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Genesis 41:1-36
Lexham English Bible

Joseph Interprets Pharaoh’s Dreams

41 And it happened that after two full years[a] Pharaoh dreamed, and behold, he was standing by the Nile. 2 And behold, seven cows, well built and fat,[b] were coming up from the Nile, and they grazed among the reeds. 3 And behold, seven other cows came up after them from the Nile, ugly and gaunt,[c] and they stood beside those[d] cows on the bank of the Nile. 4 And the ugly and gaunt[e] cows ate the seven well built and fat[f] cows. Then Pharaoh awoke. 5 And he fell asleep and dreamed a second time, and behold, seven ears of grain, plump and good, were coming out of one stalk. 6 And behold, seven thin ears of grain, scorched by the east wind, sprouted up after them. 7 And the thin ears of grain swallowed up the seven plump and full ears of grain. Then Pharaoh awoke, and behold, it was a dream. 8 And it happened that in the morning his spirit was troubled, and he sent and called all of the magicians[g] of Egypt, and all its wise men, and Pharaoh told his dream to them. But they had no interpretation[h] for Pharaoh. 9 Then the chief of the cupbearers spoke with Pharaoh, saying, “I remember my sins today. 10 Pharaoh was angry with his servants, and he put me and the chief baker in the custody of the house of the chief of the guard. 11 And we dreamed a dream one night, I and he, each with a dream that had a meaning.[i] 12 And there with us was a young man, a Hebrew servant of the chief of the guard, and we told him the dream, and he interpreted our dreams for us, each according to his dream he interpreted. 13 And it happened just as he interpreted to us, so it was. He[j] restored me to my office, and him[k] he[l] hanged.” 14 Then Pharaoh sent and called for Joseph, and they brought him quickly from the prison. And he shaved and changed his clothing, and came to Pharaoh. 15 Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I dreamed a dream, but there is none to interpret it. Now, I have heard concerning you that when you hear a dream you can interpret it.” 16 Then Joseph answered Pharaoh saying, “It is not in my power;[m] God will answer concerning the well-being of Pharaoh.” 17 And Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Now in my dream, behold, I was standing on the bank of the Nile, 18 and behold, seven cows, well built and fat,[n] were coming up from the Nile, and they grazed among the reeds. 19 And behold, seven other cows came up after them from the Nile, very ugly and gaunt[o]—never have I seen any as them in all the land of Egypt for ugliness. 20 And the thin and ugly cows ate the former seven healthy cows. 21 But when they went into their bellies[p] it could not be known that they went into their bellies,[q] for their appearance was as ugly as at the beginning. Then I awoke. 22 Then I saw in my dream and behold, seven ears of grain were coming out of one stalk, full and good. 23 And behold, seven withered ears of grain, thin and scorched by the east wind, sprouted up after them. 24 And the thin ears of grain swallowed up the seven good ears of grain. And I told the magicians,[r] but there was none to explain it to me.” 25 Then Joseph said to Pharaoh, “The dreams of Pharaoh are one. God has revealed to Pharaoh what he is about to do. 26 The seven good cows, they are seven years, and the seven good ears of grain, they are seven years. The dreams are one. 27 And the seven thin and ugly cows coming up after them, they are seven years, and the seven empty ears of grain, scorched by the east wind, they are also seven years of famine. 28 This is the word that I have spoken to Pharaoh; God has shown Pharaoh what he is about to do. 29 Behold, seven years of great abundance are coming throughout the whole land of Egypt. 30 Then seven years of famine will arise after them, and all the abundance in the land of Egypt will be forgotten. The famine will consume the land. 31 Abundance in the land will not be known because of the famine that follows,[s] for it will be very heavy. 32 Now concerning the repetition of the dream twice to Pharaoh, it is because the matter is established by God, and God will do it quickly. 33 Now then, let Pharaoh select a man who is discerning and wise, and let him set him over the land of Egypt. 34 Let Pharaoh do this, and let him appoint supervisors over the land, and let him take one-fifth from the land of Egypt in the seven years of abundance. 35 Then let them gather all the food of these coming good years and let them pile up grain under the hand of Pharaoh for food in the cities, and let them keep it. 36 Then the food shall be as a deposit for the land for the seven years of the famine that will be in the land of Egypt, that the land will not perish on account of the famine.”

