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.
But he hanged H8518 the chief H8269 baker: H644 as Joseph H3130 had interpreted H6622 to them.
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
And it came to pass, as he interpreted H6622 to us, so it was; me he restored H7725 unto mine office, H3653 and him he hanged. H8518
And if a man H376 have committed a sin H2399 worthy of H4941 death, H4194 and he be to be put to death, H4191 and thou hang H8518 him on a tree: H6086 His body H5038 shall not remain all night H3885 upon the tree, H6086 but thou shalt in any wise H6912 bury H6912 him that day; H3117 (for he that is hanged H8518 is accursed H7045 of God;) H430 that thy land H127 be not defiled, H2930 which the LORD H3068 thy God H430 giveth H5414 thee for an inheritance. H5159
And the king H4428 of Ai H5857 he hanged H8518 on a tree H6086 until eventide: H6256 H6153 and as soon as the sun H8121 was down, H935 Joshua H3091 commanded H6680 that they should take H3381 his carcase H5038 down H3381 from the tree, H6086 and cast H7993 it at the entering H6607 of the gate H8179 of the city, H5892 and raise H6965 thereon a great H1419 heap H1530 of stones, H68 that remaineth unto this day. H3117
And afterward H310 Joshua H3091 smote H5221 them, and slew H4191 them, and hanged H8518 them on five H2568 trees: H6086 and they were hanging H8518 upon the trees H6086 until the evening. H6153
And the Philistine H6430 said H559 to David, H1732 Come H3212 to me, and I will give H5414 thy flesh H1320 unto the fowls H5775 of the air, H8064 and to the beasts H929 of the field. H7704
This day H3117 will the LORD H3068 deliver H5462 thee into mine hand; H3027 and I will smite H5221 thee, and take H5493 thine head H7218 from thee; and I will give H5414 the carcases H6297 of the host H4264 of the Philistines H6430 this day H3117 unto the fowls H5775 of the air, H8064 and to the wild beasts H2416 of the earth; H776 that all the earth H776 may know H3045 that there is H3426 a God H430 in Israel. H3478
Let seven H7651 men H582 of his sons H1121 be delivered H5414 unto us, and we will hang them up H3363 unto the LORD H3068 in Gibeah H1390 of Saul, H7586 whom the LORD H3068 did choose. H972 And the king H4428 said, H559 I will give H5414 them.
And Rizpah H7532 the daughter H1323 of Aiah H345 took H3947 sackcloth, H8242 and spread H5186 it for her upon the rock, H6697 from the beginning H8462 of harvest H7105 until water H4325 dropped H5413 upon them out of heaven, H8064 and suffered H5414 neither the birds H5775 of the air H8064 to rest H5117 on them by day, H3119 nor the beasts H2416 of the field H7704 by night. H3915
Thou shalt fall H5307 upon the mountains H2022 of Israel, H3478 thou, and all thy bands, H102 and the people H5971 that is with thee: I will give H5414 thee unto the ravenous H5861 birds H6833 of every sort, H3671 and to the beasts H2416 of the field H7704 to be devoured. H402
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible » Commentary on Genesis 40
Commentary on Genesis 40 Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
CHAPTER 40
Ge 40:1-8. Two State Prisoners.
1. the butler—not only the cup-bearer, but overseer of the royal vineyards, as well as the cellars; having, probably, some hundreds of people under him.
baker—or cook, had the superintendence of every thing relating to the providing and preparing of meats for the royal table. Both officers, especially the former, were, in ancient Egypt, always persons of great rank and importance; and from the confidential nature of their employment, as well as their access to the royal presence, they were generally the highest nobles or princes of the blood.
3. Pharaoh put them in ward, &c.—Whatever was their crime, they were committed, until their case could be investigated, to the custody of the captain of the guard, that is, Potiphar, in an outer part of whose house the royal prison was situated.
4. The captain of the guard charged Joseph with them—not the keeper, though he was most favorably disposed; but Potiphar himself, who, it would seem, was by this time satisfied of the perfect innocence of the young Hebrew; though, probably, to prevent the exposure of his family, he deemed it prudent to detain him in confinement (see Ps 37:5).
They continued a season in ward—literally, "days," how long, is uncertain; but as they were called to account on the king's birthday, it has been supposed that their offense had been committed on the preceding anniversary [Calvin].
5-8. they dreamed a dream—Joseph, influenced by the spirit of true religion, could feel for others (Ec 4:1; Ro 12:15; Php 2:4). Observing them one day extremely depressed, he inquired the cause of their melancholy; and being informed it was owing to a dream they had respectively dreamed during the previous night, after piously directing them to God (Da 2:30; Isa 26:10), he volunteered to aid them, through the divine help, in discovering the import of their vision. The influence of Providence must be seen in the remarkable fact of both officers dreaming such dreams in one night. He moves the spirits of men.
Ge 40:9-15. The Butler's Dream.
9-11. In my dream, behold, a vine was before me—The visionary scene described seems to represent the king as taking exercise and attended by his butler, who gave him a cooling draught. On all occasions, the kings of ancient Egypt were required to practice temperance in the use of wine [Wilkinson]; but in this scene, it is a prepared beverage he is drinking, probably the sherbet of the present day. Everything was done in the king's presence—the cup was washed, the juice of the grapes pressed into it; and it was then handed to him—not grasped; but lightly resting on the tips of the fingers.
12-15. Joseph said, … This is the interpretation—Speaking as an inspired interpreter, he told the butler that within three days he would be restored to all the honors and privileges of his office; and while making that joyful announcement, he earnestly bespoke the officer's influence for his own liberation. Nothing has hitherto met us in the record indicative of Joseph's feelings; but this earnest appeal reveals a sadness and impatient longing for release, which not all his piety and faith in God could dispel.
Ge 40:16-23. The Baker's Dream.
16. I had three white baskets—The circumstances mentioned exactly describe his duties, which, notwithstanding numerous assistants, he performed with his own hands.
white—literally, "full of holes"; that is, wicker baskets. The meats were carried to table upon the head in three baskets, one piled upon the other; and in the uppermost, the bakemeats. And in crossing the open courts, from the kitchen to the dining rooms, the removal of the viands by a vulture, eagle, ibis, or other rapacious bird, was a frequent occurrence in the palaces of Egypt, as it is an everyday incident in the hot countries of the East still. The risk from these carnivorous birds was the greater in the cities of Egypt, where being held sacred, it was unlawful to destroy them; and they swarmed in such numbers as to be a great annoyance to the people.
18, 19. Joseph answered and said, This is the interpretation—The purport was that in three days his execution should be ordered. The language of Joseph describes minutely one form of capital punishment that prevailed in Egypt; namely, that the criminal was decapitated and then his headless body gibbeted on a tree by the highway till it was gradually devoured by the ravenous birds.
20-22. it came to pass the third day, which was Pharaoh's birthday—This was a holiday season, celebrated at court with great magnificence and honored by a free pardon to prisoners. Accordingly, the issue happened to the butler and baker, as Joseph had foretold. Doubtless, he felt it painful to communicate such dismal tidings to the baker; but he could not help announcing what God had revealed to him; and it was for the honor of the true God that he should speak plainly.
23. yet did not the chief butler remember Joseph—This was human nature. How prone are men to forget and neglect in prosperity, those who have been their companions in adversity (Am 6:6)! But although reflecting no credit on the butler, it was wisely ordered in the providence of God that he should forget him. The divine purposes required that Joseph should obtain his deliverance in another way, and by other means.