Genesis 41
Pharaoh’s Dreams
1 When two full years had passed, Pharaoh had a dream: He was standing by the Nile,
2 when out of the river there came up seven cows, sleek and fat, and they grazed among the reeds.
3 After them, seven other cows, ugly and gaunt, came up out of the Nile and stood beside those on the riverbank.
4 And the cows that were ugly and gaunt ate up the seven sleek, fat cows. Then Pharaoh woke up.
5 He fell asleep again and had a second dream: Seven heads of grain, healthy and good, were growing on a single stalk.
6 After them, seven other heads of grain sprouted—thin and scorched by the east wind.
7 The thin heads of grain swallowed up the seven healthy, full heads. Then Pharaoh woke up; it had been a dream.
8 In the morning his mind was troubled, so he sent for all the magicians and wise men of Egypt. Pharaoh told them his dreams, but no one could interpret them for him.
9 Then the chief cupbearer said to Pharaoh, “Today I am reminded of my shortcomings.
10 Pharaoh was once angry with his servants, and he imprisoned me and the chief baker in the house of the captain of the guard.
11 Each of us had a dream the same night, and each dream had a meaning of its own.
12 Now a young Hebrew was there with us, a servant of the captain of the guard. We told him our dreams, and he interpreted them for us, giving each man the interpretation of his dream.
13 And things turned out exactly as he interpreted them to us: I was restored to my position, and the other man was impaled.”
14 So Pharaoh sent for Joseph, and he was quickly brought from the dungeon.When he had shaved and changed his clothes, he came before Pharaoh.
15 Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I had a dream, and no one can interpret it. But I have heard it said of you that when you hear a dream you can interpret it.”
16 “I cannot do it,” Joseph replied to Pharaoh, “but God will give Pharaoh the answer he desires.”
17 Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “In my dream I was standing on the bank of the Nile,
18 when out of the river there came up seven cows, fat and sleek, and they grazed among the reeds.
19 After them, seven other cows came up—scrawny and very ugly and lean. I had never seen such ugly cows in all the land of Egypt.
20 The lean, ugly cows ate up the seven fat cows that came up first.
21 But even after they ate them, no one could tell that they had done so; they looked just as ugly as before. Then I woke up.
22 “In my dream I saw seven heads of grain, full and good, growing on a single stalk.
23 After them, seven other heads sprouted—withered and thin and scorched by the east wind.
24 The thin heads of grain swallowed up the seven good heads. I told this to the magicians, but none of them could explain it to me.”
25 Then Joseph said to Pharaoh, “The dreams of Pharaoh are one and the same.God has revealed to Pharaoh what he is about to do.
26 The seven good cows are seven years, and the seven good heads of grain are seven years; it is one and the same dream.
27 The seven lean, ugly cows that came up afterward are seven years, and so are the seven worthless heads of grain scorched by the east wind: They are seven years of famine.
28 “It is just as I said to Pharaoh: God has shown Pharaoh what he is about to do.
29 Seven years of great abundance are coming throughout the land of Egypt,
30 but seven years of famine will follow them. Then all the abundance in Egypt will be forgotten, and the famine will ravage the land.
31 The abundance in the land will not be remembered, because the famine that follows it will be so severe.
32 The reason the dream was given to Pharaoh in two forms is that the matter has been firmly decided by God, and God will do it soon.
33 “And now let Pharaoh look for a discerning and wise man and put him in charge of the land of Egypt.
34 Let Pharaoh appoint commissioners over the land to take a fifth of the harvest of Egypt during the seven years of abundance.
35 They should collect all the food of these good years that are coming and store up the grain under the authority of Pharaoh, to be kept in the cities for food.
36 This food should be held in reserve for the country, to be used during the seven years of famine that will come upon Egypt, so that the country may not be ruined by the famine.”
37 The plan seemed good to Pharaoh and to all his officials.
38 So Pharaoh asked them, “Can we find anyone like this man, one in whom is the spirit of God[a]?”
39 Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Since God has made all this known to you, there is no one so discerning and wise as you.
40 You shall be in charge of my palace,and all my people are to submit to your orders. Only with respect to the throne will I be greater than you.”
Joseph in Charge of Egypt
41 So Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I hereby put you in charge of the whole land of Egypt.”
42 Then Pharaoh took his signet ring from his finger and put it on Joseph’s finger. He dressed him in robes of fine linen and put a gold chain around his neck.
43 He had him ride in a chariot as his second-in-command,[b] and people shouted before him, “Make way[c]!” Thus he put him in charge of the whole land of Egypt.
44 Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I am Pharaoh, but without your word no one will lift hand or foot in all Egypt.”
45 Pharaoh gave Joseph the name Zaphenath-Paneah and gave him Asenath daughter of Potiphera, priest of On,[d] to be his wife.And Joseph went throughout the land of Egypt.
46 Joseph was thirty years old when he entered the service of Pharaoh king of Egypt. And Joseph went out from Pharaoh’s presence and traveled throughout Egypt.
47 During the seven years of abundance the land produced plentifully.
48 Joseph collected all the food produced in those seven years of abundance in Egypt and stored it in the cities. In each city he put the food grown in the fields surrounding it.
49 Joseph stored up huge quantities of grain, like the sand of the sea; it was so much that he stopped keeping records because it was beyond measure.