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Footnotes

  1. Genesis 41:1 Literally “two years of days”
  2. Genesis 41:2 Literally “beautiful of appearance and healthy of flesh”
  3. Genesis 41:3 Literally “Poor of appearance and thin of flesh”
  4. Genesis 41:3 Or “the”
  5. Genesis 41:4 Literally “Poor of appearance and thin of flesh”
  6. Genesis 41:4 Literally “beautiful of appearance and healthy of flesh”
  7. Genesis 41:8 Or “soothsayer priests”
  8. Genesis 41:8 Literally “there was no interpretation with them”
  9. Genesis 41:11 Literally “each according to his dream we dreamed”
  10. Genesis 41:13 That is, Pharaoh
  11. Genesis 41:13 That is, the chief baker
  12. Genesis 41:13 That is, Pharaoh
  13. Genesis 41:16 Literally “besides me”
  14. Genesis 41:18 Literally “beautiful of appearance and healthy of flesh”
  15. Genesis 41:19 Literally “Poor of appearance and thin of flesh”
  16. Genesis 41:21 Or “inner parts”
  17. Genesis 41:21 Or “inner parts”
  18. Genesis 41:24 Or “soothsayer priests”
  19. Genesis 41:31 Literally “that thus afterwards”
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Genesis 41:1-36
New English Translation

Joseph’s Rise to Power

41 At the end of two full years[a] Pharaoh had a dream.[b] As he was standing by the Nile, 2 seven fine-looking, fat cows were coming up out of the Nile,[c] and they grazed in the reeds. 3 Then seven bad-looking, thin cows were coming up after them from the Nile,[d] and they stood beside the other cows at the edge of the river.[e] 4 The bad-looking, thin cows ate the seven fine-looking, fat cows. Then Pharaoh woke up.

5 Then he fell asleep again and had a second dream: There were seven heads of grain growing[f] on one stalk, healthy[g] and good. 6 Then[h] seven heads of grain, thin and burned by the east wind, were sprouting up after them. 7 The thin heads swallowed up the seven healthy and full heads. Then Pharaoh woke up and realized it was a dream.[i]

8 In the morning he[j] was troubled, so he called for[k] all the diviner-priests[l] of Egypt and all its wise men. Pharaoh told them his dreams,[m] but no one could interpret[n] them for him.[o] 9 Then the chief cupbearer said to Pharaoh, “Today I recall my failures.[p] 10 Pharaoh was enraged with his servants, and he put me in prison in the house of the captain of the guards—me and the chief baker. 11 We each had a dream one night; each of us had a dream with its own meaning.[q] 12 Now a young man, a Hebrew, a servant[r] of the captain of the guards,[s] was with us there. We told him our dreams,[t] and he interpreted the meaning of each of our respective dreams for us.[u] 13 It happened just as he had said[v] to us—Pharaoh[w] restored me to my office, but he impaled the baker.”[x]

14 Then Pharaoh summoned[y] Joseph. So they brought him quickly out of the dungeon; he shaved himself, changed his clothes, and came before Pharaoh. 15 Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I had a dream,[z] and there is no one who can interpret[aa] it. But I have heard about you, that[ab] you can interpret dreams.”[ac] 16 Joseph replied to Pharaoh, “It is not within my power,[ad] but God will speak concerning[ae] the welfare of Pharaoh.”[af]

17 Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “In my dream I was standing[ag] by the edge of the Nile. 18 Then seven fat and fine-looking cows were coming up out of the Nile, and they grazed in the reeds.[ah] 19 Then[ai] seven other cows came up after them; they were scrawny, very bad looking, and lean. I had never seen such bad-looking cows[aj] as these in all the land of Egypt! 20 The lean, bad-looking cows ate up the seven[ak] fat cows. 21 When they had eaten them,[al] no one would have known[am] that they had done so, for they were just as bad-looking as before. Then I woke up. 22 I also saw in my dream[an] seven heads of grain growing on one stalk, full and good. 23 Then[ao] seven heads of grain, withered and thin and burned with the east wind, were sprouting up after them. 24 The thin heads of grain swallowed up the seven good heads of grain. So I told all this[ap] to the diviner-priests, but no one could tell me its meaning.”[aq]

