Genesis 39:13 - Meaning and Application

Joseph’s mistress, after failing to trap him in sin, now tries to make him look guilty. She wants revenge on him because he stayed faithful. Her love has turned into fierce anger and hatred. She acts as if she cannot bear to see the man she could not bear to be apart from only a short time before. Holy love may remain steady even when ignored, but sinful desire can quickly turn into sinful hate, as happened with Amnon and Tamar.

First, she accused Joseph to the other servants (Genesis 39:13-15) and gave him a bad name among them. They may have envied the favor he had with their master and his authority in the house. They may also have resented his honesty, since it would have stopped them from stealing. So they were ready to hear anything that could ruin him, and may even have pushed their mistress to be more angry with him. Notice that when she speaks of her husband, she does not call him her husband or her lord, only “he,” as if she had already forgotten the marriage promise before God. In the same way, the adulteress in Proverbs 7:19 calls her husband “the goodman.” Innocence cannot always protect a person’s reputation. A good conscience does not guarantee a good name.

Second, she accused Joseph to his master, who had the power to punish him, unlike the other servants (Genesis 39:17-18). The story she told was very unlikely. She held up his garment as proof that he had attacked her, when it was really strong evidence that she had attacked him. Those who have thrown off modesty will not be held back by truth. It is no surprise that the woman bold enough to say, “Lie with me,” was also bold enough to say, “He tried to lie with me.”

If she had told the lie only to hide her own sin, it would still have been wrong, but at least somewhat understandable. Instead, she told it to get revenge on Joseph for his virtue. That made it a very wicked lie. She also presented the matter in a way that would anger her husband against Joseph, blaming him for bringing this Hebrew servant into the house, perhaps because she had never wanted him there in the first place since he was a Hebrew. It is nothing new for the best men to be falsely charged with the worst crimes by those who are themselves guilty of shameful things. As the story was told, chaste Joseph would have looked like a very wicked man, and his shameless mistress like an innocent woman. But a day of truth is coming, when everyone will be seen as they really are. This was not the first time Joseph’s coat was used as false evidence against him. His father had been deceived by it before, and now his master was deceived by it too.