Genesis 40:23
Yet the chief cupbearer did not remember Joseph, but forgot him.
English Standard Version (ESV)
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Genesis 40:23
Yet the chief cupbearer did not remember Joseph, but forgot him.
English Standard Version (ESV)
This page isn't yet indexed by search engines.
The text emphasizes the butler "did not remember" and "forgot" Joseph, highlighting a profound human failure of gratitude and loyalty in the face of restored prosperity. This stark contrast between Joseph's faithful interpretation and the butler's subsequent neglect underscores the fleeting nature of worldly success and the unreliability of human help.
After interpreting the dreams of Pharaoh's chief cupbearer and baker, Joseph asked the cupbearer to remember him and mention him to Pharaoh once he was restored to his position. Pharaoh, celebrating his birthday, reinstated the cupbearer and executed the baker, fulfilling Joseph's prophecies. However, in his newfound freedom and return to courtly life, the cupbearer completely forgot about Joseph.
Joseph poured out his heart, offering his gift of interpretation, and boldly asked for a simple act of kindness. Yet, the response was deafening silence.
When Joseph interpreted the dreams of the chief butler and the baker, he didn't just offer a prediction. He also saw a pathway to his own freedom. He specifically asked the butler, "Think on me when it shall be well with you, and show kindness, I pray you, to me. Make mention of me unto Pharaoh, and bring me out of this house." (Genesis 40:14) This was not just a desperate cry, but a strategic appeal. Joseph had been unjustly imprisoned, and he believed this was his God-ordained opportunity to be remembered. However, the text starkly contrasts the fulfillment of the dreams with the failure of this plea: "Yet the chief cupbearer did not remember Joseph, but forgot him." The butler, back in his privileged position, was so caught up in his restored comfort that he failed to act on his word. This highlights a painful reality: those we help, or who promise to help us, may not always follow through. Human promises, especially those made in times of need, can easily be forgotten when prosperity returns.
The butler's forgetfulness was a painful human failure. But Scripture reveals a deeper story – God was still at work, even through this disappointment.
At first glance, the butler's forgetfulness seems like a simple act of ingratitude and a major setback for Joseph. He had been given a glimmer of hope, only to have it extinguished by someone else's negligence. However, the biblical narrative is built on the principle of God's sovereign providence. While the butler failed, God had a plan. The commentary notes that this delay was "wisely ordered in the providence of God." Joseph's deliverance ultimately came not through the butler's intercession, but through a direct intervention by Pharaoh's dreams, interpreted by Joseph himself two years later (Genesis 41). This ensured that Joseph's rise would be seen as God's doing, not merely a result of human favor. It teaches us that even when people fail us, and our circumstances don't immediately improve as we expect, God is still orchestrating events for His ultimate purposes. Our disappointment can become a crucible, refining our trust and preparing us for His appointed time.
Understand the original words
zakar · Hebrew Verb
To call to mind or keep in thought. In a biblical sense, 'remembering' is rarely just a mental act; it involves taking action or remaining faithful to a commitment or person.
shakach · Hebrew Verb
To lose from memory, or to neglect and abandon. Biblically, forgetting can imply a willful disregard or failing to act upon one’s moral obligations toward others.
The butler's forgetfulness, while a personal failure and a source of delay for Joseph, was divinely orchestrated. It showcases God's power to work through human weakness and brings Joseph to a more significant position than he might have attained through a simple request.
c. 1770 BC
Joseph sold into slavery
Joseph, son of Jacob, is sold into slavery by his jealous brothers and taken to Egypt.
c. 1768 BC
Joseph falsely accused and imprisoned
Potiphar's wife falsely accuses Joseph, leading to his imprisonment by Pharaoh's guard captain.
c. 1766 BC— this verse
Butler and Baker imprisoned
The chief cupbearer and chief baker of Pharaoh offend their lord and are imprisoned in the same place as Joseph.
c. 1763 BC
Joseph interprets dreams
Joseph interprets the dreams of the butler and baker, foretelling the butler's release and the baker's execution.
c. 1763 BC
This passage speaks about how even great deeds can be forgotten by people, mirroring the butler's forgetfulness of Joseph despite Joseph's vital service.
Psalm 106:13This verse describes the Israelites quickly forgetting God's deeds and His counsel, highlighting the common human tendency towards forgetfulness and ingratitude, a trait clearly seen in the butler.
Amos 6:6This verse criticizes those who are at ease and forget the suffering of others, a stark parallel to the butler's comfortable restoration to his position while Joseph remained in prison.
Matthew 27:44This verse presents the two thieves crucified with Jesus, one of whom also forgot or disregarded the suffering Christ, showing a similar human response to help received in dire straits.
calvinGenesis 40:1-23: "And it came to pass after these things, that the butler of the king of Egypt and his baker had offended their lord the king of Egypt."
Fuit autem, posthaec peccaverunt pincerna regis AEgypti, et pistor contra dominum suum regem. Aegypti, et pistor conra dominum suum regen. Aegypti.
And Pharaoh was wroth against two of his officers, against the chief of the butlers, and against the chief of the bakers.
Itaque iratus est Pharao contra utrumque satrapam suum, contra pr…
pooleGenesis 40:23: "Yet did not the chief butler remember Joseph, but forgat him."
i.e. Neglected him and his desire; as men in Scripture are oft said to forget God, when they do not remember him so as to love and obey him, as Psalm 106:13,21 Ho 2:13 .
The text emphasizes the butler "did not remember" and "forgot" Joseph, highlighting a profound human failure of gratitude and loyalty in the face of restored prosperity. This stark contrast between Joseph's faithful interpretation and the butler's subsequent neglect underscores the fleeting nature of worldly success and the unreliability of human help.
After interpreting the dreams of Pharaoh's chief cupbearer and baker, Joseph asked the cupbearer to remember him and mention him to Pharaoh once he was restored to his position. Pharaoh, celebrating his birthday, reinstated the cupbearer and executed the baker, fulfilling Joseph's prophecies. However, in his newfound freedom and return to courtly life, the cupbearer completely forgot about Joseph.
After interpreting the dreams of Pharaoh's chief cupbearer and baker, Joseph asked the cupbearer to remember him and mention him to Pharaoh once he was restored to his position. Pharaoh, celebrating his birthday, reinstated the cupbearer and executed the baker, fulfilling Joseph's prophecies. However, in his newfound freedom and return to courtly life, the cupbearer completely forgot about Joseph.
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Butler released, baker executed
Pharaoh's birthday feast marks the fulfillment of Joseph's predictions: the butler is restored, and the baker is hanged.
c. 1761 BC
Pharaoh's dreams and Joseph's release
Two years later, Pharaoh dreams of seven lean cows eating seven fat cows. The butler remembers Joseph, who interprets the dream, leading to his release and appointment as second-in-command.
"Yet the chief cupbearer did not remember Joseph, but forgot him." — The text emphasizes the butler "did not remember" and "forgot" Joseph, highlighting a profound human failure of gratitude and loyalty in the face of restored prosperity. This stark contrast between J…