Genesis 41:11

One night both the chief baker and I had dreams, and each dream had its own meaning.

Berean Standard Bible

Study note

Setting — The chief cupbearer addresses Pharaoh, recounting the events that occurred while he and the chief baker were held in the captain of the guard’s custody following Pharaoh’s earlier anger.

The words — חֲל֛וֹם (cha.Lom) denotes a dream, while כְּ/פִתְר֥וֹן (ke./fit.Ron) literally means according to the interpretation, emphasizing that each vision carried a distinct prophetic meaning.

The thread — This shared nocturnal experience parallels Genesis 40:5, where the cupbearer and baker both receive dreams on the same night while imprisoned. The pattern of paired dreams and individual interpretations recurs in Genesis 41:12.

Why it lands — The text records that two imprisoned officials received separate dreams on a single night, each carrying its own meaning. It requires the reader to observe how divine communication operates through specific, individualized visions rather than uniform messages.

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

וַנַּֽחַלְמָ֥הva./na.chal.Ma/hand/ we dreamed/ !חֲל֛וֹםcha.Loma dream בְּלַ֥יְלָהbe./Lay.lahin/ a night אֶחָ֖ד'e.Chadone אֲנִ֣י'a.NiI וָה֑וּאva./Hu'and/ he אִ֛ישׁ'isheach כְּפִתְר֥וֹןke./fit.Ronaccording to/ [the] interpretation of חֲלֹמ֖וֹcha.lo.M/odream/ his חָלָֽמְנוּ׃cha.La.me.nuwe dreamed

King James Version

And we dreamed a dream in one night, I and he; we dreamed each man according to the interpretation of his dream.

Cross-references

Genesis 40:5 both of these men—the Egyptian king’s cupbearer and baker, who were being held in the prison—had a dream on the same night, and each dream had its own meaning.