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Ramban on Genesis 39:20/רמב"ן על בראשית ל״ט:כ׳

אוַיִּתְּנֵהוּ אֶל בֵּית הַסֹּהַר מְקוֹם אֲשֶׁר אֲסִירֵי הַמֶּלֶךְ אֲסוּרִים אָמַר רַבִּי אַבְרָהָם כִּי הַכָּתוּב יְפָרֵשׁ שֶׁבֵּית הַסֹּהַר הוּא מְקוֹם אֲשֶׁר אֲסִירֵי הַמֶּלֶךְ אֲסוּרִים שָׁם, וּלְכָךְ אָמַר כִּי הוּא שֵׁם מִצְרִי, כִּי דֶּרֶךְ הַכָּתוּב לְפָרֵשׁ לָשׁוֹן נָכְרִיָּה, כְּמוֹ "הִפִּיל פּוּר הוּא הַגּוֹרָל". וְלֹא אָמַר כְּלוּם, אֲבָל "וַיִּתְּנֵהוּ אֶל בֵּית הַסֹּהַר" הַיָּדוּעַ לַמֶּלֶךְ, שֶׁהוּא מָקוֹם אֲשֶׁר יֵאָסְרוּ שָׁם אֲסִירֵי הַמֶּלֶךְ, לוֹמַר כִּי הָיָה זֶה סִבָּה שֶׁיִּכָּנְסוּ עִמּוֹ הַמַּשְׁקֶה וְהָאוֹפֶה. וְיִתָּכֵן כִּי טַעַם "אֲסִירֵי הַמֶּלֶךְ" עֲבָדָיו וּמְשָׁרְתָיו הַחוֹטְאִים לוֹ בְּמִשְׁפַּט הַמְּלוּכָה, כִּי שְׁאָר הָאֲסוּרִים לָעָם בְּיַד הַשּׁוֹפְטִים וְהַשּׁוֹטְרִים, בְּבֵית סֹהַר אַחֵר יִנָּתְנוּ. וְסִפֵּר הַכָּתוּב שֶׁשָּׂמוּ שָׁם יוֹסֵף מֵאַהֲבַת אֲדוֹנָיו אֹתוֹ, וְהַכֹּל סִבָּה מֵאֵת ה'. וּבַעֲלֵי הַלָּשׁוֹן (רד"ק בספר השרשים שורש סהר) יְפָרְשׁוּ "סַהַר" כִּפָּה עֲגֻלָּה, מִלְּשׁוֹן "אַגַּן הַסַּהַר" (שיר השירים ז ג). וּלְפִי דַּעְתִּי שֶׁהוּא הַבּוֹר (רמב"ן על בראשית מ':ב'), בַּיִת בָּנוּי תַּחַת הַקַּרְקַע וְלוֹ פֶּתַח קָטָן מִלְּמַעְלָה יַכְנִיסוּ בּוֹ הָאֲסוּרִים וּמִמֶּנּוּ לָהֶם אוֹרָה, וְהוּא מִלְּשׁוֹן סֵיהֲרָא בַּאֲרָמִית, כַּאֲשֶׁר אָמַר (בראשית ו':ט"ז) "צֹהַר תַּעֲשֶׂה לַתֵּבָה", מִלְּשׁוֹן צָהֳרַיִם, וְשִׁנּוּ בָּהֶם זֶה לְרֹב אוֹרוֹ וְזֶה לְמִעוּט:

1AND HE PUT HIM INTO PRISON, THE PLACE WHERE THE KING’s PRISONERS WERE BOUND. Rabbi Abraham ibn Ezra says that the verse itself explains that a beth haso’ar (prison) is “a place where the king’s prisoners were bound.” The reason this is stated in the verse itself is that beth haso’ar is an Egyptian word, for it is the style of Scripture to explain foreign words just as, they cast pur, that is the lot.²⁵²This interpretation is of no significance. Rather, And he put him into the prison, means that he put him into a certain prison recognized as the royal prison, which was the place where the king’s prisoners were bound. The sense of the verse is thus to state that this was the cause of the butler and the baker being imprisoned with him.It is possible that the term, “the king’s prisoners,” means his servants and attendants who have sinned against him in matters of state, as other prisoners of the people sentenced by judges and officers were placed in another prison house. Scripture relates that they placed Joseph in the king’s prison because of his master’s love for Joseph, all of which was caused by G-d.Linguists²⁵³. explain sohar as an arched chamber, similar in expression to, agan hasohar (a round goblet).²⁵⁴ In my opinion it is an underground house having a small opening above ground, through which the prisoners are lowered and from which they have light. The word sohar is thus derived from the word sihara (light) in Aramaic, just as in Hebrew, Scripture says; A transparency (‘tzohar’) shalt thou make to the ark,²⁵⁵ the word tzohar being derived from tzaharayim (mid-day — when the light reaches its zenith). The difference between tzohar and sohar is that tzohar connotes an abundance of light, while sohar connotes minimal light.