John Gill Commentary Genesis 40

And it came to pass after these things After Joseph had been accused and cast into prison, where he had been for some time.

[that] the butler of the king of Egypt and [his] baker had offended their lord the king of Egypt ; committed some fault, at least were accused of one, which raised his displeasure at them.

The Targum of Jonathan says, that they consulted to put poison into his drink and food; which, it is not improbable, considering their business and office, they might be charged with; at least it is much more probable than what Jarchi suggests, that the one put a fly into his cup, and the other a little stone or sand into his bread.

And Pharaoh was angry against two [of] his officers
The same above mentioned: against the chief of the butlers, and against the chief of the bakers ;
for as there were several butlers and bakers that belonged to him, who were employed in providing wine and food for him, there was one of each who was over the rest; and as their business was to see that those under them did their work well, when they were faulty the principal officers were answerable for it:

therefore, if in this case they had not been guilty of anything criminal themselves personally, yet they might have neglected to look after those that were under them, and so were culpable, and drew upon them the wrath and resentment of their lord and sovereign.

And he put them in ward in the house of the captain of the guard Who is generally thought to be Potiphar, since this was the office he was in, (Genesis 39:1) ; unless he was dead, and there was another put into his room, or there were more than one in the same office: into the prison, the place where Joseph [was] bound ; that is, where he had been bound, and where he was still a prisoner, though not fettered and in that close confinement he had been in.

And the captain of the guard charged Joseph with them
Committed them to his care and custody, he being very probably recommended to him by the keeper of the prison for his prudence and fidelity; and if it was Potiphar, he knew his character very well, and might be now reconciled to him, as having had a more full and clear account of the affair between him and his wife from the keeper of the prison; and therefore though he might not think fit for his own and his wife's reputation to remove him from prison as yet, but might be inclined to do him what service he could, as well as honour, as this was, to have two such state prisoners committed to his care.

Some render it, "he committed Joseph with them" ^F24 ; to be with them, as Jarchi interprets it; they were put together, not merely for the sake of company, but that Joseph might wait upon them, which might be beneficial as well as creditable, as it follows: and he served them ;
he ministered to them, and brought them every thing they wanted: and they continued a season in ward ;
or "days" ^F25 ; some certain days, many days, a year, as Jarchi and Ben Gersom interpret it, and which is sometimes the use of the word.

The story of the butler and baker is told, partly to show the divine faculty of interpreting dreams Joseph was possessed of; and partly to observe the remarkable steps in Providence, though secret, towards his advancement in Pharaoh's court.

FOOTNOTES:

• F24: (Mta Powy ta-dqpyw) "et commisit Josephum cum eis", Junius & Tremellius.
• F25: (Mymy) "per annum", Pagninus, Vatablus, Schmidt.

And they dreamed a dream both of them Not one and the same dream: each man his dream in one night; which made it the more remarkable, and the more impressed their minds, concluding from hence there must be something of importance in their dreams: each man according to the interpretation of his dream; they dreamed each what was suitable to his office and character, and which portended what should hereafter befall them, as the interpretation of them by Joseph afterwards, and the event showed; so that it was not a vain idle dream, but divine and certain: the butler and the baker of the king of Egypt, which [were] bound in the prison; this is added for explanation's sake, showing who were the persons spoken of that dreamed the dreams.