Verses 1-4 And it came to pass at the end of two full years, that Pharaoh dreamed: and, behold, he stood by the river. 2 And, behold, there came up out of the river seven well favoured kine and fatfleshed; and they fed in a meadow. 3 And, behold, seven other kine came up after them out of the river, ill favoured and leanfleshed; and stood by the other kine upon the brink of the river. 4 And the ill favoured and leanfleshed kine did eat up the seven well favoured and fat kine. So Pharaoh awoke.
A “kine” is a cow. Pharaoh saw in his dream seven fat cows get eaten by seven skinny cows. The dream was disturbing enough to cause Pharaoh to wake up from his sleep. Cows, being vegetarians, do not eat other cows.
Verses 5-7 And he slept and dreamed the second time: and, behold, seven ears of corn came up upon one stalk, rank and good. 6 And, behold, seven thin ears and blasted with the east wind sprung up after them. 7 And the seven thin ears devoured the seven rank and full ears. And Pharaoh awoke, and, behold, it was a dream.
The Hebrew word for “rank” is “bariy” and it means fat. So in the same night Pharaoh dreams a second dream in which fat ears of corn are eaten by thin ears of corn. But in both dreams, there are only seven of each thing, cows and ears of corn. Seven is the number of perfection and therefore the number of God. Pharaoh was getting his dreams from the real God in Heaven that he did not know or acknowledge.
Verse 8 And it came to pass in the morning that his spirit was troubled; and he sent and called for all the magicians of Egypt, and all the wise men thereof: and Pharaoh told them his dream; but there was none that could interpret them unto Pharaoh.
Why could not the magicians and wise men interpret the dreams? Because the magicians and wise men were servants of devils and therefore could not interpret dreams sent from a holy and righteous God.
Verses 9-13 Then spake the chief butler unto Pharaoh, saying, I do remember my faults this day: 10 Pharaoh was wroth with his servants, and put me in ward in the captain of the guard’s house, both me and the chief baker: 11 And we dreamed a dream in one night, I and he; we dreamed each man according to the interpretation of his dream. 12 And there was there with us a young man, an Hebrew, servant to the captain of the guard; and we told him, and he interpreted to us our dreams; to each man according to his dream he did interpret. 13 And it came to pass, as he interpreted to us, so it was; me he restored unto mine office, and him he hanged.
Pharaoh’s predicament regarding his dreams jogged the memory of the chief butler and he finally remembered Joseph back in the prison. Assuming that verse one above means that two years had passed since the butler’s release, Joseph had indeed been waiting a very long time for God to answer his prayers of assistance. If the two years means the entire time that had elapsed since Joseph was sent to prison, the fact remains that this was a very long time to be incarcerated for doing nothing wrong.
Notice that the chief butler stated, “we dreamed each man according to the interpretation of his dream.” When a dream is from God, the interpretation is already given spiritually and the dream will always align with the interpretation. In the occult, a person’s dream will be open to interpretation and can have many different meanings.
Application: The fact is that the Christian believer’s prayers are often not answered as quickly as we would like. This writer knows of a Godly, missionary woman who prayed for the salvation of her alcoholic son and prostitute daughter until she died in her nineties. She never saw the answer to her prayers or the move of God in the lives of her children while she lived on this Earth. But shortly after her death, her son walked into a Sunday evening church service where she had been a member for over 40 years and gave his heart and life to Jesus. Her daughter became a believer a few years later. God’s timing is never our timing. Be assured, He hears the believer’s prayers and they will be answered according to His will and His plan and His timing.
Verse 14 Then Pharaoh sent and called Joseph, and they brought him hastily out of the dungeon: and he shaved himself, and changed his raiment, and came in unto Pharaoh.
One can only imagine what condition Joseph was in regarding clothing and hygiene. The prisons in those days were not like the well lighted, clean facilities with bathrooms and showers that are provided for prisoners today. They were usually dark, damp and dirty. It must have been pure joy for him to be able to wash his body and put on clean clothing. Imagine his thoughts as he is led into the presence of the king of Egypt where he may finally get a chance to present his case and seek freedom.
