Genesis 41:46-56

46 Forsooth Joseph was of thirty years, when he stood in the sight of king Pharaoh, and compassed all the countries of Egypt. (And Joseph was thirty years old, when he stood before Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, and then went forth through all the countryside.)

47 And the plenty of [the] seven years came, and [the] ripe corns were bound into handfuls/into sheaves (and the harvest came forth in abundance),

48 and (they) were gathered into the barns of Egypt, also all the abundance of ripe corns was kept in all cities (and all the abundance of the harvest was kept in all the cities),

49 and so great abundance was of wheat (and there was such a great abundance of corn, or of grain), that it was made even to the gravel, (or the sand,) of the sea, and the plenty passed (any) measure.

50 Soothly two sons were born to Joseph before that the hunger came, which Asenath, the daughter of Potipherah, a priest of Heliopolis, childed to him (bare for him).

51 And Joseph called the name of the first begotten son, Manasseh, and said, God hath made me to forget all my travails, and the house of my father; (And Joseph named his first-born son Manasseh, and said, For God hath made me forget all my travails, or all my troubles, and my father's household, or my family;)

52 and he called the name of the second son Ephraim, and said, God hath made me to increase in the land of my poverty. (and he named his second son Ephraim, and said, For God hath made me to be fruitful in the land of my tribulation.)

53 Therefore when (the) seven years of plenty that were (to come) in Egypt were passed,

54 [the] seven years of poverty began to come, which Joseph before-said, and hunger had the mastery in all the world; also hunger was in all the land of Egypt; (the seven years of famine began, which Joseph had forecast, and the famine had the mastery in all the rest of the world; but there was still bread in all the land of Egypt;)

55 and (finally) when that land hungered, the people cried to Pharaoh, and asked (for) meats (but when the famine finally reached Egypt, the people cried to Pharaoh, and asked for food); to whom he answered, Go ye to Joseph, and do ye whatever thing he saith to you.

56 Forsooth hunger increased each day in all the land, and Joseph opened all the barns, and sold corn to the Egyptians, for also hunger oppressed them; (And the famine increased each day in all the land, and Joseph opened all the barns, and sold corn, or grain, to the Egyptians, for now the famine oppressed them too;)

Genesis 41:46-56 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.