Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ramban · Torah

Ramban on Genesis 40:7/רמב"ן על בראשית מ׳:ז׳

אוַיִּשְׁאַל אֶת סְרִיסֵי פַרְעֹה אֲשֶׁר אִתּוֹ בְמִשְׁמַר בֵּית אֲדֹנָיו הָיָה רָאוּי שֶׁיֹּאמַר הַכָּתוּב וַיִּשְׁאַל אוֹתָם לֵאמֹר, אֲבָל הֶאֱרִיךְ כִּי רָצָה לְסַפֵּר בִּשְׁבַח יוֹסֵף, שֶׁהָיָה נַעַר עֶבֶד וְשָׁאַל לִשְׁנֵי שָׂרִים גְּדוֹלִים וְהֵם בְּבֵית אֲדוֹנָיו אֲשֶׁר שָׂנֵא אוֹתוֹ, וְהָיָה כָּל אֶחָד יָכוֹל לְצַוּוֹת לָשֵׂאת אֶת רֹאשׁוֹ מֵעָלָיו, וְלֹא פָּחַד מֵהֶם מִלִּשְׁאוֹל אוֹתָם וְלֵאמֹר לָהֶם דַּעְתּוֹ בַּפִּתְרוֹן כִּי בָּטַח בְּחָכְמָתוֹ, שֶׁאִלּוּ נִמְלַט שַׂר הָאוֹפִים הָיָה תּוֹלֶה אוֹתוֹ:

1AND HE ASKED PHARAOH’s OFFICERS THAT WERE WITH HIM IN THE WARD OF HIS MASTER’s HOUSE. It would be proper for Scripture to say; “And he asked them, saying.” Instead, Scripture speaks at length about it for its desire is to speak in praise of Joseph. Here is a servant lad who is enquiring of two great officers who are wards in the house of his master who hates him,²⁶⁰ him.” Ramban is here writing from the standpoint of the butler and the baker, who must have thought that Joseph’s master imprisoned him because he hated him, not being aware, as explained above, that he did so to protect his family’s reputation. and each of whom could command his hanging.²⁶¹ Yet he was not afraid of them, and asked them their dreams and told them his opinion with respect to the interpretation because he trusted in his wisdom. Had the lord of the bakers been saved and restored to his position by the king, he would have hung him for his false interpretation.