The Pulpit Commentary — Genesis — Section 507

EXPOSITION . . against, the preposition being repeated) the CH.APTER XL. king of Egypt-whom they had ntternpted Var. 1.-And it came to paas (literally, to poison (the Tnrgum of Jonathan), thou(l'h and it W(l.j) after these things (literally, this of course is only n conjecturo in the words, i. o. after the transactions just re. absence of specific iuformation. corded), that. the butler-M~I?~, the hiph. Ver. 2.-And Pharaoh was wroth-liter- ally, broke forth (sc. into nnger)-against two part. of M~~' to drink, signifies one who of his officers (vicle eh. xxxvii. 36), against causes to drink, hence cupbcarer (cf. ver. the chief-sar: the wonl occurs in one of 11)-of. the king of Egypt and his baker- the oluest historical documonts of ancient the M~~ (part. of np~, to cook or balm) Egypt (' Inscription of Unn,' line 4, sixth was tho officer who prepared the Icing's food. dynasty), meaning chief or eunuch (vicle The monuments sho,v that the Egyptians 'Rccorus of the Pust,' ii. 3)-of the butlers, hnd carried the arts of the confectioner and -an office once filled by Nehemiah in tho cook to n high degree of perfection (vide Court of Persia. (Neh. i. 11), and Rabshukch Hcngstenbcrg, ' Egypt and the Dooks of (Aramnic for "chief of the cupbearers ") in Moses,' p. 27; Wilkinson, '.Ancient Egyp- the Court of Assyria (2 Kings xviii. 1i)- tians,' ii. 33-39, ed. 1878)-had offended 11.nd againet the chief of the b&ken. Ori- (or sinned against) their lord (literally, entnl monarchs generally IH\u n multitude of 454 THE BOOK OF GENESIS. [cH, XL. 1-28.