Genesis 40:1-23

The Cupbearer and the Baker

40:1 After these things happened, the cupbearer ¹  to the king of Egypt and the royal baker ²  offended ³  their master, the king of Egypt. 40:2 Pharaoh was enraged with his two officials, ⁴  the cupbearer and the baker, 40:3 so he imprisoned them in the house of the captain of the guard in the same facility where Joseph was confined. 40:4 The captain of the guard appointed Joseph to be their attendant, and he served them. ⁵ 

They spent some time in custody. ⁶  40:5 Both of them, the cupbearer and the baker of the king of Egypt, who were confined in the prison, had a dream ⁷  the same night. ⁸  Each man’s dream had its own meaning. ⁹  40:6 When Joseph came to them in the morning, he saw that they were looking depressed. ¹⁰  40:7 So he asked Pharaoh’s officials, who were with him in custody in his master’s house, “Why do you look so sad today?” ¹¹  40:8 They told him, “We both had dreams, ¹²  but there is no one to interpret them.” Joseph responded, “Don’t interpretations belong to God? Tell them ¹³  to me.”

40:9 So the chief cupbearer told his dream to Joseph: ¹⁴  “In my dream, there was a vine in front of me. 40:10 On the vine there were three branches. As it budded, its blossoms opened and its clusters ripened into grapes. 40:11 Now Pharaoh’s cup was in my hand, so I took the grapes, squeezed them into his ¹⁵  cup, and put the cup in Pharaoh’s hand.” ¹⁶ 

40:12 “This is its meaning,” Joseph said to him. “The three branches represent ¹⁷  three days. 40:13 In three more days Pharaoh will reinstate you ¹⁸  and restore you to your office. You will put Pharaoh’s cup in his hand, just as you did before ¹⁹  when you were cupbearer. 40:14 But remember me ²⁰  when it goes well for you, and show ²¹  me kindness. ²²  Make mention ²³  of me to Pharaoh and bring me out of this prison, ²⁴  40:15 for I really was kidnapped ²⁵  from the land of the Hebrews and I have done nothing wrong here for which they should put me in a dungeon.”

40:16 When the chief baker saw that the interpretation of the first dream was favorable, ²⁶  he said to Joseph, “I also appeared in my dream and there were three baskets of white bread ²⁷  on my head. 40:17 In the top basket there were baked goods of every kind for Pharaoh, but the birds were eating them from the basket that was on my head.”

40:18 Joseph replied, “This is its meaning: The three baskets represent ²⁸  three days. 40:19 In three more days Pharaoh will decapitate you ²⁹  and impale you on a pole. Then the birds will eat your flesh from you.”

40:20 On the third day it was Pharaoh’s birthday, so he gave a feast for all his servants. He “lifted up” ³⁰  the head of the chief cupbearer and the head of the chief baker in the midst of his servants. 40:21 He restored the chief cupbearer to his former position ³¹  so that he placed the cup in Pharaoh’s hand, 40:22 but the chief baker he impaled, just as Joseph had predicted. ³²  40:23 But the chief cupbearer did not remember Joseph – he forgot him. ³³ 

Genesis 23:1

The Death of Sarah

23:1 Sarah lived 127 years. ³⁴ 

Genesis 38:11

38:11 Then Judah said to his daughter-in-law Tamar, “Live as a widow in your father’s house until Shelah my son grows up.” For he thought, ³⁵  “I don’t want him to die like his brothers.” ³⁶  So Tamar went and lived in her father’s house.

Genesis 38:24

38:24 After three months Judah was told, ³⁷  “Your daughter-in-law Tamar has turned to prostitution, ³⁸  and as a result she has become pregnant.” ³⁹  Judah said, “Bring her out and let her be burned!”

Leviticus 20:10

20:10 If a man ⁴⁰  commits adultery with his neighbor’s wife, ⁴¹  both the adulterer and the adulteress must be put to death.

Deuteronomy 22:22-24

22:22 If a man is caught having sexual relations with ⁴²  a married woman ⁴³  both the man who had relations with the woman and the woman herself must die; in this way you will purge ⁴⁴  evil from Israel.

22:23 If a virgin is engaged to a man and another man meets ⁴⁵  her in the city and has sexual relations with ⁴⁶  her, 22:24 you must bring the two of them to the gate of that city and stone them to death, the young woman because she did not cry out though in the city and the man because he violated ⁴⁷  his neighbor’s fiancée; ⁴⁸  in this way you will purge ⁴⁹  evil from among you.

