And the captain of the guard charged Joseph with them, and he served them; so they were in custody for a while.
Parallel translations
- WEB The captain of the guard assigned them to Joseph, and he took care of them. They stayed in prison many days.
- KJV And the captain of the guard charged Joseph with them, and he served them: and they continued a season in ward.
- BSB The captain of the guard assigned them to Joseph, and he became their personal attendant. After they had been in custody for some time,
- NASB And the captain of the bodyguard put Joseph in charge of them, and he took care of them; and they were in confinement for some time.
- NLT They remained in prison for quite some time, and the captain of the guard assigned them to Joseph, who looked after them.
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
Joseph is assigned to attend to the two officials during their confinement.
Overview
The captain entrusts the prisoners to Joseph, again reflecting the trust he consistently earns. His faithful service brings him into close contact with men connected to Pharaoh. God positions Joseph precisely where He will use him.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 4
- Gen 37:36The Midianites sold him into Egypt to Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh’s, the captain of the guard.
- Gen 39:21–23But Yahweh was with Joseph, and showed kindness to him, and gave him favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison.
- Gen 39:1Joseph was brought down to Egypt. Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh’s, the captain of the guard, an Egyptian, bought him from the hand of the Ishmaelites that had brought him down there.
- Ps 37:5Commit your way to Yahweh. Trust also in him, and he will do this:
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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 40:4 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.