תהלים, פרק ק״ה, פסוק כ׳

Joseph's sudden and dramatic release from the Egyptian dungeon was a moment where earthly power and divine providence perfectly aligned. A command from the highest authority instantly transformed his fate. The primary approach among commentators is that the descriptions of the king and ruler refer exclusively to Pharaoh. Prompted by his troubling dream, the Egyptian monarch issued a sudden decree and sent messengers to free Joseph [רש״י, אבן עזרא, מצודת דוד]. The poetic repetition of his royal status serves to highlight the sheer magnitude of the event [מאירי, מצודת דוד]. In contrast, another perspective divides this authority between two distinct realms. The initial reference to a king actually points to God. He judged Joseph favorably in the heavenly court on the new year, and only after this divine acquittal did the earthly ruler take action. Without God's intervention, Pharaoh could have easily launched a deadly investigation into the severe charges that originally put Joseph in prison [אלשיך].

The physical act of this liberation involved untying prison ropes and unlocking heavy shackles [מצודת ציון, שטיינזלץ, מאירי]. However, other perspectives reveal a deliberate progression in how Joseph was freed. First, he was released from standard physical restraints, and then he was unlocked from massive iron chains. These iron shackles were not ordinary; they symbolized punishment for a crime carrying the death penalty. Removing them was not a task for a simple official. It required the absolute authority of a powerful ruler who possessed the ability to grant a full pardon and completely erase the prisoner's guilt [מלבי״ם].