1Then it came to pass, at the end of two years of days, that Pharaoh was dreaming: And behold, he was standing by the river. 2And behold, there came up out of the river seven cows, fine looking and fat of flesh; and they fed in the marshes. 3And behold, seven other cows came up after them out of the river, bad looking and thin of flesh, and stood by the other cows on the bank of the river. 4And the bad looking and thin-fleshed cows ate up the seven fine looking and fat cows. So Pharaoh awoke. 5And he went to sleep and dreamed a second time; and behold, seven heads of grain came up on one stalk, plump and good. 6And behold, seven thin heads, scorched by the east wind, sprouted up after them. 7And the seven thin heads devoured the seven plump and full heads. And Pharaoh awoke, and lo, it was a dream. 8And it came to pass in the morning that his spirit was troubled, and he sent and summoned all the astrologers of Egypt and all its wise men. And Pharaoh told them his dreams, but there was no one who could interpret them for Pharaoh. 9Then the chief cupbearer spoke to Pharaoh, saying: I remember my offenses this day. 10When Pharaoh was angry with his servants, and put me into custody in the house of the captain of the guard, both me and the chief baker, 11we each dreamed a dream in one night, he and I. Each of us dreamed according to the interpretation of his dream. 12And there was a Hebrew lad with us there, a servant of the captain of the guard. And we told him, and he interpreted our dreams for us; to each man he interpreted according to his dream. 13And it came to pass, just as he interpreted for us, so it happened. He restored me to my office, and he hanged him. 14Then Pharaoh sent and summoned Joseph, and they rushed him out of the dungeon; and he shaved, changed his clothing, and came in to Pharaoh. 15And Pharaoh said to Joseph, I have dreamed a dream, and there is no one who can interpret it. But I have heard it said of you that you can understand a dream, to interpret it. 16And Joseph answered Pharaoh, saying, It is someone besides me. God will give Pharaoh an answer of peace. 17And Pharaoh said to Joseph: Behold, in my dream I stood on the bank of the river. 18And behold, seven cows came up out of the river, fat of flesh and fine looking; and they fed in the marshes. 19And behold, seven other cows came up after them, poor and very bad looking and thin of flesh, such badness as I have never seen in all the land of Egypt. 20And the thin and bad cows ate up the first seven fat cows. 21And when they had entered their stomachs, it would not have been known that they had entered their stomachs, for they looked just as bad as at the beginning. So I awoke. 22Also I saw in my dream, and behold, seven heads of grain came up on one stalk, full and good. 23And behold, seven heads, withered, thin, and scorched by the east wind, sprouted up after them. 24And the thin heads devoured the seven good heads. And I told this to the astrologers, but no one could explain it to me. 25And Joseph said to Pharaoh, The dreams of Pharaoh are one; God has shown Pharaoh what He is about to do: 26The seven good cows are seven years, and the seven good heads are seven years; the dreams are one. 27And the seven thin and bad cows which came up after them are seven years; and the seven empty heads scorched by the east wind are seven years of famine. 28This is the word which I have spoken to Pharaoh: God has shown Pharaoh what He is about to do. 29Behold, seven years of great plenty are coming throughout all the land of Egypt; 30and after them seven years of famine will arise, and all the plenty will be forgotten in the land of Egypt; and the famine will deplete the land. 31And the plenty will not be perceived in the land because of the famine following after, for it will be very severe. 32And the dream was repeated unto Pharaoh twice because the thing is determined by God, and God will shortly bring it to pass. 33Now therefore, let Pharaoh look for a discerning and wise man, and set him over the land of Egypt. 34Let Pharaoh do this, and let him appoint deputies over the land, to collect one-fifth of the produce of the land of Egypt during the seven years of plenty. 35And let them gather all the food of those good years that are coming, and store up grain for food in the cities under the hand of Pharaoh, and let them guard it. 36And that food shall be as a reserve for the land for the seven years of famine which shall be in the land of Egypt, that the land may not perish during the famine. 37And the word was good in the eyes of Pharaoh and in the eyes of all his servants. 38And Pharaoh said to his servants, Can we find such a one as this, a man in whom is the Spirit of God? 39And Pharaoh said to Joseph, Inasmuch as God has made all this known to you, there is no one as discerning and wise as you. 40You shall be over my house, and all my people shall be ruled according to your word; only in regard to the throne will I be greater than you. 41And Pharaoh said to Joseph, Behold, I have set you over all the land of Egypt. 42And Pharaoh took his signet ring off his hand and put it on Joseph's hand; and he clothed him in garments of fine linen and put a gold chain around his neck. 43And he made him ride in the second chariot which he had; and they cried out before him, Bow the knee! So he set him over all the land of Egypt. 44And Pharaoh also said to Joseph, I am Pharaoh, and without you no man may lift his hand or foot in all the land of Egypt. 45And Pharaoh called Joseph's name Zaphnath-Paaneah. And he gave him as a wife Asenath, the daughter of Poti-Pherah priest of On. So Joseph went out over all the land of Egypt. 46Joseph was thirty years old when he stood before Pharaoh king of Egypt. And Joseph went out from the presence of Pharaoh, and went throughout all the land of Egypt. 47And in the seven years of plenty the land brought forth by handfuls. 48And he 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 laid up in every city the food of the fields which surrounded them. 49And Joseph gathered very much grain, as the sand of the sea, until he stopped counting, for it was without number. 50And unto Joseph were born two sons before the years of famine came, whom Asenath, the daughter of Poti-Pherah priest of On, bore to him. 51And Joseph called the name of the firstborn Manasseh: For God has made me forget all my toil and all my father's house. 52And the name of the second he called Ephraim: For God has caused me to be fruitful in the land of my affliction. 53And the seven years of plenty which were in the land of Egypt ended, 54and the seven years of famine began to come, as Joseph had said. And the famine was in all lands, but in all the land of Egypt there was bread. 55And when all the land of Egypt was hungry, the people cried out to Pharaoh for bread. And Pharaoh said to all the Egyptians, Go to Joseph; whatever he says to you, do. 56And the famine was over all the face of the earth, and Joseph opened all the storehouses and sold to the Egyptians. And the famine became severe in the land of Egypt. 57And all earth came to Joseph in Egypt to buy, because the famine was severe in all the earth.
Jamieson Fausset Brown Bible Commentary 1 PHARAOH'S DREAM. (Gen. 41:1-24)
at the end of two full years--It is not certain whether these years are reckoned from the beginning of Joseph's imprisonment, or from the events described in the preceding chapter--most likely the latter. What a long time for Joseph to experience the sickness of hope deferred! But the time of his enlargement came when he had sufficiently learned the lessons of God designed for him; and the plans of Providence were matured.
Pharaoh dreamed--"Pharaoh," from an Egyptian word Phre, signifying the "sun," was the official title of the kings of that country. The prince, who occupied the throne of Egypt, was Aphophis, one of the Memphite kings, whose capital was On or Heliopolis, and who is universally acknowledged to have been a patriot king. Between the arrival of Abraham and the appearance of Joseph in that country, somewhat more than two centuries had elapsed. Kings sleep and dream, as well as their subjects. And this Pharaoh had two dreams in one night so singular and so similar, so distinct and so apparently significant, so coherent and vividly impressed on his memory, that his spirit was troubled.
8 he called for all the magicians of Egypt--It is not possible to define the exact distinction between "magicians" and "wise men"; but they formed different branches of a numerous body, who laid claim to supernatural skill in occult arts and sciences, in revealing mysteries, explaining portents, and, above all, interpreting dreams. Long practice had rendered them expert in devising a plausible way of getting out of every difficulty and framing an answer suitable to the occasion. But the dreams of Pharaoh baffled their united skill. Unlike their Assyrian brethren (
Dan 2:4), they did not pretend to know the meaning of the symbols contained in them, and the providence of God had determined that they should all be nonplussed in the exercise of their boasted powers, in order that the inspired wisdom of Joseph might appear the more remarkable.
