What does "the LORD was with Joseph" mean (Genesis 39:2)?

Whosoever Will, The Pit, the Prison, and the Palace: Here is what the Joseph narrative does that most revenge narratives do not: it shows you God in the pit. And the LORD was with Joseph (Genesis 39:2). Not after the pit. Not after the prison. Not after the elevation to Pharaoh's right hand. In the pit. In Potiphar's house. In the king's prison. In the years after the butler walked free and forgot him. Through all of it, the text keeps repeating the same five words: the LORD was with Joseph. Thread 1 (a God who cannot stop reaching) is not always dramatic. Sometimes it is simply present. Steady. Unbroken. The presence of God with Joseph is not the presence of a God who is managing the circumstances so they do not hurt. The pit hurts. The false accusation hurts. Two years in prison after the butler forgets his name hurts. The presence of God does not remove any of that. It accompanies it. Scripture, King James Version: Genesis 39:2, "And the LORD was with Joseph, and he was a prosperous man; and he was in the house of his master the Egyptian.".

Verified. Every scripture quotation on this page has been checked word-for-word against the King James text. Last reviewed 2026-10-18.