11 The Lord was with Joseph, and be was a prosperous man." A lesson on the true method of prosperity. A prosperous man is one who has the Lord with him- 1. To give him favour with fellow-men. 2. To teach him wisdom, and put things into his hand. 3. To give him the faculty of rule, and dispose others to trust him entirely. 4. To keep him pure from the vicious besetments of the world, both by his own personal chastity and by his courage and self-command in hours of temptation. 6. Dy delivering him when he is entangled in the meshes of the evil- minded. The bad woman's determination is thwarted. Mercy is shown him in the prison. 6. By making him a messenger of peace and truth, even in the very prison- house of shame and misery. Notice again the elevation of Joseph's character. 1. His love of God. 11 How can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?" 2. His lov~ of man. "My master hath committed all to me "-bow can I wrong him so? 3. His C(Yfl,fide:ru;e in the blessing of God on the upright and holy life. He knew that God would vindicate him. 4. His self-control. His circumstances were fearful temptation. Had he not been a virtuous man in his heart of hearts, he would have succumbed, and then pleaded, as so many do, the power of the flesh and of the tempting circumstances. Notice also how these characteristics do help one another when they are in the character, and bow, when a man casts himself upon God, God makes the way of escape. Joseph was safer in prison than he was in his master's house.-R.
EXPOSITION. Ver. 7.-Ancl it came to pass after these Jehovah would have been unintelligible to a. things, - J osepb had by this time been heathen woman. nearly ten years in Potiphar's house ('Vide Ver. 10.-Ancl it came to pass, as she eh. xii. 46)-that his master's wife cast her spake-or, though she spake (Kalisch)-to eyes (lasciviously) upon Joseph ; ancl she Joseph clay by day, that he hearkened not saicl, Lie with me. According to monu- unto her, to lie by her (a euphemistic ex• mental evidence (Wilkinson's 'Ancient pression), or (which is not in the original, Egy:ptinns,'vol.i. p. 392, ed. 1878; Hengsten- nnd may be omitted) to be with her. berg s 'Egypt and the Books of Moses,' i. 25 ; Vers. 11, 12.-Ancl it came to paBB about Kalisch, p. 631) and historical testimony this time (literally, at this day, i. e. it one (Herod., ii. 111), Egyptian females, even day hnppened), that Joseph went into the though married, were distinguished for house to clo his business (i. e. to attend to licentiousness nnd immorality, and were not his accustomed duties) ; ancl there was none condemned to live in seclusion (Bohlen), but of the men of the house there within (or, ,rnre nllowed freely to mix in promiscuous in the house). Ancl she caught him by his society, which facts perfectly account for garment (this was probably the long loose J oseph's temptation by bis mistress. robe or mantle, with short sleeves, used in Vers. 8, 9.-But ke refused,-" it.may be Oriental full dress), saying, Lie with me: that the absence of personal charms facili- ancl he left his garment in her hand, ancl tnted Jm,eph's resistance (Knlisch); but Jo- fled, ancl got him out-literally, and 1oent seph nssigns a different reason for his non- forth into the place without, i. o. out of the compliimce with her utterly immoral propo- house o.nd into the street. sition-ancl saicl unto his master's wife,- Yers. 13-15.-And it oame to pa.as, when " for her unclean solicitation he returneth she saw that he had left his garment pure nnd wholesome words " (Hughes)- in her hancl (o. very indiscreet net on tho Beholcl, my master wotteth not what is part of Joseph, considering tbo possible use with me iu the house (literally, krwweth not, that might be made of it), ancl was tlecl along with me, what is in the house), ancl he forth, that she called unto the men of her hath committed all that he ho.th to my ho.ncl, house, encl epake unto them, so.ying, See, (literally, and all that is to him he hath he hath brought in (literally, one has given to or placed in my hand) ; there is brought in, tho subject of the verb being none greater in this house than I ; neither indefinite) an Hebrew (literally, a man, an hath he kept baok anything from me but Heberw) unto us to mook us (the verb Pl'J~, thee, beoause thou o.rt his wife: how then from which comes !sane, is here used in a oan I do this great wickeclness, ancl sin bad souse ; not the same as in eh. xxvi. 8) ; (cf. eh. xx. 6; 2 Sum. xii. 13; Ps. Ii. 4 for he came in unto me to lie with me, ancl I the estimate of this act taken l>y God and criecl with a loncl voice: a.ncl it came to good men) against Goel 1- Elohim, since paes, when be heard that I lifted np my GEN::srs. 00 450 THE BOOK OF GENESIS. [oH. XXXIX, 7-28.