Genesis 41:19-29

19 "Lo, seven other cows came up after them, poor and very ugly and gaunt *, such as I had never seen for ugliness in all the land of Egypt;
20 and the lean and ugly cows ate up the first seven fat cows.
21 "Yet when they had devoured * them, it could not be detected that they had devoured * them, for they were just as ugly as before. Then I awoke.
22 "I saw also in my dream, and behold, seven ears, full and good, came up on a single stalk;
23 and lo, seven ears, withered, thin, and scorched by the east wind, sprouted up after them;
24 and the thin ears swallowed the seven good ears. Then 1I told it to the magicians, but there was no one who could explain it to me."
25 Now Joseph said to Pharaoh, "Pharaoh's dreams are one and the same; 2God has told to Pharaoh what * He is about to do.
26 "The seven good cows are seven years; and the seven good ears are seven years; the dreams are one and the same.
27 "The seven lean and ugly cows that came up after them are seven years, and the seven thin ears scorched by the east wind 3will be seven years of famine.
28 "It is as I have spoken to Pharaoh: 4God has shown to Pharaoh what He is about to do.
29 "Behold, 5seven years of great abundance are coming in all the land of Egypt;

Genesis 41:19-29 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO GENESIS 41

In this chapter are related Pharaoh's dreams, which his magicians could not interpret, Ge 41:1-9, upon which the chief butler now remembering Joseph, recommended him to Pharaoh as an interpreter, having had an happy experience of him as such himself, Ge 41:10-13, when Joseph was sent for out of prison; and Pharaoh having related his dreams, he interpreted them of seven years of plenty, and seven years of famine, that should be in the land of Egypt, Ge 41:14-32; and having done, he gave his advice to provide in the years of plenty against the years of famine, and proposed a scheme for doing it, which was approved of by Pharaoh and his ministers, Ge 41:33-37; and Joseph himself was pitched upon as the most proper person to execute it, and was appointed chief over the kingdom next to Pharaoh, who gave him a new name and a wife upon this occasion, Ge 41:38-45; accordingly, in the years of plenty he took a tour throughout the whole land, and gathered and laid up food in vast quantities in every city, Ge 41:46-49; an account is given of two sons born to Joseph, and of their names, Ge 41:50-52; and of the seven years of famine, beginning to come on at the end of the seven years of plenty, which brought great distress on the land of Egypt, and the countries round about, who all came to Joseph to buy corn, Ge 41:53-57.

Cross References 5

  • 1. Isaiah 8:19; Daniel 4:7
  • 2. Genesis 41:28, 32; Dan 2:28, 29, 45
  • 3. 2 Kings 8:1
  • 4. Genesis 41:25, 32
  • 5. Genesis 41:47

Footnotes 12

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