a. The cupbearer and the chief baker. Sometime after the end of chapter 39, two officers of the Pharaoh do something, what we are not told, that offended the king. The cupbearer and the chief baker did something to anger the Pharaoh to the level of deserving prison. Both of these positions were ones of notoriety and importance but that did not exempt them from trouble. As Matthew Henry said, “High places are slippery places.” The chief baker was just that. He was in charge of all the baked goods and confections for the palace. This job and the many different types of baked goods were displayed on monuments. The cupbearer was equally important. He not only brought the cup to the Pharaoh but he was in charge of ensuring that there were was something to put in the cup and that it was of high quality. When we look at the dreams that they have in the following verses we see a description of their normal duties. So these two men are thrown into prison, but not just any prison. He was placed into the custody of the captain of the guard, Potiphar, and he put him into the same prison that was attached to his house where he had put Joseph. Of course, we know that this is no coincidence. b. Potiphar appoints Joseph. Remember that Joseph was a model inmate and had been given many responsibilities in the prison. When Pharaoh had the two officers incarcerated, Potiphar, who was well acquainted with Joseph’s work ethic, put Joseph in charge of caring for the two men. While the cupbearer and baker were in the prison, Joseph attended to their needs. Again, this has led many to believe that Potiphar didn’t fully believe his wife’s accusations against Joseph. But he could not prove his innocence either. We are about to see that this is a key appointment for Joseph. Meeting and getting to know the two officials will ultimately lead to his exoneration and promotion to second in the land. As we have seen over and over again, God uses people, even those that may not believe in him, for his purposes, his glory, and the good of his people.