(E.) Joseph interprets the Dreams of Pharaoh's Officers The contents of this chapter are from E. Joseph's master (cf. Genesis 37:36) is the officer in whose house is the prison; and he commits to the charge of Joseph, his slave, the two court-officials whose dreams Joseph correctly interprets. The... [ Continue Reading ]
The two Officers in Prison 1. _after these things_ A vague definition of time: see Genesis 15:1; Genesis 22:1; Genesis 39:7. _the butler_ In Genesis 40:2_; Genesis 40:20_he is called "the chief butler." The word is rendered in Nehemiah 1:11, "cupbearer," an officer who looked after the king's cell... [ Continue Reading ]
_his … officers_ Lit. "his eunuchs"; see note on Genesis 37:36.... [ Continue Reading ]
_in ward_ Cf. Genesis 40:4_; Genesis 40:7_. An old English expression; cf. Shakespeare, 2 _Hen. VI_, v. i.: "I know, ere they will have me go to _ward_, They'll pawn their swords for my enfranchisement." He committed them for safe keeping, while the enquiry into the charges against them went on.... [ Continue Reading ]
_charged Joseph with them_ i.e. put them under the care of Joseph, who is to be in attendance on them, not as a fellow-prisoner, but as a servant in his master's house. Compare the words of "the chief butler" in Genesis 41:12 (also from E), "there was with us there a young man, an Hebrew, _servant t... [ Continue Reading ]
_sad_ Gloomy and depressed, the word rendered "worse liking" in Daniel 1:10. There was a general belief in dreams, as a means of conveying supernatural information. In the case of these two officers, their anxiety as to their fate added to the desire to learn the meaning of the strange dreams which... [ Continue Reading ]
_look ye so sadly_ Lit. "are your faces bad," cf. Nehemiah 2:2.... [ Continue Reading ]
_none that can interpret it_ The Egyptians regarded the interpretation of dreams as a science requiring special study; or as a department of magic needing special initiation. Had the two officials been at liberty, they would have each repaired to their special soothsayer or dream-interpreter for an... [ Continue Reading ]
The Interpretation of their Dreams 10. _it was as though it budded_ Another rendering is "and as it budded, its blossoms shot forth." But the rendering in the text is grammatically to be preferred. The dream combines, as it were, in a moment the successive stages, by which the vine first budded and... [ Continue Reading ]
_pressed them into Pharaoh's cup_ The cupbearer did not squeeze grapes into his master's cup in order to make wine. He squeezed, and at once the cup was full of wine. This is one of the fancies occurring in a dream. Dream-land is true to experience, and yet possesses, here and there, odd fantastic f... [ Continue Reading ]
_lift up thine head_ i.e. "will lift it up with favour," as in 2 Kings 25:27; Jeremiah 52:31. The "countenance," which is sad, or in trouble, hangs down and needs to be lifted up: see note on Genesis 4:6-7. As the phrase is also used of "the chief baker" in an unfavourable sense (Genesis 40:19), it... [ Continue Reading ]
_But have me_, &c. Joseph claims no reward for his interpretation beyond that of an act of kindness.... [ Continue Reading ]
_stolen away_ i.e. "kidnapped": see Genesis 37:28. According to E Joseph was not sold by his brethren, but stolen by the Midianites. _the land of the Hebrews_ For the use of the word "Hebrew," cf. Genesis 14:13; Genesis 39:14 and Genesis 41:12. It was the designation in use by foreigners for "the dw... [ Continue Reading ]
_I also_ The chief baker is encouraged to relate his dream. There are certain conspicuous similarities in the two dreams: (1) each man is discharging his own special office; (2) the number "3" is a feature in both. _of white bread_ LXX τρία κανᾶ χονδριτῶν, Lat. _tria canistra farinae_. Instead of ... [ Continue Reading ]
_bakemeats_ LXX ἔργον σιτοποιοῦ, Lat. _cibos qui fiunt arte pistoria_: as we say, "all kinds of confectionery." The bakemeats are only in the top basket. If the birds took them, he had nothing in the other baskets to bring to Pharaoh's table. _the birds_ The birds, darting down upon the food and ca... [ Continue Reading ]
_lift up thy head from off thee_ Joseph, by a use of the same phrase as in Genesis 40:13, introduces the sudden unfavourable interpretation: "from off thee" shews that it means here "decapitation," not (see note on Genesis 40:13) "he will release thee from imprisonment, in order to be executed." For... [ Continue Reading ]
The Fulfilment 20. _Pharaoh's birthday_ Cf. Matthew 14:6; Mark 6:21. Proclamations of amnesty on royal birthdays have been universal. They can be illustrated from the royal proclamations preserved in Egyptian inscriptions. The title "Pharaoh" (Egypt. _Pr-ô_, "Great House") is constantly used witho... [ Continue Reading ]
_forgat him_ These words are an artistic conclusion to this interesting section. The chief butler's forgetfulness, in the enjoyment of his own good fortune, (1) is sadly natural; (2) increases our sympathy with Joseph; (3) heightens the expectation of the reader as to the manner of his deliverance.... [ Continue Reading ]