Thematic Bible: Is an interpreter of dreams
Thematic Bible
Joseph » Son of jacob » Is an interpreter of dreams » Of the two prisoners
both prisoners, the cupbearer and the baker for the king of Egypt, had dreams one night. Each man had a dream with its own special meaning. Joseph saw that they were upset when he came to them in the morning. He asked these officials of Pharaoh who were with him in his master's prison: Why do you look so unhappy today? read more.
We both had dreams, they answered him, but there is no one to tell us what they mean. Is it not God who can tell what dreams mean? Joseph asked them. Tell me all about them. So the chief cupbearer told Joseph his dream. He said: In my dream a grapevine with three branches appeared in front of me. Soon after it sprouted it blossomed. Then its clusters ripened into grapes. Pharaoh's cup was in my hand. I took the grapes and squeezed them into it. I put the cup in Pharaoh's hand. This is what it means, Joseph said to him. The three branches are three days. In the next three days Pharaoh will release you and restore you to your position. You will put Pharaoh's cup in his hand as you used to do when you were his cupbearer. Remember me when things go well for you. Please do me a favor. Mention me to Pharaoh, and get me out of this prison. I was in fact kidnapped from the land of the Hebrews. And here I have done nothing that they should have put me into the dungeon. When the chief baker saw that he had interpreted favorably, he said to Joseph: I also saw in my dream three baskets of white bread on my head. The top basket contained all sorts of baked food for Pharaoh. The birds were eating them out of the basket on my head. Joseph answered: This is its interpretation: the three baskets are three days. In three more days Pharaoh will lift up your head from you. He will hang you on a tree, and the birds will eat your flesh off you. It happened on the third day, which was Pharaoh's birthday that he made a feast for all his servants. He lifted up the head of the chief cupbearer and the head of the chief baker among his servants. He restored the chief cupbearer to his office, and he put the cup into Pharaoh's hand. He did indeed hang the chief baker, just as Joseph had interpreted to them. Yet the chief cupbearer did not remember Joseph. In fact he forgot him.
We both had dreams, they answered him, but there is no one to tell us what they mean. Is it not God who can tell what dreams mean? Joseph asked them. Tell me all about them. So the chief cupbearer told Joseph his dream. He said: In my dream a grapevine with three branches appeared in front of me. Soon after it sprouted it blossomed. Then its clusters ripened into grapes. Pharaoh's cup was in my hand. I took the grapes and squeezed them into it. I put the cup in Pharaoh's hand. This is what it means, Joseph said to him. The three branches are three days. In the next three days Pharaoh will release you and restore you to your position. You will put Pharaoh's cup in his hand as you used to do when you were his cupbearer. Remember me when things go well for you. Please do me a favor. Mention me to Pharaoh, and get me out of this prison. I was in fact kidnapped from the land of the Hebrews. And here I have done nothing that they should have put me into the dungeon. When the chief baker saw that he had interpreted favorably, he said to Joseph: I also saw in my dream three baskets of white bread on my head. The top basket contained all sorts of baked food for Pharaoh. The birds were eating them out of the basket on my head. Joseph answered: This is its interpretation: the three baskets are three days. In three more days Pharaoh will lift up your head from you. He will hang you on a tree, and the birds will eat your flesh off you. It happened on the third day, which was Pharaoh's birthday that he made a feast for all his servants. He lifted up the head of the chief cupbearer and the head of the chief baker among his servants. He restored the chief cupbearer to his office, and he put the cup into Pharaoh's hand. He did indeed hang the chief baker, just as Joseph had interpreted to them. Yet the chief cupbearer did not remember Joseph. In fact he forgot him.
Joseph » Son of jacob » Is an interpreter of dreams » Of pharaoh
Two years later Pharaoh had a dream. He dreamed he was standing by the Nile River. Suddenly, seven nice-looking well-fed cows came up from the river and began to graze among the reeds. Seven other cows came up from the river behind them. These cows were sickly and skinny. They stood behind the first seven cows on the riverbank. read more.
