Section 82 of 10440:1–23Genesis

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King James VersionGenesis 40:1–23

And 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.

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

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

And the captain of the guard charged Joseph with them, and he served them: and they continued a season in ward.

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.

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

And he asked Pharaoh’s officers that were with him in the ward of his lord’s house, saying, Wherefore look ye so sadly to day?

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.

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

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:

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.

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

Yet within three days shall Pharaoh lift up thine head, and restore thee unto thy place: and thou shalt deliver Pharaoh’s cup into his hand, after the former manner when thou wast his butler.

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:

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.

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:

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.

And Joseph answered and said, This is the interpretation thereof: The three baskets are three days:

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.

And it came to pass the third day, which was Pharaoh’s 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.

And he restored the chief butler unto his butlership again; and he gave the cup into Pharaoh’s hand:

But he hanged the chief baker: as Joseph had interpreted to them.

Yet did not the chief butler remember Joseph, but forgat him.

Italic words were supplied in the English translation for clarity.

Scripture text: King James Version, Standardized 1769 text. Public domain in the United States.About this Bible text

Genesis 40:1–23

Joseph Interprets Two Prisoners' Dreams—and Is Forgotten

Two dreams, two outcomes, one forgotten interpreter

Joseph attends the imprisoned cupbearer and baker, notices their distress, and says interpretations belong to God. He announces restoration for one and death for the other. Both happen as he said.

He asks the restored cupbearer to remember his wrongful confinement. The man forgets. The chapter is not a codebook for every dream, and asking for advocacy is not unbelief.

How this should shape us

Notice distress and ask a respectful question. Distinguish what is explicit from invention. Support lawful advocacy for people wrongly confined; asking for help can belong with trust in God.

Teach it back

Explain why Genesis 40 places the two officials' dreams, Joseph's statement that interpretations belong to God, his request to be remembered, the fulfilled outcomes, and the cupbearer's forgetting in one chapter. What does this context allow—and not allow—readers to conclude about dreams, advocacy, and God's providence?

Explain the section in your own words

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Go deeper

The explanation above is meant to stand on its own. Open these notes only if you want language, history, disagreements, or source locations.

Where careful interpreters disagreeThe strongest options and their difficulties

Best judgment:

How certain? probable

Best judgment:

How certain? uncertain

Best judgment:

How certain? plausible

Best judgment:

How certain? uncertain

Research trail and exact locationsThe source record behind this section

King James (Authorized) Version — eng-kjv2006

Supports: Displayed text, prison context, paired dreams, fulfillment, forgetting, and later remembrance.

Genesis 40:1–23; 39:20–23; 41:1–16 in the pinned standardized 1769 KJV

Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible — Genesis

Supports: Dream and interpretation terms, downcast faces, head idiom, hesed, emphatic kidnapping, basket wording, dungeon, fulfillment, and forgetting.

WLC Genesis 40:1–23, especially vv. 5–8, 12–15, 16–20, 23

NET Bible — Genesis with translators' notes

Supports: Court-office limits, service, unspecified custody, downcast faces, interpretation, head idiom and wordplay, hesed, kidnapping, basket proposals, execution wording, birthday, and emphatic forgetting.

NET Genesis 40 notes for vv. 1–23, especially court titles, vv. 4–8, 13–16, 19–20, 23

Genesis

Supports: Final-form unit boundary, Joseph narrative movement, interpretation, fulfillment, and delayed court connection.

Genesis commentary, section 40:1–23 and connections with 39:20–23 and 41:1–16

Genesis 37–50: Joseph — Study Guide

Supports: Modern literary-critical counterpoint for the Joseph novella, Egyptian setting, and narrative delay.

Genesis 37–50: Joseph study guide, prison dreams and Pharaoh transition

A Fresh Look at the Dreams of the Officials and of Pharaoh in the Story of Joseph (Genesis 40–41) in the Light of Egyptian Dreams

Supports: Symbolic-dream structure, Egyptian comparisons, paired officials, head wordplay, basket and food imagery, and God as interpretation source.

JANES 30 (2006), pp. 103–138, especially pp. 104–114, 120–131, 137–138

Living to Serve: The Cupbearer's Dream (Gen 40)

Supports: Recent proposal that dream produce symbolizes the officials and that the vine's growth relates to the cupbearer's restored head.

Vetus Testamentum 75.2 (2025), pp. 177–193; official abstract inspected

‘Lifting up the Head’: On the Trail of a Word Play in Genesis 40

Supports: The translation and interpretive importance of the repeated 'lift up the head' wordplay.

