Genesis 40:23
in Genesis 40The chief cupbearer, however, did not remember Joseph; he forgot all about him.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
Yet did not the chief butler remember Joseph, but forgat him.
KJV
Yet did not the chief butler remember Joseph, but forgat him.
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This verse in Genesis 40
Commentary
6 notes on this verseYet did not the chief butler remember Joseph - Had he mentioned the circumstance to Pharaoh, there is no doubt that Joseph’s case would have been examined into, and he would in consequence have been restored to his liberty; but, owing to the ingratitude of the chief butler, he was left two years longer in prison. Many commentators have seen in every circumstance in the history of Joseph a parallel between him and our blessed Lord.
This site's exposition
he forgot all about him
The verse says it twice, that the cupbearer did not remember Joseph and that he forgot all about him. The word is the one Joseph used when he asked to be remembered, and it is the word that fails him. Joseph stays in the prison.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers1 voice
See once again the good man, as though competing in some gymnasium or wrestling ring, giving a demonstration of his characteristic virtue by not showing signs of alarm, panic or disappointment. I mean, had it been somebody else, any one of a thousand, he might have said, What's this? The chief cupbearer was all too ready to regain his former prosperity by my interpreting what he saw in his dream but now has no thought for me despite my predicting it. He is enjoying great relief, whereas I, who committed no crime, am locked up here with murderers, grave robbers, thieves and perpetrators of countless crimes. Joseph said nothing of the sort; he entertained no such thoughts. He realized that the race was longer for him, so that by striving consistently he might win a glorious crown.…Joseph, you see, had to await the right moment for release from there to come his way along with renown. After all, if before Pharaoh's dreams the chief cupbearer had by his own intervention freed him from prison, perhaps his virtue would not have become known to many people. As it was, however, the wise and creative Lord, who like a fine craftsman knew how long the gold should be kept in the fire and when it ought be taken out, allowed forgetfulness to affect the chief cupbearer for a period of two years so that the moment of Pharaoh's dreams should arrive and that by force of circumstances the good man should become known to the whole of Pharaoh's kingdom.
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
Joseph's fellow-sufferers were like the two thieves that were crucified with Christ--the one saved, the other condemned. (It is Dr. Lightfoot's remark, from Mr. Broughton.) One of these, when Joseph said to him, Remember me when it shall be well with thee, forget him; but one of those, when he said to Christ, Remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom, was not forgotten.
Yet did not the chief butler remember Joseph,....
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
proposed
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.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — starts-lowercase
The words behind it
7 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וְלֹֽא־ | velo'- | and not | H3808 → | 5168 times |
| זָכַ֧ר | zakhar | he remembered | H2142 → | 230 times |
| שַֽׂר־ | sar- | [the] chief of | H8269 → | 421 times |
| הַמַּשְׁקִ֛ים | hamashkim | the cup bearers | H4945 → | 19 times |
| אֶת־ | ʾet- | <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| יוֹסֵ֖ף | yosef | Joseph | H3130 → | 213 times |
| וַיִּשְׁכָּחֵֽהוּ׃ פ | vaiyishkachehu | and he forgot him | H7911 → | 102 times |
וְלֹֽא־and not
velo'-H3808 →5168 times
זָכַ֧רhe remembered
zakharH2142 →230 times
שַֽׂר־[the] chief of
sar-H8269 →421 times
הַמַּשְׁקִ֛יםthe cup bearers
hamashkimH4945 →19 times
אֶת־<obj.>
ʾet-H853 →10935 times
יוֹסֵ֖ףJoseph
yosefH3130 →213 times
וַיִּשְׁכָּחֵֽהוּ׃ פand he forgot him
vaiyishkachehuH7911 →102 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Psalms 105:19until his prediction came true and the word of the LORD proved him right.
it leads to
- Acts 7:10
and rescued him from all his troubles. He granted Joseph favor and wisdom in the sight of Pharaoh king of Egypt, who appointed him ruler over Egypt and all his household.
- Proverbs 21:1
The king’s heart is a waterway in the hand of the LORD; He directs it where He pleases.
- Genesis 40:20–21
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.
- Daniel 2:30
And to me this mystery has been revealed, not because I have more wisdom than any man alive, but in order that the interpretation might be made known to the king, and that you…
- Genesis 41:11–16
One night both the chief baker and I had dreams, and each dream had its own meaning.
- Acts 7:10
Through
Psalms 31:12I am forgotten like a dead man, out of mind. I am like a broken vessel.
it leads to
- Psalms 88:4–5
I am counted among those descending to the Pit. I am like a man without strength.
- Isaiah 30:14
It will break in pieces like a potter’s jar, shattered so that no fragment can be found. Not a shard will be found in the dust large enough to scoop the coals from a…
- Psalms 88:4–5
Through
Job 19:14My kinsmen have failed me, and my friends have forgotten me.
it leads to
- Psalms 38:11
My beloved and friends shun my disease, and my kinsmen stand at a distance.
- Psalms 38:11
About Genesis
Who and where
1 name in this verse with a page on the site.
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Chrysostom, HOMILIES ON GENESIS 63.11-12; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763) and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.