Genesis 41:13 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And as he interpreted to us, so it came about. I was restored to my office, and the baker was hanged.”

NIV: And things turned out exactly as he interpreted them to us: I was restored to my position, and the other man was impaled.'

NASB: And just as he interpreted for us, so it happened; Pharaoh restored me in my office, but he hanged the chief baker.'

CSB: It turned out just the way he interpreted them to us: I was restored to my position, and the other man was hanged."

NLT: And everything happened just as he had predicted. I was restored to my position as cup-bearer, and the chief baker was executed and impaled on a pole.'

KJV: And it came to pass, as he interpreted to us, so it was; me he restored unto mine office, and him he hanged.

NKJV: And it came to pass, just as he interpreted for us, so it happened. He restored me to my office, and he hanged him.”

The ruler of Egypt, called by the title "Pharaoh," is struggling to understand two dreams (Genesis 41:1–7). This inspires one of his court officials to speak up. This man is a cupbearer, likely in charge of serving and protecting the king's wine. Some time ago, this man was jailed (Genesis 40:2). In prison, he and another official had prophetic dreams. These dreams were accurately interpreted by one of their fellow prisoners, Joseph (Genesis 40:20–22; 41:9–12).

What Joseph claimed about these dreams came true exactly as he had said. This would have been of great interest to Pharaoh, since his own advisors were unable to give his dreams meaning (Genesis 41:8). This will lead to yet another sudden change in Joseph's status, as the Egyptian king has him summoned from the jail (Genesis 41:14).

Genesis 41:9–36 contains Joseph's explanation of Pharaoh's visions. When Egypt's ruler is bothered by vivid dreams, his formerly jailed cupbearer remembers a young Hebrew. This is Joseph, who explained the cupbearer's dream in prison (Genesis 40:23). Joseph explains that Pharaoh's dreams point to seven years of abundance in Egypt followed by seven years of desperate famine. Joseph boldly proposes a plan to manage the coming crisis.

Joseph's status in Genesis 41 begins as "forgotten Hebrew prison slave" and ends as "the second most powerful man in Egypt." The cupbearer from the previous chapter finally mentions Joseph two years later, when Pharaoh is troubled by dreams which wise men can't interpret. Joseph reveals the meaning of the dreams: seven years of abundance will be followed by seven years of great famine in the land. Pharaoh, recognizing that God's Spirit is with Joseph, makes him second in command over the entire nation and tasks him with preparing for the famine.

Joseph was sold into slavery by his own brothers (Genesis 37:24–28). He then excelled in his work for an Egyptian official, only to be falsely accused and imprisoned (Genesis 39:20). There, he accurately interpreted dreams for servants of the Egyptian ruler (Genesis 40:20–22). Unfortunately, the restored cupbearer failed to mention Joseph, leaving him in prison for two more years (Genesis 40:23). A series of disturbing dreams leads to Joseph's audience with Pharaoh. This, in turn, leads to Joseph becoming the second most powerful man in the nation. The following chapters emphasize Joseph's reunion with his family. Details about his administration of food during the famine are recorded in Genesis 47:13–26.

The book of Genesis establishes fundamental truths about God. Among these are His role as the Creator, His holiness, His hatred of sin, His love for mankind, and His willingness to provide for our redemption. We learn not only where mankind has come from, but why the world is in its present form. The book also presents the establishment of Israel, God's chosen people. Many of the principles given in other parts of Scripture depend on the basic ideas presented here in the book of Genesis. Within the framework of the Bible, Genesis explains the bare-bones history of the universe leading up to the captivity of Israel in Egypt, setting the stage for the book of Exodus.

Accessed 5/6/2024 1:27:36 AM