Genesis 26:1

Isaac and Abimelech

26:1 There was a famine in the land, subsequent to the earlier famine that occurred ¹  in the days of Abraham. ²  Isaac went to Abimelech king of the Philistines at Gerar.

Genesis 39:20

39:20 Joseph’s master took him and threw him into the prison, ³  the place where the king’s prisoners were confined. So he was there in the prison. ⁴ 

Genesis 40:5

40:5 Both of them, the cupbearer and the baker of the king of Egypt, who were confined in the prison, had a dream ⁵  the same night. ⁶  Each man’s dream had its own meaning. ⁷ 

Genesis 41:46

41:46 Now Joseph was 30 years old ⁸  when he began serving ⁹  Pharaoh king of Egypt. Joseph was commissioned by ¹⁰  Pharaoh and was in charge of ¹¹  all the land of Egypt.

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¹ tn Heb “in addition to the first famine which was.”

² sn This account is parallel to two similar stories about Abraham (see Gen 12:10-20; 20:1-18). Many scholars do not believe there were three similar incidents, only one that got borrowed and duplicated. Many regard the account about Isaac as the original, which then was attached to the more important person, Abraham, with supernatural elements being added. For a critique of such an approach, see R. Alter, The Art of Biblical Narrative, 47-62. It is more likely that the story illustrates the proverb “like father, like son” (see T. W. Mann, The Book of the Torah, 53). In typical human fashion the son follows his father’s example of lying to avoid problems. The appearance of similar events reported in a similar way underscores the fact that the blessing has now passed to Isaac, even if he fails as his father did.

³ tn Heb “the house of roundness,” suggesting that the prison might have been a fortress or citadel.

⁴ sn The story of Joseph is filled with cycles and repetition: He has two dreams (chap. 37), he interprets two dreams in prison (chap. 40) and the two dreams of Pharaoh (chap. 41), his brothers make two trips to see him (chaps. 42-43), and here, for the second time (see 37:24), he is imprisoned for no good reason, with only his coat being used as evidence. For further discussion see H. Jacobsen, “A Legal Note on Potiphar’s Wife,” HTR 69 (1976): 177.

⁵ tn Heb “dreamed a dream.”

⁶ tn Heb “a man his dream in one night.”

⁷ tn Heb “a man according to the interpretation of his dream.”

⁸ tn Heb “a son of thirty years.”

⁹ tn Heb “when he stood before.”

¹⁰ tn Heb “went out from before.”

¹¹ tn Heb “and he passed through all the land of Egypt”; this phrase is interpreted by JPS to mean that Joseph “emerged in charge of the whole land.”