Genesis 41:12-22

12 An Hebrew child, servant of the same duke of knights, was there, to whom we told the dreams, and heard whatever thing the befalling of [the] thing proved afterward(s); (And a young Hebrew man, a slave of the same captain of the guard, was there, to whom we told our dreams, and then we heard from him what the befalling of the dreams later proved to be;)

13 for I am restored to mine office, and he was hanged in a cross. (for I was restored to my office, and he was hanged on a tree.)

14 Anon at the behest of the king, they polled Joseph (At once at the king's command, they shaved Joseph), (and) led (him) out of the prison, and when his clothing was changed, they brought him to the king.

15 To whom the king said, I saw dreams, and none [there] is that expoundeth those things that I saw; I have heard that thou expoundest such things most prudently. (To whom the king said, I had two dreams, and there is no one who can interpret what I saw; but I have heard that thou interpretest such things most prudently.)

16 Joseph answered, Without me, God shall answer prosperities to Pharaoh. (And Joseph answered, Not I, but God himself shall answer good things to Pharaoh.)

17 Therefore Pharaoh told that that he saw; I guessed that I stood on the brink of the flood, (And so Pharaoh told him what he had dreamed, saying, I stood on the bank of the river,)

18 and seven kine, full fair, with flesh able to eating, went up from the water, which kine gathered green sedges in the pasture of the marshes; (and seven cows, sleek and with flesh good for eating, came out of the water, and they gathered green sedges in the pasture of the marshes;)

19 and lo! seven other kine, so foul and lean, followed these, that I saw never such in the land of Egypt; (and lo! seven other cows followed them, so foul and lean, that I never before had seen such as these in all the land of Egypt;)

20 and when the former kine were devoured and wasted of the lean kine, (and when the first cows, the fat ones, were devoured and destroyed by the lean cows,)

21 the lean kine gave no step, or token, of fullness, but were slow, or feeble, by like leanness and paleness. I waked, (the lean cows gave no sign of fullness, but were as feeble, and with the same leanness and paleness, as before. I awakened,)

22 and again I was oppressed by sleep, and I saw a dream (and then again I was oppressed by sleep, and again I dreamed); seven ears of corn, full and most fair, came forth on one stalk,

Genesis 41:12-22 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.