Genesis · chapter 41 of 50
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Genesis 41 tells how Pharaoh dreams of seven fat cows devoured by seven thin ones and of seven full ears of grain swallowed by seven thin ones. The cupbearer remembers Joseph, who interprets that there will be seven years of plenty followed by seven of famine. Pharaoh makes him ruler of Egypt. Joseph stores grain, has two sons and, when the famine comes, opens the storehouses.
Genesis 40 ended with Joseph forgotten in prison. Genesis 41, two years later, is the turning point of the story: the man in the dungeon moves to the palace. It is a chapter about wisdom that comes from God, providence over a foreign kingdom, and the approaching fulfillment of Joseph's dreams from chapter 37.
Two years later, Pharaoh dreams of seven beautiful, fat cows coming up out of the river, devoured by seven ugly, thin cows, and then of seven full, good ears of grain swallowed by seven thin ears scorched by the east wind. The wise men of Egypt cannot interpret them. Then the cupbearer remembers Joseph and tells how he interpreted his dream and the baker's.
Joseph is brought out of prison, shaves, changes his clothes and appears before Pharaoh. When Pharaoh says he has heard that Joseph can interpret dreams, Joseph answers that it is not in him, but that God will give Pharaoh a favorable answer. Joseph explains that the two dreams are one: God is showing Pharaoh what he is about to do. Seven years of great plenty will be followed by seven years of famine so severe that the plenty will be forgotten. The dream was repeated because the matter is firmly decided by God.
Joseph advises Pharaoh to look for a discerning and wise man to store a fifth of the grain during the good years. Pharaoh answers that there is no one like Joseph, in whom is the Spirit of God, and appoints him over all the land of Egypt. He gives him his signet ring, garments of fine linen, a gold chain and a chariot, and gives him the name Zaphenath-paneah. He gives him Asenath, daughter of Potiphera, priest of On, as his wife. Joseph is thirty years old. He goes through Egypt and stores up grain. Before the famine two sons are born to him: Manasseh and Ephraim. When the famine comes, Joseph opens the storehouses, and people from every country come to Egypt to buy grain.
References follow ESV book names and verse numbers. Read each verse in your Bible before the explanation.
Joseph tells Pharaoh that it is not in him to interpret, but that God will give a favorable answer. His humility gives the glory to the Lord rather than himself, at the very moment he could have promoted himself.
Joseph explains that the dream was repeated because God has decided the matter and will bring it about soon. The repetition is not decoration but a sign of certainty, and it justifies Pharaoh acting at once.
Pharaoh recognizes that the Spirit of God is in Joseph and puts him over his house and all of Egypt. A pagan king acknowledges Joseph's wisdom and raises him above everyone but the throne.
Joseph names his firstborn Manasseh, because God has made him forget his hardship, and the second Ephraim, because God has made him fruitful in the land of his affliction. His sons' names are a testimony of gratitude for God's work in his pain.
6 questions with answers and references, ready for Sunday school, small group or a Bible quiz night.
Answer: Two full years. — Genesis 41:1
Answer: Seven fat cows devoured by seven thin ones, and seven full ears swallowed by seven thin ones. — Genesis 41:1-7
Answer: That it was not in him, but that God would give a favorable answer. — Genesis 41:16
Answer: Seven years of great plenty, followed by seven years of famine. — Genesis 41:29-31
Answer: Ruler over all the land of Egypt, second only to Pharaoh. — Genesis 41:40-41
Answer: Manasseh and Ephraim. — Genesis 41:50-52
Genesis 41 teaches that God prepares his people in unexpected places. Joseph spent thirteen years from his sale to his appointment as ruler, and prison was part of the road. In a Sunday school class, the chapter encourages those who are waiting: God can change a situation in a day, and the years of waiting are not wasted.
It also teaches us not to take the credit. Joseph says twice that the answer comes from God. Ask where you receive recognition for gifts that come from God, and how to give the glory back to him. Joseph also planned in time of plenty: wisdom prepares before the crisis.
Genesis 41 ends with the famine spreading across the known world and Egypt as the only place with grain. In Genesis 42, that famine will bring Joseph's brothers into his presence, without their recognizing him.
The text answers that Pharaoh recognized in Joseph the Spirit of God and unmatched wisdom. The Bible presents this as God's work, using the moment to place Joseph where he could preserve many lives, as he will say in Genesis 50:20.
It is the Egyptian name Pharaoh gave Joseph. The exact meaning is uncertain, and scholars propose different explanations. What matters is that it shows Joseph's integration into the Egyptian court.
Thirty years old, according to verse 46. Thirteen years had passed since his brothers sold him into slavery when he was seventeen.