Genesis 41:16-26

16 Joseph answered, "Not I, but God. God will set Pharaoh's mind at ease."

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

18 Seven cows, shimmering with health, came up out of the river and grazed on the marsh grass.

19 On their heels seven more cows, all skin and bones, came up. I've never seen uglier cows anywhere in Egypt.

20 Then the seven skinny, ugly cows ate up the first seven healthy cows.

21 But you couldn't tell by looking - after eating them up they were just as skinny and ugly as before. Then I woke up.

22 "In my second dream I saw seven ears of grain, full-bodied and lush, growing out of a single stalk,

23 and right behind them, seven other ears, shriveled, thin, and dried out by the east wind.

24 And the thin ears swallowed up the full ears. I've told all this to the magicians but they can't figure it out."

25 Joseph said to Pharaoh, "Pharaoh's two dreams both mean the same thing. God is telling Pharaoh what he is going to do.

26 The seven healthy cows are seven years and the seven healthy ears of grain are seven years - they're the same dream.

Genesis 41:16-26 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.