New International Reader s Version - NIrV - 1996
Genesis 41
1
When two full years had passed, Pharaoh had a dream. In his dream, he was standing by the Nile River.
Reference
📍 Nile
2
Seven cows came up out of the river. They looked healthy and fat. They were eating some of the tall grass that was growing along the river.
📍 Nile
3
After them, seven other cows came up out of the Nile. They looked ugly and skinny. They were standing beside the other cows on the riverbank.
📍 Nile
4
The ugly, skinny cows ate up the seven cows that looked healthy and fat. Then Pharaoh woke up.
5
He fell asleep again and had a second dream. In that dream, seven heads of grain were growing on one stem. They were healthy and good.
6
After them, seven other heads of grain came up. They were thin and dried up by the east wind.
Reference
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 he was worried. So he sent for all of the magicians and wise men of Egypt. Pharaoh told them his dreams. But no one could tell him what they meant.
Reference
Parallel theme
Daniel 4:7
Isaiah 29:14
Matthew 2:1
Daniel 4:5
Daniel 1:20
References Egypt
Exodus 7:22
Exodus 7:11
9
Then the chief wine taster spoke up. He said to Pharaoh, "Now I remember that I've done something wrong.
Reference
10
Pharaoh was once angry with his servants. He put me and the chief baker in prison. We were in the house of the captain of the palace guard.
Reference
Parallel theme
Genesis 39:20
11
Each of us had a dream the same night. Each dream had its own meaning.
12
"A young Hebrew servant was there with us. He was a servant of the captain of the guard. We told him our dreams. And he explained them to us. He told each of us the meaning of our dreams.
Reference
Parallel theme
Genesis 37:36
13
Things turned out exactly as he said they would. I was given back my position. The other man had a pole stuck through his body."
14
So Pharaoh sent for Joseph. He was quickly brought out of the prison. Joseph shaved himself and changed his clothes. Then he came to Pharaoh.
Reference
15
Pharaoh said to Joseph, "I had a dream. No one can tell me what it means. But I've heard that when you hear a dream you can explain it."
Reference
16
"I can't do it," Joseph replied to Pharaoh. "But God will give Pharaoh the answer he wants."
Reference
17
Then Pharaoh told Joseph what he had dreamed. He said, "I was standing on the bank of the Nile River.
📍 Nile
18
Seven cows came up out of the river. They were fat and good-looking. They were eating the tall grass that was growing along the river.
📍 Nile
19
"After them, seven other cows came up. They were bony and very ugly and thin. I had never seen such ugly cows in the whole land of Egypt.
20
"The thin, ugly cows ate up the seven fat cows that came up first.
21
But even after the thin cows ate up the fat ones, no one could tell that they had eaten them. They looked just as ugly as before. Then I woke up.
22
"In my dreams I also saw seven heads of grain. They were full and good. They were all growing on one stem.
23
"After them, seven other heads of grain came up. They were weak and thin and dried up by the east wind.
24
"The thin heads of grain swallowed up the seven good heads. I told my dreams to the magicians. But none of them could explain them to me."
Reference
25
Then Joseph said to Pharaoh, "Both of Pharaoh's dreams have the same meaning. God has shown Pharaoh what he is about to do.
Reference
26
The seven good cows are seven years. And the seven good heads of grain are seven years. Both dreams mean the same thing.
Reference
Good
Genesis 41:5
Parallel theme
Genesis 41:47
Genesis 41:2
1 John 5:7
Exodus 12:11
1 Corinthians 10:4
Genesis 41:29
Genesis 41:53
27
"The seven thin, ugly cows that came up later are seven years. So are the seven worthless heads of grain that were dried up by the east wind. They are seven years when there won't be enough food.
Reference
Parallel theme
2 Kings 8:1
28
"It's exactly as I said to Pharaoh. God has shown Pharaoh what he's about to do.
Reference
References God
Genesis 41:25
29
Seven years with plenty of food are coming to the whole land of Egypt.
30
"But seven years when there won't be enough food will follow them. Then everyone will forget about all of the food Egypt had. Terrible hunger will destroy the land.
Reference
31
There won't be anything left to remind people of the years when there was plenty of food in the land. That's how bad the hunger that follows will be.
Reference
Parallel theme
Isaiah 24:20
32
"God gave the dream to Pharaoh in two forms. That's because the matter has been firmly decided by God. And it's because God will do it soon.
Reference
33
"So Pharaoh should look for a wise and understanding man. He should put him in charge of the land of Egypt.
Reference
34
"Pharaoh should appoint officials to be in charge of the land. They should take a fifth of the harvest in Egypt during the seven years when there's plenty of food.
35
They should collect all of the extra food of the good years that are coming. Pharaoh should give them authority to store up the grain. They should keep it in the cities for food.
36
"The grain should be stored up for the country to use later. It will be needed during the seven years when there isn't enough food in Egypt. Then the country won't be destroyed just because it doesn't have enough food."
38
So Pharaoh said to them, "The spirit of God is in this man. We can't find anyone else like him, can we?"
Reference
39
Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, "God has made all of this known to you. No one is as wise and understanding as you are.
Reference
40
You will be in charge of my palace. All of my people must obey your orders. I will be greater than you only because I'm the one who sits on the throne."
Reference
42
Then Pharaoh took his ring off his finger. It was the ring he used to stamp all of the official papers. He put it on Joseph's finger. He dressed him in robes that were made out of fine linen. He put a gold chain around his neck.
Reference
43
He also had him ride in a chariot. Joseph was now next in command after Pharaoh. People went in front of him and shouted, "Get down on your knees!" By doing all of those things, Pharaoh put Joseph in charge of the whole land of Egypt.
Reference
44
Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, "I am Pharaoh. But without your word, no one will do anything in the whole land of Egypt."
Reference
Parallel theme
Psalm 105:22
45
Pharaoh gave Joseph the name Zaphenath-Paneah. He gave him a wife. She was Asenath, the daughter of Potiphera. Potiphera was the priest of On. Joseph traveled all over the land of Egypt.
Reference
📍 On
People
46
Joseph was 30 years old when he began serving Pharaoh, the king of Egypt. He left Pharaoh's palace and traveled all over Egypt.
Reference
47
During the seven years when there was plenty of food, the land produced more than the people needed.
48
Joseph collected all of the extra food produced in those seven years in Egypt. He stored it in the cities. In each city he stored up the food that was grown in the fields around it.
49
Joseph stored up huge amounts of grain. It was like the sand of the sea. There was so much grain it couldn't be measured. So Joseph stopped keeping records of it.
Reference
Parallel theme
Psalm 78:27
50
Before the years when there wasn't enough food, two sons were born to Joseph. He had them by Asenath, the daughter of Potiphera. Potiphera was the priest of On.
Reference
📍 On
51
Joseph named his first son Manasseh. That's because he said, "God has made me forget all of my trouble and my father's whole family."
Reference
People
52
He named the second son Ephraim. That's because he said, "God has given me children in the land where I've suffered so much."
Reference
People
53
The seven years when there was plenty of food in Egypt came to an end.
54
Then the seven years when there wasn't enough food began. It happened exactly as Joseph had said it would. There wasn't enough food in any of the other lands. But in the whole land of Egypt there was food.
Reference
55
When all of the people of Egypt began to get hungry, they cried out to Pharaoh for food. He told all of the Egyptians, "Go to Joseph. Do what he tells you."
Reference
56
There wasn't enough food anywhere in the country. So Joseph opened the storerooms. He sold grain to the Egyptians because people were very hungry all over Egypt.
Reference
Parallel theme
Genesis 42:6
Chapter Summary
Genesis chapter forty-one is where Joseph's fortunes turn, almost overnight having waited years in the dark for his chance to shine.
The chapter opens after two years, when the Pharaoh has a disturbing dream, while he is standing by the bank of the Nile. Seven cows appear, sleek and fat, grazing among the reeds, and then seven other cows, ugly and gaunt, following them and swallowing up the first seven. The Pharaoh wakes, falls back asleep and has a second dream of seven heads of grain, healthy and good, growing on a single stalk, but following them seven other heads of grain, thin and scorched by the east wind, which swallow them up.
In the morning, Pharaoh is troubled and sends for all the magicians and wise men of Egypt, none of whom can interpret the dreams for him. Which is where the cupbearer comes in, remembering how he once failed the Pharaoh, but had told him about a young Hebrew man in the prison who was a servant of the captain of the guard, and who correctly interpreted his own dream and also that of the baker one like it exactly as they turned out.
The Pharaoh then sends for Joseph immediately, who is brought out of the dungeon, shaved and changed into fresh clothes, before presenting himself to the Pharaoh. The Pharaoh tells him he has heard that he is able to interpret dreams, and Joseph's reply is notably humble, he says he is not able to do it, but that God will give him the answer that he desires.
The Pharaoh tells him what his dreams were of, and Joseph replies telling him that they are one and the same, and that God has revealed to him what he is about to do. The seven good cows and the seven good heads of grain represent seven years of great abundance throughout Egypt, but these will be followed by seven years of severe famine, so devastating that the abundance in the land would be forgotten and the famine would ravage the land.
Joseph advises that if Pharaoh will appoint a discerning and wise man, and put him in charge of the land of Egypt, that he could appoint overseers to collect one-fifth of the harvest during the seven years of abundance. They would store up the grain in the cities to be held in reserve for the famine years ahead, so that the country would not be devastated when it came.
This plan pleases Pharaoh and his officials, and the Pharaoh asks a question that answers itself; can we find anyone like this man, one in whom is the spirit of God? He turns to Joseph and says; since God has made all this known to you, there is no one as discerning and wise as you. He puts him in charge of his whole palace, and all his people are to submit to his orders, with only Pharaoh himself holding greater authority.
Pharaoh formalizes the appointment with a dramatic gesture that sees him taking off his signet ring from off his hand and putting it upon Joseph's hand, dressing him in robes of fine linen, and putting a gold chain around his neck. Then he has Joseph ride in a chariot as his second in command with people going before him calling out for everyone to bow down. He gives Joseph a new Egyptian name, Zaphenath-Paneah and a wife, Asenath, daughter of Potiphera, priest of On. Joseph is thirty years old when he begins his service, an enormous rise for a man who until recently had been sitting in a prison cell.
Joseph travels throughout the land of Egypt during the seven years of abundance; the land produces so much grain that he stops even keeping records, because it becomes impossible to measure. During these years, two sons are born to him, and he names the first Manasseh saying that God has made him forget all his trouble and his father's household, and the second he names Ephraim saying that God has made him fruitful in the land of his suffering. These names carry weight, honestly, a man finding a kind of peace and fruitfulness after the years he has been through.
Then, just as predicted, the seven years of abundance come to an end, and the seven years of famine begin, just as Joseph had said. The famine strikes every other land too, but throughout Egypt there is still food, because of the grain that Joseph had wisely stored away. As the famine grows severe, the Egyptians cry out to Pharaoh for food, and he directs them to Joseph, telling them to do whatever he says. Joseph opens the storehouses and sells grain to the Egyptians, and eventually, people from all over the world start coming to Egypt to buy grain from him, because the famine has grown severe everywhere.
What makes chapter forty-one a satisfying turning point for Joseph is how his fortunes turn completely from forgotten prisoner to the second most powerful man in Egypt, within the space of a dramatic audience with Pharaoh. And it is setting up something that the reader can sense coming even if Joseph himself knows not that with famine spreading across the whole world, and Egypt sitting on the only significant food reserves anywhere, it is only a matter of time before a very familiar group of hungry people show up looking for grain.
