GenesisChapter 40

+ Secondary text Original text ← Previous Next →Contribute

Some time later, the cupbearer and the baker of the king of Egypt offended their master, the king of Egypt.

Pharaoh was furious with his two officials, the chief cupbearer and the chief baker,

and he put them in custody in the house of the captain of the guard, in the prison where Joseph was confined.

The captain of the guard assigned Joseph to them, and Joseph attended them. They remained in custody for some time.

One night both of them—the cupbearer and the baker of the king of Egypt, who were being held in the prison—had a dream, each his own dream, and each dream had its own meaning.

When Joseph came to them in the morning, he saw that they were troubled.

So he asked Pharaoh's officials, who were with him in custody in his master's house, "Why do you look so downcast today?"

They said to him, "We each had a dream, and there is no one to interpret it." Joseph said to them, "Do not interpretations belong to God? Tell me your dreams."

So the chief cupbearer told Joseph his dream: "In my dream there was a vine before me,

and on the vine were three branches. It had barely budded when its blossoms opened and its clusters ripened into grapes.

Pharaoh's cup was in my hand, and I took the grapes and pressed them into Pharaoh's cup and placed the cup in Pharaoh's hand."

Joseph said to him, "This is what it means: the three branches are three days.

Within three days Pharaoh will lift up your head and restore you to your position, and you will place the cup in Pharaoh's hand, just as you did before, when you were his cupbearer.

But remember me when things go well for you, and show me kindness: mention me to Pharaoh and get me out of this house.

For I was carried off by force from the land of the Hebrews, and here too I have done nothing to deserve being put in this pit."

When the chief baker saw that the interpretation was favorable, he said to Joseph, "I too had a dream: there were three baskets of bread on my head.

In the top basket were all sorts of baked goods for Pharaoh, and the birds were eating them out of the basket on my head."

Joseph answered, "This is what it means: the three baskets are three days.

Within three days Pharaoh will lift up your head—from off your body—and hang you on a tree, and the birds will eat the flesh from your body.

Three days later it was Pharaoh's birthday, and he gave a banquet for all his servants. In the presence of his servants he lifted up the head of the chief cupbearer and the head of the chief baker:

he restored the chief cupbearer to his office, so that he once again placed the cup in Pharaoh's hand,

but he hanged the chief baker—just as Joseph had told them.

The chief cupbearer, however, did not remember Joseph; he forgot him.

Lookup

Summary2

Chapter 40

Main Theme: Joseph interprets the dreams of Pharaoh’s imprisoned servants but is himself forgotten in prison.

Content: Pharaoh’s cupbearer and baker are imprisoned and each receives a dream that confuses them. Joseph, who serves them in prison, offers to interpret the dreams and declares that interpretations belong to God. He predicts that within three days the cupbearer will be restored to his position, while the baker will be executed. On Pharaoh’s birthday both interpretations come true, but the cupbearer forgets to help Joseph.

Key Words/Images:

Dreams: Divine communication that reveals the future and requires interpretation.
The Vine and the Baskets: Symbols in the dreams representing restoration and judgment respectively.
"Lift up your head": An expression used with a double meaning—exaltation for the cupbearer, execution for the baker.
Forgetfulness: The cupbearer’s failure to remember Joseph points to God’s timing in salvation history.

Historical context

Historical and Cultural Context for Genesis 40

People

The chapter introduces two Egyptian court officials: the chief cupbearer (שַׂר הַמַּשְׁקִים, sar hammashqim) and the chief baker (שַׂר הָאוֹפִים, sar ha'ofim). These were high-ranking positions at the Egyptian court. The cupbearer was responsible for Pharaoh's drinks and enjoyed great trust since he had to protect the king from poisoning. Egyptian sources confirm that such officials often had direct access to Pharaoh and considerable political influence. Both are referred to as סָרִיסִים (sarisim), a word that can mean court officials or eunuchs—in this context, likely the former, since both held trusted positions requiring close contact with Pharaoh.

Places

Joseph is in the prison attached to the house of the chief captain of the guard (שַׂר הַטַבָּחִים, sar hattabbachim), who is Potiphar from chapter 39. Egyptian prisons for court officials were often separate from ordinary prisons, which explains why high-ranking officials were placed together with Joseph. The terms בֵּית הַסֹּהַר (bet hassohar) and בּוֹר (bor, "cistern/well") are used for the dungeon, consistent with Egyptian practice where prisoners were often held in underground chambers.

Events and Customs

Dream interpretation was a recognized science in Egypt, with professional interpreters attached to the court. The fact that the prisoners say "there is no one who can interpret it" (וּפֹתֵר אֵין אֹתוֹ) shows they lacked access to such experts. Joseph's statement "do not interpretations belong to God?" (הֲלוֹא לֵאלֹהִים פִּתְרֹנִים) marks a theological contrast to Egyptian practice.

Pharaoh's birthday (יוֹם הֻלֶּדֶת אֶת־פַּרְעֹה) with a feast is confirmed in Egyptian sources. Such occasions were used to grant pardons or carry out judgments—both happen here. The expression "lift up the head" (יִשָּׂא...אֶת־רֹאשׁ) carries a double meaning: restoration for the cupbearer and execution for the baker.

Key Terms

The word חֶסֶד (chesed) in verse 14, often translated "mercy" or "faithful love," denotes a binding kindness that Joseph asks the cupbearer to show. אֶרֶץ הָעִבְרִים ("the land of the Hebrews") in verse 15 is the only biblical occurrence of this expression as a designation for Canaan, and it shows Joseph's ethnic identity from his own perspective.

Chapter-Specific Findings

The cupbearer's dream describes him pressing grapes directly into Pharaoh's cup (verse 11), reflecting a practice known from Egyptian art, where cupbearers are depicted in similar scenes. This was a practice that ensured the wine was fresh and not poisoned. Bakers are also depicted with baskets on their heads in Egyptian art, which matches the baker's dream. Execution by hanging or impalement on a stake, followed by birds eating the body, is documented as an Egyptian method of punishment for treason against the king.

People1

Joseph7

See all people →

Key words8

Joseph — One of Jacob's twelve sons, who was sold into slavery by his brothers and ended up in Egypt. In Genesis 40 he interprets dreams for fellow prisoners.
Dreams — Images, feelings, and thoughts that arise in the mind during sleep. Joseph had the ability to interpret the meaning of dreams.
Cupbearer — A person who serves drinks, especially wine, to a king or high official. The cupbearer in Genesis 40 had a dream that Joseph interpreted.
Baker — A person who makes bread and other baked goods. The baker in Genesis 40 also had a dream that Joseph interpreted.
Prison — A place where people are held in custody, often as punishment for unlawful acts. Joseph was in prison with the cupbearer and the baker when he interpreted their dreams.
Interpret — To explain or translate something, in this case dreams, from a symbolic or unclear language into a clear and understandable message.
Pharaoh's servants — People who worked for Pharaoh, the supreme leader of ancient Egypt. Both the cupbearer and the baker were servants of Pharaoh.
Three days — The time period between Joseph's interpretation of the dreams and the fulfillment of his interpretations. The cupbearer was restored to his position, while the baker was executed.