Verse 15 And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, I have dreamed a dream, and there is none that can interpret it: and I have heard say of thee, that thou canst understand a dream to interpret it.
No small talk or social greeting is seen here. Pharaoh got to the point of why he had summoned Joseph out of prison
Verse 16 And Joseph answered Pharaoh, saying, It is not in me: God shall give Pharaoh an answer of peace.
Once again Joseph gave God the glory and credit for any interpretive skills he may have regarding dreams. Notice the great faith Joseph demonstrated when he said, “God shall give Pharaoh an answer of peace.”
Verses 17-24 And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, In my dream, behold, I stood upon the bank of the river: 18 And, behold, there came up out of the river seven kine, fatfleshed and well favoured; and they fed in a meadow: 19 And, behold, seven other kine came up after them, poor and very ill favoured and leanfleshed, such as I never saw in all the land of Egypt for badness: 20 And the lean and the ill favoured kine did eat up the first seven fat kine: 21 And when they had eaten them up, it could not be known that they had eaten them; but they were still ill favoured, as at the beginning. So I awoke. 22 And I saw in my dream, and, behold, seven ears came up in one stalk, full and good: 23 And, behold, seven ears, withered, thin, and blasted with the east wind, sprung up after them: 24 And the thin ears devoured the seven good ears: and I told this unto the magicians; but there was none that could declare it to me.
If you, the reader, has ever been awakened from sleep because of a frightening dream, you would know that often remembering the entire content of the dream is difficult. Usually it is just bits and pieces of the dream that come to memory. But when God sends a dream, He wants it to be remembered. Pharaoh had no trouble repeating the contents of his dreams to Joseph. Notice that he ends his narrative by telling Joseph that none of his magicians could interpret his dreams. It was as if he had no confidence in Joseph and he wanted Joseph to know that everyone else had failed. As a young man without a lot of experience with dealing with the rich and famous, hearing that no one else had succeeded could have been intimidating to Joseph. But his confidence was not in himself, but in his God. He knew he would not fail because this whole event was a “God thing.”
Application: When placed in a situation that is intimidating, the believer needs to remember from whom his strength comes. 2 Samuel 22:33 states, “God is my strength and power: and he maketh my way perfect.” Psalms 18:2 states, “The LORD is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower.” No need to fear, just have faith.
Verses 25-31 And Joseph said unto Pharaoh, The dream of Pharaoh is one: God hath shewed Pharaoh what he is about to do. 26 The seven good kine are seven years; and the seven good ears are seven years: the dream is one. 27 And the seven thin and ill favoured kine that came up after them are seven years; and the seven empty ears blasted with the east wind shall be seven years of famine. 28 This is the thing which I have spoken unto Pharaoh: What God is about to do he sheweth unto Pharaoh. 29 Behold, there come seven years of great plenty throughout all the land of Egypt: 30 And there shall arise after them seven years of famine; and all the plenty shall be forgotten in the land of Egypt; and the famine shall consume the land; 31 And the plenty shall not be known in the land by reason of that famine following; for it shall be very grievous.
Notice that the LORD was warning a pagan king about what was going to happen in the future. God’s communication with mankind is not limited to believers or to the Church. He is sovereign and He can reveal His will to whomever He wants.
Verse 32 And for that the dream was doubled unto Pharaoh twice; it is because the thing is established by God, and God will shortly bring it to pass.
Remember this verse. When something is doubled in Scripture, it means it will not change and it will happen. This will be seen in other parts of the Bible. The word “established” means to be firm, to be fixed, to be settled, or to be prepared.
Verses 33-36 Now therefore let Pharaoh look out a man discreet and wise, and set him over the land of Egypt. 34 Let Pharaoh do this, and let him appoint officers over the land, and take up the fifth part of the land of Egypt in the seven plenteous years. 35 And let them gather all the food of those good years that come, and lay up corn under the hand of Pharaoh, and let them keep food in the cities. 36 And that food shall be for store to the land against the seven years of famine, which shall be in the land of Egypt; that the land perish not through the famine.
Joseph did not just interpret the dreams, but he provided a plan of action for Pharaoh that would save his people and the land. How did he do this? Through the power of the Holy Spirit. He had just heard the dreams for the first time and he did not have time to formulate a plan to save an entire one world government and it’s people. The only way Joseph could have known what to do regarding the coming famine was to have the information given to him supernaturally by the LORD.
