So he left all that he had in Joseph's charge, and because of him he had no concern about anything but the food he ate. Now Joseph was handsome in form and appearance.
A slave now runs the whole estate of Pharaoh's captain of the guard, and his owner has stopped checking the accounts. The verse ends with a quiet note about Joseph's looks — a detail that seems out of place until you read what happens next.
Trust without limit
Potiphar's confidence shows in what he stopped watching. He handed over the whole property and kept account of nothing but his own meals. One writer sets this against the moral state of the house that surrounded it.
William KellyHere it was clear blessing in his slavery, and his master's trust in the end without limit. Corruption was in that house, as it came out soon in a shameless form; but until then "the LORD blessed the Egyptian's house for Joseph's sake."
The hand behind the hand
Genesis keeps returning to one word in this story: Joseph's hand. Everything prospers in it. His master puts everything into it and leaves everything in it. Much later, when Jacob blesses his sons, the reason comes out.
F. B. HoleThe wording of Genesis 49:24 stands out when you see how often the story mentions Joseph's hands — see Genesis 39:3-4, 6, 22; Genesis 41:42. Here we see the secret spring of Joseph's skill. Upon the hands of Joseph rested the hands of the mighty God.
A house blessed for one man's sake
Potiphar prospers because of the man he has put in charge. Writers who read Joseph as a picture of Christ find a pattern here that repeats through his whole life.
Hamilton SmithViewing Joseph as a type of Christ, it is important to remember that it was God's purpose to set Joseph in the place of supremacy, and so everyone who submits to his supremacy is blessed. Potiphar gives Joseph a place of supremacy in his household, and immediately Potiphar is blessed. A little later the jailer makes Joseph supreme in the prison and blessing follows... The supremacy of Christ demands the submission of man, and the submission of man leads to the blessing of man — though while He is rejected, that blessing is spiritual rather than material.
A witness his master could see
Nothing in these verses records Joseph preaching. What the text says is that his master saw. That distinction carries a warning for anyone who works under someone who does not share their faith.
Hamilton SmithHis testimony was the testimony of his life rather than his lips. Potiphar was impressed by what he "saw" rather than by what he heard... Had Joseph been forever complaining of his hard lot, or going on about his high destiny, he would have been no witness for the Lord in Potiphar's house. The Egyptian cared nothing about Joseph's past. Even if someone had set his future before him, he would have understood none of it. But Potiphar could see and value his daily life of wholehearted attention to his duties.
Handsome in form and appearance
The record mentions Joseph's looks only after listing all he did. Commentators read that order as deliberate: the beauty sums up a life.
Hamilton SmithSo we have seen that in the house of the Gentile Joseph was a submissive man, a prosperous man, a witness for the Lord, a respected and trusted man, and a centre of blessing. Such qualities make up a very complete life. So we are not surprised to read that Joseph was "handsome in form and appearance." This Old Testament saint shows us a life that is beautiful before God and man.
Another writer lists Joseph with men of faith whose good looks came with something God valued more.
H. L. RossierThere is another kind of beauty that can go with outward beauty in men of faith. God values it as the reflection of character: the beauty of a pure soul or of simple faith, the shining out of a heart that shuts out evil and sin... This is the beauty of Joseph, "handsome in form and appearance," yet set apart among his brothers.
Where the prosperity leads
This is the high point of Joseph's time in that house. It is also where the trouble starts. One writer sees the bright stretch as part of God's discipline, coming just before the hardest part.
The Bible TreasuryThe winter is seldom without some gleam of sunshine... Before the harshest part of the discipline reaches us, we are often cheered by an unexpected relief. So Joseph is a prosperous man in the captain's house. But he is soon driven from it. The adversary of souls sets a trap for him, and he has the integrity and dignity to run from it... Evil association too often goes along with prosperity. But for the God-fearing soul, prosperity in evil association cannot last.
Summary
- Hand. The chapter keeps repeating one word: Joseph's hand. Everything prospered in it because God's hand rested on his.
- Trust. His master's confidence ended up total: he kept account of nothing but the food on his own table.
- Blessing. Everyone who put Joseph in charge was blessed — Potiphar, then the jailer, then all Egypt.
- Witness. What Potiphar saw won him, not what he heard. Quiet, uncomplaining faithfulness at work is a testimony an unbelieving employer can read.
- Beauty. The note on Joseph's looks closes a list of qualities — submissive, prosperous, trusted, a centre of blessing. The beauty God values shows character, not features.