What happens to the butler and baker after Joseph interprets their dreams, and what happens to his request for help?

Atlas of Saints · Chapter summary

Joseph tells the chief butler he will be restored and the chief baker he will be executed after three days. On Pharao’s birthday those outcomes occur. Joseph has asked the butler to remember him and seek his release, but the restored butler forgets him.

Chapter breakdown

Two of the king of Egypt’s servants, called eunuchs in the edition, offend their lord. They are the chief butler and chief baker. Pharao is angry and sends them to the prison of the commander of the soldiers, where Joseph is also a prisoner. The keeper places them in Joseph’s care, and he serves them. After a little time in custody, both have dreams on the same night, each with an interpretation relating to himself. Joseph comes to them in the morning and sees their sadness. He asks why their faces are sadder than usual. They say they have dreamed but have nobody to interpret for them. Joseph asks whether interpretation does not belong to God and tells them to describe their dreams.

Challoner’s note says that when dreams come from God, as these do, interpreting them is a gift of God. It says most dreams are of a different kind. They may come from a person’s natural temperament and bodily condition, daytime thoughts about things that strongly affect them, worries and troubles, or bodily illness. The note also describes dreams suggested by evil spirits to flatter or frighten weak minds, draw them into error or superstition, or at least trouble their sleep when they cannot be moved while awake. From these distinctions, Challoner gives the general rule not to observe dreams or give them credit. This is the note’s explanation, separate from Joseph’s words.

The chief butler speaks first. He sees a vine with three branches. Little by little they put out buds; blossoms follow, then ripe grapes. He has Pharao’s cup in his hand, takes the grapes, presses them into that cup and gives it to Pharao.

Joseph says the three branches mean three days. After those days Pharao will remember the butler’s service and restore him to his former place. He will present the cup as he did before, according to his office. Joseph asks the butler to remember him when things are well and do him the kindness of reminding Pharao to take him out of prison. He explains that he was stolen from the land of the Hebrews and was put in this dungeon, or prison, without any fault.

Seeing that Joseph has interpreted the dream wisely, the chief baker tells his own dream. He has three baskets of meal, meaning flour, on his head. In the uppermost basket he carries foods made by baking, and birds eat from it.

Joseph says the three baskets mean three days. After those days Pharao will take the baker’s head from him and hang him on a cross, and birds will tear his flesh. This retains cross as the word in the interpretation; the following account uses gibbet for the execution structure.

The third day is Pharao’s birthday. He holds a great feast for his servants and remembers the chief butler and chief baker at the banquet. He restores the butler to his place to present the cup. He hangs the baker on a gibbet, a structure for hanging, showing the truth of Joseph’s interpretation. When things prosper for the chief butler, he forgets his interpreter.

The story inside

The dreams have matching counts but different outcomes. The butler’s three branches bear fruit that he presses into Pharao’s cup and presents to him; Joseph interprets the three as days leading to restored service. The baker’s three baskets include baked foods being eaten by birds; Joseph interprets the three as days leading to death and birds tearing his flesh. The birthday banquet supplies the common time at which the contrasting outcomes happen. Joseph’s personal request is attached to the favourable interpretation: he asks the butler to remember him and speak to Pharao about release, explaining his removal from his homeland and faultless imprisonment. The final verse separates the fulfilled interpretation from that unfulfilled request. The butler returns to service and prospers, but forgets Joseph. The chapter ends there, without supplying the later cause or timing of Joseph’s release.

Lessons worth keeping

1
Joseph directs the request for interpretation to God before hearing either dream. Challoner separately explains why these God-given dreams differ from most dreams and why interpretation is a gift. Keeping that distinction prevents the episode from becoming a general instruction to trust every dream.
2
The shared number three does not give the two men the same fate. Joseph connects it to three days in both interpretations, but predicts restored service for one and death for the other. The birthday account records both outcomes and identifies them as showing the interpretation’s truth.
3
The butler’s restoration does not fulfil Joseph’s request. Joseph asks for remembrance and help obtaining release; the last verse says the butler forgets him once things prosper. Keeping the request beside the ending makes that failure clear without inventing a promise from the butler or importing what happens later.

