Genesis 40:1-3

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.

Genesis 40:15

40:15 for I really was kidnapped ⁵  from the land of the Hebrews and I have done nothing wrong here for which they should put me in a dungeon.”

Genesis 41:9-14

41:9 Then the chief cupbearer said to Pharaoh, “Today I recall my failures. ⁶  41:10 Pharaoh was enraged with his servants, and he put me in prison in the house of the captain of the guards – me and the chief baker. 41:11 We each had a dream one night; each of us had a dream with its own meaning. ⁷  41:12 Now a young man, a Hebrew, a servant ⁸  of the captain of the guards, ⁹  was with us there. We told him our dreams, ¹⁰  and he interpreted the meaning of each of our respective dreams for us. ¹¹  41:13 It happened just as he had said ¹²  to us – Pharaoh ¹³  restored me to my office, but he impaled the baker.” ¹⁴ 

41:14 Then Pharaoh summoned ¹⁵  Joseph. So they brought him quickly out of the dungeon; he shaved himself, changed his clothes, and came before Pharaoh.

Psalms 76:10

76:10 Certainly ¹⁶  your angry judgment upon men will bring you praise; ¹⁷ 

you reveal your anger in full measure. ¹⁸ 

[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.

[40:15]  ⁵ 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.

[41:9]  ⁶ tn Heb “sins, offenses.” He probably refers here to the offenses that landed him in prison (see 40:1).

[41:11]  ⁷ tn Heb “and we dreamed a dream in one night, I and he, each according to the interpretation of his dream we dreamed.”

[41:12]  ⁸ tn Or “slave.”

[41:12]  ⁹ tn Heb “a servant to the captain of the guards.” On this construction see GKC 419-20 §129.c.

[41:12]  ¹⁰ tn The words “our dreams” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[41:12]  ¹¹ tn Heb “and he interpreted for us our dreams, each according to his dream he interpreted.”

[41:13]  ¹² tn Heb “interpreted.”

[41:13]  ¹³ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Pharaoh) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[41:13]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “him”; the referent (the baker) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[41:14]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “and Pharaoh sent and called,” indicating a summons to the royal court.

[76:10]  ¹⁶ tn Or “for.”

[76:10]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “the anger of men will praise you.” This could mean that men’s anger (subjective genitive), when punished by God, will bring him praise, but this interpretation does not harmonize well with the next line. The translation assumes that God’s anger is in view here (see v. 7) and that “men” is an objective genitive. God’s angry judgment against men brings him praise because it reveals his power and majesty (see vv. 1-4).

[76:10]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “the rest of anger you put on.” The meaning of the statement is not entirely clear. Perhaps the idea is that God, as he prepares for battle, girds himself with every last ounce of his anger, as if it were a weapon.