Dreams
Imprisoned in Egypt, Joseph’s fate hangs in balance, sharing the dark cell with Pharaoh’s disgraced butler and baker. As dreams unfold, Joseph offers divine interpretations: the butler will be restored, the baker condemned. Yet, despite his pleas to be remembered, Joseph is forgotten in the bowels of the prison as Egypt celebrates a royal birth with feasts and rejoicing. Bound by prophecy and patience, Joseph awaits his day of deliverance, the gears of destiny slowly turning in a foreign land, watched over by a silent God.
Major Characters
Minor Characters
Insignificant Characters
GENESIS
50%
JASHER
41%
JUBILEES
9%
Exposition
J: 46 | Y: 2234 | The chief butler and chief baker offend Pharaoh
Genesis 40:1, Jasher 46:1-4
Rising Action
They are sentenced to prison
Genesis 40:2-3, Jasher 46:5, Jubilees 39:14
Joseph is charged with serving them
Genesis 40:4, Jubilees 39:15
Climax
They both have dreams
Genesis 40:5-6, Jasher 46:6, Jubilees 39:16
Joseph asks them to tell him their dreams
Genesis 40:7-8, Jasher 46:7
The chief butler’s dream and Joseph’s interpretation
Genesis 40:9-15, Jasher 46:8-11
The chief baker’s dream and Joseph’s interpretation
Genesis 40:16-19, Jasher 46:12-14
Falling Action
Pharaoh’s firstborn son is born and there is a celebration
Genesis 40:20, Jasher 46:15-18
Resolution
The positions of the chief butler and chief baker are restored
Genesis 40:21-23, Jasher 46:19-20, Jubilees 39:17-18
Y: 2234-2240 | Jeush’s, Jaalam’s, and Korah’s children born
Genesis 36:40-43, Jasher 36:24-25
Jubilee: 46
Year: 2234
The chief butler and chief baker offend Pharaoh
Jasher 46:1-3
1 In those days Joseph was still confined in the prison house in the land of Egypt.
2 At that time the attendants of Pharaoh were standing before him, the chief of the butlers and the chief of the bakers which belonged to the king of Egypt.
3 And the butler took wine and placed it before the king to drink, and the baker placed bread before the king to eat, and the king drank of the wine and ate of the bread, he and his servants and ministers that ate at the king’s table.
Genesis 40:1
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.
Jasher 46:4
4 And whilst they were eating and drinking, the butler and the baker remained there, and Pharaoh’s ministers found many flies in the wine, which the butler had brought, and stones of nitre were found in the baker’s bread.
They are sentenced to prison
Genesis 40:2-3
2 And Pharaoh was wroth against two of his 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, into the prison, the place where Joseph was bound.
Jasher 46:5
5 And the captain of the guard placed Joseph as an attendant on Pharaoh’s officers, and Pharaoh’s officers were in confinement one year.
Jubilees 39:14
14 And he remained there two years. And in those days Pharaoh, king of Egypt was wroth against his two eunuchs, against the chief butler, and against the chief baker, and he put them in ward in the house of the chief cook, in the prison where Joseph was kept.
Joseph is charged with serving them
Genesis 40:4
4 And the captain of the guard charged Joseph with them, and he served them: and they continued a season in ward.
Jubilees 39:15
15 And the chief of the prison guards appointed Joseph to serve them; and he served before them.
They both have dreams
Genesis 40:5-6
5 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.
6 And Joseph came in unto them in the morning, and looked upon them, and, behold, they were sad.
Jasher 46:6
6 And at the end of the year, they both dreamed dreams in one night, in the place of confinement where they were, and in the morning Joseph came to them to attend upon them as usual, and he saw them, and behold their countenances were dejected and sad.
Jubilees 39:16
16 And they both dreamed a dream, the chief butler and the chief baker, and they told it to Joseph.
Joseph asks them to tell him their dreams
Genesis 40:7-8
7 And he asked Pharaoh’s officers that were with him in the ward of his lord’s house, saying, Wherefore look ye so sadly to day?
