Genesis 40:4
in Genesis 40The captain of the guard assigned them to Joseph, and he became their personal attendant. After they had been in custody for some time,
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And the captain of the guard charged Joseph with them, and he ministered unto them: and they continued a season in ward.
KJV
And the captain of the guard charged Joseph with them, and he served them: and they continued a season in ward.
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This verse in Genesis 40
Commentary
6 notes on this verseThey continued a season - ימים yamim, literally days; how long we cannot tell. But many suppose the word signifies a complete year; and as Pharaoh called them to an account on his birthday, Gen 40:20, Calmet supposes they had offended on the preceding birthday, and thus had been one whole year in prison.
This site's exposition
assigned them to Joseph
The captain of the guard assigns two of Pharaoh's officers to a man in his own prison. Jamieson takes that captain to be Potiphar himself, the master who jailed him now trusting him with officers of the crown. The phrase behind some time is days, and Clarke reports the older reckoning of a full year. Pharaoh calls the two to account on his next birthday.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers1 voice
But what shall I say about these eunuchs? who should be an example to the other eunuchs, because their status is fragile and delicate, and all their hope lies in the king's will, for whom a slight offense would be a great danger: but their secondary matters are lowly service. One boasted that he was in charge of the wine, the other that he was in charge of the bakers. Both offended, and were sent to prison, and were entrusted to the holy Joseph by the keeper of the prison.
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
16 When the chief baker saw that the interpretation was good, he said unto Joseph, I also was in my dream, and, behold, I had three white baskets on my head: 17 And in the uppermost basket there was of all manner of bakemeats for Pharaoh; and the birds did eat them out of the basket upon my head.
quarantine:scripture (2026-07-29) — verbatim-scripture
And the captain of the guard charged Joseph with them,....
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
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).
The words behind it
11 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וַ֠יִּפְקֹד | vaiyifkod | and he appointed | H6485 → | 303 times |
| שַׂ֣ר | sar | [the] commander of | H8269 → | 421 times |
| הַטַּבָּחִ֧ים | hatabachim | the bodyguards | H2876 → | 32 times |
| אֶת־ | ʾet- | <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| יוֹסֵ֛ף | yosef | Joseph | H3130 → | 213 times |
| אִתָּ֖ם | ʾitam | with them | H854 → | 929 times |
| וַיְשָׁ֣רֶת | vaysharet | and he served | H8334 → | |
| אֹתָ֑ם | ʾotam | <obj.> them | H853 → | 10935 times |
| וַיִּהְי֥וּ | vaiyihyu | and they were | H1961 → | 3559 times |
| יָמִ֖ים | yamim | days | H3117 → | 2304 times |
| בְּמִשְׁמָֽר׃ | bemishmar | in custody | H4929 → | 22 times |
וַ֠יִּפְקֹדand he appointed
vaiyifkodH6485 →303 times
שַׂ֣ר[the] commander of
sarH8269 →421 times
הַטַּבָּחִ֧יםthe bodyguards
hatabachimH2876 →32 times
אֶת־<obj.>
ʾet-H853 →10935 times
יוֹסֵ֛ףJoseph
yosefH3130 →213 times
אִתָּ֖םwith them
ʾitamH854 →929 times
וַיְשָׁ֣רֶתand he served
vaysharetH8334 →
אֹתָ֑ם<obj.> them
ʾotamH853 →10935 times
וַיִּהְי֥וּand they were
vaiyihyuH1961 →3559 times
יָמִ֖יםdays
yamimH3117 →2304 times
בְּמִשְׁמָֽר׃in custody
bemishmarH4929 →22 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 37:5Commit your way to the LORD; trust in Him, and He will do it.
it leads to
- Proverbs 16:3
Commit your works to the LORD and your plans will be achieved.
- 1 Peter 5:7
Cast all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you.
- Philippians 4:6–7
Be anxious for nothing, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
- Matthew 6:25
Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more…
- Psalms 55:22
Cast your burden upon the LORD and He will sustain you; He will never let the righteous be shaken.
- Proverbs 16:3
Through
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.
it leads to
- Genesis 37:28
So when the Midianite traders passed by, his brothers pulled Joseph out of the pit and sold him for twenty shekels of silver to the Ishmaelites, who took him to Egypt.
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Psalms 105:17
He sent a man before them— Joseph, sold as a slave.
- Genesis 37:36
Meanwhile, the Midianites sold Joseph in Egypt to Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh and captain of the guard.
- Genesis 37:28
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; Ambrose of Milan, On Joseph the Patriarch; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763) and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.