Application: Joseph became the savior of the Egyptian people and the people of other nations. Because of his planning, people were saved from starvation and death. Jesus became the Savior of the world. Because of His sacrifice on the cross, people have been and can be saved from physical sickness and infirmity, sin, spiritual death, and an eternity in Hell with Satan and his fallen angels.
Verses 37-38 And the thing was good in the eyes of Pharaoh, and in the eyes of all his servants. 38 And Pharaoh said unto his servants, Can we find such a one as this is, a man in whom the Spirit of God is?
Pharaoh and his servants recognized that Joseph was different and that he had the Spirit of God in him. After all, the other religious magicians and wise men who served the multiple pagan gods worshipped in the Egyptian religious system could not provide answers of any kind. Only Joseph had the supernatural wisdom necessary to solve the coming nation wide and most likely world wide crisis of his day. It is not known for sure how far men had traveled and settled after Noah’s flood, but it is thought that most of the world’s population was contained in and around what is known as northern Africa and the Middle East at the time Joseph and his brothers were alive.
Application: Again the parallels between Joseph and Jesus can be seen in that the people of Jesus’ day marveled at His teachings and at His miracles and they were very aware that the Spirit of God was dwelling in the man Jesus just as He was dwelling in the man Joseph.
Verses 39-43 And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, Forasmuch as God hath shewed thee all this, there is none so discreet and wise as thou art: 40 Thou shalt be over my house, and according unto thy word shall all my people be ruled: only in the throne will I be greater than thou. 41 And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, See, I have set thee over all the land of Egypt. 42 And Pharaoh took off his ring from his hand, and put it upon Joseph’s hand, and arrayed him in vestures of fine linen, and put a gold chain about his neck; 43 And he made him to ride in the second chariot which he had; and they cried before him, Bow the knee: and he made him ruler over all the land of Egypt.
Joseph went from prisoner to ruler in one day. He was to rule over everything Pharaoh had and his words were to be obeyed. He could not have the throne because he was a Hebrew and not an Egyptian and not a son of the Pharaoh. Remember that the Pharaoh was thought to be a god and treated as one by all the people. By giving Joseph almost total authority, Pharaoh had elevated him to the status of a god in the eyes of the people. The plan was sealed with the giving of Pharaoh’s ring to Joseph, most likely a signet ring with which official documents would be sealed, exercising governmental authority. Joseph received new clothing, jewelry and a means of transportation. He was then introduced to the people who had to bow their knee before him. Do you remember Joseph’s dream about the sun and the moon and the stars bowing before him?
Application: John 1:14 says, “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us. . .” When God came to Earth in the form of the baby Jesus, He was born into poverty and never owned a single thing other than that which was necessary for life. After His death and resurrection, Jesus is recorded in Scripture as being seated at the right hand of the Father in Heaven. Jesus, like Joseph, was elevated from a lowly position to a lofty position: from being deity confined in a man’s body to His rightful place as the Son of God, to rule and reign in the affairs of men forever. He is the King of kings and the LORD of lords, and when He returns to this Earth, every knee shall bow. Philippians 2:9-11 states, “Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”
Verses 44-45 And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, I am Pharaoh, and without thee shall no man lift up his hand or foot in all the land of Egypt. 45 And Pharaoh called Joseph’s name Zaphnathpaaneah; and he gave him to wife Asenath the daughter of Potipherah priest of On. And Joseph went out over all the land of Egypt.
The name given to Joseph by Pharaoh only occurs once in the entire Bible and it means “treasury of the glorious rest”. The name “Asenath” means “belonging to the goddess Neith”. It is not known if Joseph wanted an Egyptian wife connected with goddess worship or if he had to accept her as a gift from Pharaoh. Regardless, with his new Egyptian name given from the political leader of the land, and with his new Egyptian wife, a daughter of a religious leader in the land, Joseph was secure in his new leadership role and new life in Egypt. It can be seen down through history that the union between politics and religion has been important in the governance of nations, and Joseph’s tenure as ruler was no different.