9 then spake the chief butler unto Pharaoh, saying, I do remember my faults--This public acknowledgment of the merits of the young Hebrew would, tardy though it was, have reflected credit on the butler had it not been obviously made to ingratiate himself with his royal master. It is right to confess our faults against God, and against our fellow men when that confession is made in the spirit of godly sorrow and penitence. But this man was not much impressed with a sense of the fault he had committed against Joseph; he never thought of God, to whose goodness he was indebted for the prophetic announcement of his release, and in acknowledging his former fault against the king, he was practising the courtly art of pleasing his master.
14 Then Pharaoh sent and called Joseph--Now that God's set time had come (
Ps 105:19), no human power nor policy could detain Joseph in prison. During his protracted confinement, he might have often been distressed with perplexing doubts; but the mystery of Providence was about to be cleared up, and all his sorrows forgotten in the course of honor and public usefulness in which his services were to be employed.
shaved himself--The Egyptians were the only Oriental nation that liked a smooth chin. All slaves and foreigners who were reduced to that condition, were obliged, on their arrival in that country, to conform to the cleanly habits of the natives, by shaving their beards and heads, the latter of which were covered with a close cap. Thus prepared, Joseph was conducted to the palace, where the king seemed to have been anxiously waiting his arrival.
15 Pharaoh said, . . . I have dreamed a dream--The king's brief statement of the service required brought out the genuine piety of Joseph; disclaiming all merit, he ascribed whatever gifts or sagacity he possessed to the divine source of all wisdom, and he declared his own inability to penetrate futurity; but, at the same time, he expressed his confident persuasion that God would reveal what was necessary to be known.
17 Pharaoh said, In my dream, behold, I stood upon the bank of the river--The dreams were purely Egyptian, founded on the productions of that country and the experience of a native. The fertility of Egypt being wholly dependent on the Nile, the scene is laid on the banks of that river; and oxen being in the ancient hieroglyphics symbolical of the earth and of food, animals of that species were introduced in the first dream.
18 there came up out of the river seven kine--Cows now, of the buffalo kind, are seen daily plunging into the Nile; when their huge form is gradually emerging, they seem as if rising "out of the river."
and they fed in a meadow--Nile grass, the aquatic plants that grow on the marshy banks of that river, particularly the lotus kind, on which cattle were usually fattened.
19 behold, seven other kine . . . poor and ill-favoured--The cow being the emblem of fruitfulness, the different years of plenty and of famine were aptly represented by the different condition of those kine--the plenty, by the cattle feeding on the richest fodder; and the dearth, by the lean and famishing kine, which the pangs of hunger drove to act contrary to their nature.
22 I saw in my dream, and, behold, seven ears--that is, of Egyptian wheat, which, when "full and good," is remarkable in size (a single seed sprouting into seven, ten, or fourteen stalks) and each stalk bearing an ear.
23 blasted with the east wind--destructive everywhere to grain, but particularly so in Egypt; where, sweeping over the sandy deserts of Arabia, it comes in the character of a hot, blighting wind, that quickly withers all vegetation (compare
Ezek 19:12;
Hos 13:15).
24 the thin ears devoured the seven good ears--devoured is a different word from that used in
Gen 41:4 and conveys the idea of destroying, by absorbing to themselves all the nutritious virtue of the soil around them.
25 JOSEPH INTERPRETS PHARAOH'S DREAMS. (
Gen 41:25-
Gen 41:36)
Joseph said, . . . The dream . . . is one--They both pointed to the same event--a remarkable dispensation of seven years of unexampled abundance, to be followed by a similar period of unparalleled dearth. The repetition of the dream in two different forms was designed to show the absolute certainty and speedy arrival of this public crisis; the interpretation was accompanied by several suggestions of practical wisdom for meeting so great an emergency as was impending.
33 Now therefore let Pharaoh look out a man--The explanation given, when the key to the dreams was supplied, appears to have been satisfactory to the king and his courtiers; and we may suppose that much and anxious conversation arose, in the course of which Joseph might have been asked whether he had anything further to say. No doubt the providence of God provided the opportunity of his suggesting what was necessary.
34 and let him appoint officers over the land--overseers, equivalent to the beys of modern Egypt.
take up the fifth part of the land--that is, of the land's produce, to be purchased and stored by the government, instead of being sold to foreign corn merchants.