25 Then Joseph said to Pharaoh, “Both dreams of Pharaoh have the same meaning.[ar] God has revealed[as] to Pharaoh what he is about to do.[at] 26 The seven good cows represent seven years, and the seven good heads of grain represent seven years. Both dreams have the same meaning.[au] 27 The seven lean, bad-looking cows that came up after them represent seven years, as do the seven empty heads of grain burned with the east wind. They represent[av] seven years of famine. 28 This is just what I told[aw] Pharaoh: God has shown Pharaoh what he is about to do. 29 Seven years of great abundance are coming throughout the whole land of Egypt. 30 But seven years of famine will occur[ax] after them, and all the abundance will be forgotten in the land of Egypt. The famine will devastate[ay] the land. 31 The previous abundance of the land will not be remembered[az] because of the famine that follows, for the famine will be very severe.[ba] 32 The dream was repeated to Pharaoh[bb] because the matter has been decreed[bc] by God, and God will make it happen soon.[bd]

33 “So now Pharaoh should look[be] for a wise and discerning man[bf] and give him authority[bg] over all the land of Egypt. 34 Pharaoh should do[bh] this—he should appoint[bi] officials[bj] throughout the land to collect one-fifth of the produce of the land of Egypt[bk] during the seven years of abundance. 35 They should gather all the excess food[bl] during these good years that are coming. By Pharaoh’s authority[bm] they should store up grain so the cities will have food,[bn] and they should preserve it.[bo] 36 This food should be held in storage for the land in preparation for the seven years of famine that will occur throughout the land of Egypt. In this way the land will survive the famine.”[bp]

