Genesis 40:2-12

2 And Pharaoh was angry against his two officers, against the chief of the butlers and against the chief of the bakers.

3 And he put them in prison in the house of the captain of the guard, into the house of the prison where Joseph was bound.

4 And the captain of the guard charged Joseph with them, and he served them; and they continued for days in prison.

5 And both of them dreamed a dream, each man his dream in the same night, each man according to the interpretation of his dream, the butler and the baker of the king of Egypt, who were bound in the prison.

6 And Joseph came in unto them in the morning and looked upon them, and, behold, they were sad.

7 And he asked Pharaoh’s officers that were with him in the prison of his lord’s house, saying, Why look ye so sad today?

8 And they said unto him, We have dreamed a dream, and there is no interpreter of it. And Joseph said unto them, Do not interpretations belong to God? Tell me the dreams, I pray you.

9 Then the chief butler told his dream to Joseph and said to him, In my dream, behold, a vine was before me,

10 and in the vine were three branches, and it was as though it budded and her blossoms shot forth, and the clusters thereof brought forth ripe grapes;

11 and 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.

12 And Joseph said unto him, This is the interpretation of it: The three branches are three days;

Genesis 40:2-12 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO GENESIS 40

The history of this chapter is, the imprisonment of two of Pharaoh's officers, his chief butler and chief baker, who by the captain of the guard were made the charge of Joseph, Ge 40:1-4; they both dreamed in prison, which made them sad; Joseph taking notice of their sadness, asked the reason of it, and encouraged them to tell him their dreams, Ge 40:5-8; the chief butler told his dream of the vine and three branches, which Joseph interpreted of his restoration to his office within three days, and desired him to remember him unto Pharaoh when he stood before him, telling him his case, Ge 40:9-15; then the chief baker told his dream of three white baskets of food on his head, which the birds ate, and this Joseph interpreted of his being hanged within three days, Ge 40:16-19; and the events answered to the interpretation, but Joseph was forgot by the chief butler, Ge 40:20-23.