Genesis 41:1

1 After two full years Pharaoh had a dream. He dreamed he was standing by the Nile River.

Genesis 41:1 Meaning and Commentary

Genesis 41:1

And it came to pass at the end of two full years
It is not a clear case, as Aben Ezra observes, from whence these years are to be reckoned, whether from the time of Joseph's being put into prison, or from the time that the chief butler was taken out of it; the latter seems more probable, and better connects this and the preceding chapter: that Pharaoh dreamed, and, behold, he stood by the river;
it seemed to him, in his dream, as if he stood near the river Nile, or some canal or flow of water cut out of that river.

Genesis 41:1 In-Context

1 After two full years Pharaoh had a dream. He dreamed he was standing by the Nile River.

2 Suddenly, seven nice-looking, well-fed cows came up from the river and began to graze among the reeds.

3 Seven other cows came up from the river behind them. These cows were sickly and skinny. They stood behind the first seven cows on the riverbank.

4 The cows that were sickly and skinny ate the seven nice-looking, well-fed cows. Then Pharaoh woke up.

5 He fell asleep again and had a second dream. Seven good, healthy heads of grain were growing on a single stalk.