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Footnotes

  1. Genesis 41:1 tn Heb “two years, days.”
  2. Genesis 41:1 tn Heb “was dreaming.”
  3. Genesis 41:2 tn Heb “And look, he was standing by the Nile, and look, from the Nile were coming up seven cows, attractive of appearance and fat of flesh.” By the use of the particle הִנֵּה (hinneh, “look”), the narrator invites the audience to see the dream through Pharaoh’s eyes.
  4. Genesis 41:3 tn Heb “And look, seven other cows were coming up after them from the Nile, bad of appearance and thin of flesh.”
  5. Genesis 41:3 tn Heb “the Nile.” This has been replaced by “the river” in the translation for stylistic reasons.
  6. Genesis 41:5 tn Heb “coming up.”
  7. Genesis 41:5 tn Heb “fat.”
  8. Genesis 41:6 tn Heb “And look.”
  9. Genesis 41:7 tn Heb “And look, a dream.”sn Pharaoh’s two dreams, as explained in the following verses, pertained to the economy of Egypt. Because of the Nile River, the land of Egypt weathered all kinds of famines—there was usually grain in Egypt, and if there was grain and water the livestock would flourish. These two dreams, however, indicated that poverty would overtake plenty and that the blessing of the herd and the field would cease.
  10. Genesis 41:8 tn Heb “his spirit.”
  11. Genesis 41:8 tn Heb “he sent and called,” which indicates an official summons.
  12. Genesis 41:8 tn The Hebrew term חַרְטֹם (khartom) is an Egyptian loanword (hyr-tp) that describes a class of priests who were skilled in such interpretations.
  13. Genesis 41:8 tn The Hebrew text has the singular (though Smr reads the plural). If retained, the singular must be collective for the set of dreams. Note the plural pronoun “them,” referring to the dreams, in the next clause. However, note that in v. 15 Pharaoh uses the singular to refer to the two dreams. In vv. 17-24 Pharaoh seems to treat the dreams as two parts of one dream (see especially v. 22).
  14. Genesis 41:8 tn “there was no interpreter.”
  15. Genesis 41:8 tn Heb “for Pharaoh.” The pronoun “him” has been used in the translation for stylistic reasons.
  16. Genesis 41:9 tn Heb “sins, offenses.” He probably refers here to the offenses that landed him in prison (see 40:1).
  17. Genesis 41:11 tn Heb “and we dreamed a dream in one night, I and he, each according to the interpretation of his dream we dreamed.”
  18. Genesis 41:12 tn Or “slave.”
  19. Genesis 41:12 tn Heb “a servant to the captain of the guards.” On this construction see GKC 419-20 §129.c.
  20. Genesis 41:12 tn The words “our dreams” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
  21. Genesis 41:12 tn Heb “and he interpreted for us our dreams, each according to his dream he interpreted.”
  22. Genesis 41:13 tn Heb “interpreted.”
  23. Genesis 41:13 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Pharaoh) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  24. Genesis 41:13 tn Heb “him”; the referent (the baker) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  25. Genesis 41:14 tn Heb “and Pharaoh sent and called,” indicating a summons to the royal court.
  26. Genesis 41:15 tn Heb “dreamed a dream.”
  27. Genesis 41:15 tn Heb “there is no one interpreting.”
  28. Genesis 41:15 tn Heb “saying.”
  29. Genesis 41:15 tn Heb “you hear a dream to interpret it,” which may mean, “you only have to hear a dream to be able to interpret it.”
  30. Genesis 41:16 tn Heb “not within me.”
  31. Genesis 41:16 tn Heb “God will answer.”
  32. Genesis 41:16 tn The expression שְׁלוֹם פַּרְעֹה (shelom parʿoh) is here rendered “the welfare of Pharaoh” because the dream will be about life in his land. Some interpret it to mean an answer of “peace”—one that will calm his heart, or give him the answer that he desires (cf. NIV, NRSV, NLT).
  33. Genesis 41:17 tn Heb “In my dream look, I was standing.” The use of the particle הִנֵּה (hinneh, “look”) here (and also in vv. 18, 19, 22, 23) invites the hearer (within the context of the narrative, Joseph, but in the broader sense the reader or hearer of the Book of Genesis) to observe the scene through Pharaoh’s eyes.
  34. Genesis 41:18 tn Heb “and look, from the Nile seven cows were coming up, fat of flesh and attractive of appearance, and they grazed in the reeds.”
  35. Genesis 41:19 tn Heb “And look.”
  36. Genesis 41:19 tn The word “cows” is supplied here in the translation for stylistic reasons.
  37. Genesis 41:20 tn Heb “the seven first fat cows.”
  38. Genesis 41:21 tn Heb “when they went inside them.”
  39. Genesis 41:21 tn Heb “it was not known.”
  40. Genesis 41:22 tn Heb “and I saw in my dream and look.”
  41. Genesis 41:23 tn Heb “And look.”
  42. Genesis 41:24 tn The words “all this” have been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
  43. Genesis 41:24 tn Heb “and there was no one telling me.”
  44. Genesis 41:25 tn Heb “the dream of Pharaoh is one.”
  45. Genesis 41:25 tn Heb “declared.”
  46. Genesis 41:25 tn The active participle here indicates what is imminent.
  47. Genesis 41:26 tn Heb “one dream it is.”
  48. Genesis 41:27 tn Heb “are.” Another option is to translate, “There will be seven years of famine.”
  49. Genesis 41:28 tn Heb “it is the word that I spoke.”
  50. Genesis 41:30 tn The perfect with the vav consecutive continues the time frame of the preceding participle, which has an imminent future nuance here.
  51. Genesis 41:30 tn The Hebrew verb כָּלָה (kalah) in the Piel stem means “to finish, to destroy, to bring an end to.” The severity of the famine will ruin the land of Egypt.
  52. Genesis 41:31 tn Heb “known.”
  53. Genesis 41:31 tn Or “heavy.”
  54. Genesis 41:32 tn Heb “and concerning the repeating of the dream to Pharaoh two times.” The Niphal infinitive here is the object of the preposition; it is followed by the subjective genitive “of the dream.”
  55. Genesis 41:32 tn Heb “established.”
  56. Genesis 41:32 tn The clause combines a participle and an infinitive construct: God “is hurrying…to do it,” meaning he is going to do it soon.
  57. Genesis 41:33 tn Heb “let Pharaoh look.” The jussive form expresses Joseph’s advice to Pharaoh.
  58. Genesis 41:33 tn Heb “a man discerning and wise.” The order of the terms is rearranged in the translation for stylistic reasons.
  59. Genesis 41:33 tn Heb “and let him set him.”
  60. Genesis 41:34 tn The imperfect verbal form has an obligatory nuance here. Smr has a jussive form here, “and let [Pharaoh] do.”
  61. Genesis 41:34 tn Heb “and let him appoint.” The jussive form expresses Joseph’s advice to Pharaoh.
  62. Genesis 41:34 tn Heb “appointees.” The noun is a cognate accusative of the preceding verb. Since “appoint appointees” would be redundant in English, the term “officials” was used in the translation instead.
  63. Genesis 41:34 tn Heb “and he shall collect a fifth of the land of Egypt.” The language is figurative (metonymy); it means what the land produces, i.e., the harvest.
  64. Genesis 41:35 tn Heb “all the food.”
  65. Genesis 41:35 tn Heb “under the hand of Pharaoh.”
  66. Genesis 41:35 tn Heb “[for] food in the cities.” The noun translated “food” is an adverbial accusative in the sentence.
  67. Genesis 41:35 tn The perfect with vav (ו) consecutive carries the same force as the sequence of jussives before it.
  68. Genesis 41:36 tn Heb “and the land will not be cut off in the famine.”
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