1 And it came to pass after H310 these things, H1697 that the butler H8248 of the king H4428 of Egypt H4714 and his baker H644 had offended H2398 their lord H113 the king H4428 of Egypt. H4714
2 And Pharaoh H6547 was wroth H7107 against H5921 two H8147 of his officers, H5631 against the chief H8269 of the butlers, H8248 and against the chief H8269 of the bakers. H644
3 And he put H5414 them in ward H4929 in the house H1004 of the captain H8269 of the guard, H2876 into the prison, H1004 H5470 the place H4725 where Joseph H3130 was bound. H631
4 And the captain H8269 of the guard H2876 charged H6485 Joseph H3130 with them, and he served H8334 them: and they continued a season H3117 in ward. H4929
5 And they dreamed H2492 a dream H2472 both of them, H8147 each man H376 his dream H2472 in one H259 night, H3915 each man H376 according to the interpretation H6623 of his dream, H2472 the butler H8248 and the baker H644 of the king H4428 of Egypt, H4714 which were bound H631 in the prison. H1004 H5470
6 And Joseph H3130 came in H935 unto them in the morning, H1242 and looked H7200 upon them, and, behold, they were sad. H2196
7 And he asked H7592 Pharaoh's H6547 officers H5631 that were with him in the ward H4929 of his lord's H113 house, H1004 saying, H559 Wherefore look H6440 ye so sadly H7451 to day? H3117
8 And they said H559 unto him, We have dreamed H2492 a dream, H2472 and there is no interpreter H6622 of it. And Joseph H3130 said H559 unto them, Do not interpretations H6623 belong to God? H430 tell me H5608 them, I pray you.
9 And the chief H8269 butler H8248 told H5608 his dream H2472 to Joseph, H3130 and said H559 to him, In my dream, H2472 behold, a vine H1612 was before me; H6440
10 And in the vine H1612 were three H7969 branches: H8299 and it was as though it budded, H6524 and her blossoms H5322 shot forth; H5927 and the clusters H811 thereof brought forth ripe H1310 grapes: H6025
11 And Pharaoh's H6547 cup H3563 was in my hand: H3027 and I took H3947 the grapes, H6025 and pressed H7818 them into Pharaoh's H6547 cup, H3563 and I gave H5414 the cup H3563 into Pharaoh's H6547 hand. H3709
12 And Joseph H3130 said H559 unto him, This is the interpretation H6623 of it: The three H7969 branches H8299 are three H7969 days: H3117
13 Yet H5750 within three H7969 days H3117 shall Pharaoh H6547 lift up H5375 thine head, H7218 and restore H7725 thee unto thy place: H3653 and thou shalt deliver H5414 Pharaoh's H6547 cup H3563 into his hand, H3027 after the former H7223 manner H4941 when thou wast his butler. H8248
14 But think H2142 on me when it shall be well H3190 with thee, and shew H6213 kindness, H2617 I pray thee, unto me, and make mention H2142 of me unto Pharaoh, H6547 and bring me H3318 out of this house: H1004
15 For indeed I was stolen away H1589 out of the land H776 of the Hebrews: H5680 and here also have I done H6213 nothing H3972 that they should put H7760 me into the dungeon. H953
16 When the chief H8269 baker H644 saw H7200 that the interpretation H6622 was good, H2896 he said H559 unto Joseph, H3130 I also H637 was in my dream, H2472 and, behold, I had three H7969 white H2751 baskets H5536 on my head: H7218
17 And in the uppermost H5945 basket H5536 there was of all manner H3978 of bakemeats H4639 H644 for Pharaoh; H6547 and the birds H5775 did eat H398 them out of the basket H5536 upon H5921 my head. H7218
18 And Joseph H3130 answered H6030 and said, H559 This is the interpretation H6623 thereof: The three H7969 baskets H5536 are three H7969 days: H3117
19 Yet within three H7969 days H3117 shall Pharaoh H6547 lift up H5375 thy head H7218 from off thee, and shall hang H8518 thee on a tree; H6086 and the birds H5775 shall eat H398 thy flesh H1320 from off thee.
20 And it came to pass the third H7992 day, H3117 which was Pharaoh's H6547 birthday, H3117 H3205 that he made H6213 a feast H4960 unto all his servants: H5650 and he lifted up H5375 the head H7218 of the chief H8269 butler H8248 and of the chief H8269 baker H644 among H8432 his servants. H5650
21 And he restored H7725 the chief H8269 butler H8248 unto his butlership H4945 again; H7725 and he gave H5414 the cup H3563 into Pharaoh's H6547 hand: H3709
22 But he hanged H8518 the chief H8269 baker: H644 as Joseph H3130 had interpreted H6622 to them.
23 Yet did not the chief H8269 butler H8248 remember H2142 Joseph, H3130 but forgat H7911 him.
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Keil & Delitzsch Commentary » Commentary on Genesis 40
Commentary on Genesis 40 Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
The head cup-bearer and head baker had committed crimes against the king of Egypt, and were imprisoned in “ the prison of the house of the captain of the trabantes, the prison where Joseph himself was confined; ” the state-prison, according to Eastern custom, forming part of the same building as the dwelling-house of the chief of the executioners. From a regard to the exalted position of these two prisoners, Potiphar ordered Joseph to wait upon them, not to keep watch over them; for את פּקד does not mean to appoint as guard, but to place by the side of a person.
