New English Translation
Genesis 40:5
5Both of them, the cupbearer and the baker of the king of Egypt, who were confined in the prison, had a dream the same night. Each man’s dream had its own meaning.
Genesis 40:5 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)And they dreamed a dream both of them, each man his dream in one night, each man according to the interpretation of his dream, the butler and the baker of the king of Egypt, which were bound in the prison.
- New International Version (NIV)each of the two men—the cupbearer and the baker of the king of Egypt, who were being held in prison—had a dream the same night, and each dream had a meaning of its own.
- English Standard Version (ESV)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.
- New King James Version (NKJV)Then the butler and the baker of the king of Egypt, who were confined in the prison, had a dream, both of them, each man’s dream in one night and each man’s dream with its own interpretation.
Context of Genesis 40:5
3so he imprisoned them in the house of the captain of the guard in the same facility where Joseph was confined. 4The captain of the guard appointed Joseph to be their attendant, and he served them. They spent some time in custody. Both of them, the cupbearer and the baker of the king of Egypt, who were confined in the prison, had a dream the same night. Each man’s dream had its own meaning. 6When Joseph came to them in the morning, he saw that they were looking depressed. 7So he asked Pharaoh’s officials, who were with him in custody in his master’s house, “Why do you look so sad today?”
Read all of Genesis 40Genesis 40:5 word by word
וַיַּֽחַלְמוּ֩ חֲל֨וֹם שְׁנֵיהֶ֜ם אִ֤ישׁ חֲלֹמוֹ֙ בְּלַ֣יְלָה אֶחָ֔ד אִ֖ישׁ כְּפִתְר֣וֹן חֲלֹמ֑וֹ הַמַּשְׁקֶ֣ה וְהָאֹפֶ֗ה אֲשֶׁר֙ לְמֶ֣לֶךְ מִצְרַ֔יִם אֲשֶׁ֥ר אֲסוּרִ֖ים בְּבֵ֥ית הַסֹּֽהַר׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- And they dreamedחָלַםchâlam · to dreamH2492
- a dreamחֲלוֹםchălôm chălôm · dreamH2472
- both of themשְׁנַ֫יִםshenayim shettayim · twoH8147
- each manאִישׁ'îysh · man: anyoneH376
- in oneאֶחָד'echâd · oneH259
- nightלַ֫יְלָהlayil lêyl layelâh · nightH3915
- according to the interpretationפִּתְרוֹןpithrôn pithrôn · interpretationH6623
- the butlerשָׁקָהshâqâh · to water: wateringH8248
- and the bakerאָפָה'âphâh · to bakeH644
- of the kingמֶ֫לֶךְmelek · kingH4428
- of Egyptמִצְרַ֫יִםmitsrayim · EgyptH4714
- boundאָסַר'âsar · to bindH631
- in the prisonסֹ֫הַרsôhar · prisonH5470
- in the prisonבַּ֫יִתbayith · house: homeH1004
Cross-references for Genesis 40:5
- Genesis 40:8They told him, “We both had dreams, but there is no one to interpret them.” Joseph responded, “Don’t interpretations belong to God? Tell them to me.”
- Genesis 12:1Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go out from your country, your relatives, and your father’s household to the land that I will show you.
- Genesis 20:3But God appeared to Abimelech in a dream at night and said to him, “You are as good as dead because of the woman you have taken, for she is someone else’s wife.”
- Genesis 37:5Joseph had a dream, and when he told his brothers about it, they hated him even more.
- Genesis 41:1At the end of two full years Pharaoh had a dream. As he was standing by the Nile,
- Numbers 12:6The Lord said, “Hear now my words: If there is a prophet among you, I the Lord will make myself known to him in a vision; I will speak with him in a dream.
- Judges 7:13When Gideon arrived, he heard a man telling another man about a dream he had. The man said, “Look! I had a dream. I saw a stale cake of barley bread rolling into the Midianite camp. It hit a tent so hard it knocked it over and turned it upside down. The tent just collapsed.”
- Esther 6:1Throughout that night the king was unable to sleep, so he asked for the book containing the historical records to be brought. As the records were being read in the king’s presence,
- Job 33:15In a dream, a night vision, when deep sleep falls on people as they sleep in their beds.
- Daniel 2:1In the second year of his reign Nebuchadnezzar had many dreams. His mind was disturbed and he suffered from insomnia.
- Daniel 4:5I saw a dream that frightened me badly. The things I imagined while lying on my bed – these visions of my mind – were terrifying me.
- Daniel 7:1In the first year of King Belshazzar of Babylon, Daniel had a dream filled with visions while he was lying on his bed. Then he wrote down the dream in summary fashion.
Commentaries on Genesis 40:5
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 5Each man according to the interpretation - Not like dreams in general, the disordered workings of the mind, the consequence of disease or repletion; these were dreams that had an interpretation, that is, that were prophetic.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 40:5
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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