GENESIS 40
Some time after this, the cupbearer of the king of Egypt and his baker committed an offense against their lord the king of Egypt. 2 And Pharaoh was angry with his two officers, the chief cupbearer and the chief baker, 3 and he put them in custody in the house of the captain of the guard, in the prison where Joseph was confined. 4 The captain of the guard appointed Joseph to be with them, and he attended them. They continued for some time in custody.5 And one night they both dreamed—the cupbearer and the baker of the king of Egypt, who were confined in the prison—each his own dream, and each dream with its own interpretation. 6 When Joseph came to them in the morning, he saw that they were troubled. 7 So he asked Pharaoh’s officers who were with him in custody in his master’s house, “Why are your faces downcast today?” 8 They said to him, “We have had dreams, and there is no one to interpret them.” And Joseph said to them, “Do not interpretations belong to God? Please tell them to me.” – Genesis 40:1-8
GENESIS 40 ON INTERPRETING DREAMS
A poem inspired by these verses by ILMA
While Joseph was placed in charge of the other prisoners
The butler and baker were also imprisoned by Pharaoh
Joseph was appointed to be with these other prisoners
Then one day, they both have dreams that they were interpreting
And both the butler and baker wanted their dreams decoded
Joseph reminded them that it is only God who can interpret dreams.
In this account, we see that Joseph was concerned with these two officials of Pharaoh who were also imprisoned like him. But since Joseph had been asked to be in charge of the prisoners, he took the responsibility to be concerned with their well-being. Not many people would actually implement or go over what their roles call for, but we witness Joseph’s genuine concern for others here.
Joseph also brought truth to these two officials by reminding them that it is only God who can truly interpret dreams. So, he had a gentle way of presenting the truth with no judgments or criticisms.
REFLECTION
- How can interpreting dreams by humans be a dangerous thing?
