Genesis 41

Joseph Interprets Pharaoh's Dreams and Rises to Power

¹At the end of two full years, Pharaoh dreamed, and behold, he stood by the river.

²Behold, seven cattle came up out of the river. They were sleek and fat, and they fed in the marsh grass.

³Behold, seven other cattle came up after them out of the river, ugly and thin, and stood by the other cattle on the brink of the river.

⁴The ugly and thin cattle ate up the seven sleek and fat cattle. So Pharaoh awoke.

⁵He slept and dreamed a second time; and behold, seven heads of grain came up on one stalk, healthy and good.

⁶Behold, seven heads of grain, thin and blasted with the east wind, sprung up after them.

⁷The thin heads of grain swallowed up the seven healthy and full ears. Pharaoh awoke, and behold, it was a dream.

⁸In the morning, his spirit was troubled, and he sent and called for all of Egypt’s magicians and wise men. Pharaoh told them his dreams, but there was no one who could interpret them to Pharaoh.

⁹Then the chief cup bearer spoke to Pharaoh, saying, “I remember my faults today.

¹⁰Pharaoh was angry with his servants, and put me in custody in the house of the captain of the guard, with the chief baker.

¹¹We dreamed a dream in one night, he and I. Each man dreamed according to the interpretation of his dream.

¹²There was with us there a young man, a Hebrew, servant to the captain of the guard, and we told him, and he interpreted to us our dreams. He interpreted to each man according to his dream.

¹³As he interpreted to us, so it was. He restored me to my office, and he hanged him.”

¹⁴Then Pharaoh sent and called Joseph, and they brought him hastily out of the dungeon. He shaved himself, changed his clothing, and came in to Pharaoh.

¹⁵Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I have dreamed a dream, and there is no one who can interpret it. I have heard it said of you, that when you hear a dream you can interpret it.”

¹⁶Joseph answered Pharaoh, saying, “It isn’t in me. God will give Pharaoh an answer of peace.”

¹⁷Pharaoh spoke to Joseph, “In my dream, behold, I stood on the brink of the river;

¹⁸and behold, seven fat and sleek cattle came up out of the river. They fed in the marsh grass;

¹⁹and behold, seven other cattle came up after them, poor and very ugly and thin, such as I never saw in all the land of Egypt for ugliness.

²⁰The thin and ugly cattle ate up the first seven fat cattle;

²¹and when they had eaten them up, it couldn’t be known that they had eaten them, but they were still ugly, as at the beginning. So I awoke.

²²I saw in my dream, and behold, seven heads of grain came up on one stalk, full and good;

²³and behold, seven heads of grain, withered, thin, and blasted with the east wind, sprung up after them.

²⁴The thin heads of grain swallowed up the seven good heads of grain. I told it to the magicians, but there was no one who could explain it to me.”

²⁵Joseph said to Pharaoh, “The dream of Pharaoh is one. What God is about to do he has declared to Pharaoh.

²⁶The seven good cattle are seven years; and the seven good heads of grain are seven years. The dream is one.

²⁷The seven thin and ugly cattle that came up after them are seven years, and also the seven empty heads of grain blasted with the east wind; they will be seven years of famine.

²⁸That is the thing which I have spoken to Pharaoh. God has shown Pharaoh what he is about to do.

²⁹Behold, seven years of great plenty throughout all the land of Egypt are coming.

³⁰Seven years of famine will arise after them, and all the plenty will be forgotten in the land of Egypt. The famine will consume the land,

³¹and the plenty will not be known in the land by reason of that famine which follows; for it will be very grievous.

³²The dream was doubled to Pharaoh, because the thing is established by God, and God will shortly bring it to pass.

³³“Now therefore let Pharaoh look for a discreet and wise man, and set him over the land of Egypt.

³⁴Let Pharaoh do this, and let him appoint overseers over the land, and take up the fifth part of the land of Egypt’s produce in the seven plenteous years.

³⁵Let them gather all the food of these good years that come, and store grain under the hand of Pharaoh for food in the cities, and let them keep it.

³⁶The food will be to supply the land against the seven years of famine, which will be in the land of Egypt; so that the land will not perish through the famine.”

³⁷The thing was good in the eyes of Pharaoh, and in the eyes of all his servants.

³⁸Pharaoh said to his servants, “Can we find such a one as this, a man in whom is the Spirit of God?”

³⁹Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Because God has shown you all of this, there is no one so discreet and wise as you.

⁴⁰You shall be over my house. All my people will be ruled according to your word. Only in the throne I will be greater than you.”

⁴¹Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Behold, I have set you over all the land of Egypt.”

⁴²Pharaoh took off his signet ring from his hand, and put it on Joseph’s hand, and arrayed him in robes of fine linen, and put a gold chain about his neck.

⁴³He made him ride in the second chariot which he had. They cried before him, “Bow the knee!” He set him over all the land of Egypt.

