Joseph’s master took him and put him into the prison: took him probably does not mean that Potiphar grabbed Joseph himself. In some languages it will be necessary to make this clear by saying “gave orders that soldiers grab Joseph and put him in prison” or “sent his men to take hold of Joseph and throw him into jail.” Prison translates an expression meaning “house of roundness” or “round house” and occurs only here and in verses 21-23; 40.3, 5. It is further defined as the place where the king’s prisoners were confined. We may translate the last clause, for example, as “Well, Joseph was there in prison” or “Because of what happened in Potiphar’s house, Joseph became a prisoner.”

Quoted with permission from Reyburn, William D. and Fry, Euan McG. A Handbook on Genesis. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1997. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .