Genesis 40:7-8 · Bible study
Genesis 40:7-8 Commentary: Interpretations Belong to God
Hebrew · 8 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
In prison, Joseph notices the downcast officials and affirms that dream interpretation belongs to God, showing both compassion and faith.
Research Summary
- Meaning: Joseph redirects the officials from human helplessness to God as the source of dream interpretation, all while showing compassionate initiative from within prison.
- Key words: 'Interpret' (פתר, H6622, to interpret dreams); 'interpretation' (פתרון, H6623, the meaning); 'God' (אלהים, H0430, the true God); 'please' (נא, H4994, an entreaty); 'sad faces' (פנים רעים, literally 'bad faces').
- Main debate: Whether Joseph is implicitly claiming the gift of interpretation for himself or simply affirming that God alone interprets. Most agree he points to God while remaining open to being used (cf. Gill vs Cambridge Bible).
- Theological theme: God's sovereignty over revelation and wisdom; human compassion as the context for divine truth.
- Best use: Teaching on responding to others' struggles with both practical care and theological hope; also useful in studies on divine guidance and dreams.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
7So he asked the officials of Pharaoh who were in custody with him in his master’s house, “Why are your faces so downcast today?”
8“We both had dreams,” they replied, “but there is no one to interpret them.” Then Joseph said to them, “Don’t interpretations belong to God? Tell me your dreams.”
WEB World English Bible 2000
7He asked Pharaoh’s officers who were with him in custody in his master’s house, saying, “Why do you look so sad today?”
8They said to him, “We have dreamed a dream, and there is no one who can interpret it.” Joseph said to them, “Don’t interpretations belong to God? Please tell it to me.”
KJV King James Version 1769
7And 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?
8And 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.
ASV American Standard Version 1901
7And he asked Pharaoh’s officers that were with him in ward in his master’s house, saying, Wherefore look ye so sad to-day?
8And they said unto him, We have dreamed a dream, and there is none that can interpret it. And Joseph said unto them, Do not interpretations belong to God? tell it me, I pray you.
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
7and he asketh Pharaoh's eunuchs who are with him in charge in the house of his lord, saying, `Wherefore are your faces sad to-day?'
8And they say unto him, `A dream we have dreamed, and there is no interpreter of it;' and Joseph saith unto them, `Are not interpretations with God? recount, I pray you, to me.'
Darby Darby Bible 1890
7And he asked Pharaoh's chamberlains that were with him in custody in his lord's house, saying, Why are your faces [so] sad to-day?
8And they said to him, We have dreamt a dream, and there is no interpreter of it. And Joseph said to them, [Do] not interpretations [belong] to God? tell me [your dreams], I pray you.
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
7He asked them, saying: Why is your countenance sadder today than usual?
8They 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:
Verse in Context
Original Language (Biblical Hebrew)
Old Testament · Biblical Hebrew · Genesis 40:7
Source: STEPBible TAGNT/TEHB (CC-BY 4.0). Click or tap a morphology code to see the full parsing.
Scholars' Consensus
Commentators across traditions agree that this exchange displays Joseph's compassion and his deep theological conviction. Matthew Henry notes Joseph's 'kind, tender, and benevolent disposition' in asking why the officials are sad. The Cambridge Bible observes that in Egypt, dream interpretation was treated as a science or branch of magic, so the officials had no interpreter at hand. Joseph's reply, 'Don't interpretations belong to God?', is not a claim about his own ability, but a declaration that the true God alone holds the meaning of dreams (Keil & Delitzsch). Adam Clarke emphasizes that 'God alone knows what is in futurity.' Gill reads Joseph's words as gently directing the officials away from Egyptian magicians toward the God of Israel. The consensus is clear: Joseph models humble faith and active compassion, redirecting hope from human systems to divine revelation.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Low
What is clear: Joseph's question shows genuine compassion, and his declaration that interpretations belong to God directs the officials to divine rather than human sources of understanding.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| Joseph's declaration that interpretations belong to God | Commentators agree that Joseph directs the officials away from human wisdom to God as the source of true interpretation. | Some (Gill) see in Joseph's words a subtle hint that he himself has been given this gift by God; others (Cambridge Bible) stress that Joseph makes no claim to interpret, only that God is the interpreter. |
| Joseph's motivation in asking about their sadness | All note his compassionate and tender spirit (Matthew Henry, Gill). | No significant debate; it is widely viewed as genuine pastoral care. |
| The meaning of 'there is no interpreter' | All agree it refers to the lack of available dream experts in prison, cutting the officials off from the usual Egyptian resources. | Minor differences: some emphasize the helplessness (Clarke), others the contrast with Egyptian magic (Cambridge, Lange). |
| Joseph's invitation 'tell it to me' | Joseph does not demand but invites, using the polite particle na ('please'). All see this as an act of faith that God may reveal meaning through him. | No debate; the humility of the request is uniformly noted. |
Historical & Cultural Context
This scene takes place in the prison attached to the house of 'the captain of the guard,' identified in context as Potiphar (Genesis 39:1). Joseph is now in charge of two high-ranking officials, the chief cupbearer and chief baker, imprisoned for offending Pharaoh. The prison is not a general dungeon but restricted custody within Potiphar's estate, allowing Joseph daily interaction with them.
