John Gill Commentary Genesis 40:17

"and in the uppermost basket there was of all manner of baked food for Pharaoh; and the birds did eat them out of the basket upon my head." — Genesis 40:17 (ASV)

And in the uppermost basket [there was] of all manner of bakemeats for Pharaoh All sorts of pastry, as tarts, pies, &c. Josephus ^F2 says, two of the baskets were full of bread, and the third had various sorts of food, such as is usually, prepared for kings:

and the birds did eat them out of the basket upon my head ; all the three baskets were upon his head, but this seems to be the uppermost, which the birds could more easily come at; though if the baskets were full of holes, they might through them peck the bread with their bills.

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FOOTNOTES:

• F2: Antiqu. l. 2. c. 5. sect. 3.