vv. 1-23 And it came to pass afterward, that the steward of the king's taverns in Egypt, and the steward of the bakers, sinned against their lord the king of Egypt. Pharaoh was angry with them and sent them to the chamberlain's house, to the prison where Joseph was imprisoned. And the chamberlain set Joseph over them to minister unto them: and they sat in the prison some days. And in one night they dreamed, the baker and the innkeeper, each of them a dream of his own, and each dream had its meaning. In the morning Joseph went to
And when he came in unto them, and saw that they were sore, he asked them, saying, Why are ye so evil this day? They answered: We have dreamed it, and have no one to interpret it to us. Joseph said, "Interpretation belongs to God, but tell me. Then the chief of the taverns told Joseph his dream, and said unto him, I dreamed that there was a vine before me, which had three branches, and it budded, and grew, and blossomed, and the grapes thereof were ripe: and I had Pharaoh's cup in mine hand, and took the berries, and crushed them in the cup, and gave the cup into Pharaoh's hand. Joseph
said unto him, This is the meaning thereof: Three vines are three days. For three days Pharaoh shall lift up thy head, and restore thee to thy office, and thou shalt put the cup into his hand after the former manner, when thou wast his minister. But remember me, if it be well with thee, and do mercy unto me, that thou remember Pharaoh, that he bring me out of this house. For I was stolen out of the land of the Hebrews by stealth, and I have done nothing here, that they have set me up. When the chief baker saw that the interpretation was good, he said to Joseph, "I also dreamed 1) that I was carrying three woven baskets on my head, and in the uppermost basket all kinds of baked food for Pharaoh, and the birds were eating from the basket on my head. And Joseph answered and said, This is the interpretation: Three baskets are three days, and after three days Pharaoh shall lift up thy head, and shall hang thee on the gallows, and the birds shall eat of thy flesh. And it came to pass on the third day, that Pharaoh celebrated his jubilee, and he made a feast to all his servants, and lifted up the head of the chief paster, and the head of the chief baker among his servants, and set the chief paster again by his pottage, to pass the cup into Pharaoh's hand. But he hanged the chief baker, as Joseph had told them. But the chief baker remembered not Joseph, but forgot him.
Now Moses wants to write how it happened that Joseph was set free again, but so that God let him remain captive for two more years. Now here something is to be said of dreams, because Joseph interpreted two dreams, and thereby enjoyed that he became free.
(2) But first, it can be seen here that there was not so much blindness in the land that they did not know about God. As also in the previous chapter, v. 3, it is indicated that Potiphar, Joseph's master, also knew God, because he clearly says: "He saw that the Lord was with him, and blessed him for his sake" 2c. This must have been a great, high knowledge, because
1) "also" is missing in the Erlanger.
it is not a small mind. He who knows that God makes his goods grow and increase, and gives blessings, knows also that God is a creator of heaven and earth, and governs all things. Especially it must have been something, because the Scriptures do not report that they had and practiced idolatry; however, it may have been among them. As we have so far retained so much knowledge that there is a God who created heaven and earth and gives everything that grows there; although this same knowledge has been blinded by various idolatries and false trust and sects, by which this has been darkened, so that we have not remained on the right path.
(3) For although we have believed that it is the true God who creates all things, yet we have failed to hit the mark when we say, "Here is God. For if one wants to attach and bind him to time, person and place, and paint him with a color that he is so and so minded, as we think, then one has failed; as if one wants to serve him otherwise or in such a way, to do this or that work that should please him; as the whole ulcer has been under the pabstacy of orders, rules and doctrines of men. There the devil comes instead of God; otherwise the common knowledge of the right God remains.
For this is also true, which St. Paul says [Rom. 1, 19], that God has revealed to all the world that they must know that there is a God, has been hidden from the beginning of the world until the end. Which one also notices that if the pagans had not had knowledge of God, they would not have called their idols God. That there must be a God, they knew, and it was right; but if they said, "This is God," they were lacking as soon as they said it. But they could not lack if they did not know that God was. Now a higher knowledge is necessary, so that one may meet him rightly and not miss him. For where he is to be rightly met, there must be his word to teach us; our reason and wisdom will slowly find it.
Now we have to see the dreams here. Just now [Cap. 37, 7. 9.] we also heard about Joseph's dreams, which he told his brothers.
in which he foreshadowed the history that would follow, how his brothers would fall under his feet and become his subjects. Thus I have otherwise said how one should believe dreams; but here you see a masterpiece, as the Holy Spirit indicates, how it is not certain to rely on dreams, because here two identical dreams are described, so that reason would have to say that they must also have the same interpretation, when Joseph interprets them contrary to each other. For just as in the dream of the gift-giver three bunches of grapes indicate three days, and he puts the cup into Pharaoh's hand, indicating that he should return to the gift-giving office, so also the baker's dream, that he presents three baskets of baked bread to Pharaoh, should indicate so much that he would be placed in his office after three days. Now the spirit comes in and immediately indicates the contradiction.
