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After these things, the butler of the king of Egypt and his baker offended their lord, the king of Egypt.
Verse 1. Two eunuchs; chief officers, and high in dignity, as the Hebrew expresses it, verse 2. Bible.—Offended, perhaps, by stealing, or by some treasonable conspiracy. Menochius.
Pharaoh was angry with his two officers, the chief cup bearer and the chief baker.
Verse 2. And, and so forth Hebrew “Pharao was enraged against two of his officers; against the chief of the butlers,” and so forth Mashkim. S. Jerom translates this word procurator domus, “steward of the house.” Calmet. 15:2. No slave was entrusted with these high offices in the courts of Egypt and of Persia.
He put them in custody in the house of the captain of the guard, into the prison, the place where Joseph was bound.
Verse 3. Commander. Putiphar. Calmet.—Prisoner, though his chains were struck off. Menochius.
The captain of the guard assigned them to Joseph, and he took care of them. They stayed in prison many days.
They both dreamed a dream, each man his dream, in one night, each man according to the interpretation of his dream, the cup bearer and the baker of the king of Egypt, who were bound in the prison.
Verse 5. According to, and so forth foreshewing what would happen to them, as Joseph afterwards interpreted the dreams. Tirinus.
Joseph came in to them in the morning, and saw them, and saw that they were sad.
He asked Pharaoh’s officers who were with him in custody in his master’s house, saying, “Why do you look so sad today?”
They said to him, “We have dreamed a dream, and there is no one who can interpret it.” Joseph said to them, “Don’t interpretations belong to God? Please tell it to me.”
Verse 8. Doth not interpretation belong to God? When dreams are from God, as these were, the interpretation of them is a gift of God. But the generality of dreams are not of this sort; but either proceed from the natural complexions and dispositions of persons, or the roving of their imaginations in the day on such objects as they are much affected with, or from their mind being disturbed with cares and troubles, and oppressed with bodily infirmities: or they are suggested by evil spirits, to flatter, or to terrify weak minds; in order to gain belief, and so draw them into error or superstition; or at least to trouble them in their sleep, whom they cannot move while they are awake: so that the general rule, with regard to dreams, is not to observe them, nor to give any credit to them. Challoner.—Physicians indeed, sometimes from some judgment of the nature of a distemper from dreams; on which subject, Hippocrates and Galen have written. But to pretend to discover by them the future actions of free agents, would be superstitious. Deuteronomy 18:10. Tirinus.—Justin (36:2,) says, “Joseph was the first interpreter of dreams, and often gave proofs of his knowledge,” and so forth
The chief cup bearer told his dream to Joseph, and said to him, “In my dream, behold, a vine was in front of me,
and in the vine were three branches. It was as though it budded, it blossomed, and its clusters produced ripe grapes.
Pharaoh’s cup was in my hand; and I took the grapes, and pressed them into Pharaoh’s cup, and I gave the cup into Pharaoh’s hand.”
Joseph said to him, “This is its interpretation: the three branches are three days.
Within three more days, Pharaoh will lift up your head, and restore you to your office. You will give Pharaoh’s cup into his hand, the way you did when you were his cup bearer.
But remember me when it is well with you. Please show kindness to me, and make mention of me to Pharaoh, and bring me out of this house.
Verse 14. Prison, after examining into the justice of my cause.
For indeed, I was stolen away out of the land of the Hebrews, and here also I have done nothing that they should put me into the dungeon.”
Verse 15. Hebrews. Chanaan, a foreign land with respect to Egypt, as was also Mesopotamia, where he was born. Bible.—Joseph only maintains his own innocence, without accusing any one. Menochius.
When the chief baker saw that the interpretation was good, he said to Joseph, “I also was in my dream, and behold, three baskets of white bread were on my head.
Verse 16. Of meal. Hebrew may also mean “white, full of holes,” and so forth
In the uppermost basket there were all kinds of baked food for Pharaoh, and the birds ate them out of the basket on my head.”
Joseph answered, “This is its interpretation. The three baskets are three days.
Within three more days, Pharaoh will lift up your head from off you, and will hang you on a tree; and the birds will eat your flesh from off you.”
Verse 19. From thee, by decapitation. This was customary, when a person’s body was to be hung on the cross or gibbet. Deuteronomy 21:22. Joshua 10:26. Lament. 5:12. 1 Kennicott. 31:10.—Birds. So Horace says, pasces in cruce corvos.
On the third day, which was Pharaoh’s birthday, he made a feast for all his servants, and he lifted up the head of the chief cup bearer and the head of the chief baker among his servants.
Verse 20. Birth-day. This was a common practice among the pagans. S. Matthew 14:6. 2 Maccabees 6:7. Calmet.
He restored the chief cup bearer to his position again, and he gave the cup into Pharaoh’s hand;
but he hanged the chief baker, as Joseph had interpreted to them.
Verse 22. That, and so forth Thus was verified the prediction of Joseph. Menochius.
Yet the chief cup bearer didn’t remember Joseph, but forgot him.
Verse 23. Forgot. A thing too common among those who enjoy prosperity! Bible.—God would not have his servants to trust in men. D.—The butler was a figure of the good thief, as the baker represented the impenitent one, between whom our Saviour hung on the cross. Calmet.