English Standard Version
Genesis 40:8
8They 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 40:8 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)And they said unto him, We have dreamed a dream, and there is no interpreter of it. And Joseph said unto them, Do not interpretations belong to God? tell me them, I pray you.
- New International Version (NIV)“We both had dreams,” they answered, “but there is no one to interpret them.” Then Joseph said to them, “Do not interpretations belong to God? Tell me your dreams.”
- New King James Version (NKJV)And they said to him, “We each have had a dream, and there is no interpreter of it.” So Joseph said to them, “Do not interpretations belong to God? Tell them to me, please.”
- New Living Translation (NLT)And they replied, “We both had dreams last night, but no one can tell us what they mean.” “Interpreting dreams is God’s business,” Joseph replied. “Go ahead and tell me your dreams.”
Context of Genesis 40:8
6When Joseph came to them in the morning, he saw that they were troubled. 7So he asked Pharaoh's officers who were with him in custody in his master's house, "Why are your faces downcast today?" 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." 9So the chief cupbearer told his dream to Joseph and said to him, "In my dream there was a vine before me, 10and on the vine there were three branches. As soon as it budded, its blossoms shot forth, and the clusters ripened into grapes.
Read all of Genesis 40Genesis 40:8 word by word
וַיֹּאמְר֣וּ אֵלָ֔יו חֲל֣וֹם חָלַ֔מְנוּ וּפֹתֵ֖ר אֵ֣ין אֹת֑וֹ וַיֹּ֨אמֶר אֲלֵהֶ֜ם יוֹסֵ֗ף הֲל֤וֹא לֵֽאלֹהִים֙ פִּתְרֹנִ֔ים סַפְּרוּ־נָ֖א לִֽי׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- And they saidאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
- unto him, We have dreamedחָלַםchâlam · to dreamH2492
- a dreamחֲלוֹםchălôm chălôm · dreamH2472
- no interpreterפָּתַרpâthar · to interpretH6622
- of it. And Josephיוֹסֵףyôsêph · JosephH3130
- not interpretationsפִּתְרוֹןpithrôn pithrôn · interpretationH6623
- to Godאֱלֹהִים'ĕlôhîym · GodH430
- tell meסָפַרsâphar · to recountH5608
Cross-references for Genesis 40:8
- Genesis 41:15And Pharaoh said to Joseph, "I have had a dream, and there is no one who can interpret it. I have heard it said of you that when you hear a dream you can interpret it."
- Job 33:15In a dream, in a vision of the night, when deep sleep falls on men, while they slumber on their beds,
- Psalms 25:14The friendship of the Lord is for those who fear him, and he makes known to them his covenant.
- Isaiah 8:19And when they say to you, "Inquire of the mediums and the necromancers who chirp and mutter," should not a people inquire of their God? Should they inquire of the dead on behalf of the living?
- Daniel 2:11The thing that the king asks is difficult, and no one can show it to the king except the gods, whose dwelling is not with flesh."
- Daniel 4:8At last Daniel came in before me—he who was named Belteshazzar after the name of my god, and in whom is the spirit of the holy gods—and I told him the dream, saying,
- Daniel 5:11There is a man in your kingdom in whom is the spirit of the holy gods. In the days of your father, light and understanding and wisdom like the wisdom of the gods were found in him, and King Nebuchadnezzar, your father—your father the king—made him chief of the magicians, enchanters, Chaldeans, and astrologers,
- 1 Corinthians 12:10to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the ability to distinguish between spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues.
- Amos 3:7"For the Lord God does nothing without revealing his secret to his servants the prophets.
Commentaries on Genesis 40:8
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 8There is no interpreter - They either had access to none, or those to whom they applied could give them no consistent, satisfactory meaning. Do not interpretations belong to God? - God alone, the Supreme Being, knows what is in futurity; and if he have sent a significant dream, he alone can give the solution.Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 1-23Verses 1-23 - Joseph in Prison An uncomplaining patience and an unhesitating hopefulness keep the breast of Joseph in calm tranquillity. There is a God above, and that God is with him. His soul swerves not from this feeling. Meanwhile, new and distinguished prisoners are introduced into his place of confinement. Genesis 40:1-4 The chief butler and chief baker, high officials in Pharaoh‘s court, come under the displeasure of their sovereign. “In the house…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 5-8Pharaoh’s cup-bearer and baker appeared worried because they sensed their futures were connected to these threatening and troubling dreams they could not understand. Joseph still trusted that interpreting dreams was God's work. He knew he could understand them with God's help. He knew he had not misunderstood his own dreams.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 5-85-8. they dreamed a dream--Joseph, influenced by the spirit of true religion, could feel for others (Ec 4:1; Ro 12:15; Php 2:4). Observing them one day extremely depressed, he inquired the cause of their melancholy; and being informed it was owing to a dream they had respectively dreamed during the previous night, after piously directing them to God (Da 2:30; Is 26:10), he volunteered to aid them, through the divine help, in discovering the import of…Read the comment
Topics related to Genesis 40:8
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Genesis 40
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Rashi on Tanakh
- Calvin’s Commentaries
- Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
- John Wesley’s Notes
- Darby Translation Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
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