Genesis 40

This chapter belongs to the Joseph narrative of Genesis 37–50. In Genesis 39, Joseph is falsely accused and imprisoned, yet he gains the trust of those in charge there. This chapter continues with events that take place in that prison.

Outline

• Verses 1–4 The chief butler and the chief baker of the king of Egypt offend their lord and are put into the prison where Joseph is confined. The captain of the guard assigns Joseph to attend them.
• Verses 5–8 On the same night, each of the two men has a different dream, and both are troubled. Joseph tells them that interpretations belong to God and asks them to tell him their dreams.
• Verses 9–15 After hearing the dream of a vine with three branches, Joseph interprets it to mean that within three days the chief butler will be restored to his position. He then asks the butler to remember him.
• Verses 16–19 After hearing the dream of three baskets on the baker's head from which birds were eating, Joseph interprets it to mean that within three days the chief baker will be executed.
• Verses 20–23 On the third day, at Pharaoh's birthday feast, everything comes to pass as Joseph interpreted, but the chief butler forgets Joseph.

Key Verses

• Genesis 40:8 "Do not interpretations belong to God?" — These words attribute the source of dream interpretation to God, and Joseph repeats the point before Pharaoh in Genesis 41.
• Genesis 40:14 "But think on me when it shall be well with thee, and shew kindness, I pray thee, unto me" — A very human appeal on Joseph's part.
• Genesis 40:23 "Yet did not the chief butler remember Joseph, but forgat him." — The beginning of a period of waiting that leads into the "two full years" of the next chapter.

Characters and Places

• Joseph: A son of Jacob, unjustly held in prison.
• Pharaoh: The king of Egypt. Angered by his two officers, he puts them in prison.
• Chief butler: The official in charge of the king's drink. He is not named.
• Chief baker: The official in charge of the king's food. He is not named.
• Captain of the guard: Many interpreters identify him with Potiphar of chapter 39, although the text of this chapter does not name him.

Points for Reflection

• The expressions "lift up thine head" in verse 13, "lift up thy head from off thee" in verse 19, and "lifted up the head" in verse 20 are commonly explained as wordplay that applies the same phrase to opposite fates.
• It is often noted that the only birthday feasts mentioned in the Bible are Pharaoh's in this chapter and Herod's in the New Testament (Mark 6).
• A typological reading compares the pattern of two men imprisoned together, only one of whom lives, with the two thieves crucified alongside Jesus (Luke 23). This is a later interpretation, not something the text itself states.
• The reading that even the period in which Joseph was forgotten lay within God's providence is based on Genesis 45:5–8 and Psalm 105:16–22.

In the Korean Church

The chapter is covered in Sunday school curricula as part of the Joseph story. Sermons often take verse 23 as their text to address seasons when one seems forgotten by others, along with the theme of God's timing.