Matthew 1:18-19

The Birth of Jesus Christ

1:18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ happened this way. While his mother Mary was engaged to Joseph, but before they came together, ⁵⁰  she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit. 1:19 Because Joseph, her husband to be, ⁵¹  was a righteous man, and because he did not want to disgrace her, he intended to divorce her ⁵²  privately.

John 8:3-5

8:3 The experts in the law ⁵³  and the Pharisees ⁵⁴  brought a woman who had been caught committing adultery. They made her stand in front of them 8:4 and said to Jesus, ⁵⁵  “Teacher, this woman was caught in the very act of adultery. 8:5 In the law Moses commanded us to stone to death ⁵⁶  such women. ⁵⁷  What then do you say?”

[40:1]  ¹ sn The Hebrew term cupbearer corresponds to the Egyptian wb’, an official (frequently a foreigner) who often became a confidant of the king and wielded political power (see K. A. Kitchen, NBD³ 248). Nehemiah held this post in Persia.

[40:1]  ² sn The baker may be the Egyptian retehti, the head of the bakers, who had privileges in the royal court.

[40:1]  ³ sn The Hebrew verb translated offended here is the same one translated “sin” in 39:9. Perhaps there is an intended contrast between these officials, who deserve to be imprisoned, and Joseph, who refused to sin against God, but was thrown into prison in spite of his innocence.

[40:2]  ⁴ tn The Hebrew word סָרִיס (saris), used here of these two men and of Potiphar (see 39:1), normally means “eunuch.” But evidence from Akkadian texts shows that in early times the title was used of a court official in general. Only later did it become more specialized in its use.

[40:4]  ⁵ sn He served them. This is the same Hebrew verb, meaning “to serve as a personal attendant,” that was translated “became [his] servant” in 39:4.

[40:4]  ⁶ tn Heb “they were days in custody.”

[40:5]  ⁷ tn Heb “dreamed a dream.”

[40:5]  ⁸ tn Heb “a man his dream in one night.”

[40:5]  ⁹ tn Heb “a man according to the interpretation of his dream.”

[40:6]  ¹⁰ tn The verb זָעַף (za’af) only occurs here and Dan 1:10. It means “to be sick, to be emaciated,” probably in this case because of depression.

[40:7]  ¹¹ tn Heb “why are your faces sad today?”

[40:8]  ¹² tn Heb “a dream we dreamed.”

[40:8]  ¹³ tn The word “them” is not in the Hebrew text, but has been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[40:9]  ¹⁴ tn The Hebrew text adds “and he said to him.” This has not been translated because it is redundant in English.

[40:11]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “the cup of Pharaoh.” The pronoun “his” has been used here in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[40:11]  ¹⁶ sn The cupbearer’s dream is dominated by sets of three: three branches, three stages of growth, and three actions of the cupbearer.

[40:12]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “the three branches [are].”

[40:13]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “Pharaoh will lift up your head.” This Hebrew idiom usually refers to restoring dignity, office, or power. It is comparable to the modern saying “someone can hold his head up high.”

[40:13]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “according to the former custom.”

[40:14]  ²⁰ tn Heb “but you have remembered me with you.” The perfect verbal form may be used rhetorically here to emphasize Joseph’s desire to be remembered. He speaks of the action as already being accomplished in order to make it clear that he expects it to be done. The form can be translated as volitional, expressing a plea or a request.

[40:14]  ²¹ tn This perfect verbal form with the prefixed conjunction (and the two that immediately follow) carry the same force as the preceding perfect.

[40:14]  ²² tn Heb “deal with me [in] kindness.”

[40:14]  ²³ tn The verb זָכַר (zakhar) in the Hiphil stem means “to cause to remember, to make mention, to boast.” The implication is that Joseph would be pleased for them to tell his story and give him the credit due him so that Pharaoh would release him. Since Pharaoh had never met Joseph, the simple translation of “cause him to remember me” would mean little.

[40:14]  ²⁴ tn Heb “house.” The word “prison” has been substituted in the translation for clarity.

[40:15]  ²⁵ tn The verb גָּנַב (ganav) means “to steal,” but in the Piel/Pual stem “to steal away.” The idea of “kidnap” would be closer to the sense, meaning he was stolen and carried off. The preceding infinitive absolute underscores the point Joseph is making.