38 JOSEPH MADE RULER OF EGYPT. (Gen. 41:37-57)
Pharaoh said unto his servants--The kings of ancient Egypt were assisted in the management of state affairs by the advice of the most distinguished members of the priestly order; and, accordingly, before admitting Joseph to the new and extraordinary office that was to be created, those ministers were consulted as to the expediency and propriety of the appointment.
a man in whom the Spirit of God is--An acknowledgment of the being and power of the true God, though faint and feeble, continued to linger amongst the higher classes long after idolatry had come to prevail.
40 Thou shalt be over my house--This sudden change in the condition of a man who had just been taken out of prison could take place nowhere, except in Egypt. In ancient as well as modern times, slaves have often risen to be its rulers. But the special providence of God had determined to make Joseph governor of Egypt; and the way was paved for it by the deep and universal conviction produced in the minds both of the king and his councillors, that a divine spirit animated his mind and had given him such extraordinary knowledge.
according unto thy word shall all my people be ruled--literally, "kiss." This refers to the edict granting official power to Joseph, to be issued in the form of a firman, as in all Oriental countries; and all who should receive that order would kiss it, according to the usual Eastern mode of acknowledging obedience and respect for the sovereign [WILKINSON].
41 Pharaoh said, . . . See, I have set thee over all the land--These words were preliminary to investiture with the insignia of office, which were these: the signet-ring, used for signing public documents, and its impression was more valid than the sign-manual of the king; the khelaat or dress of honor, a coat of finely wrought linen, or rather cotton, worn only by the highest personages; the gold necklace, a badge of rank, the plain or ornamental form of it indicating the degree of rank and dignity; the privilege of riding in a state carriage, the second chariot; and lastly--
43 they cried before him, Bow the knee--abrech, an Egyptian term, not referring to prostration, but signifying, according to some, "father" (compare
Gen 45:8); according to others, "native prince"--that is, proclaimed him naturalized, in order to remove all popular dislike to him as a foreigner.
44 These ceremonies of investiture were closed in usual form by the king in council solemnly ratifying the appointment.
I am Pharaoh, and without thee, &c.--a proverbial mode of expression for great power.
45 Zaphnath-paaneah--variously interpreted, "revealer of secrets"; "saviour of the land"; and from the hieroglyphics, "a wise man fleeing from pollution"--that is, adultery.
gave him to wife Asenath, the daughter of--His naturalization was completed by this alliance with a family of high distinction. On being founded by an Arab colony, Poti-pherah, like Jethro, priest of Midian, might be a worshipper of the true God; and thus Joseph, a pious man, will be freed from the charge of marrying an idolatress for worldly ends.
On--called Aven (
Ezek 30:17) and also Beth-shemesh (
Jer 43:13). In looking at this profusion of honors heaped suddenly upon Joseph, it cannot be doubted that he would humbly yet thankfully acknowledge the hand of a special Providence in conducting him through all his checkered course to almost royal power; and we, who know more than Joseph did, cannot only see that his advancement was subservient to the most important purposes relative to the Church of God, but learn the great lesson that a Providence directs the minutest events of human life.
46 Joseph was thirty years old when he stood before Pharaoh--seventeen when brought into Egypt, probably three in prison, and thirteen in the service of Potiphar.
went out . . . all the land--made an immediate survey to determine the site and size of the storehouses required for the different quarters of the country.
47 the earth brought forth by handfuls--a singular expression, alluding not only to the luxuriance of the crop, but the practice of the reapers grasping the ears, which alone were cut.
48 he gathered up all the food of the seven years--It gives a striking idea of the exuberant fertility of this land, that, from the superabundance of the seven plenteous years, corn enough was laid up for the subsistence, not only of its home population, but of the neighboring countries, during the seven years of dearth.
50 unto Joseph were born two sons--These domestic events, which increased his temporal happiness, develop the piety of his character in the names conferred upon his children.
53 The seven years of plenteousness . . . ended--Over and above the proportion purchased for the government during the years of plenty, the people could still have husbanded much for future use. But improvident as men commonly are in the time of prosperity, they found themselves in want, and would have starved by thousands had not Joseph anticipated and provided for the protracted calamity.
57 The famine was sore in all lands--that is, the lands contiguous to Egypt--Canaan, Syria, and Arabia.
