1 It came about at the end of two full years that Pharaoh had a dream. Behold, he stood by the Nile. 2 Behold, seven cows came up out of the Nile, desirable and fat, and they grazed in the reeds. 3 Behold, seven other cows came up after them out of the Nile, undesirable and thin. They stood by the other cows on the bank of the river. 4 Then the undesirable and thin cows ate the seven desirable and fat cows. Then Pharaoh woke up. 5 Then he slept and dreamed a second time. Behold, seven heads of grain came up on one stalk, wholesome and good. 6 Behold, seven heads, thin and scorched by the east wind, sprouted up after them. 7 The thin heads swallowed up the seven wholesome and full heads. Pharaoh woke up, and, behold, it was a dream. 8 It came about in the morning that his spirit was troubled. He sent and called for all the magicians and wise men of Egypt. Pharaoh told them his dreams, but there was no one who could interpret them to Pharaoh. 9 Then the chief cupbearer said to Pharaoh, “Today I am thinking about my offenses. 10 Pharaoh was angry with his servants, and put me in custody in the house of the captain of the guard, the chief baker and me. 11 We dreamed a dream the same night, he and I. We dreamed each man according to the interpretation of his dream. 12 There was with us there a young Hebrew man, a servant of the captain of the guard. We told him and he interpreted for us our dreams. He interpreted for each of us according to his dream. 13 It came about as he interpreted for us, so it happened. Pharaoh restored me to my post, but the other one he hanged.” 14 Then Pharaoh sent and called for Joseph. They quickly took him out of the dungeon. He shaved himself, changed his clothes, and came in to Pharaoh. 15 Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I had a dream, but there is no interpreter for it. But I have heard about you, that when you hear a dream you can interpret it.” 16 Joseph answered Pharaoh, saying, “It is not in me. God will answer Pharaoh with favor.” 17 Pharaoh spoke to Joseph, “In my dream, behold, I stood on the bank of the Nile. 18 Behold, seven cows came up out of the Nile, fat and desirable, and they grazed among the reeds. 19 Behold, seven other cows came up after them, weak, very undesirable, and thin. I never saw in all the land of Egypt such undesirableness like them. 20 The thin and undesirable cows ate up the first seven fat cows. 21 When they had eaten them up, it could not be known that they had eaten them, for they were still as undesirable as before. Then I awoke. 22 I looked in my dream, and, behold, seven heads came up upon one stalk, full and good. 23 Behold, seven more heads—withered, thin, and scorched by the east wind—sprang up after them. 24 The thin heads swallowed up the seven good heads. I told these dreams to the magicians, but there was none that could explain it to me.” 25 Joseph said to Pharaoh, “The dreams of Pharaoh are the same. What God is about to do, he has declared to Pharaoh. 26 The seven good cows are seven years, and the seven good heads are seven years. The dreams are the same. 27 The seven thin and undesirable cows that came up after them are seven years, and also the seven thin heads scorched by the east wind will be seven years of famine. 28 That is the thing which I spoke to Pharaoh. What God is about to do he has revealed to Pharaoh. 29 Look, seven years of great abundance will come throughout all the land of Egypt. 30 Seven years of famine will come after them, and all the abundance will be forgotten in the land of Egypt, and the famine will devastate the land. 31 The abundance will not be remembered in the land because of the famine that will follow, for it will be very severe. 32 That the dream was repeated to Pharaoh is because the matter has been established by God, and God will soon do it. 33 Now let Pharaoh look for a man discerning and wise, and put him over the land of Egypt. 34 Let Pharaoh appoint officials over the land, and let them take a fifth of the crops of Egypt in the seven abundant years. 35 Let them gather all the food of these good years that are coming and store up grain under the authority of Pharaoh, for food to be used in the cities. They should preserve it. 36 The food will be a supply for the land for the seven years of famine which will be in the land of Egypt. In this way the land will not be devastated by the famine.” 37 This advice was good in the eyes of Pharaoh and in the eyes of all his servants. 38 Pharaoh said to his servants, “Can we find such a man as this, in whom is the Spirit of God?” 39 So Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Since God has shown you all this, there is none so discerning and wise as you. 40 You will be over my house, and according to your word will all my people be ruled. Only in the throne will I be greater than you.” 41 Pharaoh said to Joseph, “See, I have put you over all the land of Egypt.” 42 Pharaoh took off his signet ring from his hand and put it upon Joseph's hand. He clothed him with clothes of fine linen, and put a gold chain on his neck. 43 He had him ride in the second chariot which he possessed. Men shouted before him, “Bend the knee.” Pharaoh put him over all the land of Egypt. 44 Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I am Pharaoh, and apart from you, no man will lift his hand or his foot in all the land of Egypt.” 45 Pharaoh called Joseph's name “Zaphenath-Paneah.” He gave him Asenath, the daughter of Potiphera priest of On, as a wife. Joseph went out over the land of Egypt. 46 Joseph was thirty years old when he stood before Pharaoh, king of Egypt. Joseph went out from the presence of Pharaoh, and went throughout all the land of Egypt. 47 In the seven bountiful years the land produced abundantly. 48 He gathered up all the food of the seven years that was in the land of Egypt and put the food in the cities. He put into each city the food from the fields that surrounded it. 49 Joseph stored up grain like the sand of the sea, so much that he stopped counting, because it was beyond counting. 50 Joseph had two sons before the years of famine came, whom Asenath, the daughter of Potiphera priest of On, bore to him. 51 Joseph called the name of his firstborn Manasseh, for he said, “God has made me forget all my trouble and all my father's household.” 52 He called the name of the second son Ephraim, for he said, “God has made me fruitful in the land of my affliction.” 53 The seven years of abundance that was in the land of Egypt came to an end. 54 The seven years of famine began, as Joseph had said. There was famine in all lands, but in all the land of Egypt there was food. 55 When all the land of Egypt was famished, the people loudly called on Pharaoh for food. Pharaoh said to all the Egyptians, “Go to Joseph and do what he says.” 56 The famine was over all the face of the whole land. Joseph opened all the storehouses and sold to the Egyptians. The famine was severe in the land of Egypt. 57 All the earth was coming to Egypt to buy grain from Joseph, because the famine was severe in all the earth.
Genesis · Unlocked Literal Bible
Genesis 41 Unlocked Literal Bible
Audio: World English Bible (WEB), read by Winfred W. Henson · About the recordings
People & places in this chapter
From this site's family tree and Bible maps, only where those guides cite this chapter.
People
Asenath
The Egyptian wife given to Joseph, mother of Ephraim and Manasseh.
Cited in the guide: Genesis 41:45-52; Genesis 46:20
Ephraim
Joseph's younger son, given the greater blessing by Jacob.
Cited in the guide: Genesis 41:52; 48
Joseph
Betrayed and enslaved, he rose to rule Egypt and saved his family from famine.
Cited in the guide: Genesis 37; 39–50
Manasseh
Joseph's elder son, whose descendants formed a tribe on both sides of the Jordan.
Cited in the guide: Genesis 41:51; 48
Potiphera
Priest of On whose daughter Asenath Pharaoh gave to Joseph as his wife.
Cited in the guide: Genesis 41:45; Genesis 41:50; Genesis 46:20
Cross references (53)
Related passages for each verse, from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge as collected and ranked by readers at OpenBible.info.
- 1 Genesis 20:3; Genesis 29:14; Ezekiel 29:3; Esther 6:1; Isaiah 19:5
- 2 Isaiah 19:6
- 3 Genesis 41:20–21; Genesis 41:4
- 4 1 Kings 3:15
- 5 Deuteronomy 32:14
- 6 Hosea 13:15; Ezekiel 19:12; Ezekiel 17:10
- 7 Genesis 20:3; Genesis 37:5
- 8 Daniel 4:7; Exodus 7:22; Matthew 2:1; Exodus 7:11; Isaiah 29:14
- 9 Genesis 40:14; Genesis 40:23; Genesis 40:1–3
- 10 Genesis 39:20; Genesis 40:2–3; Genesis 37:36
- 11 Genesis 40:5–8
- 12 Genesis 37:36; Genesis 40:12–19; Genesis 39:20; Genesis 39:1
- 13 Ezekiel 43:3; Jeremiah 1:10; Genesis 40:12; Genesis 40:20–22
- 14 Daniel 2:25; Psalm 113:7–8; Psalm 105:19–22; 1 Samuel 2:7–8; Isaiah 61:3
- 15 Daniel 5:16; Daniel 5:12; Psalm 25:14; Genesis 41:9–13
- 16 2 Corinthians 3:5; Genesis 40:8; Daniel 2:47; Acts 3:12; Numbers 12:6
- 18 Jeremiah 24:1–3; Jeremiah 24:5; Jeremiah 24:8
- 21 Revelation 10:9–10; Ezekiel 3:3; Isaiah 9:20; Psalm 37:19
- 23 2 Kings 19:26; Psalm 129:6–7; Hosea 9:16; Hosea 13:15; Genesis 41:6
- 24 Daniel 4:7; Genesis 41:8; Exodus 8:19
- 25 Daniel 2:45; Revelation 4:1; Daniel 2:28–29; Matthew 24:40; Daniel 2:47
- 26 Genesis 41:2; Genesis 41:47; Exodus 12:11; Genesis 41:5; Genesis 41:29
- 27 2 Kings 8:1; 2 Samuel 24:19
- 28 Genesis 41:25; Genesis 41:16
- 29 Genesis 41:46–47; Genesis 41:26; Genesis 41:49
- 30 Genesis 47:13; Genesis 41:54; James 5:17; Psalm 105:16; 1 Kings 17:1
- 31 Isaiah 24:20; 1 Samuel 5:6
- 32 Numbers 23:19; Isaiah 46:10–11; Isaiah 14:24–27; 2 Corinthians 13:1; Matthew 24:35
- 33 Genesis 41:39; Acts 6:3; Daniel 4:27; Deuteronomy 1:13; Exodus 18:19–22
- 34 Proverbs 6:6–8; Numbers 31:14; Job 5:20; Nehemiah 11:9; Proverbs 22:3
- 35 Genesis 41:48–49; Genesis 45:6–7; Genesis 41:56; Exodus 4:13
- 36 Genesis 47:13–25
- 37 Acts 7:10; Proverbs 25:11; Psalm 105:19; 1 Kings 21:2; Joshua 22:30
- 38 Job 32:8; Daniel 5:14; Numbers 27:18; Daniel 5:11; Daniel 4:18
- 39 Genesis 41:28; Genesis 41:33; Genesis 41:25; Genesis 41:16
- 40 Proverbs 22:29; Acts 7:10; Psalm 105:21–22; Daniel 5:29; Genesis 45:8–9
- 41 Matthew 28:18; Philippians 2:9–11; Genesis 42:6; Daniel 6:3; Daniel 4:2–3
- 42 Daniel 5:7; Daniel 5:29; Esther 3:10; Esther 8:2; Daniel 5:16
- 43 Genesis 45:8; Acts 7:10; Genesis 45:26; Genesis 42:33; Philippians 2:10
- 44 Psalm 105:22; Exodus 11:7
- 45 Genesis 46:20; Ezekiel 30:17; Exodus 2:16; Acts 11:28; Luke 2:1
- 46 Daniel 1:19; 1 Kings 12:6; 2 Samuel 5:4; 1 Samuel 16:21; Genesis 37:2
- 47 Genesis 26:12; Psalm 72:16
- 48 Genesis 41:34–36; Genesis 47:21
- 49 Psalm 78:27; 1 Samuel 13:5; Genesis 22:17; Judges 7:12; Judges 6:5
- 50 Genesis 48:5; Genesis 46:20; Genesis 41:45; 2 Samuel 8:18
- 51 Psalm 30:5; Proverbs 31:7; Psalm 30:11; Genesis 41:30; Deuteronomy 33:17
- 52 Genesis 49:22; Genesis 50:23; Genesis 17:6; Isaiah 40:1–2; Psalm 105:17–18
- 53 Psalm 73:20; Luke 16:25; Genesis 41:29–31
- 54 Acts 7:11; Psalm 105:16; Genesis 45:11; Genesis 41:30; Genesis 41:6–7
- 55 Matthew 17:5; Jeremiah 14:1–6; Matthew 3:17; Philippians 4:19; Genesis 41:40–41
- 56 Genesis 42:6; Acts 17:26; Genesis 47:14–24; Isaiah 23:17; Zechariah 5:3
- 57 Genesis 41:56; Genesis 41:54; Genesis 42:1; Genesis 42:5; Deuteronomy 9:28
Cross references: OpenBible.info (CC BY), drawn mainly from the public-domain Treasury of Scripture Knowledge. · Sources & licences
What the Fathers said
Passages from the Church Fathers that expound or quote this chapter, verbatim from the public-domain Schaff edition (19th-century English translations).
How these were chosen
“Commentary” is the opening of a homily or exposition on this chapter (John Chrysostom’s homilies, Augustine’s tractates, sermons and expositions of the Psalms). “Quotes” are sentences where the edition’s own footnotes identify a quotation of a verse here, kept only when the wording matches the verse. Only works whose authorship is not in doubt are used. Psalms follow the Hebrew/English numbering (Augustine numbers them as the Septuagint does: his Psalm 50 is Psalm 51 here).
He also came down upon all righteous men and Prophets; Enos, I mean, and Enoch, and Noah, and the rest; upon Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; for as regards Joseph, even Pharaoh perceived that he had the Spirit of God within him.
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 2, vol. 7 (1894)