When Joseph asks why their faces are 'so sad today,' the Hebrew phrase reads literally 'your faces are bad' (פניכם רעים). This expression of distress was culturally recognized, the same language appears in Nehemiah 2:2, when a king notices a cupbearer's sadness. In Egypt, dreams were taken seriously as omens, and dream interpretation was a specialized profession. The Cambridge Bible notes that the Egyptians regarded it as 'a science requiring special study.' Normally the officials would consult a soothsayer, but prison cut them off from such experts.
Joseph's question is remarkable for its compassion. Despite his own suffering and unjust imprisonment, he notices the sorrow of others. Gill observes that the officials, once prosperous, now show sudden dejection. Lange's Commentary remarks that Joseph's conversation 'proves his sagacity as well as his kindly sympathy.' When they confess their helplessness, 'there is no interpreter', Joseph does not offer his own expertise. Instead, he elevates the conversation: 'Don't interpretations belong to God?' He thereby rejects the pagan arts of divination while opening the door for divine revelation. The verse combines pastoral care with theological witness, pointing fellow prisoners to the God who speaks and who alone can make dreams plain.
Textual Notes
The consulted sources note no significant textual variants for Genesis 40:7-8. The Hebrew text is stable across manuscript traditions. Minor translation differences, such as 'officials' vs 'eunuchs' for סְרִיסֵי, reflect lexical choices rather than textual uncertainty.
Reception History
This passage has been read across Christian traditions as a model of humble faith and compassionate care. The Geneva Bible (1599) notes that Joseph's words lead the officials to look to God. Matthew Henry (1710) emphasizes his 'tender compassion' and piety in attributing everything to God. From the Wesleyan tradition, Adam Clarke (1826) points to God as the sole knower of futurity. In Reformed circles, Keil & Delitzsch (1876) read the verse as Joseph's consciousness of a divine gift. The passage has consistently been used to teach that wisdom and revelation originate with God, not human technique, and to encourage believers to care for the distressed while pointing them to divine sovereignty.
Preaching This Verse
This passage offers rich material for preaching on compassion, faith, and the sovereignty of God. The outlines below draw out the narrative movement and theological core.
Three-point outline
- Compassion in captivity: Joseph, though a prisoner himself, has the emotional space to notice the sadness of the two officials. This is not self-pity but active care for others in the same hard place.
- The human dead end: The officials confess they have dreamed and have no interpreter. Egypt was full of dream experts, but none are available. Their helplessness mirrors our own when human resources fail.
- Divine ownership: Joseph redirects hope. 'Don't interpretations belong to God?' He names that the true God holds the answers, while not claiming the ability himself but opening the door for God to work through him.
Five-point outline
- Joseph's attentive care: He comes in each morning, and on this day he sees their downcast faces and asks directly about their sorrow. The Cambridge Bible notes that 'the man to whom God reveals His secrets alone can interpret.'
- The honest question: 'Why are your faces so sad?' Joseph does not assume; he asks. This models a pastoral approach that draws out the burden.
- Their helpless confession: They describe the dream and their lack of an interpreter, admitting dependence on someone else to make sense of it.
- Joseph's theological anchor: While Egyptians sought magicians, Joseph declares that interpretations belong to God, neither science nor magic, but divine gift.
- The invitation: 'Please tell it to me.' The Hebrew particle na ('please') signals politeness, not command. Joseph invites, trusting that God may reveal meaning through him.
Illustration hooks
- A coworker seems down but no one asks why. Joseph models the courage to inquire.
- We often turn to experts or resources before turning to God. This passage reminds us that wisdom ultimately belongs to Him.
- In a waiting season (like Joseph's long imprisonment), caring for others can keep the heart from growing bitter.
Questions your congregation is asking
- How can I care for others when I am in my own hard place?
- Where do I go when I have no answers and no one to help?
- What does it look like to point to God without pretending to have all the answers?
Leading a Discussion
In this short scene, Joseph demonstrates two qualities that often seem at odds: deep compassion and strong theological conviction. He notices the officials' sadness, draws out their need, and then immediately points beyond himself to God. This dual movement, toward others in care, toward God in faith, is a pattern for Christian community.
