Potiphar’s wife falsely accused Joseph because he rejected her sinful advances, and she retaliated out of humiliation and anger. Joseph, though a servant in Potiphar’s house, conducted himself with integrity. When she tried to seduce him, he refused:
“How then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?” (Genesis 39:9)
Joseph recognized that adultery would be not only a betrayal of Potiphar’s trust but a sin against God Himself. Day after day she pressured him, but he consistently resisted her.
One day, when no one else was in the house, she grabbed his garment, but he fled:
“But he left his garment in her hand, and fled and ran outside.” (Genesis 39:12)
Her pride wounded and her lust denied, she responded with false accusation. Using the garment as supposed evidence, she accused Joseph of attempted assault:
“Then she spoke to him with words like these, saying, ‘The Hebrew servant whom you brought to us came in to me to mock me.'” (Genesis 39:17)
Potiphar’s wife represents the deceitfulness of sin and the lengths to which the wicked will go when exposed. Joseph’s righteousness led to temporary suffering, and he was imprisoned despite his innocence, but God remained with him:
“But the Lord was with Joseph and showed him mercy, and He gave him favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison.” (Genesis 39:21)
This account highlights the cost of faithfulness, especially in a corrupt world. Joseph chose to honor God rather than yield to temptation, and though he suffered unjustly, God used even that injustice to advance His plan.
Joseph’s life reminds believers that integrity may provoke false accusations, but God’s favor remains with those who walk uprightly.
