40:16 When the chief baker saw that the interpretation of the first dream was favorable, 11 he said to Joseph, “I also appeared in my dream and there were three baskets of white bread 12 on my head.
1 tn Heb “the first”; this has been specified as “the servant leading the first herd” in the translation for clarity.
2 tn Heb “to whom are you?”
3 tn Heb “and to whom are these before you?”
4 tn Heb “and look, your servant Jacob [is] behind us.”
5 tn Heb “for he said.” The referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity. The Hebrew word מַקֵל (maqel), traditionally represents Jacob’s thought or reasoning, and is therefore translated “thought.”
6 tn Heb “I will appease his face.” The cohortative here expresses Jacob’s resolve. In the Book of Leviticus the Hebrew verb translated “appease” has the idea of removing anger due to sin or guilt, a nuance that fits this passage very well. Jacob wanted to buy Esau off with a gift of more than five hundred and fifty animals.
7 tn Heb “with a gift going before me.”
8 tn Heb “I will see his face.”
9 tn Heb “Perhaps he will lift up my face.” In this context the idiom refers to acceptance.
10 tn The word “child” has been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
11 tn Heb “that [the] interpretation [was] good.” The words “the first dream” are supplied in the translation for clarity.
12 tn Or “three wicker baskets.” The meaning of the Hebrew noun חֹרִי (khori, “white bread, cake”) is uncertain; some have suggested the meaning “wicker” instead. Comparison with texts from Ebla suggests the meaning “pastries made with white flour” (M. Dahood, “Eblaite h¬a-rí and Genesis 40,16 h£o„rî,” BN 13 [1980]: 14-16).