50 Before the years of famine came, two sons were born to Joseph by Asenath daughter of Potiphera, priest of On.
51 Joseph named his firstborn Manasseh[e] and said, “It is because God has made me forget all my trouble and all my father’s household.”
52 The second son he named Ephraim[f] and said, “It is because God has made me fruitful in the land of my suffering.”
53 The seven years of abundance in Egypt came to an end,
54 and the seven years of famine began, just as Joseph had said. There was famine in all the other lands, but in the whole land of Egypt there was food.
55 When all Egypt began to feel the famine, the people cried to Pharaoh for food. Then Pharaoh told all the Egyptians, “Go to Joseph and do what he tells you.”
56 When the famine had spread over the whole country, Joseph opened all the storehouses and sold grain to the Egyptians, for the famine was severe throughout Egypt.
57 And all the world came to Egypt to buy grain from Joseph, because the famine was severe everywhere.
Footnotes:
- Genesis 41:38 Or of the gods
- Genesis 41:43 Or in the chariot of his second-in-command; or in his second chariot
- Genesis 41:43 Or Bow down
- Genesis 41:45 That is, Heliopolis; also in verse 50
- Genesis 41:51 Manasseh sounds like and may be derived from the Hebrew for forget.
- Genesis 41:52 Ephraim sounds like the Hebrew for twice fruitful.
Pharaoh’s Dreams
After the cupbearer returned to his position, how many years passed before Pharaoh had the troubling dreams? (verse 1)
Where was Pharaoh standing in his first dream? (verse 1)
What happened in Pharaoh's first dream? (verse 1-4)
Where did the first cows graze? (verse 2)
What did the second cows eat? (verse 4)
What happened in Pharaoh's second dream? (verse 5-7)
In Pharaoh's dream, qhat were the first seven heads of grain like? (verse 5)
Why did Pharaoh send for all the magicians and wise men of Egypt? (verse 8)
Could any of Pharaoh's magicians or wise men interpret Pharaoh's dream? (verse 8)
What did the chief cupbearer say to Pharaoh? (verse 9-13)
Was Joseph quickly brought from the dungeon? (verse 14)
What did Joseph do before he came before Pharaoh? (verse 14)
Did Joseph say that he could interpret Pharaoh's dream? (verse 16)
What is the first thing Joseph said after Pharaoh told him his dreams? (verse 25)
What were the seven good cows? (verse 26)
What are the seven heads of grain? (verse 26)
What are the seven cows that came up afterward and the seven worthless heads of grain scorched by the east wind? (verse 27)
What kind of years were coming to Egypt first? (verse 29)
What kind of years will cause the abundance in Egypt to be forgotten? (verse 30-31)
Why was the dream given to Pharaoh in two forms? (verse 32)
What plan did Joseph say Pharaoh was to do? (verse 33-36)
What kind of man did Joseph say Pharaoh was to look for? (verse 33)
Did the plan seem good to Pharaoh and to all his officials? (verse 37)
What was the reasoning behind appointing Joseph? (verse 38-40)
Joseph in Charge of Egypt
Where was Joseph before he was put in charge of the whole land of Egypt? (verse 14-41)
When did Pharaoh take his signet ring from his finger and put it on Joseph's finger? (verse 41-42)
When did Pharaoh dress Joseph in robes of fine linen? (verse 14-42)
When did Pharaoh put a gold chain around Joseph's neck? (verse 41-42)
What did people shout before Joseph? (verse 43)
Who was given to Joseph as a wife? (verse 45)
How old was Joseph when he entered the service of Pharaoh king of Egypt? (verse 46)
What did Joseph do when the land produced plentifully? (verse 47-48)
Where was food stored? (verse 48)
What were the huge quantities of grain that Joseph stored like? (verse 49)
Why did Joseph stop keeping records if the grain? (verse 49)
Before the years of famine, were two sons born to Joseph by Asenath daughter of Potiphera, priest of On? (verse 50)
Why did Joseph name his firstborn Manasseh? (verse 51)
Why did Joseph name his second son Ephraim? (verse 52)
Where was food when there was famine in all the other lands? (verse 54)
What did Pharaoh tell all the Egyptians when they cried to him for food? (verse 55)
When did Joseph open all the storehouses? (verse 56)
Why did all the world come to Egypt to buy grain from Joseph? (verse 57)
Thougths
"Today I am reminded of my shortcomings."
"When he had shaved and changed his clothes, he came before Pharaoh."
“I cannot do it,” Joseph replied to Pharaoh, “but God will give Pharaoh the answer he desires.”
“The dreams of Pharaoh are one and the same. God has revealed to Pharaoh what he is about to do.
“Can we find anyone like this man, one in whom is the spirit of God?”
Then Pharaoh said to Joseph,
“I am Pharaoh, but without your word no one will lift hand or foot in all Egypt.” - verse 44
Joseph was thirty years old when he entered the service of Pharaoh king of Egypt.
He who gathers crops in summer is a prudent son, but he who sleeps during harvest is a disgraceful son. - Proverbs 10:5
Joseph stored up huge quantities of grain, like the sand of the sea; it was so much that he stopped keeping records because it was beyond measure.
Joseph collected all the food produced in those seven years of abundance in Egypt and stored it in the cities. In each city he put the food grown in the fields surrounding it.
“It is because God has made me forget all my trouble and all my father’s household.”
“Go to Joseph and do what he tells you.”
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