Genesis 40
Introduction
Genesis 40 introduces a pivotal episode in the Joseph narrative: the dreams of two fellow prisoners — Pharaoh's chief cupbearer and chief baker — and Joseph's God-given ability to interpret them. Having been falsely accused and imprisoned (Genesis 39:20), Joseph now finds himself attending to royal officials who have fallen out of Pharaoh's favor. When both men dream on the same night and are troubled, Joseph offers to interpret their dreams, declaring that interpretations belong to God. His interpretations prove devastatingly accurate: the cupbearer is restored, the baker is executed, each within three days.
The chapter serves as a bridge between Joseph's imprisonment and his eventual rise to power. It establishes Joseph as a reliable interpreter of dreams — a skill that will bring him before Pharaoh in Genesis 41. Yet the chapter ends on a note of painful irony: the restored cupbearer forgets Joseph entirely. The dreamer who once shared his own dreams with indifferent brothers (Genesis 37:5-11) now interprets another man's dream with accuracy and compassion — and is rewarded with silence. The narrative tension is held: Joseph remains in prison, forgotten by men but not by God.
The Cupbearer and Baker Imprisoned (vv. 1-4)
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,
1 After these things, the cupbearer of the king of Egypt and the baker sinned against their lord, the king of Egypt. 2 Pharaoh was furious with his two officers — the chief of the cupbearers and the chief of the bakers — 3 and he put them in custody in the house of the captain of the guard, in the prison, the place where Joseph was confined. 4 The captain of the guard appointed Joseph to be with them, and he attended them. They remained in custody for some time.
Notes
מַשְׁקֵה מֶלֶךְ מִצְרַיִם וְהָאֹפֶה ("the cupbearer of the king of Egypt and the baker") — The מַשְׁקֶה (from שָׁקָה, "to give drink") was a high-ranking court official responsible for the king's wine — essentially a trusted taster who guarded against poisoning. The KJV's archaic "butler" obscures this role. The אֹפֶה (from אָפָה, "to bake") was the chief of the royal bakers. Both were positions of intimate access to Pharaoh, which explains both the severity of their offense and the significance of their dreams.
חָטְאוּ ("they sinned/offended") — The verb חָטָא is the standard Hebrew word for sin. The nature of their offense is unspecified, though ancient traditions suggested poisoning attempts or negligence. What matters narratively is that their imprisonment brings them into Joseph's orbit — divine providence positioning the right people at the right time.
Joseph is placed in the same prison (בֵּית הַסֹּהַר) mentioned in Genesis 39:20, and the captain of the guard (שַׂר הַטַּבָּחִים) — Potiphar's title — assigns Joseph to serve the prisoners. This may imply that Potiphar himself continued to trust Joseph despite the accusation, or that the prison warden (under Potiphar's jurisdiction) recognized Joseph's competence.
The Prisoners' Dreams and Joseph's Offer (vv. 5-8)
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."
5 And both of them dreamed a dream on the same night — each his own dream, each with its own interpretation — the cupbearer and the baker of the king of Egypt who were confined in the prison. 6 Joseph came to them in the morning and saw them, and they were troubled. 7 So he asked the officers of Pharaoh who were with him in custody in his master's house, "Why are your faces downcast today?" 8 They said to him, "We have dreamed dreams, and there is no one to interpret them." Joseph said to them, "Do not interpretations belong to God? Please, tell them to me."
Notes
אִישׁ חֲלֹמוֹ... אִישׁ כְּפִתְרוֹן חֲלֹמוֹ ("each his own dream... each according to the interpretation of his dream") — The Hebrew emphasizes both the individuality and the meaningfulness of each dream. In Egyptian culture, dreams were taken very seriously as messages from the gods, and professional dream interpreters were consulted. The prisoners' distress stems from their inability to access such interpreters while confined.
זֹעֲפִים ("troubled, distraught") — This participle from זָעַף describes an agitated, distressed emotional state. Joseph's attentiveness — noticing their faces in the morning and asking what is wrong — reveals his character. Even as a prisoner attending other prisoners, he shows compassion.
