Genesis 41:17-27

17 And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, "In my dream, behold, I stood upon the bank of the river.

18 And behold, there came up out of the river seven cows, fatfleshed and wellfavored, and they fed in a meadow.

19 And behold, seven other cows came up after them, poor and very illfavored and leanfleshed, such as I never saw in all the land of Egypt for badness.

20 And the lean and the illfavored cows ate up the first seven fat cows;

21 and when they had eaten them up, it could not be known that they had eaten them, but they were still illfavored, as at the beginning. So I awoke.

22 And I saw in my dream, and behold, seven ears came up in one stalk, full and good;

23 and behold, seven ears, withered, thin, and blasted with the east wind sprang up after them.

24 And the thin ears devoured the seven good ears. And I told this unto the magicians, but there was none that could declare it to me."

25 And Joseph said unto Pharaoh, "The dreams of Pharaoh are one. God hath shown 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.

27 And the seven thin and illfavored cows that came up after them are seven years, and the seven empty ears blasted with the east wind shall be seven years of famine.

Genesis 41:17-27 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.