Chief Baker

Biblical Account

The chief baker was an official of the Egyptian royal court who appears in Genesis 40. His title designates the head of those responsible for making the king's bread and pastries. In Genesis 40:1 he is called the king's "baker," and in the verses that follow, the "chief of the bakers" or "chief baker."

Together with the chief butler, he offended his lord, Pharaoh, and was confined in the prison in the house of the captain of the guard. Joseph, who was also imprisoned there, was assigned to attend the two men (Genesis 40:1–4). On the same night, each of them had a dream. When Joseph gave a favorable interpretation of the chief butler's dream, the chief baker also told his dream: "I had three white baskets on my head: and in the uppermost basket there was of all manner of bakemeats for Pharaoh; and the birds did eat them out of the basket upon my head" (Genesis 40:16–17). Joseph explained that the three baskets signified three days, and that within three days Pharaoh would hang him on a tree and the birds would eat his flesh (Genesis 40:18–19).

The third day was Pharaoh's birthday. At his feast Pharaoh dealt with the two officials. He restored the chief butler to his former position, but he hanged the chief baker, as Joseph had interpreted (Genesis 40:20–22). Later, the chief butler recounted this episode before Pharaoh when he recommended Joseph (Genesis 41:10–13).

Significance Within the Bible

In the narrative, the chief baker functions less as an independent character than as a counterpart to the chief butler; together they demonstrate the accuracy of Joseph's interpretation of dreams. Before interpreting, Joseph says, "Do not interpretations belong to God?" (Genesis 40:8). This episode ultimately leads to Joseph's appearance before Pharaoh. The chief baker is not mentioned in the New Testament.

Interpretive Questions

• The expression "lift up the head": Joseph tells the chief butler that "Pharaoh [shall] lift up thine head" (Genesis 40:13). To the chief baker he says that Pharaoh "shall lift up thy head from off thee" (Genesis 40:19), a phrase some translations render as "cut off your head"; the Hebrew literally means "lift up your head from upon you." This is commonly explained as wordplay in which the same expression carries opposite meanings: restoration to office and execution. Regarding the method of execution, some interpret the text to mean that he was beheaded and his body then hung on a tree, while others understand that he was put to death by hanging.
• The offense: The Bible does not state what offense the two officials committed. Later Jewish tradition reportedly includes stories to the effect that a foreign object was found in the food, but this is not in the biblical text. Nor does the text say why he was executed or whether he was actually guilty.

In Korean Churches

In Sunday schools and sermons, the chief baker's story is usually treated as one episode within the larger story of Joseph. In this context, emphasis is placed both on the confession that the interpretation of dreams belongs to God and on the chief butler's forgetting Joseph and only belatedly remembering him (Genesis 40:23; 41:9). The chief baker is often introduced briefly as a figure contrasted with the chief butler.