We’re not
sure of how much time passed before Joseph was resold to Potiphar. Probably just
the time it took to get to Egypt, which could be anywhere from a couple of
weeks to a few years (hold the Moses lost in the desert jokes until we get
there).
But once
Joseph belonged to Potiphar, he was the best man he could be, earning Potiphar
a lot of wealth and becoming the head of the household. Again, slavery allowed
for such things. It was common for slaves to gain such high esteem and
positions of trust from their masters. So Joseph is awesome at what he does.
He also
happens to be good looking, and draws the attention of Potiphar’s wife. And it
isn’t long until the question is hanging in the air, “Are you trying to seduce
me, Mrs. Potiphar?” Okay, well, no, it wasn’t like that. Potiphar’s actually
wasn’t coy about it. She “cast her eyes on Joseph and said, ‘Lie with me’” (Gen
39:7).
Joseph,
though, is moral to a fault, and refuses. Now, in ancient times, sex with
slaves was not necessarily seen as cheating. The Romans and Greeks especially
engaged in this, and the Egyptians were not that different for the time period.
It is quite possible that this something quite ordinary as far as a request
(command?) and Joseph disobeyed.
At least
until we get the explanation from Joseph that Potiphar has not “kept back
anything from [Joseph] except [her]” (Gen 39:9). While the practice of sleeping
with slaves was not uncommon, and possibly very widespread, Potiphar did not do
this. The fact that Joseph points out that she was kept back is a likely
indication that the practice was widespread. So even if it was culturally
accepted, Potiphar had the right and chose to draw the line that his slaves, at
least, would not sleep with his wife.
However,
doing the right thing is not without its consequences.