Genesis 41:24-34

24 which devoured the fairness of the former; I told this dream to [the] expounders, and no man there is that expoundeth it (I told these dreams to the interpreters, but there was no one who could interpret them for me).

25 Joseph answered, The dream of the king is one (The dreams of the king be one dream); God hath showed to Pharaoh what things he shall do.

26 Seven fair kine, and seven full ears of corn, be seven years of plenty, and the same things comprehend the strength of the dream; (The seven fat and sleek cows, and the seven full ears of corn, be seven years of plenty, and they tell the same thing, and so the dreams be one dream;)

27 and [the] seven kine, thin and lean, that went up after the fair kine, and the seven thin ears of corn, and smitten with [a] burning wind, be seven years of hunger to coming, (and the seven foul and lean cows, that came out after the good cows, and the seven thin ears of corn, that be struck by a burning wind, be seven years of famine to come,)

28 which shall be fulfilled by this order. (which shall be fulfilled in this order.)

29 Lo! seven years of great plenty in all the land of Egypt shall come, (Lo! seven years of great plenty shall come in all the land of Egypt,)

30 and seven other years of so great barrenness shall follow those, that all the abundance before shall be given to forgetting; for hunger shall waste all the land, (and then seven more years of such great famine shall follow them, that all the abundance of before shall be forgotten; for the famine shall destroy all the land,)

31 and the greatness of neediness shall waste the greatness of plenty.

32 Forsooth this that thou sawest the second time (in) a dream pertaining to the same thing (For what thou sawest in a second dream pertaining to the same thing), is (a) showing of firmness, that is, (a) confirming of the first, for the word of God shall be done, and it shall be [ful]filled full swiftly.

33 Now therefore purvey the king a wise man and a ready (one), and make the king him sovereign to the land of Egypt, (And so now, let the king find a wise and able man, and make him the ruler over all the land of Egypt,)

34 which man ordain governors by all countries, and gather he into barns the fifth part of fruits by [the] seven years of plenty, that shall come now; (and that man ordain governors over all the countryside, and gather he into the barns the fifth part of the harvest of the land during the seven years of plenty that shall now come;)

Genesis 41:24-34 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.