Prooftexts 10.1 (1990), pp. 17–27; bibliographic record and abstract inspected

Sources for This Section

These records identify the source, the claim it supports, and the exact location used. A source remains evidence to evaluate; it does not replace the biblical text.

Biblical text

King James (Authorized) Version — eng-kjv2006

eBible.org and CrossWire Bible Society

USFM archive eng-kjv2006_usfm.zip; source files dated 2026-08-19; downloaded 2026-08-24; archive SHA-256 aec1b3b26c622fd3d963d2bbac963016b9513246ffbfa20da00bb100372ea007; normalized corpus SHA-256 09aef51d90488aa7b9722b3fd9a93f4b25f6bf2064c5fd798fb39673c300ddf2.

Supports: Displayed text, prison context, paired dreams, fulfillment, forgetting, and later remembrance.

Exact location: Genesis 40:1–23; 39:20–23; 41:1–16 in the pinned standardized 1769 KJV

Open source ↗

hebrew text morphology and lemma data

Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible — Genesis

Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible Project

Open Scriptures, Version 2.2 released 2021; repository inspected 2026

Supports: Dream and interpretation terms, downcast faces, head idiom, hesed, emphatic kidnapping, basket wording, dungeon, fulfillment, and forgetting.

Exact location: WLC Genesis 40:1–23, especially vv. 5–8, 12–15, 16–20, 23

Open source ↗

Translation and textual notes

NET Bible — Genesis with translators' notes

Biblical Studies Press

Biblical Studies Press, Digital edition accessed 2026

Supports: Court-office limits, service, unspecified custody, downcast faces, interpretation, head idiom and wordplay, hesed, kidnapping, basket proposals, execution wording, birthday, and emphatic forgetting.

Exact location: NET Genesis 40 notes for vv. 1–23, especially court titles, vv. 4–8, 13–16, 19–20, 23

Open NET Genesis 40 ↗

modern open whole book commentary

Genesis

T. Desmond Alexander

The Gospel Coalition Bible Commentary, 2023

Supports: Final-form unit boundary, Joseph narrative movement, interpretation, fulfillment, and delayed court connection.

Exact location: Genesis commentary, section 40:1–23 and connections with 39:20–23 and 41:1–16

Open source ↗

modern critical open study guide

Genesis 37–50: Joseph — Study Guide

Joel S. Baden and Yale Bible Study

Yale Divinity School, 2021 course; page inspected 2026

Supports: Modern literary-critical counterpoint for the Joseph novella, Egyptian setting, and narrative delay.

Exact location: Genesis 37–50: Joseph study guide, prison dreams and Pharaoh transition

Open source ↗

peer reviewed open comparative dream and egyptian context study

A Fresh Look at the Dreams of the Officials and of Pharaoh in the Story of Joseph (Genesis 40–41) in the Light of Egyptian Dreams

Nili Shupak

Journal of the Ancient Near Eastern Society 30, pages 103–138, 2006

Supports: Symbolic-dream structure, Egyptian comparisons, paired officials, head wordplay, basket and food imagery, and God as interpretation source.

Exact location: JANES 30 (2006), pp. 103–138, especially pp. 104–114, 120–131, 137–138

Open source ↗

peer reviewed symbolic and literary study

Living to Serve: The Cupbearer's Dream (Gen 40)

Jonathan Grossman

Vetus Testamentum 75.2, pages 177–193, 2025

Supports: Recent proposal that dream produce symbolizes the officials and that the vine's growth relates to the cupbearer's restored head.

Exact location: Vetus Testamentum 75.2 (2025), pp. 177–193; official abstract inspected

Open source ↗

peer reviewed wordplay and translation study

‘Lifting up the Head’: On the Trail of a Word Play in Genesis 40

David Marcus

Prooftexts 10.1, pages 17–27, 1990

Supports: The translation and interpretive importance of the repeated 'lift up the head' wordplay.

Exact location: Prooftexts 10.1 (1990), pp. 17–27; bibliographic record and abstract inspected

Open source ↗

Genesis 40:1–23, King James Version

Two dreams, two outcomes, one forgotten interpreter

How this should shape us

Teach it back

Go deeper

King James (Authorized) Version — eng-kjv2006

Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible — Genesis

NET Bible — Genesis with translators' notes

Genesis

Genesis 37–50: Joseph — Study Guide

A Fresh Look at the Dreams of the Officials and of Pharaoh in the Story of Joseph (Genesis 40–41) in the Light of Egyptian Dreams

Living to Serve: The Cupbearer's Dream (Gen 40)

‘Lifting up the Head’: On the Trail of a Word Play in Genesis 40