Genesis 39:7-12 describes a defining moment in Joseph’s story: the persistent seduction attempts by Potiphar’s wife and Joseph’s firm refusal. Neville Goddard’s Law of Assumption provides a transformative way to understand this scene—not as a moral test but as a spiritual allegory about holding to an assumed state of being amidst temptation.
The Scene: Potiphar’s Wife Tempts Joseph
Egypt is repeatedly used in the Bible to represent slavery, limitation, and the subconscious bondage of the mind. So, Potiphar’s Egyptian wife represents the bondage of the outer senses and the temptations that keep the individual “in slavery” to limited thinking and external appearances.
Potiphar’s wife repeatedly tries to lure Joseph into sin — that is, away from his wonderful vision. She uses her position and allure to break his integrity. Yet Joseph refuses, saying:
“How then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?”
Joseph’s refusal is not just about moral uprightness but about who he assumes himself to be.
Neville’s Law of Assumption: The Creative Power of Feeling
Neville teaches that imagination and feeling shape reality. The “I am” feeling—the inner state you assume as true—controls what manifests outwardly.
Joseph’s resistance can be understood as maintaining the feeling of his true self—faithful, loyal, and above corruption—even though external temptation is intense.
Potiphar’s Wife as External Pressure
In Neville’s terms, Potiphar’s wife represents external circumstance, pressure, and temptation, trying to break Joseph’s inner assumption.
She is the challenge thrown at the inner state, an invitation to assume a false or reactive identity (giving in to temptation).
Joseph’s inner world refuses to respond to this external narrative.
Joseph’s Inner Assumption Is Unshakable
Joseph’s reply reflects his unwavering inner assumption:
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He does not identify with the desire or fear imposed by Potiphar’s wife.
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He “lives in the end,” meaning he feels and assumes his identity as faithful and loyal.
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This is the power Neville emphasises: to remain in the feeling of the wish fulfilled regardless of external provocations.
What This Means for Us
When temptation or pressure arises, the “Potiphar’s wife” moment in our lives calls for holding the assumption firmly. Neville’s teaching invites us to:
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Refuse the outer demand to shift identity.
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Imagine ourselves already in the state of loyalty, integrity, or whichever fulfilled state we desire.
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Know that temptation is just an external scene that has no power over the inner state unless we accept it.
Summary
The story of Joseph and Potiphar’s wife reveals that true power lies in the inner assumption. External seduction, pressure, or temptation is powerless when we maintain the feeling of our true fulfilled identity.
Joseph’s example invites us to master our inner state, for it is imagination and feeling that form reality—just as Neville Goddard teaches.