הֲלוֹא לֵאלֹהִים פִּתְרֹנִים ("Do not interpretations belong to God?") — This is Joseph's theological declaration. The word פִּתְרוֹן ("interpretation") occurs only in the Joseph narrative in the Hebrew Bible (here and in Genesis 41). Joseph makes a remarkable claim: dream interpretation is not a human skill but a divine gift. He does not say "I can interpret" but "God interprets" — then asks to hear the dreams. This humility before God's sovereignty will be repeated before Pharaoh: "It is not in me; God will give Pharaoh a favorable answer" (Genesis 41:16).
The Cupbearer's Dream and Its Interpretation (vv. 9-15)
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."
9 So the chief cupbearer told his dream to Joseph and said to him, "In my dream — behold, a vine was before me, 10 and on the vine were three branches. As soon as it budded, its blossoms shot forth, and its clusters ripened into grapes. 11 Pharaoh's cup was in my hand, and I took the grapes and squeezed them into Pharaoh's cup and placed the cup in Pharaoh's hand." 12 Joseph said to him, "This is its interpretation: the three branches are three days. 13 In three more days, Pharaoh will lift up your head and restore you to your position, and you will place Pharaoh's cup in his hand as you formerly did when you were his cupbearer. 14 Only remember me when it goes well for you, and please show me kindness — mention me to Pharaoh and bring me out of this house. 15 For I was indeed stolen from the land of the Hebrews, and here also I have done nothing that they should put me in this pit."
Notes
The cupbearer's dream is vividly detailed — a vine budding, blossoming, and bearing fruit in rapid succession, followed by the familiar action of his profession: squeezing grapes into Pharaoh's cup. The dream's imagery of growth and fruitfulness points to restoration: the vine comes to life, the cupbearer will return to life at court.
יִשָּׂא פַרְעֹה אֶת רֹאשֶׁךָ ("Pharaoh will lift up your head") — This idiom means "to raise someone's status" or "to show favor." It is used in 2 Kings 25:27 when the king of Babylon "lifted the head" of captive Jehoiachin. The same phrase will be used in the baker's interpretation (v. 19) with a devastating twist.
כִּי אִם זְכַרְתַּנִי ("Only remember me") — Joseph's plea is poignant. The word חֶסֶד ("kindness, loyal love") appears again — the same word used of God's kindness to Joseph in Genesis 39:21. Joseph asks the cupbearer for the same kind of faithful remembrance that God has shown him.
גֻּנֹּב גֻּנַּבְתִּי ("I was indeed stolen") — The infinitive absolute construction intensifies the statement: "stolen, I was stolen." Joseph uses the passive — he does not name his brothers, though they were the agents. The word choice is significant: גָּנַב ("to steal") refers to kidnapping when applied to people (cf. Exodus 21:16, Deuteronomy 24:7, where kidnapping carries the death penalty).
בַּבּוֹר ("in the pit") — Joseph calls the prison a בּוֹר ("pit, cistern"), the same word used for the empty cistern his brothers threw him into in Genesis 37:24. The echo is deliberate — Joseph's life is a sequence of pits, each deeper than the last, yet each one a step closer to God's purpose.
The Baker's Dream and Its Interpretation (vv. 16-19)
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."
16 When the chief baker saw that the interpretation was favorable, he said to Joseph, "I also — in my dream — behold, three baskets of bread were on my head. 17 In the top basket were all kinds of baked food for Pharaoh, but the birds were eating them out of the basket on my head." 18 Joseph answered and said, "This is its interpretation: the three baskets are three days. 19 In three more days, Pharaoh will lift up your head — from off you — and hang you on a tree, and the birds will eat your flesh from off you."
