Pharaoh’s officers is literally “Pharaoh’s eunuchs.” See the comments on verse 2 and 37.36. For custody see verse 3.

Master’s house refers to the house of the captain of the guard in verse 3, where all three were kept. Note that Good News Translation and some others do not repeat who were with him in custody in his master’s house, as this information has already been given in Gen 40.3.

Why are your faces downcast today?: downcast translates an adjective meaning “bad” or “evil,” but in the context of faces it has the sense of being “pained,” “miserable,” or “unhappy.”

Quoted with permission from Reyburn, William D. and Fry, Euan McG. A Handbook on Genesis. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1997. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .