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ἐγένετο δὲ μετὰ τὰ ῥήματα ταῦτα ἥμαρτεν ὁ ἀρχιοινοχόος τοῦ βασιλέως αἰγύπτου καὶ ὁ ἀρχισιτοποιὸς τῷ κυρίῳ αὐτῶν βασιλεῖ αἰγύπτου
Genesis 40:1
Arcana Coelestia # 5079
5079. Against their lord the king of Egypt. That this signifies that they—namely, the external sensuous things, or those of the body, signified by “the butler and the baker”—were contrary to the new state of the natural man, is evident from the signification of the “king of Egypt” as being memory-knowledge in general (see n. 1164, 1165, 1186, 1462, 4749, 4964, 4966). For the same is signified by the “king of Egypt” as by “Egypt,” the king being the head of the nation; and it is the same in other passages also where mention is made of the “king” of any nation (n. 4789). As memory-knowledge in general is signified by the “king of Egypt,” the natural man is also signified thereby, because all memory-knowledge is the truth of the natural man (4967): the good itself of the natural man is signified by “lord” (n. 4973).
That a new state of the natural man is here signified, is because in the preceding chapter there was described the making new of the interiors of the natural, and in the supreme sense, which relates to the Lord, that they were glorified; but the subject here treated of is the exteriors of the natural, which were to be reduced to harmony or correspondence with the interiors. Those interiors of the natural which were new, or what is the same thing, the new state of the natural man, is what is signified by “their lord the king of Egypt;” and the exteriors which were not reduced into order, and hence were contrary to order, are what are signified by “the butler and the baker.”
[2] There are interiors and there are exteriors of the natural, the interiors of the natural being memory-knowledges and the affections of them, while its exteriors are the sensuous things of both kinds, spoken of above (n. 5077). When a man dies he leaves behind him these exteriors of the natural, but carries with him into the other life the interiors of the natural, where they serve as a plane for things spiritual and celestial. For when a man dies he loses nothing except his bones and flesh; he has with him the memory of all that he had done, spoken, or thought, and he has with him all his natural affections and desires, thus all the interiors of the natural. Of its exteriors he has no need; for he does not see, nor hear, nor smell, nor taste, nor touch, what is in this world, but only such things as are in the other life, which indeed look for the most part like those which are in this world; but still are not like them, for they have in them what is living, which those things which properly belong to the natural world have not. For all and each of the things in the other life come forth and subsist from the sun there, which is the Lord, whence they have in them what is living; whereas all and each of the things in the natural world come forth and subsist from its sun, which is elementary fire, and hence have not in them what is living. What appears living in them is from no other source than the spiritual world, that is, through the spiritual world from the Lord.
Genesis 40
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It happened after these things, that the butler of the king of Egypt and his baker offended their lord, the king of Egypt.
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Pharaoh was angry with his two officers, the chief cupbearer and the chief baker.
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He put them in custody in the house of the captain of the guard, into the prison, the place where Joseph was bound.
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The captain of the guard assigned them to Joseph, and he took care of them. They stayed in prison many days.
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They both dreamed a dream, each man his dream, in one night, each man according to the interpretation of his dream, the cupbearer and the baker of the king of Egypt, who were bound in the prison.
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Joseph came in to them in the morning, and saw them, and saw that they were sad.
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He asked Pharaoh's officers who were with him in custody in his master's house, saying, "Why do you look so sad today?"
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They 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."
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The chief cupbearer told his dream to Joseph, and said to him, "In my dream, behold, a vine was in front of me,
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and in the vine were three branches. It was as though it budded, its blossoms shot forth, and its clusters brought forth ripe grapes.
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Pharaoh's cup was in my hand; and I took the grapes, and pressed them into Pharaoh's cup, and I gave the cup into Pharaoh's hand."
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Joseph said to him, "This is its interpretation: the three branches are three days.
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Within three more days, Pharaoh will lift up your head, and restore you to your office. You will give Pharaoh's cup into his hand, the way you did when you were his cupbearer.
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But remember me when it will be well with you, and please show kindness to me, and make mention of me to Pharaoh, and bring me out of this house.
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For indeed, I was stolen away out of the land of the Hebrews, and here also have I done nothing that they should put me into the dungeon."
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When the chief baker saw that the interpretation was good, he said to Joseph, "I also was in my dream, and behold, three baskets of white bread were on my head.
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In the uppermost basket there was all kinds of baked food for Pharaoh, and the birds ate them out of the basket on my head."
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Joseph answered, "This is its interpretation. The three baskets are three days.
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Within three more days, Pharaoh will lift up your head from off you, and will hang you on a tree; and the birds will eat your flesh from off you."
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It happened the third day, which was Pharaoh's birthday, that he made a feast for all his servants, and he lifted up the head of the chief cupbearer and the head of the chief baker among his servants.
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He restored the chief cupbearer to his position again, and he gave the cup into Pharaoh's hand;
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but he hanged the chief baker, as Joseph had interpreted to them.
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Yet the chief cupbearer didn't remember Joseph, but forgot him.
