Chapter 40

1 The butler and baker of Pharaoh in prison. 4 Joseph hath charge of them. 5 He interpreteth their dreams. 20 They come to pass according to his interpretation. 23 The ingratitude of the butler.

1. The butler. Literally, “the cup-bearer,” an important court official. He was responsible personally for tasting everything the king drank, as a guarantee that it was free from poison and other harmful ingredients.

The baker. The officer who supervised (v. 2) the preparation of the king’s food and was responsible for the purity of everything that came to the royal table.

Had offended. Some incident, apparently, had aroused Pharaoh’s suspicion that either or both of the two high officials were involved in an attempt to poison him. That one of the two was later restored to office and the other executed indicates that investigation had convinced the king of the innocence of the one and the guilt of the other.

The Judicial Papyrus of Turin offers a most interesting parallel to the story of the butler and the baker who had fallen from royal favor. It contains the record of the trial of a number of high-ranking officials accused of conspiracy against the life of Ramses III, and is dated about 1164 b.c. Unfortunately, the papyrus is not complete, and we do not know the means employed by the conspirators against the life of the king, nor do we know whether the plot was successful. The parts of the document that have been preserved, however, provide information on how such cases were handled in ancient Egypt. The defendants in this trial were several butlers, scribes, and other high officials. Some were sentenced to be executed, others were found guilty but were allowed to take their own life, some were punished by cutting off their noses, and ears, and one was only rebuked and received no punishment. A number of judicial officers also were prosecuted for carousing with some of the defendants during the period of investigation.

3. Put them in ward. These two high officials were committed to the custody of the commander of the royal bodyguard. This officer was Potiphar, the master and owner of Joseph, according to chs. 37:36 and 39:1. Potiphar placed them in the same state prison in which Joseph was held, and since their cases were still under investigation, and they themselves were high officers of state, he charged Joseph to wait upon them and act as their attendant.

4. They continued a season in ward. Literally, “and they were in custody for days.” This expression is indefinite and gives no clue as to the time these men spent in prison before their cases were settled and the event recorded in the following verses occurred.

5. They dreamed. The striking similarity of their dreams convinced the two men that the dreams were in some way related to their fate, but just how they knew not. Knowing, no doubt, that their cases might be decided any day, and being deprived in prison of professional dream interpreters, they were obviously anxious the next morning when Joseph entered their room.

8. Do not interpretations belong to God? Thinking of his own two dreams, and realizing that God was still with him, Joseph sought to help the two dejected men in their perplexity. This desire to help others later proved to be the key to his own release from prison. Bearing his own unearned misfortunes with cheerful resignation and admirable fortitude, Joseph, by his friendly nature, was led to sympathize with other unfortunates, who lacked the inner strength that bouyed him up. It was not out of curiosity but with an earnest desire to assist those in need that Joseph offered the two men his assistance. At the same time he pointed them to God, his own source of strength and consolation.

9. A vine was before me. The duties of the royal cupbearer were unmistakably represented. To conclude that Pharaoh drank only fresh grape juice, however, is entirely unwarranted. The cultivation of the vine and the making and drinking of wine by Egyptians are attested by ancient Egyptian records, statements by Herodotus (ii. 77) and Plutarch (De Isis et Osiris 6) to the contrary notwithstanding.

13. Lift up thine head. This expression, as in 2 Kings 25:27, means release from prison and restoration to responsibility and honor. That it may also have an adverse meaning is evident from v. 19.

14. Think on me. Joseph appealed his case to Pharaoh. He had been abducted from the land of the Hebrews (see ch. 39:14), which was the reason he was now in Egypt, and had been imprisoned, though innocent of any crime. If Joseph lived in Egypt under the Hyksos, as the evidence seems to indicate, the cupbearer was probably not an Egyptian. Joseph might therefore more reasonably expect help from him than if he had been an Egyptian. Investigation of Joseph’s case, if ordered by the king, would involve Joseph’s master, a native Egyptian (ch. 39:1).

15. The dungeon. Here, a contemptuous term for the prison. In ancient times pits, cisterns, and cesspools, when empty, were used for the incarceration of offenders (see Jer. 38:6; Zech. 9:11). That the word “dungeon” is here a synonym for prison is evident from Gen. 40:14, in which the place of Joseph’s confinement is called a “house.”

16. Three white baskets. Encouraged by Joseph’s favorable interpretation of the butler’s dream, the chief baker told his. The picture described by the baker is again thoroughly Egyptian. Reliefs, wall paintings, and figurines found in ancient Egyptian tombs show that such things as baskets and pottery vessels were often carried on the head. As everywhere in the Orient, birds of prey would naturally try to snatch something from the uppermost basket. The baker pointed out the resemblance of his dream to that of the cupbearer by his words, “I also.” The similarity was not confined to the numbers in the two dreams—three branches of the vine and three baskets of bread—but was also evident from the fact that their official duties at court were represented.

19. Lift up thy head. The expression “lift up thy head” was used in v. 13 in a favorable sense. However, the additional phrase here, “from off thee,” signified its unfavorable meaning. It must refer to execution by beheading, after which the culprit’s body would be displayed on a tree as a warning to other would-be conspirators. Egyptian records testify to the practice of capital punishment by decapitation, after which bodies were sometimes exhibited as a means of deterring others from the same crime. On the other hand, execution by hanging or strangulation is unattested in ancient records.

20. It came to pass. The fulfillment of Joseph’s predictions proved the dreams to have been of divine origin, and Joseph as possessing the gift of interpretation (see Jer. 28:9). Pharaoh “lifted up the head” of each of the prisoners, but in very different ways (vs. 13, 19).

23. Forgat him. The cupbearer apparently promised Joseph he would speak on his behalf (ch. 41:9). When the ensuing weeks and months brought no evidence of the butler’s gratitude, Joseph probably began to wonder whether he was to pine away his whole life in prison. At the same time, however, the fulfillment of the dreams of the court officers may have encouraged him to believe that in some way his own dreams would come true (ch. 37:5–9). But, for the moment, the ingratitude of the cupbearer must have been a painful experience to Joseph, probably as cruel and unkind a blow as any he had yet received. The experience is a reminder in reverse of the value of expressing our appreciation for the kindness and assistance of others. This chief cupbearer stands condemned to perpetual dishonor. How often high station makes men too proud to notice their humble friends of former days.

Ellen G. White comments

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