Genesis 40:2 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And Pharaoh was angry with his two officers, the chief cupbearer and the chief baker,

NIV: Pharaoh was angry with his two officials, the chief cupbearer and the chief baker,

NASB: And Pharaoh was furious with his two officials, the chief cupbearer and the chief baker.

CSB: Pharaoh was angry with his two officers, the chief cupbearer and the chief baker,

NLT: Pharaoh became angry with these two officials,

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

NKJV: And Pharaoh was angry with his two officers, the chief butler and the chief baker.

Criminal justice in the court of an Egyptian Pharaoh was fully one-sided. Accused criminals had no rights, especially foreign-born slaves. A powerful man, like Joseph's master Potiphar (Genesis 39:1), could simply throw a servant in prison without any kind of trial or release date. It's conceivable he could have killed Joseph, given the nature of his accused crime (Genesis 39:14–18). Joseph is not guilty, however, as the charge was invented by a bitter woman rejected in her attempt at seduction (Genesis 39:6–12).

Unlike Joseph, Pharaoh's cupbearer and baker were truly guilty of something. Scripture does not say what their crime was. It might have been as simple as irritating their king. We're also not told if they were both involved in the same offense, at the same time, or if their crimes were entirely separate. In any case, the king was enraged with them. They may have been foreign-born slaves, as was Joseph. Joseph's level of success was noteworthy (Genesis 39:22–23), but it was not unusual for faithful slaves to become trusted servants of high-ranking officials. All three men would consider their prospects bleak, at best.

Genesis 40:1–23 takes place during Joseph's years in a prison, or dungeon, within the house of the captain of the guard. Two men join him there for a time and experience troubling, prophetic dreams. Joseph's interpretation reveals that the former cupbearer to Pharaoh will be restored to his old job. The former baker for Pharaoh will be executed. Both interpretations are fulfilled exactly, but Joseph is soon forgotten again.

Genesis 40 describes Joseph's interpretation of dreams for two of his fellow prisoners. Pharaoh's chief cupbearer and baker are imprisoned and experience troubling, prophetic visions. Joseph reveals the meaning of those dreams and, just as he predicts, the cupbearer is restored to his position while the baker is executed. The redeemed cupbearer, despite Joseph's plea, says nothing to Pharaoh about Joseph's situation.

Joseph remains in prison after being accused of attempted rape by Potiphar's wife (Genesis 39:11–15). The Lord blesses Joseph even in jail (Genesis 39:21–23), but he longs to get out. His chance for release comes through an opportunity to interpret the dreams of two fellow prisoners. The dreams reveal that one will be restored to his old position, while the other will be killed. Joseph pleads with the servant to be restored, asking him to to plead with Pharaoh to get Joseph released, but the man fails to do so. Two years later (Genesis 41:1), another dream requires explanation, and Joseph will finally be freed (Genesis 41:12–14).

The book of Genesis establishes fundamental truths about God. Among these are His role as the Creator, His holiness, His hatred of sin, His love for mankind, and His willingness to provide for our redemption. We learn not only where mankind has come from, but why the world is in its present form. The book also presents the establishment of Israel, God's chosen people. Many of the principles given in other parts of Scripture depend on the basic ideas presented here in the book of Genesis. Within the framework of the Bible, Genesis explains the bare-bones history of the universe leading up to the captivity of Israel in Egypt, setting the stage for the book of Exodus.