1Pharaoh's butler and baker in prison are committed to Joseph's charge. 5He interpreteth their dreams, 20which come to pass according to Joseph's interpretation. 23The ingratitude of the butler.
1AND it came to pass after these things, that the 1butler of the king of Egypt and his baker had offended their lord the king of Egypt.
1 That is, the chief of the butlers, and the chief of the bakers, as appears from verse 2.
2And Pharaoh was wroth against two of his 2officers, against the chief of the butlers, and against the chief of the bakers.
2 See Gen. 37 on verse 36.
3And he put them in warda in the house of the captain 3of the guard, 4into the prison, the place where Joseph was 5bound.
a under guard*
3 See Gen. 37 on verse 36.
4 See Gen. 39 on verse 20.
5 Hebr. was bound; also Gen. 39:20, and below, verse 5.
4And the captain of the guard charged Joseph with them, and he served them: and they continued a 6season in ward.
6 Other, many days; see Gen. 4 on verse 3.
5¶And they dreamed a dream both of them, each man his dream in one night, 7each man according to the interpretation of his dream, the butler and the baker 8of the king of Egypt, which were bound in the prison.
7 That is, they were no vain dreams but each had its peculiar signification, which Joseph, through God’s inspiration declared unto them, and were confirmed afterwards by the event. See verses 12, 18, 19, 20, etc.
8 That is, who previously have been in the service of the king, but were now prisoners.
6And Joseph came in unto them in the morning, and looked upon them, and, behold, they were 9sad.
9 Or, dismayed, perplexed. The Hebrew word signifies great distemper of the mind, proceeding out of anxiety, fear, sadness, perplexity, or great vexation and anger. This now is such a kind of dreaming which God sends upon men to trouble and perplex them. See Gen. 41:8; Dan. 2:1; Mat. 27:19.
7And he asked Pharaoh's officers that were with him in the 10ward of his lord's house, saying, Wherefore look ye so 11sadly to day?
10 Hebr. custody.
11 Hebr. evil, that is, sadly cast down. Thus this word is taken; Neh. 2:1, 2, 3; Prov. 25:20.
8And they said unto him, We have dreamed a dream, and there is 12no interpreter of it. And Joseph said unto them, 13Do not interpretations belong to God? tell me them, I pray you.
12 That is, we have here no soothsayer, wizard, or interpreters of dreams with us, and we are not permitted to inquire abroad; for they had many soothsayers, as appears Gen. 41:8.
13 Joseph draws them away from those abusive interpreters of dreams unto God, as from Whom immediately such dreams and their true interpretations are derived.
9And the chief butler told his dream to Joseph, and said to him, 14In my dream, 15behold, a vine was before me;
14 That is, as I was dreaming, or, when I was in my dream.
15 This word is much used in relating of dreams to show their strangeness and wonderfulness, not only in regard of the relater, but the hearer also. See Gen. 37:7, 9, and below, verse 16, and Gen. 41:2, 3; Judges 7:13; Dan. 4:10.
10And in the vine were three branches: and it was as though it budded, and her blossoms shot forth; and 16the clusters thereof brought forth ripe grapes:
16 Hebr. its bunches ripened, or, full-cooked the grapes.
11And Pharaoh's cup was in my hand: and I took the grapes, and pressed them into Pharaoh's cup, and I gave the cup into Pharaoh's hand.
12And Joseph said unto him, This is the interpretation of it: The three branches 17are three days:
17 That is, they signify three days, as also verse 18, and Gen. 41:26, 27; Dan. 2:38; 4:22; Mat. 13:19, 38; Luke 8:11, and 1 Cor. 10:4.
13Yet within three days shall Pharaoh lift up 18thine head, and restore thee unto thy place: and thou shalt deliver Pharaoh's cup into his hand, after the former 19manner when thou wast his butler.
18 That is, in the review, or, survey of his officers, he shall reckon you among them, who shall continue, or be restored to their office. Phrases not much unlike to this we find likewise Exod. 30:12; Num. 1:2; 26:2, etc., where the lifting up of heads is as much as to reckon them up, and to sum up, or count such a sort of men.
19 The Hebrew word is likewise taken thus, Lev. 5:10; 9:16; Num. 15:24; 29:18; 2 Chron. 35:13, etc.
14But think on me when it shall be well 20with thee, and shew kindness, I pray thee, unto me, and make mention of me unto Pharaoh, and bring me out of this house:
20 Or, within thyself. Hebr. with thee.
15For indeed 21I was stolen away out of the land of the 22Hebrews: and here also have I done nothing that they should put me into the dungeon.
21 Hebr. being stolen I was stolen.
22 That is, the land of Canaan, where the Hebrews at that time sojourned as strangers, and which was promised them of God.
16When the chief baker saw 23that the interpretation was good, he said unto Joseph, 24I also was in my dream, and, behold, I had three 25white baskets on my head:
23 Hebr. that he had interpreted the good, that is, to the good and advantage of the butler.
24 Compare verse 9, and the annotation thereon.
25 Other, white, or wreathed, plaited, full of holes, like nets.
17And in the uppermost basket there was of 26all manner of bakemeatsb for Pharaoh; and the birds did eat them out of the basket upon my head.
26 That is, all sorts of.
b cooked food
18And Joseph answered and said, This is the interpretation thereof: The three baskets 27are three days:
27 See verse 12.
19Yet within three days shall 28Pharaoh lift up thy head from off thee, and shall 29hang thee on a tree; and the birds shall eat thy flesh from off thee.
28 Joseph uses here the same words which he had used in verse 13, but in another sense, which appears in the addition of the words from off thee, implying that the chief of the bakers would likewise come into the account, in the survey of the officers, but so as that his office would be taken away from him.
29 That is, cause to be hanged, and so verse 22. Other, lift up thy head; taking away the same from thee.
20¶And it came to pass the third day, which was 30Pharaoh’s birthday, 31that he made a feast unto all his servants: and he lifted up the head of the chief butler and of the chief baker among his servants.
30 Hebr. the day when Pharaoh was born.
31 See of a similar feast, Mat. 14:6.
21And he restored the chief butlerc unto his 32butlershipd again; and he gave the cup into Pharaoh's hand:
c cup-bearer*
32 Hebr. cup bearing.
d office of cup-bearer
22But he 33hanged the chief baker: as Joseph had interpreted to them.
33 Namely, by his executioner; what one does by others, they are said to do it themselves, whether it be bad, as Gen. 20:3; 1 Sam. 22:21; 2 Sam. 12:9, and 24:10; 1 Kings 21:19, or good, and indifferent, as Gen. 46:29; 1 Kings 3:4, and 7:1, 2.
23Yet did not the chief butler remember Joseph, but 34forgat him.
34 Namely, with Pharaoh, and that for two full years together, as appears by Gen. 41:1.