Test your recall

How do the branches and baskets relate to the same three-day interval but different outcomes, and how does the ending answer Joseph’s request to be remembered?

Source edition and notes

Douay–Rheims, revised by Richard Challoner (1749–1752). Project Gutenberg no. 1581. Locators refer to lines in the admitted pg1581.txt edition. Source notes may include Challoner commentary.

Lines 4555–4585
Genesis Chapter 40 Joseph interpreteth the dreams of two of Pharao’s servants in prison: the event declareth the interpretations to be true, but Joseph is forgotten. 40:1. After this, it came to pass, that two eunuchs, the butler and the baker of the king of Egypt, offended their lord. 40:2. And Pharao being angry with them, (now the one was chief butler, the other chief baker,) 40:3. He sent them to the prison of the commander of the soldiers, in which Joseph also was prisoner. 40:4. But the keeper of the prison delivered them to Joseph, and he served them. Some little time passed, and they were kept in custody. 40:5. And they both dreamed a dream the same night, according to the interpretation agreeing to themselves: 40:6. And when Joseph was come into them in the morning, and saw them sad, 40:7. He asked them, saying: Why is your countenance sadder today than usual? 40:8. They answered: We have dreamed a dream, and there is nobody to interpret it to us. And Joseph said to them: Doth not interpretation belong to God? Tell me what you have dreamed:
Lines 4586–4598
Doth not interpretation belong to God?.... When dreams are from God, as these were, the interpretation of them is a gift of God. But the generality of dreams are not of this sort; but either proceed from the natural complexions and dispositions of persons, or the roving of their imaginations in the day on such objects as they are much affected with, or from their mind being disturbed with cares and troubles, and oppressed with bodily infirmities: or they are suggested by evil spirits, to flatter, or to terrify weak minds, in order to gain belief, and so draw them into error or superstition; or at least to trouble them in their sleep, whom they cannot move when they are awake: so that the general rule, with regard to dreams, is not to observe them, nor to give any credit to them.
Lines 4599–4606
40:9. The chief butler first told his dream: I saw before me a vine, 40:10. On which were three branches, which by little and little sent out buds, and after the blossoms brought forth ripe grapes: 40:11. And the cup of Pharao was in my hand: and I took the grapes, and pressed them into the cup which I held, and I gave the cup to Pharao.
Lines 4607–4619
40:12. Joseph answered: This is the interpretation of the dream: The three branches, are yet three days: 40:13. After which Pharao will remember thy service, and will restore thee to thy former place: and thou shalt present him the cup according to thy office, as before thou was wont to do. 40:14. Only remember me when it shall be well with thee, and do me this kindness: to put Pharao in mind to take me out of this prison: 40:15. For I was stolen away out of the land of the Hebrews, and here without any fault was cast into the dungeon.
Lines 4620–4626
40:16. The chief baker seeing that he had wisely interpreted the dream, said: I also dreamed a dream, That I had three baskets of meal upon my head: 40:17. And that in one basket which was uppermost, I carried all meats that are made by the art of baking, and that the birds ate out of it.
Lines 4627–4632
40:18. Joseph answered: This is the interpretation of the dream: The three baskets, are yet three days: 40:19. After which Pharao will take thy head from thee, and hang thee on a cross, and the birds shall tear thy flesh.
Lines 4633–4645
40:20. The third day after this was the birthday of Pharao: and he made a great feast for his servants, and at the banquet remembered the chief butler, and the chief baker. 40:21. And he restored the one to his place, to present him the cup: 40:22. The other he hanged on a gibbet, that the truth of the interpreter might be shewn. 40:23. But the chief butler, when things prospered with him, forgot his interpreter.