and in the top basket there were some of all kinds of baked food for Pharaoh, and the birds were eating them out of the basket on my head.”
Parallel translations
- WEB In the uppermost basket there were all kinds of baked food for Pharaoh, and the birds ate them out of the basket on my head.”
- KJV And in the uppermost basket there was of all manner of bakemeats for Pharaoh; and the birds did eat them out of the basket upon my head.
- BSB In the top basket were all sorts of baked goods for Pharaoh, but the birds were eating them out of the basket on my head.”
- NKJV In the uppermost basket were all kinds of baked goods for Pharaoh, and the birds ate them out of the basket on my head.”
- NLT The top basket contained all kinds of pastries for Pharaoh, but the birds came and ate them from the basket on my head.”
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
In the baker's dream, birds eat Pharaoh's baked goods from the top basket on his head.
Overview
The detail of birds devouring the food signals an ominous meaning, unlike the cupbearer's hopeful dream. The imagery foreshadows the baker's coming judgment. The two dreams together display God's sovereignty over life and death, made known through His servant Joseph.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 2
- Gen 49:20“Asher’s food will be rich. He will produce royal dainties.
- 1 Chr 12:20As he went to Ziklag, some from Manasseh joined him: Adnah, Jozabad, Jediael, Michael, Jozabad, Elihu, and Zillethai, captains of thousands who were of Manasseh.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.
Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.
Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
Christ at the center
From the first promise that the seed of the woman would crush the serpent (3:15), through Abraham's blessing to all nations and Judah's coming ruler, Genesis sows every seed that flowers in Christ — the true offspring, the better Adam, the ram caught for Isaac.
How Genesis 40:17 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.