Genesis 41:10-20

10 There was a time when you were angry with the baker and me, and you put us in prison in the house of the captain of the guard.

11 In prison we each had a dream on the same night, and each dream had a different meaning.

12 A young Hebrew man, a servant of the captain of the guard, was in the prison with us. When we told him our dreams, he explained their meanings to us. He told each man the meaning of his dream, and

13 things happened exactly as he said they would: I was given back my old position, and the baker was hanged."

14 So the king called for Joseph. The guards quickly brought him out of the prison, and he shaved, put on clean clothes, and went before the king.

15 The king said to Joseph, "I have had a dream, but no one can explain its meaning to me. I have heard that you can explain a dream when someone tells it to you."

16 Joseph answered the king, "I am not able to explain the meaning of dreams, but God will do this for the king."

17 Then the king said to Joseph, "In my dream I was standing on the bank of the Nile River.

18 I saw seven fat and beautiful cows that came up out of the river and ate the grass.

19 Then I saw seven more cows come out of the river that were thin and lean and ugly -- the worst looking cows I have seen in all the land of Egypt.

20 And these thin and ugly cows ate the first seven fat cows,

Genesis 41:10-20 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.