The chapter opens after two years, when the Pharaoh has a disturbing dream, while he is standing by the bank of the Nile. Seven cows appear, sleek and fat, grazing among the reeds, and then seven other cows, ugly and gaunt, following them and swallowing up the first seven. The Pharaoh wakes, falls back asleep and has a second dream of seven heads of grain, healthy and good, growing on a single stalk, but following them seven other heads of grain, thin and scorched by the east wind, which swallow them up.
In the morning, Pharaoh is troubled and sends for all the magicians and wise men of Egypt, none of whom can interpret the dreams for him. Which is where the cupbearer comes in, remembering how he once failed the Pharaoh, but had told him about a young Hebrew man in the prison who was a servant of the captain of the guard, and who correctly interpreted his own dream and also that of the baker one like it exactly as they turned out.
The Pharaoh then sends for Joseph immediately, who is brought out of the dungeon, shaved and changed into fresh clothes, before presenting himself to the Pharaoh. The Pharaoh tells him he has heard that he is able to interpret dreams, and Joseph's reply is notably humble, he says he is not able to do it, but that God will give him the answer that he desires.
The Pharaoh tells him what his dreams were of, and Joseph replies telling him that they are one and the same, and that God has revealed to him what he is about to do. The seven good cows and the seven good heads of grain represent seven years of great abundance throughout Egypt, but these will be followed by seven years of severe famine, so devastating that the abundance in the land would be forgotten and the famine would ravage the land.
Joseph advises that if Pharaoh will appoint a discerning and wise man, and put him in charge of the land of Egypt, that he could appoint overseers to collect one-fifth of the harvest during the seven years of abundance. They would store up the grain in the cities to be held in reserve for the famine years ahead, so that the country would not be devastated when it came.
This plan pleases Pharaoh and his officials, and the Pharaoh asks a question that answers itself; can we find anyone like this man, one in whom is the spirit of God? He turns to Joseph and says; since God has made all this known to you, there is no one as discerning and wise as you. He puts him in charge of his whole palace, and all his people are to submit to his orders, with only Pharaoh himself holding greater authority.
Pharaoh formalizes the appointment with a dramatic gesture that sees him taking off his signet ring from off his hand and putting it upon Joseph's hand, dressing him in robes of fine linen, and putting a gold chain around his neck. Then he has Joseph ride in a chariot as his second in command with people going before him calling out for everyone to bow down. He gives Joseph a new Egyptian name, Zaphenath-Paneah and a wife, Asenath, daughter of Potiphera, priest of On. Joseph is thirty years old when he begins his service, an enormous rise for a man who until recently had been sitting in a prison cell.
Joseph travels throughout the land of Egypt during the seven years of abundance; the land produces so much grain that he stops even keeping records, because it becomes impossible to measure. During these years, two sons are born to him, and he names the first Manasseh saying that God has made him forget all his trouble and his father's household, and the second he names Ephraim saying that God has made him fruitful in the land of his suffering. These names carry weight, honestly, a man finding a kind of peace and fruitfulness after the years he has been through.
Then, just as predicted, the seven years of abundance come to an end, and the seven years of famine begin, just as Joseph had said. The famine strikes every other land too, but throughout Egypt there is still food, because of the grain that Joseph had wisely stored away. As the famine grows severe, the Egyptians cry out to Pharaoh for food, and he directs them to Joseph, telling them to do whatever he says. Joseph opens the storehouses and sells grain to the Egyptians, and eventually, people from all over the world start coming to Egypt to buy grain from him, because the famine has grown severe everywhere.
What makes chapter forty-one a satisfying turning point for Joseph is how his fortunes turn completely from forgotten prisoner to the second most powerful man in Egypt, within the space of a dramatic audience with Pharaoh. And it is setting up something that the reader can sense coming even if Joseph himself knows not that with famine spreading across the whole world, and Egypt sitting on the only significant food reserves anywhere, it is only a matter of time before a very familiar group of hungry people show up looking for grain.