⁴⁴Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I am Pharaoh. Without you, no man shall lift up his hand or his foot in all the land of Egypt.”

⁴⁵Pharaoh called Joseph’s name Zaphenath-Paneah. He gave him Asenath, the daughter of Potiphera priest of On as a wife. Joseph went out over the land of Egypt.

⁴⁶Joseph was thirty years old when he stood before Pharaoh king of Egypt. Joseph went out from the presence of Pharaoh, and went throughout all the land of Egypt.

⁴⁷In the seven plenteous years the earth produced abundantly.

⁴⁸He gathered up all the food of the seven years which were in the land of Egypt, and laid up the food in the cities. He stored food in each city from the fields around that city.

⁴⁹Joseph laid up grain as the sand of the sea, very much, until he stopped counting, for it was without number.

⁵⁰To Joseph were born two sons before the year of famine came, whom Asenath, the daughter of Potiphera priest of On, bore to him.

⁵¹Joseph called the name of the firstborn Manasseh, “For”, he said, “God has made me forget all my toil, and all my father’s house.”

⁵²The name of the second, he called Ephraim: “For God has made me fruitful in the land of my affliction.”

⁵³The seven years of plenty, that were in the land of Egypt, came to an end.

⁵⁴The seven years of famine began to come, just as Joseph had said. There was famine in all lands, but in all the land of Egypt there was bread.

⁵⁵When all the land of Egypt was famished, the people cried to Pharaoh for bread, and Pharaoh said to all the Egyptians, “Go to Joseph. What he says to you, do.”

⁵⁶The famine was over all the surface of the earth. Joseph opened all the store houses, and sold to the Egyptians. The famine was severe in the land of Egypt.

⁵⁷All countries came into Egypt, to Joseph, to buy grain, because the famine was severe in all the earth.

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Next Genesis 42

After two years in prison, Joseph is summoned to interpret Pharaoh's troubling dreams about seven fat and seven lean cattle, and seven healthy and seven withered grain stalks. Joseph reveals that God is warning of seven years of abundance followed by seven years of severe famine, and proposes a plan to store grain during the good years. Impressed by Joseph's wisdom and divine insight, Pharaoh appoints him as second-in-command over all Egypt, giving him authority to implement the famine preparation strategy.

Context

This chapter marks Joseph's dramatic rise from prisoner to Egypt's second ruler, setting the stage for his family's eventual migration to Egypt in the following chapters.

Key Themes

Outline

1-8
Pharaoh's Troubling Dreams Pharaoh dreams of cattle and grain but his magicians cannot interpret the visions.
9-13
The Cupbearer Remembers Joseph The chief cupbearer recalls Joseph's ability to interpret dreams in prison.
14-24
Joseph Brought Before Pharaoh Joseph is summoned from prison and hears Pharaoh's detailed account of the dreams.
25-36
Joseph's Interpretation and Plan Joseph explains the dreams predict seven years of plenty followed by seven of famine and proposes a storage strategy.
37-45
Joseph's Elevation to Power Pharaoh appoints Joseph as his second-in-command and gives him an Egyptian name and wife.
46-57
The Seven Years Fulfilled Joseph successfully manages Egypt's abundance and famine, with people coming from other lands to buy grain.

Joseph Interprets Pharaoh's Dreams and Rises to Power

41:1–41:57

narrative narration triumphant

Joseph interprets Pharaoh's dreams about seven years of abundance followed by seven years of famine, and is elevated to second-in-command over Egypt. He implements a plan to store grain and manages the kingdom during the famine.

person_contrast

Joseph's elevation from Hebrew prisoner to Egyptian vizier represents the Bible's most dramatic reversal of fortune, transforming covenant recipient into imperial administrator within a single chapter.

Insight Character Study

Cross-References

Connected passages across Scripture

Genesis 41:2 3 references

Lexicals 3

Daniel 1:15 Lexical

At the end of ten days, their faces appeared fairer and they were fatter in flesh than all the youths who ate of the kin…

Genesis 41

Joseph Interprets Pharaoh's Dreams and Rises to Power

Joseph Interprets Pharaoh's Dreams and Rises to Power

Insights

Cross-References

Genesis 41:2 3 references

Genesis 41:3 2 references

Genesis 41:4 2 references

Genesis 41:8 4 references

Genesis 41:9 4 references

Genesis 41:10 5 references

Genesis 41:11 2 references

Genesis 41:12 3 references

Genesis 41:13 1 reference

Genesis 41:15 4 references

Genesis 41:17 2 references

Genesis 41:18 1 reference

Genesis 41:25 1 reference

Genesis 41:31 1 reference

Genesis 41:39 1 reference

Genesis 41:42 5 references

Genesis 41:43 1 reference

Genesis 41:45 1 reference

Genesis 41:49 5 references

Genesis 41:50 1 reference

Genesis 41:51 1 reference

Genesis 41:55 4 references

Genesis 41:56 1 reference

Genesis 41:57 1 reference

Interlinear

Historical Context