Taberî interprets Joseph's statement to the two young men 'no food will come to you except that I will inform you of its interpretation before it comes to you' not as an interpretation of the dream they saw, but as the meaning of informing them while awake about things that will come to them (food that will be brought as sustenance). According to this view, Joseph does not immediately accept the task of dream interpretation but delays the interpretation and directs them toward the fact that he will give them information 'while awake, not while asleep'. Additionally, the word 'ta'vil' (interpretation) in the verse is related to what will result from the food they saw in the dream.

قال يوسف لهما: في النوم في اليقظة

According to Zemahşerî, the phrase 'wa awḥā ilayya' (and it was revealed to me) is either a standalone sentence or an explanation of causation for what precedes it; it shows that Joseph obtained this information through revelation without relying on prophecy or astrology, and that he followed Abraham's monotheistic community and rejected the religion of his forefathers. The repetition in the phrase 'they will not believe' is to emphasize that the people in question are especially disbelievers regarding the afterlife, and that this requires them to enter injustice and grave sins deserving punishment. Furthermore, it is noted that in these words there may be an indirect reproach (ta'riz) toward those who threw Joseph in prison after seeing evidence of his innocence, and that mentioning his fathers aims to increase the listeners' interest in him by showing that he is from the house of prophethood.

يجوزأن يكون كلاما مبتدأ ، وأن يكون تعليلا لما قبله . أي علمني ذلك وأوحي إلي ؛ لأني رفضت ملة أولئك واتبعت ملة الأنبياء المذكورين وهي الملة الحنيفية

In this text, Râzî states that Joseph's knowledge of dream interpretation is not limited to a specific subject but that he can interpret all kinds of dreams; he also notes that Joseph wanted to prove to his two companions that he was a messenger sent by God, because matters of religion take precedence over worldly matters. Additionally, it is stated that he tried to encourage the person who would be hanged to convert to Islam so that he would not die in disbelief, and that he claimed to inform from the unseen regarding the type, color, quantity, and outcome of the coming food; this situation is compared to the miracles of Jesus.

لعله عليه السلام لما علم أنهما اعتقدا فيه وقبلا قوله : فأورد عليهما ما دل على كونه رسولا من عند الله تعالى ، فإن الاشتغال بإصلاح مهمات الدين أولى من الاشتغال بمهمات الدنيا

According to Kurtubî, Joseph wanted to show his companions that his knowledge of the interpretation of their dreams and his knowledge of the food that would come to them was a knowledge of the unseen that God had granted him, but his real purpose was to invite them first to Islam; therefore, before interpreting the dream, he called them to monotheism. Furthermore, according to some views, Joseph refrained from providing the interpretation because he knew that one of the two would be killed, and he did not want to answer their questions directly but instead redirected to another matter (the matter of food). According to another view, this information is not prophecy but a direct report given through God's revelation, and this situation is presented as a miracle of inviting them to Islam.

ولهذا لم يعبر لهما حتى دعاهما إلى الإسلام فقال : يا صاحبي السجن أأرباب متفرقون خير أم الله الواحد القهار

Ibn Kesîr transmits the phrase 'before the food comes to you that you will eat' in Joseph's informing his two companions of the meaning of their dreams; Mujāhid and al-Suddī explained this as 'in the day in which you are'. Then, according to a report from Ibn Abbas, there is the possibility that Joseph made a kind of divination/intuition (i'tiyāf) by looking at whether the food tasted sweet or bitter, but it is noted that this report is strange (weak/little known). Ibn Abbas furthermore says that this knowledge was taught to Joseph by God, because he moved away from the religion of disbelievers who do not believe in God and the afterlife.

قال ابن عباس إنما علم فعلم وهذا أثر غريب ثم قال وهذا إنما هو من تعليم الله إياي لأني اجتنبت ملة الكافرين بالله واليوم والآخر فلا يرجون ثوابا ولا عقابا في المعاد

According to this exegete, Joseph prioritized calling his two companions to monotheism and directing them to the right path before informing them of the quality of the coming food; he stated that he obtained this information through God's inspiration and revelation, not through prophecy or astrology. Furthermore, his statement that he followed his fathers' community (Abraham, Isaac, Jacob) shows that he is from the house of prophethood, aiming to strengthen the desire of his listeners to hear him and trust him.

مما علمني ربي بالإلهام والوحي وليس من قبيل التكهن أو التنجيم