Length of Joseph's Imprisonment in Genesis Narrative

Joseph's imprisonment in Egypt, as recounted in the Book of Genesis, occurred in two distinct phases. The first and primary period of incarceration was when he was unjustly accused by Potiphar's wife and subsequently placed in "the prison, a place where the king's prisoners were bound" ^{[3, 6]}. The second, much shorter period, involved his brothers, whom Joseph briefly imprisoned for three days much later in the narrative ^{[1, 14]}.

Joseph, the elder of Jacob's two sons by Rachel, was approximately seventeen years old when he was sold into slavery and brought to Egypt ^{[4, 5]}. He served in the house of Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh and captain of the guard, where he rose to a position of trust ^[3]. However, Potiphar's wife falsely accused Joseph of attempting to lie with her, leading to his imprisonment ^[8]. The Hebrew word used for this prison, sohar, suggests it may have been a round tower or fortress, possibly part of Potiphar's own house, where state prisoners were kept ^{[6, 9]}.

The duration of Joseph's initial imprisonment is not explicitly stated in a single verse in Genesis, but it can be inferred from several passages. Joseph was thirty years old when he stood before Pharaoh and was appointed to a position of authority ^[7]. Since he had been in Egypt for thirteen years as a slave before this appointment, and a portion of that time was spent in prison, scholars have estimated the length of his incarceration ^{[7, 10]}.

The narrative in Genesis 40 describes Joseph's interaction with Pharaoh's chief butler and chief baker while they were also imprisoned ^[12]. Genesis 40:4 states that the captain of the guard assigned them to Joseph, and "They stayed in prison many days" ^[2]. Joseph interpreted the dreams of both men, accurately predicting the chief butler's restoration to his office within three days and the chief baker's execution ^[12]. The chief butler, however, forgot Joseph for "two full years" after his release ^{[11, 13]}.

This "two full years" period is crucial for calculating Joseph's time in prison. John Gill, a Baptist/Reformed commentator, suggests that these two years are reckoned from the time the chief butler was released from prison ^[11]. Similarly, Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown, in their Presbyterian commentary, indicate that these years are most likely counted from the events described in Genesis 40, which detail the chief butler's release ^[13]. This implies that Joseph remained in prison for two years after the chief butler's release, waiting for the butler to remember him and speak to Pharaoh ^{[11, 13]}.

Combining these details, if Joseph was thirty when he stood before Pharaoh and had been in Egypt for thirteen years, and if the chief butler forgot him for two years after his own release, then Joseph's imprisonment lasted at least two years, and potentially longer ^{[7, 10]}. Some interpretations suggest he was in prison for at least three years ^[7]. John Gill's commentary on Genesis 50:21 states that Joseph lived thirteen years in Potiphar's house and in prison before he was thirty, implying that the prison time is part of this thirteen-year period ^[10]. The exact division between his time as a servant in Potiphar's house and his time in prison is not specified, but the "two full years" after the butler's release clearly mark a significant portion of his incarceration ^{[11, 13]}.

The second instance of imprisonment in the Joseph narrative is much shorter and involves his brothers. When Joseph, now a powerful ruler in Egypt, first encountered his brothers who had come to buy grain, he recognized them but they did not recognize him. To test them and assess their character, Joseph accused them of being spies and "imprisoned them for three days" ^{[1, 14]}. This act served to make them reflect on their past actions, particularly their treatment of Joseph, as they later acknowledged their guilt, saying, "Surely we are being punished because of our brother. We saw how distressed he was when he pleaded with us for his life, but we would not listen; that is why this distress has come on us" ^[14]. This brief imprisonment was a strategic move by Joseph, reminiscent of how his brothers had once thrown him into a cistern-prison while deciding his fate ^[14].

