Genesis 40

Updated
2001-05-26; 14:31:46utc

In this chapter Joseph takes a step closer to Pharaoh's court with more dreams. Joseph's brother had called him "that dreamer" in chapter 37:19. The expression used literally means "master of dreams." The Pulpit Commentary translates it with "Lord of dreams." The Dutch says "aartsdromer." It is amazing how right they were! Dreams played an all-important part in Joseph's ascent.

Joseph did not only dream himself, but he understood the meaning of dreams. He gave God the credit, but he knew what to do with them. As we have suggested earlier, the two dreams God gave him as a teenager must have carried him through his slavery and imprisonment. And so when he is confronted with the dreams of other people he turns to the Lord to gain understanding.

It is hard to determine how long Joseph spent in prison. This chapter starts out with the words "some time later." We read chapter 41:46 that Joseph was thirty years old when he entered into Pharaoh's service. Chapter 41:1 also tells us that Joseph spent two more years in prison after the events described in this chapter. He may have been in prison for ten years.

Two of Pharaoh's officials, his chief cupbearer and his chief baker, incurred the wrath of their Lord and were thrown in prison. We do not know what the accusation against them was. According to the Targum of Jonathan, they had attempted to poison their lord. It could be, of course, that Pharaoh had to blame somebody for his stomach flu. These two men were responsible for Pharaoh's diet. They probably did not do the actual cooking themselves, but they oversaw what was done and they had to taste the food and drink in Pharaoh's presence to prove that he would not die if he took it.

Something went wrong and the two arrived in Potiphar's prison where also Joseph was held. They were high dignitaries and the fact that Joseph was assigned to them as servant must have been considered an honor for Joseph. It also added to Joseph's liberty. We may presume that Joseph would have had the opportunity to run away, which would probably have cost the jailer his head. The jailer trusted Joseph with his life in giving him this kind of liberty.

Actually the one who assigned these men to Joseph's care may have been Potiphar himself. He is described as "the captain of the guard," which is the title used for Potiphar in chapter 39:1. If we are dealing with the same person it would indicate that Potiphar may indeed have taken his wife's accusation with a grain of salt and that Joseph's imprisonment was more an effort to smooth things over than to punish.

One morning Joseph finds them gloomy, more than even their circumstances in prison would call for. Nobody is supposed to enjoy imprisonment, but there are grades of gloom and theirs must have been unusually high. So Joseph asks for the reason. They could not have met a better person in their circumstances. The "master dreamer" listens to the dreams. We should wonder why they had come to the hasty conclusion that there would be nobody to interpret their dreams. How many visitors had they received that morning? Without asking any questions they took it for granted that there was no answer.

We read in vs. 8 "'We both had dreams,' they answered, 'but there is no one to interpret them.' Then Joseph said to them, 'Do not interpretations belong to God? Tell me your dreams.'" Joseph refers them to God, but he also presents himself as a mediator. The implication is that not only does God answer their questions, but He also reveals them to people who are in fellowship with Him.

We often do not receive answers because we ask no questions. Fellowship with God stimulates asking. God appreciates an inquisitive mind. We will not be able to understand all in our life on earth, but we may know more than we anticipate. Ps. 25:14 says: "The LORD confides in those who fear him; he makes his covenant known to them." Amos goes even farther by stating: "Surely the Sovereign LORD does nothing without revealing his plan to his servants the prophets." (Amos 3:7) So Joseph is quite confident that the Lord will answer their questions.

The cupbearer is the first to tell Joseph his dream. Vs. 9-11 tell the content of the dream, in vs. 12 and 13 Joseph explains it and in vs. 14 he adds his personal request for intercession by the cupbearer to Pharaoh in Joseph's behalf.

The cupbearer saw a vine with three branches, which grow, producing buds, blossoms and grapes, even as he was looking. He saw himself squeezing the grapes in Pharaoh's cup and handing the cup to the king. Adam Clarke draws the conclusion from this dream that only unfermented grape juice was drunk in Egypt. The Pulpit Commentary disagrees with this. If we would reconstruct the culture of the ancient world on the basis of someone's dreams, we would build a fantasy. There seems to be enough archaeological evidence that fermented wine was a common drink in Egypt of old. If we conclude from the dream that Pharaoh only drunk unfermented juice, we could as well believe that in ancient Egypt vines sprouted and ripened within the space of a few minutes.

It must not have taken too much supernatural insight on Joseph's part to understand the meaning of the dream. Believing that the dream originated with God, it must have seemed evident to him that the message conveyed was positive and favorable.

The fact that Joseph adds his personal plea for intercession proves that he was convinced of the correctness of his interpretation. We fully understand why Joseph asked the man to intercede for him, but we also have to state that Joseph's request was not an act of faith in God. For a moment Joseph believed that this man would get him out of prison. His leaning upon help from a human being added two years of suffering and frustration to his imprisonment. Ps. 146:3 warns us: "Do not put your trust in princes, in mortal men, who cannot save." Nobody, not even Joseph, trusts the Lord always, one hundred percent. As a matter of fact, as my personal experience shows, we will try all human avenues first before we turn to the Lord. But who would want to condemn or criticize Joseph for doing this? Let he who has no sin throw the first stone!

There is a note of self-pity in the words of vs. 15 - "For I was forcibly carried off from the land of the Hebrews, and even here I have done nothing to deserve being put in a dungeon." That blatant injustice had been done to Joseph is beyond doubt. But Joseph's words seem to show more than a desire for justice. Self-pity is a dangerous condition, which opens the door to demonic influences.

Some scholars have objected to the use of the phrase "the land of the Hebrews," believing that this was an insertion of a later date. The name Hebrew comes from Sem's son Heber. Jacob and his descendants were probably not the only Semites in that part of the world.

The chief baker may have had an inkling that the meaning of his dream was not that favorable. But when he hears how well the cupbearer fares, his optimism gets the better of him and he decides to try his luck also. Whether he really was the guilty party in the plot against Pharaoh, we do not know. The fact that he was executed does not prove guilt. Pharaoh may have used magic instead of proof that would stand up in a court of justice to determine guilt. Even if the baker had a guilty conscience he may have hoped to get off the hook. But he did not. There must be a play on words in the Hebrew between the "lift up your head" in vs. 13 and the "lift off your head" in vs. 19. If there is a pun, the humor of it was painful and it will probably have escaped the baker. The verdict was that the baker would be executed within three days, probably by decapitation. The hanging of the body to indicate the heinousness of the crime committed followed this. It seems unlikely that execution was carried out by hanging.

Three days later, at Pharaoh's birthday, Joseph's predictions come true. The cupbearer is rehabilitated and the baker is executed. The cupbearer celebrates his restoration by wiping the whole episode of his mind, including Joseph who had predicted his return to favor. This meant that Joseph would have to suffer two more years in prison. It wasn't until Pharaoh had his dream that Joseph understood why. If the cupbearer had remember Joseph earlier and if his intercession would have gained him his freedom from prison, it would probably have meant a return to slavery. His deliverance two years later meant his promotion to power in Egypt. God's timing was perfect. If only he would have known this.