Genesis 41:54

54 Then the seven years when there wasn't enough food began. It happened exactly as Joseph had said it would. There wasn't enough food in any of the other lands. But in the whole land of Egypt there was food.

Genesis 41:54 Meaning and Commentary

Genesis 41:54

And the seven years of dearth began to come, as Joseph had
said
In the interpretation of Pharaoh's dreams; as soon as the seven years of plenty were over, there were quickly some appearances of the famine coming on; as particularly the river Nile not flowing to its usual height at the season of it; hence there was a drought, the earth was parched, and everything began to wither and decay, and the seed that was sown sprung not up: and the dearth was in all lands;
adjoining to Egypt, as Syria, Arabia, Palestine, Canaan but in all the land of Egypt there was bread;
which was in the hands of everyone, and remained of their old stores in the years of plenty not yet exhausted, and which continued for some time after the dearth began. It is very probable that to this seven years' drought in Egypt Ovid ^F20 refers, which he makes to be nine; as does also Apollodorus {u}.

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FOOTNOTES:

F20 "Dicitur Aegyptus caruisse juvantibus arva Imbribus, atque annis sicca fuisse novem." --Ovid de Artc Amandi, l. 1. ver. 647.
F21 De Deor Orig. l. 2. p. 104.

Genesis 41:54 In-Context

52 He named the second son Ephraim. That's because he said, "God has given me children in the land where I've suffered so much."

53 The seven years when there was plenty of food in Egypt came to an end.

54 Then the seven years when there wasn't enough food began. It happened exactly as Joseph had said it would. There wasn't enough food in any of the other lands. But in the whole land of Egypt there was food.

55 When all of the people of Egypt began to get hungry, they cried out to Pharaoh for food. He told all of the Egyptians, "Go to Joseph. Do what he tells you."

56 There wasn't enough food anywhere in the country. So Joseph opened the storerooms. He sold grain to the Egyptians because people were very hungry all over Egypt.