Genesischapter 40

A.Two Troubled Dreams in Prisonvv. 1-8

1 Some time later, the king’s cupbearer and baker offended their master, the king of Egypt. 2 Pharaoh was angry with his two officers, the chief cupbearer and the chief baker, 3 and imprisoned them in the house of the captain of the guard, the same prison where Joseph was confined. 4 The captain of the guard assigned them to Joseph, and he became their personal attendant. After they had been in custody for some time, 5 both of these men—the Egyptian king’s cupbearer and baker, who were being held in the prison—had a dream on the same night, and each dream had its own meaning. 6 When Joseph came to them in the morning, he saw that they were distraught. 7 So he asked the officials of Pharaoh who were in custody with him in his master’s house, “Why are your faces so downcast today?” 8 “We both had dreams,” they replied, “but there is no one to interpret them.” Then Joseph said to them, “Don’t interpretations belong to God? Tell me your dreams.”

B.The Cup and the Basket Explainedvv. 9-19

9 So the chief cupbearer told Joseph his dream: “In my dream there was a vine before me, 10 and on the vine were three branches. As it budded, its blossoms opened and its clusters ripened into grapes. 11 Pharaoh’s cup was in my hand, and I took the grapes, squeezed them into his cup, and placed the cup in his hand.” 12 Joseph replied, “This is the interpretation: The three branches are three days. 13 Within three days Pharaoh will lift up your head and restore your position. You will put Pharaoh’s cup in his hand, just as you did when you were his cupbearer. 14 But when it goes well for you, please remember me and show me kindness by mentioning me to Pharaoh, that he might bring me out of this prison. 15 For I was kidnapped from the land of the Hebrews, and even here I have done nothing for which they should have put me in this dungeon.” 16 When the chief baker saw that the interpretation was favorable, he said to Joseph, “I too had a dream: There were three baskets of white bread on my head. 17 In the top basket were all sorts of baked goods for Pharaoh, but the birds were eating them out of the basket on my head.” 18 Joseph replied, “This is the interpretation: The three baskets are three days. 19 Within three days Pharaoh will lift off your head and hang you on a tree. Then the birds will eat the flesh of your body.”

C.The Butler Forgets Josephvv. 20-23

20 On the third day, which was Pharaoh’s birthday, he held a feast for all his officials, and in their presence he lifted up the heads of the chief cupbearer and the chief baker. 21 Pharaoh restored the chief cupbearer to his position, so that he once again placed the cup in Pharaoh’s hand. 22 But Pharaoh hanged the chief baker, just as Joseph had described to them in his interpretation. 23 The chief cupbearer, however, did not remember Joseph; he forgot all about him.

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Chapter summary

The butler and the baker.

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The butler and the baker. Pharaoh's chief butler and chief baker fall under displeasure and are put in the same prison. Each dreams a dream on the same night. Joseph interprets: in three days the butler is restored, the baker hanged. Both happen as he said. But the butler forgets Joseph. Two years will pass in silence. Henry calls it the school of patience; Gill emphasises Joseph's one plea (‘think on me when it shall be well with thee’) made for liberty by a righteous prisoner, and received by a grateful man who immediately forgot. Providence keeps its own schedule.

Drawn from Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory, Matthew Henry, Complete Commentary, John Wesley, Notes on the Old Testament and John Calvin, Commentaries.

