Genesis 39:7
in Genesis 39and after some time his master’s wife cast her eyes upon Joseph and said, “Sleep with me.”
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And it came to pass after these things, that his master’s wife cast her eyes upon Joseph; and she said, Lie with me.
KJV
And it came to pass after these things, that his master’s wife cast her eyes upon Joseph; and she said, Lie with me.
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This verse in Genesis 39
Commentary
3 notes on this verseThis site's exposition
cast her eyes upon Joseph
on Genesis 39:7-9
Joseph refuses and gives two reasons, the trust his master put in him, and then God. Nothing has been withheld except her, and the verse gives the reason, that she is his master's wife. Everything given and one thing held back is the shape of Genesis 2:16 and 17.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice
And it came to pass after these things,....
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
proposed
his master's wife cast her eyes upon Joseph--Egyptian women were not kept in the same secluded manner as females are in most Oriental countries now. They were treated in a manner more worthy of a civilized people--in fact, enjoyed much freedom both at home and abroad.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — starts-lowercase
The words behind it
14 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וַיְהִ֗י | vayhi | and it was | H1961 → | 3559 times |
| אַחַר֙ | ʾachar | after | H310 → | 715 times |
| הַדְּבָרִ֣ים | hadevarim | the things | H1697 → | 1440 times |
| הָאֵ֔לֶּה | haeleh | <the> these | H428 → | 746 times |
| וַתִּשָּׂ֧א | vatisa' | and she lifted up | H5375 → | 656 times |
| אֵֽשֶׁת־ | ʾeshet- | [the] wife of | H802 → | 781 times |
| אֲדֹנָ֛יו | ʾadonav | master<s> his | H113 → | 333 times |
| אֶת־ | ʾet- | <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| עֵינֶ֖יהָ | ʾeineiha | eyes her | H5869 → | 887 times |
| אֶל־ | ʾel- | to | H413 → | 5510 times |
| יוֹסֵ֑ף | yosef | Joseph | H3130 → | 213 times |
| וַתֹּ֖אמֶר | vatomer | and she said | H559 → | 5305 times |
| שִׁכְבָ֥ה | shikhvah | lie ! | H7901 → | 212 times |
| עִמִּֽי׃ | ʾimi | with me | H5973 → | 1050 times |
וַיְהִ֗יand it was
vayhiH1961 →3559 times
אַחַר֙after
ʾacharH310 →715 times
הַדְּבָרִ֣יםthe things
hadevarimH1697 →1440 times
הָאֵ֔לֶּה<the> these
haelehH428 →746 times
וַתִּשָּׂ֧אand she lifted up
vatisa'H5375 →656 times
אֵֽשֶׁת־[the] wife of
ʾeshet-H802 →781 times
אֲדֹנָ֛יוmaster<s> his
ʾadonavH113 →333 times
אֶת־<obj.>
ʾet-H853 →10935 times
עֵינֶ֖יהָeyes her
ʾeineihaH5869 →887 times
אֶל־to
ʾel-H413 →5510 times
יוֹסֵ֑ףJoseph
yosefH3130 →213 times
וַתֹּ֖אמֶרand she said
vatomerH559 →5305 times
שִׁכְבָ֥הlie !
shikhvahH7901 →212 times
עִמִּֽי׃with me
ʾimiH5973 →1050 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Job 31:1“I have made a covenant with my eyes. How then could I gaze with desire at a virgin?
it leads to
- James 1:14–15
But each one is tempted when by his own evil desires he is lured away and enticed.
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- 1 John 2:16
For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh, the desires of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not from the Father but from the world.
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Proverbs 6:25
Do not lust in your heart for her beauty or let her captivate you with her eyes.
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Matthew 5:28–29
But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman to lust after her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.
- Psalms 119:37
Turn my eyes away from worthless things; revive me with Your word.
- James 1:14–15
Through
Matthew 5:28But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman to lust after her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.
it leads to
- Exodus 20:17
You shall not covet your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his manservant or maidservant, or his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.”
- 2 Samuel 11:2
One evening David got up from his bed and strolled around on the roof of the palace. And from the roof he saw a woman bathing—a very beautiful woman.
- Exodus 20:17
Through
2 Peter 2:14Their eyes are full of adultery; their desire for sin is never satisfied; they seduce the unstable. They are accursed children with hearts trained in greed.
it leads to
- 2 Peter 2:3
In their greed, these false teachers will exploit you with deceptive words. The longstanding verdict against them remains in force, and their destruction does not sleep.
- 2 Peter 2:3
Where this verse is studied
On this page
Studies4
On this verse
About Genesis

Who and where
1 name in this verse with a page on the site.
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763) and John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament.
