Genesis 41, Pharaoh's Dreams

The teenage Joseph received two dreams which he unwisely shared with his brothers.  Then in an Egyptian prison, he has interpreted two dreams.  Another pair of dreams are coming...

Genesis 41: 1-7, Pharaoh's dreams
When two full years had passed, Pharaoh had a dream: He was standing by the Nile, when out of the river there came up seven cows, sleek and fat, and they grazed among the reeds. After them, seven other cows, ugly and gaunt, came up out of the Nile and stood beside those on the riverbank.  And the cows that were ugly and gaunt ate up the seven sleek, fat cows. Then Pharaoh woke up.

He fell asleep again and had a second dream: Seven heads of grain, healthy and good, were growing on a single stalk. After them, seven other heads of grain sprouted--thin and scorched by the east wind.  The thin heads of grain swallowed up the seven healthy, full heads. Then Pharaoh woke up; it had been a dream.

Pharaoh has two strange and vivid dreams. Like the other pairs of dreams, these two have similar components.  That there are two similar dreams emphasizes the important prophetic nature of the dreams.

Alter points out the nightmarish aspects of the dreams: the cows suddenly become carnivores, turning and eating their herdmates.  In a like manner, the heads of grain turn and snap up the other heads. In both cases, Pharaoh probably wakes up in a cold sweat.

Genesis 41: 8-13, The cupbearer remembers
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.

Then the chief cupbearer said to Pharaoh, "Today I am reminded of my shortcomings. Pharaoh was once angry with his servants, and he imprisoned me and the chief baker in the house of the captain of the guard. Each of us had a dream the same night, and each dream had a meaning of its own. 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. And things turned out exactly as he interpreted them to us: I was restored to my position, and the other man was hanged."

Finally, the cupbearer remembers Joseph.

Genesis 41: 14-16, Pharaoh calls for Joseph
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.

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."

"I cannot do it," Joseph replied to Pharaoh, "but God will give Pharaoh the answer he desires."

Joseph, called to appear before the king, prepares himself in the culturally appropriate manner, shaving his beard and possibly his head.  He puts on clean clothers.  When questioned by Pharaoh, Joseph says that his ability as dream-master comes from God.  Again, possibly because of his teenage dreams, he appears confident that God has put him in this position.

Genesis 41: 17-24, Pharaoh's dream
Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, "In my dream I was standing on the bank of the Nile, when out of the river there came up seven cows, fat and sleek, and they grazed among the reeds. 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. The lean, ugly cows ate up the seven fat cows that came up first. 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.

"In my dreams I also saw seven heads of grain, full and good, growing on a single stalk. After them, seven other heads sprouted--withered and thin and scorched by the east wind. The thin heads of grain swallowed up the seven good heads. I told this to the magicians, but none could explain it to me."

Pharaoh describes his dream. It repeats the number seven. (The earlier dreams, of the king's two servants, dealt with three.)

Here, as in other places, the narrator records the speaker repeating the story in detail, so that we hear the dreams a second time. I suspect this is partially due to the fact that much of Old Testament scripture was read to an audience.  The listeners did not have the luxury that readers do, of pausing, backtracking, and rereading the events.

Genesis 41: 25-32, Joseph interprets Pharaoh's dream
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.

The seven good cows are seven years, and the seven good heads of grain are seven years; it is one and the same dream. 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.

"It is just as I said to Pharaoh: God has shown Pharaoh what he is about to do. Seven years of great abundance are coming throughout the land of Egypt, but seven years of famine will follow them. Then all the abundance in Egypt will be forgotten, and the famine will ravage the land. The abundance in the land will not be remembered, because the famine that follows it will be so severe.

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.

Joseph interprets Pharaoh's dreams.  He makes it clear that only God reveals dreams and that he is relying on (the one) God.  (The Hebrew word translated "God" here is elohim, a more general term for God than YHWH. Presumably Pharaoh understands that Joseph is talking about Joseph's god but no specific name is given here.)

Genesis 41: 33-38, Advice to Pharaoh's
"And now let Pharaoh look for a discerning and wise man and put him in charge of the land of Egypt. Let Pharaoh appoint commissioners over the land to take a fifth of the harvest of Egypt during the seven years of abundance. 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. 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."

The plan seemed good to Pharaoh and to all his officials. So Pharaoh asked them, "Can we find anyone like this man, one in whom is the spirit of God?"

Uninvited, Joseph suggests a response to the dream.  He appears to recognize the opportunity now granted him by God. 

(NIV footnotes: In verse 38 the phrase translated "the spirit of God" could be translated "the spirit of the gods.")

Genesis 41: 39-43, Pharaoh appoints Joseph to power
Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, "Since God has made all this known to you, there is no one so discerning and wise as you. 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."

So Pharaoh said to Joseph, "I hereby put you in charge of the whole land of Egypt." 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. He had him ride in a chariot as his second-in-command, and men shouted before him, "Make way!" Thus he put him in charge of the whole land of Egypt.

Joseph is elevated to power.  Once again he has a change of clothes.  These garments are probably even better than the ornamental coat given him by his father!

Both the NIV footnotes and Alter's commentary react to the word translated "Make way!" in verse 43.  It is an Egyptian loan word, Abrekh. It is obviously an exclamation of honor, but the exact meaning is unknown.  The NIV suggests "bow down!" as an alternate translation.

Genesis 41: 44-49, Serving the Pharaoh
Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, "I am Pharaoh, but without your word no one will lift hand or foot in all Egypt." Pharaoh gave Joseph the name Zaphenath-Paneah and gave him Asenath daughter of Potiphera, priest of On, to be his wife. And Joseph went throughout the land of Egypt.

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. During the seven years of abundance the land produced plentifully. 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. 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 puts his plan into action. The stored grains are "beyond measure".  (How are the grains preserved? Do they worry about rats or spoilage?)

In verses 45 and 50, "On" is Heliopolis.

Genesis 41: 50-52, Manasseh and Ephraim
Before the years of famine came, two sons were born to Joseph by Asenath daughter of Potiphera, priest of On. Joseph named his firstborn Manasseh and said, "It is because God has made me forget all my trouble and all my father's household." The second son he named Ephraim and said, "It is because God has made me fruitful in the land of my suffering."

Unlike his mother Rachel, Joseph quickly has two sons.

(NIV footnotes: Manasseh sounds like and may be derived from the Hebrew for "forget"; Ephraim sounds like the Hebrew for "twice fruitful.")

Genesis 41: 53-57, Famine
The seven years of abundance in Egypt came to an end, 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.

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."  When the famine had spread over the whole country, Joseph opened the storehouses and sold grain to the Egyptians, for the famine was severe throughout Egypt. And all the countries came to Egypt to buy grain from Joseph, because the famine was severe in all the world.

Famine arrives and storehouses are opened.  Joseph's dream interpretations are confirmed.