Is It Sexual Harassment If the Victim Didn’t Fight or Run?
Joseph and Potiphar’s Wife: A Biblical Example
(Genesis 39)
Yes.
It is still sexual harassment — and it may still be sexual assault — even if the victim did not fight, scream, or run.
Recently I saw a tweet about Joseph and Potiphar’s wife (Genesis 39). The tweet suggested that Joseph proved his innocence because he ran from her advances—implying that only physical escape counts as resistance.
That view carries a dangerous assumption:
If a victim doesn’t fight, flee, or physically break free, then maybe they consented.
That is not biblical.
And it is not how sexual abuse works.
Potiphar’s Wife Was Relentless
Genesis tells us Potiphar’s wife “kept putting pressure on Joseph day after day” (Genesis 39:10, NLT). She would not take no for an answer.
This is not a romantic story.
It is a story of sexual harassment, coercion, and abuse of power.
Joseph was a trafficked slave. He could not simply quit his job and walk away. He was trapped inside someone else’s household and authority.
Joseph Was Resisting All Along
When we define “resistance” only as running, we miss what Scripture actually shows.
Joseph resisted repeatedly, in every safer way available to him.
Joseph’s Acts of Resistance
1) He reasoned with her.
“My master… has put everything that he has in my charge” (Genesis 39:8).
He appealed to logic, fairness, and trust.
2) He appealed to loyalty and duty.
“He has kept back nothing from me except you, because you are his wife” (Genesis 39:9a).
He reminded her of covenant boundaries.
3) He named the act as wicked.
“How then can I do this great wickedness…?” (Genesis 39:9b).
He refused to minimize what she was demanding.
4) He appealed to whatever religious values she had.
“…and sin against God?” (Genesis 39:9c).
He invoked accountability beyond themselves.
5) He tried to avoid being alone with her.
“He would not listen… to lie beside her or to be with her” (Genesis 39:10).
He created distance when words were not enough.
6) When physically assaulted, he fled.
“She caught him by his garment… but he left his garment in her hand and fled” (Genesis 39:12).
Escape was his final available act of self-protection.
Running was not Joseph’s first response.
It was his last.
Predators Escalate When Victims Push Back
Potiphar’s wife anticipated Joseph’s efforts. She waited until there were no witnesses. She used force. And when that failed, she retaliated with false accusation.
That escalation reveals intent.
Joseph was punished.
The powerful predator was protected.
Potiphar himself failed to defend the vulnerable.
Just as many victims today are betrayed not only by abusers—but by the systems and leaders who side with them.
Victims Are Always Doing Something to Survive
Critics ask, “Why didn’t you leave?”
But Scripture teaches us to ask a better question:
How have you been resisting harm all along?
Abuse victims protect themselves every day in countless ways:
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Reasoning
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Appeasing
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Avoiding danger
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Staying quiet to prevent escalation
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Enduring to protect children
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Surviving with dignity
They are not passive.
They are doing what they can to stay alive.
Joseph’s Story Is an Abuse Story
Joseph was a sexual harassment and assault victim. If God had not intervened through extraordinary providence, Joseph might have died in prison under false accusations.
Instead of praising only his final escape, we should honor the full reality:
Joseph resisted harm all along.
And so do abuse victims today.
For a deeper biblical breakdown of Genesis 39, see https://lifesavingdivorce.com/joseph-potiphars-wife-resisting-sexual-harassment/
Framework Credit
This perspective reflects Response-Based Practice (Allan Wade and colleagues), which emphasizes that victims are never passive; they continually respond in self-protective ways, and perpetrators deliberately work to overcome those responses.
Free pamphlet:
Honouring Resistance: How Women Resist Abuse in Intimate Relationships
Calgary Women’s Emergency Shelter
https://www.calgarywomensshelter.com/images/pdf/cwesResistancebookletfinalweb.pdf
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