1 While these things were going on, it happened that two eunuchs, the cupbearer of the king of Egypt, and the miller of grain, offended their lord. 2 And Pharaoh, being angry with them, (now the one was in charge of the cupbearers, the other of the millers of grain) 3 sent them to the prison of the leader of the military, in which Joseph also was a prisoner. 4 But the keeper of the prison delivered them to Joseph, who ministered to them also. Some little time passed by, while they were held in custody. 5 And they both saw a similar dream on one night, whose interpretations should be related to one another. 6 And when Joseph had entered to them in the morning, and had seen them sad, 7 he consulted them, saying, “Why is your expression sadder today than usual?” 8 They responded, “We have seen a dream, and there is no one to interpret it for us.” And Joseph said to them, “Doesn’t interpretation belong to God? Recount for me what you have seen.” 9 The chief cupbearer explained his dream first. “I saw before me a vine, 10 on which were three shoots, which grew little by little into buds, and, after the flowers, it matured into grapes. 11 And the cup of Pharaoh was in my hand. Therefore, I took the grapes, and I pressed them into the cup that I held, and I handed the cup to Pharaoh.” 12 Joseph responded: “This is the interpretation of the dream. The three shoots are the next three days, 13 after which Pharaoh will remember your service, and he will restore you to your former position. And you will give him the cup according to your office, as you were accustomed to do before. 14 Only remember me, when it will be well with you, and do me this mercy, to suggest to Pharaoh to lead me out of this prison. 15 For I have been stolen from the land of the Hebrews, and here, innocently, I was cast into the pit.” 16 The chief miller of grain, seeing that he had wisely unraveled the dream, said: “I also saw a dream: that I had three baskets of meal above my head, 17 and in one basket, which was the highest, I carried all foods that are made by the art of baking, and the birds ate from it.” 18 Joseph responded: “This is the interpretation of the dream. The three baskets are the next three days, 19 after which Pharaoh will carry away your head, and also suspend you from a cross, and the birds will tear your flesh.” 20 The third day thereafter was the birthday of Pharaoh. And making a great feast for his servants, he remembered, during the banquet, the chief cupbearer and the chief miller of grain. 21 And he restored the one to his place, to present him the cup; 22 the other he hanged on a gallows, and thus the truth of the interpreter of dreams was proven. 23 And although he advanced with so much prosperity, the chief cupbearer forgot his interpreter of dreams.
Genesis · Catholic Public Domain Version
Genesis 40 Catholic Public Domain Version
Audio: World English Bible (WEB), read by Winfred W. Henson · About the recordings
Notes on this text (3)
- Esther and Daniel are the Vulgate books (Esther 1–16 with the Greek additions as chapters 10:4–16; Daniel 1–14 with the Song of the Three, Susanna and Bel). Baruch 6 is the Letter of Jeremiah.
- The translator's footnotes, cross-references, chapter summaries and book introductions in the CrossWire module are not shown.
- No imprimatur; single translator.
People & places in this chapter
From this site's family tree and Bible maps, only where those guides cite this chapter.
People
Joseph
Betrayed and enslaved, he rose to rule Egypt and saved his family from famine.
Cited in the guide: Genesis 37; 39–50
Cross references (22)
Related passages for each verse, from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge as collected and ranked by readers at OpenBible.info.
- 1 Genesis 40:13; Nehemiah 1:11–2:2; Esther 6:1; Genesis 39:20–23
- 2 Proverbs 16:14; Acts 12:20; Proverbs 19:12; 1 Chronicles 27:27; Proverbs 27:4
- 3 Genesis 39:20; Genesis 39:23
- 4 Psalm 37:5; Genesis 37:36; Genesis 39:1; Genesis 39:21–23
- 5 Genesis 41:11; Judges 7:13–14; Daniel 4:5; Esther 6:1; Genesis 12:1–7
- 6 Genesis 40:8; Daniel 2:1–3; Genesis 41:8; Daniel 7:28; Daniel 8:27
- 7 Nehemiah 2:2; 1 Samuel 1:8; 2 Samuel 13:4; Judges 18:24; Luke 24:17
- 8 Daniel 2:47; Genesis 41:15–16; Daniel 2:28; Amos 3:7; 1 Corinthians 12:10–11
- 9 Daniel 4:8; Judges 7:13–15; Genesis 37:5–10; Daniel 4:10–18; Daniel 2:31
- 11 Nehemiah 1:11–2:1; 1 Kings 10:5; 2 Chronicles 9:4; Leviticus 10:9; Proverbs 3:10
- 12 Judges 7:14; Genesis 41:12; Genesis 40:18; Genesis 41:25–26; Daniel 4:19–33
- 13 Psalm 3:3; Jeremiah 52:31; 2 Kings 25:27; Genesis 7:4; Genesis 40:19–22
- 14 Joshua 2:12; Luke 23:42; 1 Samuel 20:14–15; 1 Kings 2:7; 1 Samuel 25:31
- 15 Genesis 39:20; 1 Peter 3:17–18; John 15:25; Acts 25:10–11; Genesis 39:8–12
- 16 Genesis 40:1–2
- 17 Genesis 49:20
- 18 Genesis 40:12; 1 Corinthians 11:24; Genesis 41:26; 1 Corinthians 10:4
- 19 Genesis 40:22; Genesis 40:13; 2 Samuel 21:10; Proverbs 30:17; Ezekiel 39:4
- 20 Genesis 40:19; Matthew 14:6; Genesis 40:13; Mark 6:21; 2 Kings 25:27
- 21 Genesis 40:13; Nehemiah 2:1
- 22 Genesis 40:19; Daniel 2:30; Acts 5:30; Genesis 41:11–13; Genesis 40:8
- 23 Psalm 31:12; Job 19:14; Psalm 105:19; Amos 6:6
Cross references: OpenBible.info (CC BY), drawn mainly from the public-domain Treasury of Scripture Knowledge. · Sources & licences
What the Fathers said
Passages from the Church Fathers that expound or quote this chapter, verbatim from the public-domain Schaff edition (19th-century English translations).
How these were chosen
“Commentary” is the opening of a homily or exposition on this chapter (John Chrysostom’s homilies, Augustine’s tractates, sermons and expositions of the Psalms). “Quotes” are sentences where the edition’s own footnotes identify a quotation of a verse here, kept only when the wording matches the verse. Only works whose authorship is not in doubt are used. Psalms follow the Hebrew/English numbering (Augustine numbers them as the Septuagint does: his Psalm 50 is Psalm 51 here).
As, for instance, Adam says, "I have gotten a man through God," meaning to say the same as from God; and in another passage "Moses commanded...Israel through the word of the Lord," and, again, "Is not the interpretation through God?" Joseph, discoursing about dreams to the prisoners, instead of saying "from God" says plainly "through God." Inversely Paul uses the …
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 2, vol. 8 (1895)