- where Joseph was bound:
- Or, "where Joseph was confined," for he doubtless had his personal liberty. This place, we learn from the preceding chapter ("And Joseph'sª masterª tookª° him, and put¹ him²° into¹ the prison,ªª a placeª where¹ the king'sª prisonersª [were] bound:ª° and he was¹ there¹ in the prison.ªª" {Gen 39:20}), was the king's prison. All the officers in the employment of the ancient kings of Egypt, according to Diodorus Siculus, were taken from the most illustrious families of the priesthood in the country; no slave or common person being ever permitted to serve in the presence of the king. As these persons were of the most noble families, it is natural to expect they would be put, when accused, into the state prison.
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