Genesis 40 KJV
The Cupbearer and the Baker
Genesis Chapter 40: The Cupbearer and the Baker
Joseph's appeal to the cupbearer uses the verb 'remember' in a way that foreshadows God's own 'remembering' of him two years later, creating a chain of human and divine recollection that drives the Joseph narrative forward.
1nd it came to pass after these things, that the butler of the king of Egypt and his baker had offended their lord the king of Egypt.
2 And Pharaoh was wroth against two of his officers, against the chief of the butlers, and against the chief of the bakers.
3 And he put them in ward in the house of the captain of the guard, into the prison, the place where Joseph was bound.
4 And the captain of the guard charged Joseph with them, and he served them: and they continued a season in ward.
5 And they dreamed a dream both of them, each man his dream in one night, each man according to the interpretation of his dream, the butler and the baker of the king of Egypt, which 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 Pharaohโs officers that were with him in the ward of his lordโs house, saying, Wherefore look ye so sadly to day?
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 them, I pray you.
9 And 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 Pharaohโs cup was in my hand: and I took the grapes, and pressed them into Pharaohโs cup, and I gave the cup into Pharaohโs hand.
12 And Joseph said unto him, This is the interpretation of it: The three branches are three days:
13 Yet within three days shall Pharaoh lift up thine head, and restore thee unto thy place: and thou shalt deliver Pharaohโs cup into his hand, after the former manner when thou wast his butler.
14 But think on me when it shall be well with thee, and shew kindness, I pray thee, unto me, and make mention of me unto Pharaoh, and bring me out of this house:
15 For indeed I was stolen away out of the land of the Hebrews: and here also have I done nothing that they should put me into the dungeon.
16 When the chief baker saw that the interpretation was good, he said unto Joseph, I also was in my dream, and, behold, I had three white baskets on my head:
17 And in the uppermost basket there was of all manner of bakemeats for Pharaoh; and the birds did eat them out of the basket upon my head.
18 And Joseph answered and said, This is the interpretation thereof: The three baskets are three days:
19 Yet within three days shall Pharaoh lift up thy head from off thee, and shall hang thee on a tree; and the birds shall eat thy flesh from off thee.
20 And it came to pass the third day, which was Pharaohโs birthday, that 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.
21 And he restored the chief butler unto his butlership again; and he gave the cup into Pharaohโs hand:
22 But he hanged the chief baker: as Joseph had interpreted to them.
23 Yet did not the chief butler remember Joseph, but forgat him.
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Did You Know?
Joseph's appeal to the cupbearer uses the verb 'remember' in a way that foreshadows God's own 'remembering' of him two years later, creating a chain of human and divine recollection that drives the Joseph narrative forward.
The three-day timeline for both dreams' fulfillment deliberately echoes the three branches and three baskets, underscoring that the number functions as a marker of divine precision rather than coincidence.
The baker's fate of birds devouring the baked goods on his head alludes to the ancient Egyptian horror of corpses being left unburied and exposed to scavengers, amplifying the punishment's disgrace beyond mere execution.
Joseph's prison oversight of the two royal officials subtly reverses his earlier victimization by Potiphar's wife, positioning him once again as an administrator of Egyptians and hinting at his coming elevation.
The chapter's refusal to name Pharaoh aligns with Egyptian scribal practice of referring to the king solely by title, lending the text an authentic courtly tone while keeping the focus on God's sovereignty over unnamed human power.
Commentary & Study Notes Jamieson-Fausset-Brown (1871) ยท Public Domain the butler โ not only the cup-bearer, but overseer of the royal vineyards, as well as the cellars; having, probably, some hundreds of people under him. baker โ or cook, had the supโฆ
Classic verse-by-verse commentary on Genesis 40 from Jamieson, Fausset & Brown (1871). Covers: Two state prisoners; The butler's dream; The baker's dream.
- 1
- the butler โ not only the cup-bearer, but overseer of the royal vineyards, as well as the cellars; having, probably, some hundreds of people under him. baker โ or cook, had the superintendence of every thing relating to the providing and preparing of meats for the royal table. Both officers, especially the former, were, in ancient Egypt, always persons of great rank and importance; and from the confidential nature of their employment, as well as their access to the royal presence, they were generally the highest nobles or princes of the blood.
- 3
- Pharaoh put them in ward, &c. โ Whatever was their crime, they were committed, until their case could be investigated, to the custody of the captain of the guard, that is, Potiphar, in an outer part of whose house the royal prison was situated.
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