Now why is this written? Precisely because one should not rely on dreams. For I have said: It may happen that God gives a man a dream that is true, and so it happens as the dream sounds. As one reads of many saints, and He Himself says in the fourth book of Moses [Cap. 12, 6.], "If any man be a prophet of the LORD, I will make Myself known unto him in a vision, or in a dream will I speak unto thee." And in Joel [Cap. 3, 1.], "Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your elders shall dream dreams."
7 But here the gloss is in the text, how it should be, namely, when Joseph speaks: "Interpretation belongs to God. Dreams or not, interpretation does not belong to you; to whom he gives a dream, and to whom he talks, he also gives a certain understanding to interpret, as he should. But with it the presumption is cancelled, that nobody interprets also right, divine dreams himself. Let one dream what one wants; if it is a right dream that God wants, he will interpret it well, either through himself or through a man, so that you feel it in your heart that it is a right dream; if he does it without means, he will make your conscience catch it, so that it is right.
8 So it is written of a pagan king, Attila, when the bishop Paulinus ge
When he was a prisoner and his gardener, he had a dream at night that he was standing in court and three men were judging him. Then he had Paulinum come before him, and when he looked at him, he was frightened and said, "At night I had a dream that three of them were judging me, and behold, this was the one. Then he became so stupid and despondent that he fell back and died soon after. Behold, this was a true dream, though he himself knew it not; for it passed through his heart, that he felt it as a ray.
9 One reads the same about Monica, St. Augustine's mother, and others. Thus, if they are right, they are such that God Himself interprets them, without means, or by means that the conscience feels good. Therefore, there is a great difference between dreams and interpretation. Do not interpret any of them yourself, for if you doubt and doubt that it is due to your conscience, do not do it. Either the dream is not right, or God has not interpreted it. If he interprets it, you will soon feel whether it is right. So Joseph here interprets it to the prisoners with certainty and without wavering, so that they feel it and accept it.
(10) Therefore they have erred far, who have taken from this text to write books and to interpret dreams: as the fool that made a book de somniis Danielis; have given some rules upon it, what this or that interprete. But it is in vain. It cannot be grasped, it is all false, also forbidden in the Law of Moses [Deut. 13, 3]: "You shall not pay attention to dreams", that is, you shall not subject yourself 2) to interpret dreams with certainty, but what true dreams are, God Himself shall interpret them. False dreams are like false doctrine, they get a semblance that one thinks it is something, but it is uncertain and deceitful. But God's word makes the heart sure. So it is also with faith and false conceit, or one's own worship. The former makes certain, the latter 3) remains uncertain. Therefore, let dreams remain dreams if God does not interpret them.
11 Now notice, because Joseph has the two
1) "not" is missing in the editions, but the Jena one has it as a conjecture in the margin.
2) "you" is missing in the Erlanger.
3) In the issues: this.
The same dreams are interpreted so differently (although the baker thought, because he interpreted the gift's dream so well, that his interpretation should also sound like this), when one acts in divine matters, that it is not valid to imitate. For this is what the devil has always done from the beginning of the world, that he wants to be God's monkey and imitate what he sees of him. When God commanded [Ex. 25:3-9] to build a tabernacle, and to sacrifice and burn incense there, he went there, and where he saw a beautiful green forest, garden or mountain, he also offered sacrifices and burned incense [Jer. 3:6], so that his worship had to be more valid than what God had commanded. So, in our times, because Christ commanded [Luc. 18, 1. 21, 36.] to pray without ceasing, the devil is there, and founds all the corners full of churches, where people whistle and howl day and night; and of monkey play innumerable many more. Item, one finds some who imitate the holy cross; because Christ commanded [Matth. 16, 24.] that one should renounce him himself and carry his cross, they go to and seek suffering for themselves, and put them through much torture themselves, and want to perform great miracles, thereby corrupting body and soul.
The world is full of such imitations everywhere, so that no greater deception and blasphemy can be found. In opposition to this, God here lets the one start with his hope that he thinks it should mean just as much, and leaves the interpretation to him alone.
Dream as you like, no one will interpret it correctly, but you. Before they come to pass, you may well think, 1) but think besides, that it is nothing. God does reveal things to some through dreams, but it is not up to us to understand them; if we interpret them ourselves, they will certainly be lacking. Therefore, beware of omens and imitations.
(13) So now we have a piece of Joseph's history, how he, for the sake of chastity, was brought into fear and distress by the woman, and was thrown into prison, and yet God was there with him, and gave him a little comfort, that he obtained favor and favor with the chief master, that he did not put him in stocks, but let the prisoner serve and care for him.
(14) Then we have seen how rich he was in faith and the words of God, that he remained so steadfast in chastity, when he might have had a goodly cover of chastity to do as he pleased, and had many gifts for it. Which was a noble virtue and high spirit, who was not only powerful in his flesh, but also in woman and the devil himself. In addition, God enlightened him and gave him a prophetic spirit to interpret dreams, which also caused him to be lifted up by Pharaoh, so that it is shown everywhere how God does not leave His saints, even if He withdraws His hand a little and lets them be rejected and oppressed.
1) ohmen == to make assumptions.