Sources

Genesis “Genesis 42:17 (BSB) — So Joseph imprisoned them for three days,”
Genesis “The captain of the guard assigned them to Joseph, and he took care of them. They stayed in prison many days. -- Genesis 40:4”
Genesis “Joseph’s master took him, and put him into the prison, the place where the king’s prisoners were bound, and he was there in custody. -- Genesis 39:20”
Smith's Bible Dictionary “Smith's Bible Dictionary: Joseph — (increase). + The elder of the two sons of Jacob by Rachel. He was born in Padan-aram (Mesopotamia), probably about B.C. 1746. He is first mentioned when a youth, seventeen years old. Joseph brought the evil report of his brethren to his father, and they hated him because his father loved him more than he did them, and had shown his preference by making a dress which appears to have been a long tunic with sleeves, worn by youths and maidens of the richer class. (Genesis 37:2) He dreamed a dream foreshadowing his future power, which increased the hatred of his”
Easton's Bible Dictionary “Easton's Bible Dictionary: Joseph — Remover or increaser. (1.) The elder of the two sons of Jacob by Rachel (Gen. 30:23, 24), who, on the occasion of his birth, said, "God hath taken away [Heb. asaph] my reproach." "The Lord shall add [Heb. yoseph] to me another son" (Gen. 30:24). He was a child of probably six years of age when his father returned from Haran to Canaan and took up his residence in the old patriarchal town of Hebron. "Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his children, because he was the son of his old age," and he "made him a long garment with sleeves" (Gen. 37:3, R.V. marg.),”
Easton's Bible Dictionary “Easton's Bible Dictionary: Prison — The first occasion on which we read of a prison is in the history of Joseph in Egypt. Then Potiphar, "Joseph's master, took him, and put him into the prison, a place where the king's prisoners were bound" (Gen. 39:20-23). The Heb. word here used (sohar) means properly a round tower or fortress. It seems to have been a part of Potiphar's house, a place in which state prisoners were kept. The Mosaic law made no provision for imprisonment as a punishment. In the wilderness two persons were "put in ward" (Lev. 24:12; Num. 15:34), but it was only till the mind of”
Genesis (Lutheran) “Keil & Delitzsch on Genesis 41:46: Joseph was 30 years old when he stood before Pharaoh, and went out from him and passed through all the land of Egypt, i.e., when he took possession of his office; consequently he had been in Egypt for 13 years as a slave, and at least three years in prison.”
Genesis (Nonconformist/Puritan) “Matthew Henry on Genesis 39:19: Here is, 1. Joseph wronged by his master. He believed the accusation, and either Joseph durst not make his defence by telling the truth, as it would reflect too much upon his mistress, or his master would not hear it, or would not believe it, and there is no remedy, he is condemned to perpetual imprisonment, Gen 39:19, Gen 39:20. God restrained his wrath, else he had put him to death; and that wrath which imprisoned him God made to turn to his praise, in order to which Providence so disposed that he should be shut up among the king's prisoners, the state-prisone”
Genesis (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on Genesis 39:20: And Joseph's master took him, and put him into the prison,.... Which was in or adjoining to his house, Gen 40:3; of himself he had power to do this, as the captain of the guard; and as he was the chief of the executioners, as some take his office to be, it is much he did not in his passion deliver him up into their hands to put him to death at once; but it may be through the great respect he had had for Joseph, which was not wholly extinguished by this impeachment of him; and especially if he heard Joseph's apology for himself before he committed him, his passion mi”
Genesis (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on Genesis 50:21: And Joseph dwelt in Egypt, he, and his father's house,.... Comfortably, quietly, and in great prosperity, not only he, but his brethren and their families, as long as he lived: and Joseph lived one hundred and ten years; and all but seventeen of them in Egypt, for at that age it was when he was brought thither: thirteen years he lived in Potiphar's house, and in prison, for he was thirty years of age when he was brought to Pharaoh, and stood before him, and fourscore years he lived in the greatest honour and prosperity that a man could well wish for.”
Genesis (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on Genesis 41:1: And it came to pass at the end of two full years,.... It is not a clear case, as Aben Ezra observes, from whence these years are to be reckoned, whether from the time of Joseph's being put into prison, or from the time that the chief butler was taken out of it; the latter seems more probable, and better connects this and the preceding chapter: that Pharaoh dreamed, and, behold, he stood by the river; it seemed to him, in his dream, as if he stood near the river Nile, or some canal or flow of water cut out of that river.”
Genesis (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on Genesis 40 (introduction): INTRODUCTION TO GENESIS 40 The history of this chapter is, the imprisonment of two of Pharaoh's officers, his chief butler and chief baker, who by the captain of the guard were made the charge of Joseph, Gen 40:1; they both dreamed in prison, which made them sad; Joseph taking notice of their sadness, asked the reason of it, and encouraged them to tell him their dreams, Gen 40:5; the chief butler told his dream of the vine and three branches, which Joseph interpreted of his restoration to his office within three days, and desired him to remember him un”
Genesis (Presbyterian) “Jamieson, Fausset & Brown on Genesis 41 (introduction): PHARAOH'S DREAM. (Gen. 41:1-24) at the end of two full years--It is not certain whether these years are reckoned from the beginning of Joseph's imprisonment, or from the events described in the preceding chapter--most likely the latter. What a long time for Joseph to experience the sickness of hope deferred! But the time of his enlargement came when he had sufficiently learned the lessons of God designed for him; and the plans of Providence were matured. Pharaoh dreamed--"Pharaoh," from an Egyptian word Phre, signifying the "sun," wa”
Genesis (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on Genesis 42:15: 42:15-17 Joseph put the brothers in jail for three days to see if they had a conscience functioning about what they had done (42:21-23). The brothers had similarly thrown Joseph into a cistern-prison while they decided what to do with him (37:24).”

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