Discussion questions
- What do you observe about Joseph's approach to the officials? What does he do first?
- Why do you think Joseph asked them why they were sad? What does this reveal about his character?
- The officials say there is no interpreter. In what areas of life do we feel that there is 'no interpreter', no one who can help make sense of our situation?
- Joseph says, 'Don't interpretations belong to God?' What does this statement mean about the source of wisdom and revelation?
- How does Joseph's faith challenge the way the Egyptians (and we) often look for answers?
- Joseph then says, 'Please tell it to me.' What was he risking by offering to listen? How does this reflect humility?
- How can we, like Joseph, care for others while trusting in God's sovereignty over their situations?
Word Study
The key original-language words in this verse. Select any word for its full lexicon entry — meaning, every occurrence in Scripture, and related words.
Cross-References
Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (TSK, public domain)
| Judges 18:24 | He said, “You have taken away my gods which I made, and the priest, and have gone away! What more do I have? How can you ask me, ‘What ails you?’” |
| I Samuel 1:8 | Elkanah her husband said to her, “Hannah, why do you weep? Why don’t you eat? Why is your heart grieved? Am I not better to you than ten sons?” |
| II Samuel 13:4 | He said to him, “Why, son of the king, are you so sad from day to day? Won’t you tell me?” Amnon said to him, “I love Tamar, my brother Absalom’s sister.” |
| Nehemiah 2:2 | The king said to me, “Why is your face sad, since you are not sick? This is nothing else but sorrow of heart.” Then I was very much afraid. |
| Luke 24:17 | He said to them, “What are you talking about as you walk, and are sad?” |
| Genesis 41:15 | Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I have dreamed a dream, and there is no one who can interpret it. I have heard it said of you, that when you hear a dream you can interpret it.” |
| Genesis 41:16 | Joseph answered Pharaoh, saying, “It isn’t in me. God will give Pharaoh an answer of peace.” |
| Job 33:15 | In a dream, in a vision of the night, when deep sleep falls on men, in slumbering on the bed, |
Interlinear and lexical data from STEPBible (CC BY 4.0). Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0). Commentaries are public domain.
For personal reflection
Read the devotional page — prayer, application, and "for families"
What the Commentators Say
8 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.
Adam Clarke's Commentary Methodist/Wesleyan 1826
Clarke emphasizes that when no human interpreter can explain a dream, it drives the seeker to God, who alone possesses the key to hidden meanings. The very absence of a capable interpreter becomes proof that only the Supreme Being can reveal what lies in the future.
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges Anglican 1880
The commentator highlights that Egyptians treated dream interpretation as a trained science or magical art, but Joseph rejects both approaches. He insists that understanding dreams belongs to God alone, and only a man to whom God reveals His secrets can interpret them.
Geneva Bible Notes Reformed 1599
The Geneva notes highlight that Joseph immediately turns the officials' despair over their dreams into an occasion to confess God as the sole giver of interpretation. Rather than claiming any skill of his own, Joseph points them to God, showing both his humble faith and his readiness to serve as God's instrument.
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill highlights two distinctive features in Joseph's character: first, his tender compassion in noticing and asking about the officials' sadness; second, his theological boldness in declaring that dream interpretations belong only to the true God, not Egypt's magicians, and then offering to ask his God for the meaning.
Keil & Delitzsch OT Commentary Protestant 1876
Keil and Delitzsch emphasize that Joseph immediately recognizes the dreams as true omens from God. When the prisoners lament having no interpreter, Joseph declares that interpretations belong to God alone, and from that confidence he asks them to tell their dreams, aware that he himself possesses this divine gift.
Lange's Commentary Reformed 1857
Lange highlights Joseph's combination of shrewdness and sympathy in noticing the prisoners' dejection. His response that interpretations belong to God implicitly rejects the heathen dream-interpretation of Egypt, while hinting that God may have granted him that gift, though he first asks to hear their dreams.
Matthew Henry's Commentary Reformed/Presbyterian 1710
Henry highlights Joseph’s immediate redirection of attention from human skill to divine sovereignty when asked for interpretation. By asking whether interpretations do not belong to God, Joseph shifts the focus away from his own cleverness toward the source of all meaning. This response underscores that true understanding comes only from the Lord, not from human insight alone.
Wesley's Explanatory Notes Methodist/Wesleyan 1754
Wesley stresses that because interpretations belong to God alone, God is free to grant that ability to whomever He chooses. Joseph's question is not a refusal but an invitation: since God controls interpretation, Joseph can confidently ask the cupbearer and baker to tell him their dreams.