Genesis 40:9
in Genesis 40So the chief cupbearer told Joseph his dream: “In my dream there was a vine before me,
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And the chief butler told his dream to Joseph, and said to him, In my dream, behold, a vine was before me;
KJV
And the chief butler told his dream to Joseph, and said to him, In my dream, behold, a vine was before me;
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This verse in Genesis 40
Commentary
2 notes on this verseThis site's exposition
there was a vine before me
on Genesis 40:9-11
The cupbearer dreams his own day's work: a vine with three branches, clusters ripened into grapes, and he places the cup in Pharaoh's hand. Clarke notes that the juice is pressed straight from the grape into the cup with no fermenting, which is how the office was done. He lacks only the count of days.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice
And the chief butler told his dream to Joseph,....
How the passage was read
What the Jewish commentators add
On the verses either side of this one
“It seemed as though it budded. And it was as though it budded, i.e., it seemed to me in my dream as though it budded, and after the bud its blossom shot up, and after that it brought forth the clusters and then the ripe grapes.
This section is reception history: how the passage was read and kept in the Jewish tradition. Where a reading parts from an essential of the Christian faith, the section says so at that point.
Texts and citation data: Sefaria; each excerpt follows its version’s licence. 4 further sources are cited on this chapter that carry no English text this site may quote or only restate the verse.
The words behind it
12 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וַיְסַפֵּ֧ר | vaysaper | and he recounted | H5608 → | 159 times |
| שַֽׂר־ | sar- | [the] chief of | H8269 → | 421 times |
| הַמַּשְׁקִ֛ים | hamashkim | the cup bearers | H4945 → | 19 times |
| אֶת־ | ʾet- | <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| חֲלֹמ֖וֹ | chalomo | dream his | H2472 → | 65 times |
| לְיוֹסֵ֑ף | leyosef | to Joseph | H3130 → | 213 times |
| וַיֹּ֣אמֶר | vaiyomer | and he said | H559 → | 5305 times |
| ל֔וֹ | lo | to <the> him | ||
| בַּחֲלוֹמִ֕י | bachalomi | in dream my | H2472 → | 65 times |
| וְהִנֵּה־ | vehineh- | and there! | H2009 → | 843 times |
| גֶ֖פֶן | gefen | a vine | H1612 → | 55 times |
| לְפָנָֽי׃ | lefanai | [was] <to> before me | H6440 → | 2123 times |
וַיְסַפֵּ֧רand he recounted
vaysaperH5608 →159 times
שַֽׂר־[the] chief of
sar-H8269 →421 times
הַמַּשְׁקִ֛יםthe cup bearers
hamashkimH4945 →19 times
אֶת־<obj.>
ʾet-H853 →10935 times
חֲלֹמ֖וֹdream his
chalomoH2472 →65 times
לְיוֹסֵ֑ףto Joseph
leyosefH3130 →213 times
וַיֹּ֣אמֶרand he said
vaiyomerH559 →5305 times
ל֔וֹto <the> him
lo
בַּחֲלוֹמִ֕יin dream my
bachalomiH2472 →65 times
וְהִנֵּה־and there!
vehineh-H2009 →843 times
גֶ֖פֶןa vine
gefenH1612 →55 times
לְפָנָֽי׃[was] <to> before me
lefanaiH6440 →2123 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
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:
it leads to
- Daniel 1:7
The chief official gave them new names: To Daniel he gave the name Belteshazzar; to Hananiah, Shadrach; to Mishael, Meshach; and to Azariah, Abednego.
- Daniel 4:18
This is the dream that I, King Nebuchadnezzar, saw. Now, Belteshazzar, tell me the interpretation, because none of the wise men of my kingdom can interpret it for me. But you are able, because…
- Daniel 5:14
I have heard that the spirit of the gods is in you, and that you have insight, intelligence, and extraordinary wisdom.
- Daniel 4:9
“O Belteshazzar, chief of the magicians, I know that the spirit of the holy gods is in you and that no mystery baffles you. So explain to me the visions I saw in my…
- Daniel 5:11–12
There is a man in your kingdom who has the spirit of the holy gods in him. In the days of your father he was found to have insight, intelligence, and wisdom like that…
- Daniel 1:7
Through
Daniel 2:31As you, O king, were watching, a great statue appeared. A great and dazzling statue stood before you, and its form was awesome.
it leads to
- Habakkuk 1:7
They are dreaded and feared; from themselves they derive justice and sovereignty.
- Isaiah 13:11
I will punish the world for its evil and the wicked for their iniquity. I will end the haughtiness of the arrogant and lay low the pride of the ruthless.
- Daniel 7:3–17
Then four great beasts came up out of the sea, each one different from the others:
- Habakkuk 1:7
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 and John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763).