[40:16]  ²⁶ tn Heb “that [the] interpretation [was] good.” The words “the first dream” are supplied in the translation for clarity.

[40:16]  ²⁷ tn Or “three wicker baskets.” The meaning of the Hebrew noun חֹרִי (khori, “white bread, cake”) is uncertain; some have suggested the meaning “wicker” instead. Comparison with texts from Ebla suggests the meaning “pastries made with white flour” (M. Dahood, “Eblaite h¬a-rí and Genesis 40,16 h£o„rî,” BN 13 [1980]: 14-16).

[40:18]  ²⁸ tn Heb “the three baskets [are].”

[40:19]  ²⁹ tn Heb “Pharaoh will lift up your head from upon you.” Joseph repeats the same expression from the first interpretation (see v. 13), but with the added words “from upon you,” which allow the statement to have a more literal and ominous meaning – the baker will be decapitated.

[40:20]  ³⁰ tn The translation puts the verb in quotation marks because it is used rhetorically here and has a double meaning. With respect to the cup bearer it means “reinstate” (see v. 13), but with respect to the baker it means “decapitate” (see v. 19).

[40:21]  ³¹ tn Heb “his cupbearing.”

[40:22]  ³² tn Heb “had interpreted for them.”

[40:23]  ³³ tn The wayyiqtol verbal form here has a reiterative or emphasizing function.

[23:1]  ³⁴ tn Heb “And the years of Sarah were one hundred years and twenty years and seven years, the years of the life of Sarah.”

[38:11]  ³⁵ tn Heb “said.”

[38:11]  ³⁶ tn Heb “Otherwise he will die, also he, like his brothers.”

[38:24]  ³⁷ tn Heb “it was told to Judah, saying.”

[38:24]  ³⁸ tn Or “has been sexually promiscuous.” The verb may refer here to loose or promiscuous activity, not necessarily prostitution.

[38:24]  ³⁹ tn Heb “and also look, she is with child by prostitution.”

[20:10]  ⁴⁰ tn Heb “And a man who.” The syntax here and at the beginning of the following verses elliptically mirrors that of v. 9, which justifies the rendering as a conditional clause.

[20:10]  ⁴¹ tc The reading of the LXX minuscule mss has been followed here (see the BHS footnote a-a). The MT has a dittography, repeating “a man who commits adultery with the wife of” (see the explanation in J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 328). The duplication found in the MT is reflected in some English versions, e.g., KJV, ASV, NASB, NIV.

[22:22]  ⁴² tn Heb “lying with” (so KJV, NASB), a Hebrew idiom for sexual relations.

[22:22]  ⁴³ tn Heb “a woman married to a husband.”

[22:22]  ⁴⁴ tn Heb “burn.” See note on the phrase “purge out” in Deut 21:21.

[22:23]  ⁴⁵ tn Heb “finds.”

[22:23]  ⁴⁶ tn Heb “lies with.”

[22:24]  ⁴⁷ tn Heb “humbled.”

[22:24]  ⁴⁸ tn Heb “wife.”

[22:24]  ⁴⁹ tn Heb “burn.” See note on the phrase “purge out” in Deut 21:21.

[1:18]  ⁵⁰ tn The connotation of the Greek is “before they came together in marital and domestic union” (so BDAG 970 s.v. συνέρχομαι 3).

[1:19]  ⁵¹ tn Grk “husband.” See following note for discussion.

[1:19]  ⁵² tn Or “send her away.”

[8:3]  ⁵³ tn Or “The scribes.” The traditional rendering of γραμματεύς (grammateu") as “scribe” does not communicate much to the modern English reader, for whom the term might mean “professional copyist,” if it means anything at all. The people referred to here were recognized experts in the law of Moses and in traditional laws and regulations. Thus “expert in the law” comes closer to the meaning for the modern reader.

[8:3]  ⁵⁴ sn See the note on Pharisees in 1:24.

[8:4]  ⁵⁵ tn Grk “to him”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[8:5]  ⁵⁶ sn An allusion to Lev 20:10 and Deut 22:22-24.

[8:5]  ⁵⁷ sn The accusers themselves subtly misrepresented the law. The Mosaic law stated that in the case of adultery, both the man and woman must be put to death (Lev 20:10, Deut 22:22), but they mentioned only such women.