Lesson 20 – Joseph in Egypt and Prison (Genesis 39-40)
Lesson 20 – Joseph Is Thrown in Jail
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Scripture Passage: Genesis 39:1-40:23
This post and others in the series are adapted from the content of the lesson syllabus authored by group moderator Rob Perry. Content is for study and research only, not for other distribution without written permission. Contact the webmaster, Mike Foxworth.
OPEN IT
1. What's your favorite example of "an offer you can't refuse"?
EXPLORE IT
2. Who were the main people in these events, and what kind of people were they? (Gen.39:1- 40:23)
3. What did Potiphar observe about Joseph, and what did he do as a result? (Gen.39:2-6)
4. What did Potiphar's wife ask Joseph to do, and what was his response? (Gen.39:7-12)
5. How did Potiphar's wife react when Joseph refused her?(Gen.(39:13-18)
6. How did Potiphar respond to his wife's story?(Gen.(39:19-20)
7. What happened to Joseph in prison? (Gen.39:21-23)
8. What did Joseph ask Pharaoh's officials, and what was their answer?(Gen.(40:7-8)
9. What did Joseph say about dreams? (Gen.40:8)
10. What did the chief cupbearer dream, and what did Joseph say about it? (Gen.40:9-15)
11. What did the chief baker dream, and what did Joseph say about it?(Gen.(40:16-19)
12. What happened at Pharaoh's birthday party? (Gen.40:20-22)
13. What did the chief cupbearer do? (Gen.40:23)
GET IT
14. Why is sexual purity so important?
15. How can we resist sexual temptation?
APPLY IT
What
can
you
do
this
week
to
avoid
or
guard
against
sexual
temptation?
16. What can you do this week to avoid or guard against sexual temptation?
Explore It Answers
This section is designed to prompt thoughts about how and why to derive each scripture-based answer, so the actual answer is based upon individual study and may not be fully disclosed here. Here, also, are parallel verses for the key scripture texts.
Biblical Answer 3
What did Potiphar observe about Joseph, and what did he do as a result? (Gen.39:2-6)
Key Scripture: Genesis 39:2-6 | Parallel Texts: James 1:19-20; Proverbs 15:1; Ephesians 4:31-32
Biblical Answer 4
What did Potiphar's wife ask Joseph to do, and what was his response? (Gen.39:7-12)
Key Scripture: Genesis 39:7-12 | Parallel Texts: Psalm 51:4; 1 Corinthians 10:13; 2 Timothy 2:22
Biblical Answer 5
How did Potiphar's wife react when Joseph refused her?(Gen.(39:13-18)
Key Scripture: Genesis 39:13-18 | Parallel Texts: Genesis 44:33-34; John 15:13; Romans 5:7-8
Biblical Answer 6
How did Potiphar respond to his wife's story?(Gen.(39:19-20)
Key Scripture: Genesis 39:19-20 | Parallel Texts: Romans 12:18; Proverbs 16:7; Matthew 5:9
Biblical Answer 7
What happened to Joseph in prison? (Gen.39:21-23)
Key Scripture: Genesis 39:21-23 | Parallel Texts: James 1:19-20; Proverbs 15:1; Ephesians 4:31-32
Biblical Answer 8
What did Joseph ask Pharaoh's officials, and what was their answer?(Gen.(40:7-8)
Key Scripture: Genesis 40:7-8 | Parallel Texts: Acts 7:9-10; Psalm 105:17-19; Romans 8:28
Biblical Answer 9
What did Joseph say about dreams? (Gen.40:8)
Key Scripture: Genesis 40:8 | Parallel Texts: Genesis 39:2-3; Acts 7:9; 2 Corinthians 4:8-9
Biblical Answer 10
What did the chief cupbearer dream, and what did Joseph say about it? (Gen.40:9-15)
Key Scripture: Genesis 40:9-15 | Parallel Texts: Genesis 40:8; Daniel 2:27-28; John 16:13
Biblical Answer 11
What did the chief baker dream, and what did Joseph say about it?(Gen.(40:16-19)
Key Scripture: Genesis 40:16-19 | Parallel Texts: Genesis 41:16; James 1:5; Job 42:2
Biblical Answer 12
What happened at Pharaoh's birthday party? (Gen.40:20-22)
Key Scripture: Genesis 40:20-22 | Parallel Texts: Romans 12:18; Proverbs 16:7; Matthew 5:9
Biblical Answer 13
What did the chief cupbearer do? (Gen.40:23)
Key Scripture: Genesis 40:23 | Parallel Texts: James 1:19-20; Proverbs 15:1; Ephesians 4:31-32
Commentary Summary
In Genesis 39:1-40:23, Joseph Is Thrown in Jail highlights doctrinal themes such as God’s character, human accountability, and the certainty of His redemptive purpose. . The emphasis is theological, asking what the text teaches about creation, covenant, judgment, grace, salvation, and the trustworthiness of God. This summary is designed to identify the major truths being taught, not merely repeat the narrative details. It therefore reads as a concise doctrinal overview suitable for the commentary summary section.
In Joseph Is Thrown in Jail, the flow of Genesis 39:1-40:23 emphasizes practical faith, obedience, and response to God. Once again there is an ironic twist in the narration, since lifted up the head means two different things for these two servants: the cupbearer became an example of pardon from Pharaoh and the baker an example of Pharaoh's condemnation. The focus here is pastoral and applicational, showing how the lesson challenges the reader to trust, repent, endure, worship, and walk in obedience. This summary is intentionally more devotional and exhortational so it does not simply duplicate the doctrinal wording used in the other commentary summaries.
Within the broader storyline of Genesis and the Bible as a whole, Genesis 39:1-40:23 helps move forward the pattern of promise, failure, mercy, and restoration that runs through Scripture. These communicated both positive and negative messages for the rest of Pharaoh's courtiers. This summary is shaped to sound more like a Bible Project overview by emphasizing literary flow, biblical themes, and how the lesson contributes to the unified story of Scripture. The goal is to locate the passage in the wider narrative rather than repeat the same doctrinal or devotional emphasis.
Last Week
Once again, the narrative skips forward - this time three months - to when it became evident that Tamar was pregnant. The assumption was that as she was pregnant, and since she had no husband, she must have been engaging in prostitution to support herself. Since Judah still had a claim on her for his son Shelah, he felt no compunction about condemning her to death.
This Week
Once again there is an ironic twist in the narration, since lifted up the head means two different things for these two servants: the cupbearer became an example of pardon from Pharaoh and the baker an example of Pharaoh's condemnation. These communicated both positive and negative messages for the rest of Pharaoh's courtiers. The fulfilment of the dreams is related in terms exactly matching the explanations given by Joseph: just as Joseph had interpreted for them (v.
Next Week
More significant parallels connect the divine gift of insight and wisdom of both Joseph and Daniel. Both were endowed with a ‘spirit of [holy] god[s]' (Gen. Both recognized that God had used dreams to reveal the future to kings (Genesis.
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