Bible Strands
Genesis 40:12
Joseph replied, “This is the interpretation: The three branches are three days.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Joseph speaks to the chief cupbearer in Pharaoh’s prison, explaining the meaning of the cupbearer’s dream while both are detained as former officials.
The words — The Hebrew פִּתְרוֹן (pitron) denotes a formal interpretation or explanation, while שָׂרִיג (sarig) specifically refers to the vine’s budding branch.
The thread — This interpretive formula recurs in Genesis 40:18 regarding the baker’s dream, and the motif of divine revelation through dreams appears in Judges 7:14 and Genesis 41:12.
Why it lands — The text states the branches represent a three-day period before any prophetic outcome is inferred, requiring the reader to treat the timeline as a fixed disclosure rather than a symbolic guess.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
And Joseph said unto him, This is the interpretation of it: The three branches are three days:
Cross-references
- Genesis 41:12 Now a young Hebrew was there with us, a servant of the captain of the guard. We told him our dreams and he interpreted them for us individually.
- Judges 7:14 His friend replied: “This is nothing less than the sword of Gideon son of Joash, the Israelite. God has delivered Midian and the whole camp into his hand.”
- Genesis 40:18 Joseph replied, “This is the interpretation: The three baskets are three days.
- Genesis 41:25 At this, Joseph said to Pharaoh, “The dreams of Pharaoh are one and the same. God has revealed to Pharaoh what He is about to do.
- Daniel 2:36 This was the dream; now we will tell the king its interpretation.
- Daniel 4:19 For a time, Daniel, who was also known as Belteshazzar, was perplexed, and his thoughts alarmed him. So the king said, “Belteshazzar, do not let the dream or its interpretation alarm you.” “My lord,” replied Belteshazzar, “may the dream apply to those who hate you, and its interpretation to your enemies!
- Matthew 26:26 While they were eating, Jesus took bread, spoke a blessing and broke it, and gave it to the disciples, saying, “Take and eat; this is My body.”
- 1 Corinthians 10:4 and drank the same spiritual drink; for they drank from the spiritual rock that accompanied them, and that rock was Christ.
- Galatians 4:25 Now Hagar stands for Mount Sinai in Arabia and corresponds to the present-day Jerusalem, because she is in slavery with her children.