Bereshis 39:1

1 9 And Yosef was brought down to Mitzrayim; and Potiphar, a saris Pharaoh, Sar Hatabachim (captain of the bodyguard), a Mitzri, bought him of the hands of the Yishme’elim, which had brought him down to there.

Bereshis 39:1 Meaning and Commentary

Genesis 39:1

And Joseph was brought down to Egypt
By the Ishmaelites, ( Genesis 37:28 ) ; as in a following clause: and Potiphar an officer of Pharaoh, captain of the guard, an Egyptian;
as his name also shows, which signifies the fruit of Pot or Phut, that is, the son or grandson of one of that name ^F13; which might be common in Egypt, since it was the name of a son of Ham, ( Genesis 10:6 ) , from whom the land of Egypt is called the land of Ham, ( Psalms 105:23 Psalms 105:27 ) ( 106:22 ) ; of this man and his offices, (See Gill on Genesis 37:36); he bought him:
that is, "Joseph", of the hands of the Ishmaelites, who had brought him down thither;
what they gave for him we know, but what they sold him for to Potiphar is not said; no doubt they got a good price for him, and his master had a good bargain too, as appears by what follows.

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FOOTNOTES:

F13 Onomastic. Sacr. p. 671, 672.

Bereshis 39:1 In-Context

1 9 And Yosef was brought down to Mitzrayim; and Potiphar, a saris Pharaoh, Sar Hatabachim (captain of the bodyguard), a Mitzri, bought him of the hands of the Yishme’elim, which had brought him down to there.

2 And Hashem was with Yosef, and he was an ish matzliach (a man [G-d] makes prosper); and he was in the bais adonav haMitzri.

3 And adonav saw that Hashem was with him, and that Hashem caused all that he did matzliach in his yad.

4 And Yosef found chen in his eyes, and he ministered to him; and he made him mefake’ach (overseer) over his bais, and all that he had he entrusted into his yad.

5 And it came to pass from the time that he had made him mefake’ach (overseer) in his bais, and over all that he had, that Hashem put a brocha on the bais haMitzri on account of Yosef; and the birkat Hashem was upon all that he had in the bais, and in the sadeh.