8 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.
Jasher 46:7
7 And Joseph asked them, Why are your countenances sad and dejected this day? and they said unto him, We dreamed a dream, and there is no one to interpret it; and Joseph said unto them, Relate, I pray you, your dream unto me, and God shall give you an answer of peace as you desire.
The chief butler’s dream and Joseph’s interpretation
Genesis 40:9-15
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, and her blossoms shot forth; and the clusters thereof 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 unto him, This is the interpretation of it: The three branches are three days:
13 Yet within three days shall Pharaoh lift up thine head, and restore thee unto thy place: and thou shalt deliver Pharaoh’s cup into his hand, after the former manner when thou wast his butler.
14 But think on me when it shall be well with thee, and shew kindness, I pray thee, unto me, and make mention of me unto 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.
Jasher 46:8-10
8 And the butler related his dream unto Joseph, and he said, I saw in my dream, and behold a large vine was before me, and upon that vine I saw three branches, and the vine speedily blossomed and reached a great height, and its clusters were ripened and became grapes.
9 And I took the grapes and pressed them in a cup, and placed it in Pharaoh’s hand and he drank; and Joseph said unto him, The three branches that were upon the vine are three days.
10 Yet within three days, the king will order thee to be brought out and he will restore thee to thy office, and thou shalt give the king his wine to drink as at first when thou wast his butler; but let me find favor in thy sight, that thou shalt remember me to Pharaoh when it will be well with thee, and do kindness unto me, and get me brought forth from this prison, for I was stolen away from the land of Canaan and was sold for a slave in this place.
Jasher 46:11
11 And also that which was told thee concerning my master’s wife is false, for they placed me in this dungeon for naught; and the butler answered Joseph, saying, If the king deal well with me as at first, as thou last interpreted to me, I will do all that thou desirest, and get thee brought out of this dungeon.
The chief baker’s dream and Joseph’s interpretation
Genesis 40:16-19
16 When the chief baker saw that the interpretation was good, he said unto Joseph, I also was in my dream, and, behold, I had three white baskets on my head:
17 And in the uppermost basket there was of all manner of bakemeats for Pharaoh; and the birds did eat them out of the basket upon my head.
18 And Joseph answered and said, This is the interpretation thereof: The three baskets are three days:
19 Yet within three days shall Pharaoh lift up thy head from off thee, and shall hang thee on a tree; and the birds shall eat thy flesh from off thee.
Jasher 46:12-14
12 And the baker, seeing that Joseph had accurately interpreted the butler’s dream, also approached, and related the whole of his dream to Joseph.
13 And he said unto him, In my dream I saw and behold three white baskets upon my head, and I looked, and behold there were in the upper-most basket all manner of baked meats for Pharaoh, and behold the birds were eating them from off my head.
14 And Joseph said unto him, The three baskets which thou didst see are three days, yet within three days Pharaoh will take off thy head, and hang thee upon a tree, and the birds will eat thy flesh from off thee, as thou sawest in thy dream.
Pharaoh’s firstborn son is born and there is a celebration
Jasher 46:15
15 In those days the queen was about to be delivered, and upon that day she bare a son unto the king of Egypt, and they proclaimed that the king had gotten his first born son and all the people of Egypt together with the officers and servants of Pharaoh rejoiced greatly.
Genesis 40:20
20 And it came to pass the third day, which was Pharaoh’s birthday, that he made a feast unto all his servants: and he lifted up the head of the chief butler and of the chief baker among his servants.
Jasher 46:16
16 And upon the third day of his birth Pharaoh made a feast for his officers and servants, for the hosts of the land of Zoar and of the land of Egypt.
Jasher 46:17-18
17 And all the people of Egypt and the servants of Pharaoh came to eat and drink with the king at the feast of his son, and to rejoice at the king’s rejoicing.
