Genesis 41:36-56

36 That food should be saved to use during the seven years of hunger that will come on the land of Egypt. Then the people in Egypt will not die during the seven years of hunger."

37 This seemed like a very good idea to the king, and all his officers agreed.

38 And the king asked them, "Can we find a better man than Joseph to take this job? God's spirit is truly in him!"

39 So the king said to Joseph, "God has shown you all this. There is no one as wise and understanding as you are, so

40 I will put you in charge of my palace. All the people will obey your orders, and only I will be greater than you."

41 Then the king said to Joseph, "Look! I have put you in charge of all the land of Egypt."

42 Then the king took off from his own finger his ring with the royal seal on it, and he put it on Joseph's finger. He gave Joseph fine linen clothes to wear, and he put a gold chain around Joseph's neck.

43 The king had Joseph ride in the second royal chariot, and people walked ahead of his chariot calling, "Bow down!" By doing these things, the king put Joseph in charge of all of Egypt.

44 The king said to him, "I am the king, and I say that no one in all the land of Egypt may lift a hand or a foot without your permission."

45 The king gave Joseph the name Zaphenath-Paneah. He also gave Joseph a wife named Asenath, who was the daughter of Potiphera, priest of On. So Joseph traveled through all the land of Egypt.

46 Joseph was thirty years old when he began serving the king of Egypt. And he left the king's court and traveled through all the land of Egypt.

47 During the seven good years, the crops in the land grew well.

48 And Joseph gathered all the food which was produced in Egypt during those seven years of good crops and stored the food in the cities. In every city he stored grain that had been grown in the fields around that city.

49 Joseph stored much grain, as much as the sand of the seashore -- so much that he could not measure it.

50 Joseph's wife was Asenath daughter of Potiphera, the priest of On. Before the years of hunger came, Joseph and Asenath had two sons.

51 Joseph named the first son Manassehn and said, "God has made me forget all the troubles I have had and all my father's family."

52 Joseph named the second son Ephraimn and said, "God has given me children in the land of my troubles."

53 The seven years of good crops came to an end in the land of Egypt.

54 Then the seven years of hunger began, just as Joseph had said. In all the lands people had nothing to eat, but in Egypt there was food.

55 The time of hunger became terrible in all of Egypt, and the people cried to the king for food. He said to all the Egyptians, "Go to Joseph and do whatever he tells you."

56 The hunger was everywhere in that part of the world. And Joseph opened the storehouses and sold grain to the people of Egypt, because the time of hunger became terrible in Egypt.

Genesis 41:36-56 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.