IPHERA li, which see: Sept. an officer of Pharaoh, probably the chief of his body guard (Gen. xxxix:i).
Of the Midianitish merchants he purchased Jo seph, whose treatment by him is described else where. (See Joseph.) l'he keeper of the prison into which the son of Jacob was eventually cast treated him with kindness, and confided to him the management of the prison ; and this confi dence was afterwards sanctioned by the 'captain of the guard' himself, as the officer responsible for the safe custody of prisoners of state. It is some times denied, but more usually maintained, that this 'captain of the guard' was the same with the Potiphar who is before designated by the same title. We believe that this 'captain of the guard' and Joseph's master were the same per son. It would be in accordance with Oriental usage that offenders against the court, and the officers of the court, should be in custody of the captain of the guard ; and that Potiphar should have treated Joseph well after having cast him into prison, is not irreconcilable with the facts of the case. After having imprisoned Joseph in
the first transport of his anger, he might possibly discover circumstances which led him to doubt his guilt, if not to be convinced of his innocence. The mantle left in the hands of his mistress, and so triumphantly produced against him, would, when calmly considered, seem a stronger proof of guilt against her than against him: yet still, to avoid bringing dishonor upon his wife, and ex posing her to new temptation, he may have deemed it more prudent to bestow upon his slave the command of the state prison than to restore him to his former employment.