Context

Law · Moses — Genesis overview

A. 1–8 Two Troubled Dreams in Prison
B. 9–19 The Cup and the Basket Explained
C. 20–23 The Butler Forgets Joseph

Top cross-references8 chapters ▾

Genesis 416 verses
- Genesis 41:1After two full years had passed, Pharaoh had a dream: He was standing beside the Nile,
- Genesis 41:8In the morning his spirit was troubled, so he summoned all the magicians and wise men of Egypt. Pharaoh told them his dreams, but no one could interpret them for him.
- Genesis 41:11One night both the chief baker and I had dreams, and each dream had its own meaning.
- Genesis 41:12Now a young Hebrew was there with us, a servant of the captain of the guard. We told him our dreams and he interpreted them for us individually.
- Genesis 41:15Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I had a dream, and no one can interpret it. But I have heard it said of you that when you hear a dream you can interpret it.”
- Genesis 41:25At this, Joseph said to Pharaoh, “The dreams of Pharaoh are one and the same. God has revealed to Pharaoh what He is about to do.
- Read Genesis 41 →
Genesis 405 verses
- Genesis 40:1Some time later, the king’s cupbearer and baker offended their master, the king of Egypt.
- Genesis 40:12Joseph replied, “This is the interpretation: The three branches are three days.
- Genesis 40:13Within three days Pharaoh will lift up your head and restore your position. You will put Pharaoh’s cup in his hand, just as you did when you were his cupbearer.
- Genesis 40:19Within three days Pharaoh will lift off your head and hang you on a tree. Then the birds will eat the flesh of your body.”
- Genesis 40:22But Pharaoh hanged the chief baker, just as Joseph had described to them in his interpretation.
- Read Genesis 40 →
Genesis 393 verses
- Genesis 39:1Meanwhile, Joseph had been taken down to Egypt, where an Egyptian named Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh and captain of the guard, bought him from the Ishmaelites who had taken him there.
- Genesis 39:20So Joseph’s master took him and had him thrown into the prison where the king’s prisoners were confined. While Joseph was there in the prison,
- Genesis 39:23The warden did not concern himself with anything under Joseph’s care, because the LORD was with Joseph and gave him success in whatever he did.
- Read Genesis 39 →
Daniel 23 verses
- Daniel 2:19During the night, the mystery was revealed to Daniel in a vision, and he blessed the God of heaven
- Daniel 2:28But there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries, and He has made known to King Nebuchadnezzar what will happen in the latter days. Your dream and the visions that came into your mind as you lay on your bed were these:
- Daniel 2:47The king said to Daniel, “Your God is truly the God of gods and Lord of kings, the Revealer of Mysteries, since you were able to reveal this mystery.”
- Read Daniel 2 →

4 more chapters this one speaks with

Daniel 52 verses
- Daniel 5:6his face grew pale and his thoughts so alarmed him that his hips gave way and his knees knocked together.
- Daniel 5:12did this because Daniel, the one he named Belteshazzar, was found to have an extraordinary spirit, as well as knowledge, understanding, and the ability to interpret dreams, explain riddles, and solve difficult problems. Summon Daniel, therefore, and he will give you the interpretation.”
- Read Daniel 5 →
Nehemiah 22 verses
- Nehemiah 2:1Now in the month of Nisan, in the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes, when wine was set before him, I took the wine and gave it to the king. I had never been sad in his presence,
- Nehemiah 2:2so the king said to me, “Why is your face sad, though you are not ill? This could only be sadness of the heart.” I was overwhelmed with fear
- Read Nehemiah 2 →
Daniel 42 verses
- Daniel 4:8But at last, into my presence came Daniel (whose name is Belteshazzar after the name of my god, and in whom is the spirit of the holy gods). And I told him the dream:
- Daniel 4:10In these visions of my mind as I was lying in bed, I saw this come to pass: There was a tree in the midst of the land, and its height was great.
- Read Daniel 4 →
Judges 72 verses
- Judges 7:13And as Gideon arrived, a man was telling his friend about a dream. “Behold, I had a dream,” he said, “and I saw a loaf of barley bread come tumbling into the Midianite camp. It struck the tent so hard that the tent overturned and collapsed.”
- Judges 7:14His friend replied: “This is nothing less than the sword of Gideon son of Joash, the Israelite. God has delivered Midian and the whole camp into his hand.”
- Read Judges 7 →

Cross-references from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge and OpenBible.info.