After some time (“days,” Genesis 40:4, as in Genesis 4:3), and on the same night, these two prisoners had each a peculiar dream, “ each one according to the interpretation of his dream; ” i.e., each one had a dream corresponding to the interpretation which specially applied to him. On account of these dreams, which seemed to them to have some bearing upon their fate, and, as the issue proved, were really true omens of it, Joseph found them the next morning looking anxious, and asked them the reason of the trouble which was depicted upon their countenances.
On their replying that they had dreamed, and there was no one to interpret the dream, Joseph reminded them first of all that “interpretations are God's,” come from God, are His gift; at the same time he bade them tell him their dreams, from a consciousness, no doubt, that he was endowed with this divine gift.
The cup-bearer gave this account: “ In my dream, behold there was a vine before me, and on the vine three branches; and it was as though blossoming, it shot forth its blossom ( נצּהּ either from the hapax l. נץ = נצּה , or from נצּה with the fem. termination resolved into the 3 pers. suff.: Ewald , §257 d ), its clusters ripened into grapes. And Pharaoh's cup was in my hand; and I took the grapes and pressed them into Pharaoh's cup, and gave the cup into Pharaoh's hand .” In this dream the office and duty of the royal cup-bearer were represented in an unmistakeable manner, though the particular details must not be so forced as to lead to the conclusion, that the kings of ancient Egypt drank only the fresh juice of the grape, and not fermented wine as well. The cultivation of the vine, and the making and drinking of wine, among the Egyptians, are established beyond question by ancient testimony and the earliest monuments, notwithstanding the statement of Herodotus (2, 77) to the contrary (see Hengstenberg, Egypt and the Books of Moses , pp. 13ff.).
Joseph then gave this interpretation: The three branches were three days, in which time Pharaoh would restore him to his post again (“lift up his head,” i.e., raise him from his degradation, send and fetch him from prison, 2 Kings 25:27). And he added this request (Genesis 40:14): “ Only think of me, as it goes well with thee, and show favour to me...for I was stolen (i.e., carried away secretly and by force; I did not abscond because of any crime) out of the land of the Hebrews (the land where the Ibrim live); and here also I have done nothing (committed no crime) for which they should put me into the hole .” בּור : the cell, applied to a prison as a miserable hole, because often dry cess-pools were used as prisons.
Encouraged by this favourable interpretation, the chief baker also told his dream: “ I too,...in my dream: behold, baskets of white bread upon my head, and in the top basket all kinds of food for Pharaoh, pastry; and the birds ate it out of the basket from my head .” In this dream, the carrying of the baskets upon the head is thoroughly Egyptian; for, according to Herod . 2, 35, the men in Egypt carry burdens upon the head, the women upon the shoulders. And, according to the monuments, the variety of confectionary was very extensive (cf. Hengst . p. 27). In the opening words, “ I too, ” the baker points to the resemblance between his dream and the cup-bearer's. The resemblance was not confined to the sameness of the numbers-three baskets of white bread, and three branches of the vine-but was also seen in the fact that his official duty at the court was represented in the dream. But instead of Pharaoh taking the bread from his hand, the birds of heaven ate it out of the basket upon his head. And Joseph gave this interpretation: “ The three baskets signify three days: within that time Pharaoh will take away thy head from thee (“lift up thy head,” as in Genesis 40:13, but with מעליך “away from thee,” i.e., behead thee), and hang thee on the stake (thy body after execution; vid., Deuteronomy 21:22-23), and the birds will eat thy flesh from off thee .” However simple and close this interpretation of the two dreams may appear, the exact accordance with the fulfilment was a miracle wrought by God, and showed that as the dreams originated in the instigation of God, the interpretation was His inspiration also.
Joseph's interpretations were fulfilled three days afterwards, on the king's birth-day. הלּדת יום : the day of being born; the inf. Hoph . is construed as a passive with the accus . obj ., as in Genesis 4:18, etc. Pharaoh gave his servants a feast, and lifted up the heads of both the prisoners, but in very different ways. The cup-bearer was pardoned, and reinstated in his office; the baker, on the other hand, was executed.
But the former forgot Joseph in his prosperity, and did nothing to procure his liberation.