam absque arbitris faceret », — « Debuit providere, ne furenti copiam daret : sed neglecti officii etiam a domino cavere debebat offensam » (Amór.) —
39:12
v. 12 « et ?lla apprehensa |lacinia| vestimenti etus diceret :. Dormi mecum. Qui relicto in manu eius pallio fugit et. egressus est foras ». Sam. LXX, hic et in sqq., falso 1*7A3 pro 11722. | Frequentes in laudibus castitatis Ioseph sunt Patres : ef. Chrys., Ambr., Ps. Aug. (Serm. 293; M. 39. 2301) etc. Quod aliqui causabantur, hanc narrationem de Ioseph et uxore Putiphari ab Aegyptiorum moribus dissonarc, egregie refutatum habes in « Fabula duorum fratrum », quam primus c textu hieratico eruit E. de Rougé (Revue Archéologique IX. 385), atque inter alios transtulit P. Le Page hRenouf (Records of the Past II. 137 sqq.). Cf. etiam G. Ebers p. 311 sqq., A. Erman II. 505 sqq., F. Lenormant (Civilisations I. 375 sqq.); F. Vigourouz (La Bible II. 40 sqq.).
39:13
v. 18 « Cumque vidisset mulier vestem in manibus suis, et se esse contemptam », — cuius incisi loco vertendum erat : ewmnque fugisse foras —
39:14
v. 45 « vocavit ad se homines domus suae et ait ad eos : En, in(roduzit » — utique maritus; sed vox reverenter supprimitur, uti etiam in Novo Regno, quo tempore vivebat loseph, supprimebatur regis nomen : « aliquis te iussit », « aliquis nunc versatur Thebis » (Erman 1. 92) — « virum Hebraeum », e gente Aegyptiis prae aliis exosa (53,32; Malv.) « ut illuderet nobis » mulieribus (Di/Im.) : vestrum quippe nulla iam se tutam reputet. « Ingressus est ad me, ut coiret mecum; cumque ego succlamassem » voce magna, x.
39:15
15 « et audisset vocem meam ,, reliquit pallium quod tenebam », — etiam Sam. Syr. *12, pro quo, quippe quo videretur mulier se ipsam prodere aggressa esse virum, non ab ipso impetita, correxit fortasse aliquis '5sN; v. 18 soli Vulg. Syr. substituere v3 — « et fugit foras ». Putabat F. Chabas (Mélanges égyptologiques, Paris 1862, p. 42 sqq.), se ipsum Hebraeorum nomen in texlibus hieroglyphicis reperisse sub forma Apuriu. « Sed isti Apuriu ducentis post Ramsen II annis inter mancipia Aegyptiorum recensentur, itemque sub rege Neferchetep 1329 dynastiae, ergo diu ante Hebraeorum in Aegyptum adventum, in monumentis appellantur. Tempore Thutmes III describuntur íuisso equites. Variis, quibus recensentur, collatis textibus demonstravit H. Brugsch, tribum fuisse ad litus Maris Rubri incolentem, a Iudaeis oppido discernendam » (Wie. demann p. 491).
39:16
v. 16 « [In argumentum ergo fidei] retentum. pallium : [ostendit] marito revertenti domum » vy. "1 « et at : [Ingressus est ad me servus Hebraeus , quem adduxisti ut illuderet mihi ».
39:18
v. 48 « Cumque audisset me clamare, reliquit pallium quod tenebam, et fugit foras ».
39:19
v. 19 « His auditis dominus, et nàmtum credulus verbis coniugis, tratus est valde ». Liberius haec versa sunt. Textus non affirmat, plenam uxori fidem habuisse herum. Fortasse non tam Iosepho irascebatur, quam aegre ferebat rem tam publice esse actam. Quaerebat iam CArys., cur non morti potius quam carceri losephum mancipaverit. Apud Aegyptios hero ius fuisse interimendi mancipii, non constat; potuit prior viri gratia ab extremo supplicio cohibere animum, maxime ubi ageretur de servo maxime utili.