Notes
The baker is emboldened by the favorable interpretation given to the cupbearer — כִּי טוֹב פָּתָר ("that the interpretation was good"). His dream shares the structure of the cupbearer's: the number three, items associated with his profession, and interaction with Pharaoh. But the details point in the opposite direction: the food never reaches Pharaoh — birds consume it from the basket. The baker is passive while his goods are devoured.
סַלֵּי חֹרִי ("baskets of chori") — The word חֹרִי is rare and debated. The KJV renders it "white baskets," taking it as a description of the baskets themselves. Other interpretations include "baskets of white bread" (BSB), "cake baskets" (ESV), or "baskets with holes" (wicker baskets). The uncertainty does not affect the interpretation.
יִשָּׂא פַרְעֹה אֶת רֹאשְׁךָ מֵעָלֶיךָ ("Pharaoh will lift up your head — from off you") — The wordplay is chilling. The same phrase used for the cupbearer's restoration (יִשָּׂא...אֶת רֹאשֶׁךָ, v. 13) is now extended with מֵעָלֶיךָ ("from upon you") — transforming "lift your head" into "remove your head from your body." The same idiom of honor becomes one of execution. Joseph does not soften the message or withhold the grim truth. His faithfulness as an interpreter extends to delivering news no one wants to hear.
וְתָלָה אוֹתְךָ עַל עֵץ ("and hang you on a tree/pole") — The verb תָּלָה ("to hang, impale") could refer to hanging, impaling on a stake, or post-mortem display of the body. Egyptian practice included impaling and public exposure of executed criminals. The עֵץ ("tree, wood, pole") is the same word used in Deuteronomy 21:22-23, where a body hung on a tree is under God's curse. The birds eating the flesh (in contrast to the cupbearer's grapes being squeezed into a cup) completes the inversion.
The Dreams Fulfilled and Joseph Forgotten (vv. 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.
20 On the third day — Pharaoh's birthday — he made a feast for all his servants. And he lifted up the head of the chief cupbearer and the head of the chief baker among his servants. 21 He restored the chief cupbearer to his cupbearing, and he placed the cup in Pharaoh's hand. 22 But the chief baker he hanged, just as Joseph had interpreted to them. 23 Yet the chief cupbearer did not remember Joseph — he forgot him.
Notes
יוֹם הֻלֶּדֶת אֶת פַּרְעֹה ("the birthday of Pharaoh") — Birthday celebrations were a well-attested Egyptian custom. The feast provided the occasion for Pharaoh to review the cases of his imprisoned officials. The Hophal infinitive הֻלֶּדֶת ("being born") is literally "the day of the birthing of Pharaoh." Such occasions were marked by royal acts of clemency or judgment.
וַיִּשָּׂא אֶת רֹאשׁ ("he lifted up the head") — The narrator uses the same phrase for both officials (v. 20), maintaining the ambiguity until the outcomes are specified. Both men's "heads are lifted" — one to honor, the other to death. The fulfillment on the exact third day validates Joseph's interpretive gift.
וְלֹא זָכַר שַׂר הַמַּשְׁקִים אֶת יוֹסֵף וַיִּשְׁכָּחֵהוּ ("the chief cupbearer did not remember Joseph — he forgot him") — The verse uses two verbs for emphasis: לֹא זָכַר ("did not remember") and וַיִּשְׁכָּחֵהוּ ("and he forgot him"). The double statement drives home the completeness of the failure. Joseph asked for חֶסֶד — loyal kindness — and received its opposite: total forgetfulness. The cupbearer's ingratitude is the means by which God keeps Joseph in prison for two more years (Genesis 41:1), until the moment when Pharaoh himself will need a dream interpreter — and only then will the cupbearer finally remember.
The chapter's ending creates a painful tension. Joseph has demonstrated a genuine gift from God, shown compassion to fellow prisoners, spoken truth with courage, and asked for nothing more than to be remembered. Yet he is forgotten. The narrative forces the reader to trust in what has been declared throughout: "The LORD was with Joseph" (Genesis 39:2, Genesis 39:21). God's timing is not Joseph's timing — but it is not forgetfulness.