תהלים, פרק ק״ה, פסוק י״ח

Joseph's descent into the Egyptian dungeon was marked by severe physical agony, illustrating the brutal reality of ancient imprisonment. The torment began the moment his master cast him into the prison, even though the exact identity of those who carried out the torture remains unnamed [רד״ק, אבן עזרא, מצודת ציון]. He was bound with thick iron chains that tightly secured his feet [רד״ק, מצודת ציון, ביאור שטיינזלץ].

A subtle detail in the description of his chained feet hints at a broader legal reality. Though both limbs were bound together, an underlying emphasis on a single foot suggests that this prolonged captivity was actually a substitute punishment [רד״ק, המאירי]. Under local law, the accusations involving Potiphar's wife should have resulted in the death penalty. Instead, the harsh sentence was reduced to the chaining of his limbs [אלשיך]. In this sense, the iron of the prison chains acted as a mitigated judgment, taking the place of the iron of the executioner's sword [אלשיך].

Beyond the heavy chains on his legs, Joseph endured a highly focused and cruel form of abuse. An iron collar or spit was positioned directly under his chin. Whenever he attempted to lower his head, the metal would strike and cut into his flesh [רש״י].

The imagery of Joseph entering into these restraints raises a question about why his soul, rather than his physical body, is described as being bound in iron [אבן עזרא]. The primary approach among commentators is that the term for soul is simply used as a borrowed reference to the human body itself. However, a deeper perspective reveals the profound connection between the physical and the spiritual. When the flesh is subjected to such intense torture within iron restraints, the inner spirit is simultaneously tormented, suffering and chained right alongside the body [רד״ק, מצודת דוד, המאירי].