Genesis 40

Genesis 40:1 It happened after this, the cupbearer of the king of Egypt and his baker failed their master the king of Egypt.

Genesis 40:2 And Pharaoh was angry with his two officers, the chief of the cupbearers and the chief of the bakers,

Genesis 40:3 and he put them in custody in the house of the prison warden, in the round house where Joseph was confined.

Genesis 40:4 The prison warden appointed Joseph to be with them, and he took care of them. They continued for some time in custody.

Genesis 40:5 And one night they both dreamed – the cupbearer and the baker of the king of Egypt, who were confined in the round house – each his own dream, and each dream with its own interpretation.

Genesis 40:6 When Joseph came to them in the morning, he saw them, and noticed they were troubled.

Genesis 40:7 So he asked Pharaoh’s officers who were with him in custody in his lord’s house, and this is what he said, “Why are your faces so bad today?”

Genesis 40:8 They said to him, “We have had dreams, and there is no one to explain them.” And Joseph said to them, “Do not explanations belong to God? Please tell them to me.”

Genesis 40:9 So the chief cupbearer recounted his dream to Joseph and told him, “In my dream I noticed a grapevine before me,

Genesis 40:10 and on the vine, there were three branches. As soon as it budded, its blossoms broke out, and its clusters ripened into grapes.

Genesis 40:11 Pharaoh’s cup was in my hand, and I took the grapes and pressed them into Pharaoh’s cup and put the cup into Pharaoh’s hand.”

Genesis 40:12 Then Joseph said to him, “This is its explanation: the three branches are three days.

Genesis 40:13 In three days Pharaoh will lift up your head and put you back in your position, and you will put Pharaoh’s cup into his hand as formerly, when you were his cupbearer.

Genesis 40:14 If you will only remember me, when it is well with you, and show me covenant faithfulness by mentioning me to Pharaoh, and so get me out of this house.

Genesis 40:15 Because I was really stolen out of the land of the Hebrews, and here also I have done nothing that they should put me into the pit.”

Genesis 40:16 When the chief baker saw that the interpretation was favorable, he said to Joseph, “I also had a dream: noticing three cake baskets on my head,

Genesis 40:17 and in the top basket there were all sorts of baked goods for Pharaoh, but the birds were eating them from the basket on my head.”

Genesis 40:18 And Joseph answered and said, “This is its explanation: the three baskets are three days.

Genesis 40:19 In three days Pharaoh will lift up your head – from you! – and impale you on a pole. And the birds will eat the meat from you.”

Genesis 40:20 The third day from that was Pharaoh’s birthday, he made a feast for all his slaves and lifted up the head of the chief cupbearer and the head of the chief baker among his slaves.

Genesis 40:21 He restored the chief cupbearer to his position, and he again placed the cup in Pharaoh’s hand.

Genesis 40:22 But he hanged the chief baker, as Joseph had explained it to them.

Genesis 40:23 However, the chief cupbearer did not remember Joseph, and forgot about him.

Genesis 40 quotes

“Think about it: Even though Joseph was terribly mistreated, he maintained a humble spirit and a tender heart. Anyone locked away in an Egyptian prison had a right to be sad. Yet Joseph had the ability to shine even in the most miserable of conditions. His leadership ability was so obvious that he was even put in charge of the people he was locked up with (39:22).” Page 69.

“Even though Joseph had every reason to sulk and feel sorry for himself, what happened next in¬ dicates that, to the contrary, Joseph behaved in a way that prepared him for leadership, not pity.” Page 79.

McFarland, Alex. Stand : Seeking the Way of God. Tyndale House, 2009.

“That’s where we find Joseph in this chapter. Having been unfairly treated, unex¬ pectedly restricted by circumstances, and falsely accused, he is in prison. In fact, according to Genesis 40:15, he is in a dungeon. He’s back in a pit again, this time at the very bottom of an Egyptian pit. He’s starting all over again.”

Swindoll, Charles R. Joseph : A Man of Integrity and Forgiveness : Profiles in Character. Thomas Nelson, 1998. p. 40.