פּירוש אויף בראשית 41:45

“He gave him Asenath daughter of Poti-phera” [41:45]. He gave Joseph a wife, the daughter of Poti-phera. He was called Poti-phera because he gave fattened calves for foreign gods. He was called Poti-phera because he was a eunuch. He could not sleep with a woman. He said that he became a eunuch because he was ashamed before the other nobles and became a priest³⁰Bahya, Genesis, 41:45.

Hizkuni gives an explanation. He married the daughter of Poti-phera, in the expectation that he would show that he did not sleep with Poti-phera’s wife. If he had slept with Poti-phera’s wife, he should not have married her daughter.³¹Hizkuni, Genesis, 41:45.

Hizkuni and Bahya write. The Asenath that Joseph married was the daughter of Dinah, who had a daughter with Shechem. The children of Jacob wanted to kill the daughter out of disgrace. Jacob came and made that daughter an amulet that whoever will marry you will know that he is marrying into the family of Jacob. Jacob chased that daughter out of his house. She hid herself among thorns and thistles, and that is why she was called Asenath, because she hid among thorns and thistles. A thorn in Hebrew is sneh. The angel Gabriel came and led Asenath to the house of Poti-phera and the wife of Poti-phera raised her and considered her a daughter. When Joseph came to Egypt, all the women came to see his beauty. Each woman threw him a jewel. Asenath did not have what to throw, so she threw the amulet, which was an image of Jacob and Joseph married her. Later, when Jacob came to Joseph and asked him, whose are the children? Joseph showed him the amulet that Jacob had written.³²Bahya, Genesis, 41:45; Hizkuni, Genesis, 41:45.

צפנת פענח signifies "Explainer of hidden things". There is no other example in Scripture of the word.