It will also be pointed out again that the descendants of Abraham were always of a mixed racial makeup. Children that were born to Joseph and Asenath were half Hebrew and half Egyptian genetically, and therefore all of Joseph’s future descendants would be of mixed race.
On was a city bordering the land of Goshen in Egypt and was a center of sun-worship as well as the residence of Joseph’s new father-in-law. The land of Goshen was where Joseph’s family would eventually settle and live for over 400 years.
Application: Pharaoh gave Joseph complete control. Nothing could be done without Joseph’s approval and involvement. Like Joseph, Jesus was given complete control by God. John 1:1-4 states, “In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not anything made that was made. In him was life; and the life was the light of men.” Jesus created all things and gave life to all things. Joseph created a food saving plan and thereby preserved life in the land.
Verses 46-49 And Joseph was thirty years old when he stood before Pharaoh king of Egypt. And Joseph went out from the presence of Pharaoh, and went throughout all the land of Egypt. 47 And in the seven plenteous years the earth brought forth by handfuls. 48 And he gathered up all the food of the seven years, which were in the land of Egypt, and laid up the food in the cities: the food of the field, which was round about every city, laid he up in the same. 49 And Joseph gathered corn as the sand of the sea, very much, until he left numbering; for it was without number.
Chapter 37 of Genesis records Joseph as being 17 years old at the time his brothers began to envy him and wish him harm. Exactly how old he was when he was sold into slavery is not revealed in Scripture, but it is believed he was under 20 years old. So for at least ten years Joseph had been in slavery outside or inside prison. Yet even during harsh circumstances, Joseph remained true to the God of his fathers, Abraham, Issac and Jacob.
Verses 50-51 And unto Joseph were born two sons before the years of famine came, which Asenath the daughter of Potipherah priest of On bare unto him. 51 And Joseph called the name of the firstborn Manasseh: For God, said he, hath made me forget all my toil, and all my father’s house.
Manasseh means “causing to forget”. This son born to Joseph was a constant reminder that Joseph had a new and successful life in Egypt and that all the sadness of his past life was over and done and needed to be forgotten.
Verse 52 And the name of the second called he Ephraim: For God hath caused me to be fruitful in the land of my affliction.
Ephraim means “I shall be doubly fruitful”. Just as Ephraim was being born, the land of Egypt was being doubly fruitful with its food production so that Joseph could store the excess in preparation of the seven years of famine as recorded in verse 47 above.
Verses 53-54 And the seven years of plenteousness, that was in the land of Egypt, were ended. 54 And the seven years of dearth began to come, according as Joseph had said: and the dearth was in all lands; but in all the land of Egypt there was bread.
Joseph was a prophet of God. The test of a true prophet is whether his words come true. When the seven years of famine came to pass, there could be no doubt but that Joseph was a prophet of the Most High God.
Verses 55-57 And when all the land of Egypt was famished, the people cried to Pharaoh for bread: and Pharaoh said unto all the Egyptians, Go unto Joseph; what he saith to you, do. 56 And the famine was over all the face of the earth: And Joseph opened all the storehouses, and sold unto the Egyptians; and the famine waxed sore in the land of Egypt. 57 And all countries came into Egypt to Joseph for to buy corn; because that the famine was so sore in all lands.
This was the first world wide famine to occur on the Earth. The famine was in all the known world and not just in the nation Egypt. But Joseph was able to sell to “all countries” and thereby keep everyone alive that was suffering from the food shortage.
Application: Joseph dealt with a physical famine. Jesus Christ dealt with a spiritual famine. When He ministered in the land of Israel, there was a famine of the soul. People were held captive by the religious system of the day and they knew not the true God of their fathers. Jesus brought spiritual food in the form of teaching and miracles and He liberated the souls of people from the shackles of organized religion. He provided a personal relationship between God and man and broke the bonds of the false religious system that insisted upon man-made rules, priests, and animal sacrifices to access the throne room of God. Jesus said of Himself in Luke 4:18, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised.” He was quoting from Isaiah 61:1 in the Old Testament that prophesied of His ministry. Just as Joseph was able to minister to all countries, Jesus is ministering to all people in all countries today.