Continuing a chronological Bible study:
(Genesis 40:1) And it came to pass after these things, that the butler of the king of Egypt and his baker had offended their lord the king of Egypt.
"After these things" refers to Potiphar throwing Joseph in prison and then Joseph becoming well-favored by the keeper of the prison and allowed to handle all the prisoners and their affairs. While Joseph was in prison and in charge of it, the king's butler and his baker offended their king.
(2) And Pharaoh was angry against his two officers, against the chief of the butlers and against the chief of the bakers. (3) And he put them in ward in the house of the captain of the guard, in the prison, the place where Joseph was bound. (4) And the captain of the guard charged Joseph with them, and he served them, and they continued a season in ward.
Pharaoh was angry with his chief butler and chief baker and put them in the prison that was apparently in the house of Potiphar, as we were told previously that he was the captain of the guard. This was the same prison where Joseph was imprisoned, and it can be assumed this was Potiphar who put Joseph in charge of the prisoners. Although he had been greatly angered by Joseph, he knew he could handle the affairs of these prisoners, and surely the keeper of the prison also had input regarding the care of prisoners. It seems a funny interpretation that Joseph served the prisoners, but I'm sure he took care of all their needs. The chief butler and chief baker were apparently in prison for awhile.
(5) And they dreamed a dream, both of them, each man his own dream in one night, each man according to the interpretation of his dream, the butler and the baker of the king of Egypt, who were bound in the prison. (6) And Joseph came in to them in the morning and looked at them, and behold, they were sad. (7) And he asked Pharaoh's officers who were with him in the ward of his lord's house, saying, "Why do you look so sad today?"
One night both the butler and the baker each had a dream, each their own dream, not the same one. When Joseph came in to see them the next morning, he could see that they both were sad, or troubled, which might be the better interpretation, as it is also a definition of the original word, "zaaph". Joseph asked these officers of Pharaoh, the chief butler and the chief baker, who were in prison with him, but apparently in a different cell, if you will, since he "came in" to see them, why they looked so troubled.
(8) And they said to him, "We have dreamed a dream, and there is no interpreter of it." And Joseph said to them, "Do not interpretations belong to God? Tell them to me, please."
The butler and the baker were troubled because they didn't understand their dreams, and they told Joseph they had no interpreter here in prison. It is evident in a future scripture that there were many interpreters of dreams around, but they were sad because they did not have access to one now. I believe Joseph's point was that interpretations belonged to God and He could give those interpretations by His Holy Spirit to anyone He desired, so obviously feeling led by the Spirit, Joseph encouraged the butler and the baker to tell him their dreams.
(9) And the chief butler told his dream to Joseph, and said to him, "In my dream, behold, a vine was before me, (10) And in the vine were three branches; and it was as though it budded, its blossoms shot forth, and its clusters brought forth ripe grapes. (11) And 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." (12) And Joseph said to him, "This is the interpretation of it: The three branches are three days.
The chief butler told his dream to Joseph first, and Joseph began his interpretation. The butler had dreamed of a vine that had three budding branches, and Joseph said the three branches represented three days. He said this surely from the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, because it seems three vines could have easily meant something else, or certainly a different amount of time, like three weeks or months or years.
(13) Again within three days Pharaoh shall lift up your head and restore you to your place, and you shall deliver Pharaoh's cup into his hand after the former manner when you were his butler.
Joseph continued the interpretation of the butler's dream. He further explained that the three fully ripened branches represented the butler being fully restored to his position as the chief butler of Pharaoh in three days, and that he would be back to placing Pharaoh's cup in his hand as he had once done as his chief butler.
(14) But think of me when it is well with you, and please show kindness to me; and make mention of me to Pharaoh, and bring me out of this house. (15) For indeed I was stolen away out of the land of the Hebrews; and here also have I done nothing that they should put me into the dungeon."
After Joseph finished the interpretation of the butler's dream, he asked that the butler remember him when he was restored to his position and all was well with him again. He asked that the butler make mention of him to Pharaoh so that he could be released from this prison, and he explained a little of the circumstances that brought him, although he was innocent, to this prison.
(16) When the chief baker saw that the interpretation was good, he said to Joseph, "I also was in my dream, and behold, I had three white baskets on my head. (17) And in the uppermost basket there were all kinds of baked goods for Pharaoh, and the birds ate them out of the basket on my head."
The chief baker felt encouraged by the good interpretation of the chief butler's dream and told Joseph his dream, surely expecting a similar outcome.
(18) And Joseph answered and said, "This is the interpretation of it: The three baskets are three days. (19) Yet within three 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."
Joseph's interpretation began with the same three days, but this time rather than being restored to his position, the birds eating from out of the basket on his head represented Pharaoh having him beheaded and hung on a tree where the birds would eat his flesh. What a sobering interpretation to I'm sure a stunned chief baker, who now had to wait three days for this horrific outcome!
(20) And it came to pass the third day, which was Pharaoh's birthday, that he made a feast for all his servants; and he lifted up the head of the chief butler and of the chief baker among his servants.
In three days, on the occasion of his birthday, Pharaoh made a feast for all his servants and lifted up the heads of his chief butler and his chief baker, which meant he probably mentioned them and brought them out of prison, but from that point, he treated their heads differently as indicated in the next verse.
(21) And he restored the chief butler to his butlership again, and he gave the cup into Pharaoh's hand. (22) But he hanged the chief baker, as Joseph had interpreted to them.
Pharaoh indeed restored the chief butler to his position, but hanged the chief baker, just as Joseph had interpreted.
(23) Yet the chief butler did not remember Joseph, but forgot him.
The chief butler forgot all about Joseph and his request to be remembered to Pharaoh.
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