New English Translation
Genesis 40:8
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 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.”
- English Standard Version (ESV)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."
- 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.”
Context of Genesis 40:8
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?” They 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.” 9So the chief cupbearer told his dream to Joseph: “In my dream, there was a vine in front of me. 10On the vine there were three branches. As it budded, its blossoms opened and its 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 41:15Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I had a dream, and there is no one who can interpret it. But I have heard about you, that you can interpret dreams.”
- Job 33:15In a dream, a night vision, when deep sleep falls on people as they sleep in their beds.
- Psalms 25:14The Lord’s loyal followers receive his guidance, and he reveals his covenantal demands to them.
- Isaiah 8:19They will say to you, “Seek oracles at the pits used to conjure up underworld spirits, from the magicians who chirp and mutter incantations. Should people not seek oracles from their gods, by asking the dead about the destiny of the living?”
- Daniel 2:11What the king is asking is too difficult, and no one exists who can disclose it to the king, except for the gods – but they don’t live among mortals!”
- Daniel 4:8Later Daniel entered (whose name is Belteshazzar after the name of my god, and in whom there is a spirit of the holy gods). I recounted the dream for him as well,
- Daniel 5:11There is a man in your kingdom who has within him a spirit of the holy gods. In the days of your father, he proved to have insight, discernment, and wisdom like that of the gods. King Nebuchadnezzar your father appointed him chief of the magicians, astrologers, wise men, and diviners.
- 1 Corinthians 12:10to another performance of miracles, to another prophecy, and to another discernment of spirits, to another different kinds of tongues, and to another the interpretation of tongues.
- Amos 3:7Certainly the sovereign Lord does nothing without first revealing his plan 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
New English Translation — © 1996-2016 Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C.
Commentaries