18 And all the officers of the king and his servants were rejoicing at that time for eight days at the feast, and they made merry with all sorts of musical instruments, with timbrels and with dances in the king’s house for eight days.
The positions of the chief butler and chief baker are restored
Genesis 40:21-22
21 And he restored the chief butler unto 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.
Jubilees 39:17
17 And as he interpreted to them so it befell them, and Pharaoh restored the chief butler to his office and the (chief) baker he slew, as Joseph had interpreted to them.
Genesis 40:23
23 Yet did not the chief butler remember Joseph, but forgat him.
Jasher 46:19
19 And the butler, to whom Joseph had interpreted his dream, forgot Joseph, and he did not mention him to the king as he had promised, for this thing was from the Lord in order to punish Joseph because he had trusted in man.
Jubilees 39:18
18 But the chief butler forgot Joseph in the prison, although he had informed him what would befall him, and did not remember to inform Pharaoh how Joseph had told him, for he forgot.
Jasher 46:20
20 And Joseph remained after this in the prison house two years, until he had completed twelve years.
Year: 2234-2240
Jeush's, Jaalam's, and Korah's children borni
Genesis 36:40-43
40 And these are the names of the dukes that came of Esau, according to their families, after their places, by their names; duke Timnah, duke Alvah, duke Jetheth,
41 Duke Aholibamah, duke Elah, duke Pinon,
42 Duke Kenaz, duke Teman, duke Mibzar,
43 Duke Magdiel, duke Iram: these be the dukes of Edom, according to their habitations in the land of their possession: he is Esau the father of the Edomites.
Jasher 36:24-25
24 And the sons of Jeush were Timnah, Alvah, Jetheth; and the sons of Yaalam were Alah, Phinor and Kenaz.
25 And the sons of Korah were Teman, Mibzar, Magdiel and Eram; these are the families of the sons of Esau according to their dukedoms in the land of Seir.
i. Duke Aholibamah is missing from the list in Jasher. Aholibamah is the 4th wife of Esau and the mother of Jeush, Jaalam, and Korah. Did Esau appoint his wife as a Duke?
Exposition
J: 46 | Y: 2234 | The chief butler and chief baker offend Pharaoh
Genesis 40:1, Jasher 46:1-4
In those days Joseph was still confined in the prison house in the land of Egypt. At that time the attendants of Pharaoh were standing before him, the chief of the butlers and the chief of the bakers which belonged to the king of Egypt. And the butler took wine and placed it before the king to drink, and the baker placed bread before the king to eat, and the king drank of the wine and ate of the bread, he and his servants and ministers that ate at the king’s table.
And while they were eating and drinking, the butler and the baker remained there, and Pharaoh’s ministers found many flies in the wine, which the butler had brought, and stones of niter were found in the baker’s bread, thus offending the king of Egypt.
Rising Action
They are sentenced to prison
Genesis 40:2-3, Jasher 46:5, Jubilees 39:14
And Pharaoh was wroth against 2 of his officers, against the chief of the butlers, and against the chief of the bakers. And he put them in ward in the house of the captain of the guard for 1 year (2 years?), into the prison, the place where Joseph was bound.
Joseph is charged with serving them
Genesis 40:4, Jubilees 39:15
And the captain of the guard charged Joseph with them, and he served them: and they continued a season in ward.
Climax
They both have dreams
Genesis 40:5-6, Jasher 46:6, Jubilees 39:16
And at the end of the year, they dreamed a dream both of them, each man his dream in 1 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. And Joseph came in to them in the morning, and looked upon them, and, behold, they were sad.
Joseph asks them to tell him their dreams
Genesis 40:7-8, Jasher 46:7
And he asked Pharaoh’s officers that were with him in the ward of his lord’s house, saying, “Why do you look so sad to day?”
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 me them, I pray and God will give you an answer of peace as you desire.”
