And it came to pass after these things, that the butler of the king of Egypt and his baker had offended their lord the king of Egypt.
The butler - not only the cup-bearer, but overseer of the royal vineyards, as well as the cellars, having, probably, some hundreds of people under him. It was an office similar to that which was held by Nehemiah in the Persian court (Nehemiah 2:1); and the holder of it in Assyria was called Rab-shakeh.
In some isolated passages of Herodotus and Plutarch, it is asserted that the vine was not cultivated in ancient Egypt. But these historians were misinformed, as the sculptured monuments, many of which are as old as the time of Joseph, afford indisputable evidence of the culture of the vine at an early period in that country. Wilkinson (vol. 2:, p. 143), Champollion (p. 51), Rosellini (vol. 2:, p. 365), have severally described scenes representing the whole process of winemaking, which leave no room for doubt that the vine was reared in Egypt (cf. Numbers 20:5; Psalms 78:47; Psalms 80:8; Psalms 105:33), and that fermented wine was used in abundance both by men and women.
His baker - or cook, had the superintendence of everything relating to the providing and preparing of meats for the royal table. The Egyptians made much use of baked meats: their cookery consisted principally of made dishes, and their bread was of different quality, and moulded into a variety of forms. Both officers, especially the former, were, in ancient Egypt, always persons of great rank and importance; and from the confidential nature of their employment, as well as their access to the royal presence, they were generally the highest nobles or princes of the blood.