Genesis 39:17 is part of the story of Joseph and Potiphar's wife. Let's break down what it means:
"She spoke to him according to these words...": This means she's giving a formal account to her husband, Potiphar. It suggests she's rehearsed or carefully crafted what she's about to say to make it sound convincing.
"...saying, 'The Hebrew servant, whom you have brought to us...'": She's carefully emphasizing that Joseph is a Hebrew and a servant and that Potiphar is the one who brought him into their household. This is a way of subtly shifting blame away from herself and perhaps suggesting that Potiphar made a bad judgment in bringing Joseph into their home. The use of "us" instead of "me" is meant to include Potiphar in her plight.
"...came in to me to mock me.'": This is the core of her false accusation. She's claiming Joseph entered her room with the intention of making fun of her or insulting her. However, in the verses preceding, it's clear that she was the one who tried to seduce Joseph. Saying he came to "mock" is a clever way to twist the situation: instead of admitting she made a pass at him and was rejected, she's portraying him as the aggressor who insulted her honor.
In essence, this verse is Potiphar's wife lying to her husband about Joseph, falsely accusing him of attempting to make a mockery of her. She does this to protect herself from being exposed for trying to seduce Joseph and likely out of spite for being rejected. This lie sets in motion the events that lead to Joseph being unjustly imprisoned.
Genesis 39:17 is part of the story of Joseph and Potiphar's wife. Let's break down what it means:
"She spoke to him according to these words...": This means she's giving a formal account to her husband, Potiphar. It suggests she's rehearsed or carefully crafted what she's about to say to make it sound convincing.
"...saying, 'The Hebrew servant, whom you have brought to us...'": She's carefully emphasizing that Joseph is a Hebrew and a servant and that Potiphar is the one who brought him into their household. This is a way of subtly shifting blame away from herself and perhaps suggesting that Potiphar made a bad judgment in bringing Joseph into their home. The use of "us" instead of "me" is meant to include Potiphar in her plight.
"...came in to me to mock me.'": This is the core of her false accusation. She's claiming Joseph entered her room with the intention of making fun of her or insulting her. However, in the verses preceding, it's clear that she was the one who tried to seduce Joseph. Saying he came to "mock" is a clever way to twist the situation: instead of admitting she made a pass at him and was rejected, she's portraying him as the aggressor who insulted her honor.
In essence, this verse is Potiphar's wife lying to her husband about Joseph, falsely accusing him of attempting to make a mockery of her. She does this to protect herself from being exposed for trying to seduce Joseph and likely out of spite for being rejected. This lie sets in motion the events that lead to Joseph being unjustly imprisoned.