The chief butler’s dream and Joseph’s interpretation
Genesis 40:9-15, Jasher 46:8-11
And the chief butler told his dream to Joseph, and said to him, “In my dream, behold, a vine was before me. And in the vine were 3 branches: and it was as though it budded, and her blossoms shot forth; and the clusters thereof brought forth ripe grapes. 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.”
And Joseph said to him, “This is the interpretation of it: The 3 branches are 3 days. Yet within 3 days will Pharaoh lift up your head, and restore you to your place, and you will deliver Pharaoh’s cup into his hand, after the former manner when you were his butler. But think on me when it will be well with you, and shew kindness, I pray, to me, and make mention of me to Pharaoh, and bring me out of this house. For indeed I was stolen away out of the land of the Hebrews, the land of Canaan, and I was sold for a slave in this place: and here also have I done nothing that they should put me into the dungeon. And also that which was told you concerning my master’s wife is false, for they placed me in this dungeon for nothing; and the butler answered Joseph, saying, “If the king deal well with me as at first, as you last interpreted to me, I will do all that you desire, and get you brought out of this dungeon.”
The chief baker’s dream and Joseph’s interpretation
Genesis 40:16-19, Jasher 46:12-14
When the chief baker saw that the interpretation was good, he said to Joseph, “I also was in my dream, and, behold, I had 3 white baskets on my head. And in the uppermost basket there was of all manner of bake meats for Pharaoh; and the birds did eat them out of the basket upon my head.
And Joseph answered and said, “This is the interpretation thereof: The 3 baskets are 3 days. Yet within 3 days will Pharaoh take your head from off you, and will hang you on a tree; and the birds will eat your flesh from off you.”
Falling Action
Pharaoh’s firstborn son is born and there is a celebration
Genesis 40:20, Jasher 46:15-18
In those days the queen was about to be delivered, and upon that day she bore a son to the king of Egypt, and they proclaimed that the king had gotten his first born son and all the people of Egypt together with the officers and servants of Pharaoh rejoiced greatly.
And upon the 3rd day of his birth, Pharaoh made a feast for his officers and servants, for the hosts of the land of Zoar and of the land of Egypt, and he lifted the head of the chief butler and of the chief baker among his servants.
And all the people of Egypt and the servants of Pharaoh came to eat and drink with the king at the feast of his son, and to rejoice at the king’s rejoicing. And all the officers of the king and his servants were rejoicing at that time for 8 days at the feast, and they made merry with all sorts of musical instruments, with timbrels and with dances in the king’s house for 8 days.
Resolution
The positions of the chief butler and chief baker are restored
Genesis 40:21-23, Jasher 46:19-20, Jubilees 39:17-18
And he restored the chief butler to his butlership again, and he gave the cup into Pharaoh’s hand:, but he hanged the chief baker as Joseph had interpreted to them.
And the butler, to whom Joseph had interpreted his dream, forgot Joseph, and he did not mention him to the king as he had promised, for this thing was from the Lord in order to punish Joseph because he had trusted in man. And Joseph remained after this in the prison house 2 years, until he had completed 12 years.
Y: 2234-2240 | Jeush’s, Jaalam’s, and Korah’s children born
Genesis 36:40-43, Jasher 36:24-25
And these are the names of the dukes that came of Esau, according to their families, after their places, by their names: Duke Timnah, Duke Alvah, and Duke Jetheth were the sons of Jeush, Duke Aholibamah, and Duke Elah (Alah), Duke Pinon (Phinor), Duke Kenaz were the sons of Yaalam, Duke Teman, Duke Mibzar, Duke Magdiel, and Duke Iram (Eram) were the sons of Korah: these be the dukes of Edom, according to their habitations in the land of their possession, in the land of Seir: he is Esau the father of the Edomites.
This chart shows who was alive in years 2234-2240.
Years with question marks are estimates.