39:20
v. 20 « Tradiditque loseph in carcerem, ubi vincti regis custodiebantur, et erat ibi clausus ». « Inaudita causa, inexplorata fide veri, tamquam reus criminis in carcerem Ioseph mittitur » (Amór.). ^on r2 explicant domum inclusionis, ergo carcerem. Iam ei carceris parti addictus est Ioseph, uói vincti regis custodiebantur, « Jes prisonniers d'état » (cf. Ebers p. 319). studiosi (Erman I. 121 sqq.), non est ita difficile 39, 1 et 40, 3 duos diversos intelligere « duces praetorianorum ». Ebers censet Putiphar toti praefuisse carceri, alterum virum ei soli parti, ubi vincti regis detinerentur. Porro haec, quam attigimus, difficultas unica recentioribus est ratio v. 21-23 alteri tribuendi auctori.
39:21
v. 291 « Fuit autem Dominus cum Ioseph, et misertus sllius dedit ei gratiam in conspectu principis carceris ».
39:22
v. 99. « Qui tradidit in manu illius universos vinctos, qui in custodia tenebantur; et quidquid fiebat, sub ipso erat ». Clarius Hebr. : et quidquid ipsi faciebant ibi, ipse erat faciens, i. e. ipse eorum laboribus praeerat.
39:23
v. 23 « Nec noverat aliquid cunctis ei creditis », cf. v. 6; adseribitur autem ratio, cur princeps cárceris potuerit ei tuto omnia permittere : « Dominus enim erat cum illo et omnia opera eius dirigebat ». Cf. v. 2 sq. h. Eunuchorum tn carcere somnia explicata Gen. &0. Cap. XL
39:1
… On the other hand, the term "eunuch" was sometimes used (cf. Gen. 39:1) improperly, to designate those who held offices that had once belonged to eunuchs. …
… Mention is made of the I., together with the Midianites, in the story of Joseph sold (Gen. 37:27 f.; 39:1): they were merchants who carried aromatics and spices into Egypt. …
… P. (Pōṭlphar) was an official of the Pharaoh's court, to whom the Ishmaelites sold Joseph (Gen. 37, 36); the latter knew how to make himself so well liked that in a short time he had from his master the direction of his entire, very wealthy household (ibid. 39, 1-6). But P.'s wife, having fallen in love with the young man, wanted to induce him
39:6
… for they shall see God" [Mt. 5, 8]), and a whole series of praises proclaimed by Sacred Scripture either to the virtue itself (Tob. 3, 16; Wis. 3, 13; Sir. 42, 9-10; Is. 56, 4-5) or to the persons who distinguished themselves in it (Joseph [Gen. 39, 6-12]; Judith [Jud. 16, 26]; Susanna [Dan. 13, 63]); d) chastity was commonly called in patristics and ascetics the "angelic virtue," because it makes man like the angel. …
39:7
… In the Mosaic law very severe penalties are sanctioned against adulterers, particularly when the woman is guilty (cf. Gen. 39:7-20; Ex. 20:14, 17; Lev. 18:20; 20:10; Deut. 22:22; II Sam. 11:2 ff.; Jer. 5:8 ff.; Ex. 23:20; Hos. 4:2). It is the severity found in other Semitic legislations (cf. code …
to sin; since Joseph had eluded her desires, he was accused by the woman before her husband of attempted violence and put in the state prison, where he remained three years (ibid. 39, 7-20).
39:9
… To Potiphar's wife, who tempts him, Joseph replies that he does not wish to sin against his God (Gen. 39, 9), and the prodigal son cries out to his father: Peccavi in coelum et coram te (Lk. 15, 21), and in the Miserere it is affirmed: Tibi soli peccavi. …
Douay-Rheims (Challoner) · Vulgata Clementina · original Douay-Rheims (Douay 1609-10), transcription by EEBO-TCP (CC0) · La Sacra Bibbia, tradotta dalla Volgata da Antonio Martini (1769-1781) (LaParola (laparola.net), Martini OSIS text, Public domain (LaParola's electronic edition marks it 'Dominio pubblico')). Public domain.