What does Genesis 41:7 mean?

As did the first dream (Genesis 41:1–4), Pharaoh's second vision concludes in a disturbing way. He has seen seven wind-scorched ears of grain sprout up after seeing seven plump, healthy ears of grain. In that part of the world, a desert wind called chamsin can blast crops with heat, sand, and dry air. Now Pharaoh sees those seven thin, ugly, desert-scorched ears swallow up the healthy ones. This is much like the conclusion of his first dream, where seven emaciated cows devoured seven fat ones.

Finally, Pharaoh wakes up for the second time. The reminder that this was a dream suggests the visions were especially vivid. Pharaoh likely needed a moment to fully realize that what he saw was a dream and not reality. The following verses demonstrate that Pharaoh knows these dreams have deeper meaning. However, his advisors will be useless to help (Genesis 41:8). He will need divine help to understand what he has seen (Genesis 41:9–13).