The cows that were sickly and skinny ate the seven nice-looking well-fed cows. Then Pharaoh woke up. He fell asleep again and had another dream. Seven heads of grain, full and ripe, were growing on one stalk. Then seven other heads of grain sprouted thin and scorched by the desert wind. The thin heads of grain swallowed the full ones. The king woke up and realized that he had been dreaming. The king was upset the next morning. So he called his magicians and wise men and told them what he had dreamed. None of them could tell him what the dreams meant. The king's chief cupbearer said: Now I remember what I was supposed to do. When you were angry with your chief cook and me, you threw us both in jail in the house of the captain of the guard. One night we both had dreams. Each dream had a different meaning. A young Hebrew, who was a servant of the captain of the guard, was there with us at the time. When we told him our dreams, he explained what each of them meant. Everything happened just as he said it would. I got my job back, and the cook was put to death. So the king sent for Joseph. He was quickly brought out of jail. He shaved, changed his clothes, and went to the king. The king said: I had a dream. No one can explain what it means. I am told that you can interpret dreams. Joseph then answered Pharaoh: I cannot do it myself, but God can give the meaning of your dreams. The king told Joseph: I dreamed as I stood on the bank of the Nile River, I saw seven fat, healthy cows come up out of the river. They began feeding on the grass. Next, seven skinny, bony cows came up out of the river. I have never seen such terrible looking cows anywhere in Egypt. The skinny cows ate the fat ones! Even though they had eaten the fat cows, no one could tell they had eaten them. They looked just as sick as before. Then I woke up. In my second dream I saw seven good, full heads of grain growing on a single stalk. Seven other heads of grain, withered, thin, and scorched by the east wind, sprouted behind them. The thin heads of grain swallowed the seven good heads. I told this to the magicians, but no one could tell me what it meant. Joseph said to Pharaoh: Pharaoh had the same dream twice. God has told Pharaoh what he is going to do. The seven good cows are seven years. The seven good heads of grain are seven years. It is all the same dream. The seven thin, sickly cows that came up behind them are seven years. The seven empty heads of grain scorched by the east wind are also seven years. Seven years of famine are coming! It is just as I said to Pharaoh. God has shown Pharaoh what he is going to do. Seven years are coming when there will be plenty of food in Egypt. Seven years of famine will follow. Then people will forget that there was plenty of food in Egypt. The famine will ruin the land. People will not remember that there was once plenty of food in the land, because the coming famine will be so severe. The reason Pharaoh has had a recurring dream is because the matter has been definitely decided by God. He will do it very soon. Pharaoh should look for a wise and intelligent man and put him in charge of Egypt. Make arrangements to appoint supervisors over the land. Take a fifth of Egypt's harvest during the seven good years. Have them collect all the food during these good years. Store up grain under Pharaoh's control, to be kept for food in the cities. This food will be a reserve supply for our country during the seven years of famine that will happen in Egypt. Then the land will not be ruined by the famine. The king and his officials approved this plan,
The cows that were sickly and skinny ate the seven nice-looking well-fed cows. Then Pharaoh woke up. He fell asleep again and had another dream. Seven heads of grain, full and ripe, were growing on one stalk. Then seven other heads of grain sprouted thin and scorched by the desert wind. The thin heads of grain swallowed the full ones. The king woke up and realized that he had been dreaming. The king was upset the next morning. So he called his magicians and wise men and told them what he had dreamed. None of them could tell him what the dreams meant. The king's chief cupbearer said: Now I remember what I was supposed to do. When you were angry with your chief cook and me, you threw us both in jail in the house of the captain of the guard. One night we both had dreams. Each dream had a different meaning. A young Hebrew, who was a servant of the captain of the guard, was there with us at the time. When we told him our dreams, he explained what each of them meant. Everything happened just as he said it would. I got my job back, and the cook was put to death. So the king sent for Joseph. He was quickly brought out of jail. He shaved, changed his clothes, and went to the king. The king said: I had a dream. No one can explain what it means. I am told that you can interpret dreams. Joseph then answered Pharaoh: I cannot do it myself, but God can give the meaning of your dreams. The king told Joseph: I dreamed as I stood on the bank of the Nile River, I saw seven fat, healthy cows come up out of the river. They began feeding on the grass. Next, seven skinny, bony cows came up out of the river. I have never seen such terrible looking cows anywhere in Egypt. The skinny cows ate the fat ones! Even though they had eaten the fat cows, no one could tell they had eaten them. They looked just as sick as before. Then I woke up. In my second dream I saw seven good, full heads of grain growing on a single stalk. Seven other heads of grain, withered, thin, and scorched by the east wind, sprouted behind them. The thin heads of grain swallowed the seven good heads. I told this to the magicians, but no one could tell me what it meant. Joseph said to Pharaoh: Pharaoh had the same dream twice. God has told Pharaoh what he is going to do. The seven good cows are seven years. The seven good heads of grain are seven years. It is all the same dream. The seven thin, sickly cows that came up behind them are seven years. The seven empty heads of grain scorched by the east wind are also seven years. Seven years of famine are coming! It is just as I said to Pharaoh. God has shown Pharaoh what he is going to do. Seven years are coming when there will be plenty of food in Egypt. Seven years of famine will follow. Then people will forget that there was plenty of food in Egypt. The famine will ruin the land. People will not remember that there was once plenty of food in the land, because the coming famine will be so severe. The reason Pharaoh has had a recurring dream is because the matter has been definitely decided by God. He will do it very soon. Pharaoh should look for a wise and intelligent man and put him in charge of Egypt. Make arrangements to appoint supervisors over the land. Take a fifth of Egypt's harvest during the seven good years. Have them collect all the food during these good years. Store up grain under Pharaoh's control, to be kept for food in the cities. This food will be a reserve supply for our country during the seven years of famine that will happen in Egypt. Then the land will not be ruined by the famine. The king and his officials approved this plan,