Genesis 41:24 - Printer Friendly

ESV: and the thin ears swallowed up the seven good ears. And I told it to the magicians, but there was no one who could explain it to me.”

NIV: The thin heads of grain swallowed up the seven good heads. I told this to the magicians, but none of them could explain it to me.'

NASB: and the thin ears swallowed the seven good ears. Then I told it to the soothsayer priests, but there was no one who could explain it to me.'

CSB: The thin heads of grain swallowed the seven good ones. I told this to the magicians, but no one can tell me what it means."

NLT: And the shriveled heads swallowed the seven healthy heads. I told these dreams to the magicians, but no one could tell me what they mean.'

KJV: 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.

NKJV: And the thin heads devoured the seven good heads. So I told this to the magicians, but there was no one who could explain it to me.”

This concludes Pharaoh's description of his two dreams (Genesis 41:17–23). These are being related to Joseph, summoned from prison to interpret them for the Egyptian king (Genesis 41:14–16). The first dream involved seven healthy cows being eaten by seven skeletal cows; the second seven healthy ears of grain being consumed by seven scorched ones. When Pharaoh awoke from these dreams, none of his court officials could explain them (Genesis 41:1–8). Only a cupbearer's memory of Joseph brought him to this moment (Genesis 41:9–13).

Joseph humbly noted that only God had the knowledge required to interpret the dreams (Genesis 41:16), yet promised to pass that information along. In the next verses, he will do just that. The news is not good. Egypt will experience seven years of fertility and abundance, followed by seven years of horrible famine. This shortage will be so harsh that people will forget that the seven good years even happened (Genesis 41:25–31). And yet, there is hope—since Pharaoh now knows about the famine in advance, he can prepare. Joseph offers such advice along with his explanation of the dreams (Genesis 41:33–36).

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.