1 And it cometh to pass, at the end of two years of days that Pharaoh is dreaming, and lo, he is standing by the River, 2 and lo, from the River coming up are seven kine, of fair appearance, and fat [in] flesh, and they feed among the reeds; 3 and lo, seven other kine are coming up after them out of the River, of bad appearance, and lean [in] flesh, and they stand near the kine on the edge of the River, 4 and the kine of bad appearance and lean [in] flesh eat up the seven kine of fair appearance, and fat — and Pharaoh awaketh. 5 And he sleepeth, and dreameth a second time, and lo, seven ears are coming up on one stalk, fat and good, 6 and lo, seven ears, thin, and blasted with an east wind, are springing up after them; 7 and the thin ears swallow the seven fat and full ears — and Pharaoh awaketh, and lo, a dream. 8 And it cometh to pass in the morning, that his spirit is moved, and he sendeth and calleth all the scribes of Egypt, and all its wise men, and Pharaoh recounteth to them his dream, and there is no interpreter of them to Pharaoh. 9 And the chief of the butlers speaketh with Pharaoh, saying, 'My sin I mention this day: 10 Pharaoh hath been wroth against his servants, and giveth me into charge in the house of the chief of the executioners, me and the chief of the bakers; 11 and we dream a dream in one night, I and he, each according to the interpretation of his dream we have dreamed. 12 And there [is] with us a youth, a Hebrew, servant to the chief of the executioners, and we recount to him, and he interpreteth to us our dreams, [to] each according to his dream hath he interpreted, 13 and it cometh to pass, as he hath interpreted to us so it hath been, me he put back on my station, and him he hanged.' 14 And Pharaoh sendeth and calleth Joseph, and they cause him to run out of the pit, and he shaveth, and changeth his garments, and cometh in unto Pharaoh. 15 And Pharaoh saith unto Joseph, 'A dream I have dreamed, and there is no interpreter of it, and I — I have heard concerning thee, saying, Thou understandest a dream to interpret it,' 16 and Joseph answereth Pharaoh, saying, 'Without me — God doth answer Pharaoh with peace.' 17 And Pharaoh speaketh unto Joseph: 'In my dream, lo, I am standing by the edge of the River, 18 and lo, out of the River coming up are seven kine, fat [in] flesh, and of fair form, and they feed among the reeds; 19 and lo, seven other kine are coming up after them, thin, and of very bad form, and lean [in] flesh; I have not seen like these in all the land of Egypt for badness. 20 'And the lean and the bad kine eat up the first seven fat kine, 21 and they come in unto their midst, and it hath not been known that they have come in unto their midst, and their appearance [is] bad as at the commencement; and I awake. 22 'And I see in my dream, and lo, seven ears are coming up on one stalk, full and good; 23 and lo, seven ears, withered, thin, blasted with an east wind, are springing up after them; 24 and the thin ears swallow the seven good ears; and I tell unto the scribes, and there is none declaring to me.' 25 And Joseph saith unto Pharaoh, 'The dream of Pharaoh is one: that which God is doing he hath declared to Pharaoh; 26 the seven good kine are seven years, and the seven good ears are seven years, the dream is one; 27 and the seven thin and bad kine which are coming up after them are seven years, and the seven empty ears, blasted with an east wind, are seven years of famine; 28 this [is] the thing which I have spoken unto Pharaoh: That which God is doing, he hath shewn Pharaoh. 29 'Lo, seven years are coming of great abundance in all the land of Egypt, 30 and seven years of famine have arisen after them, and all the plenty is forgotten in the land of Egypt, and the famine hath finished the land, 31 and the plenty is not known in the land because of that famine afterwards, for it [is] very grievous. 32 'And because of the repeating of the dream unto Pharaoh twice, surely the thing is established by God, and God is hastening to do it. 33 'And now, let Pharaoh provide a man, intelligent and wise, and set him over the land of Egypt; 34 let Pharaoh make and appoint overseers over the land, and receive a fifth of the land of Egypt in the seven years of plenty, 35 and they gather all the food of these good years that are coming, and heap up corn under the hand of Pharaoh — food in the cities; and they have kept [it], 36 and the food hath been for a store for the land, for the seven years of famine which are in the land of Egypt; and the land is cut off by the famine.' 37 And the thing is good in the eyes of Pharaoh, and in the eyes of all his servants, 38 and Pharaoh saith unto his servants, 'Do we find like this, a man in whom the spirit of God [is]?' 39 and Pharaoh saith unto Joseph, 'After God's causing thee to know all this, there is none intelligent and wise as thou; 40 thou — thou art over my house, and at thy mouth do all my people kiss; only in the throne I am greater than thou.' 41 And Pharaoh saith unto Joseph, 'See, I have put thee over all the land of Egypt.' 42 And Pharaoh turneth aside his seal-ring from off his hand, and putteth it on the hand of Joseph, and clotheth him [with] garments of fine linen, and placeth a chain of gold on his neck, 43 and causeth him to ride in the second chariot which he hath, and they proclaim before him, 'Bow the knee!' and — to put him over all the land of Egypt. 44 And Pharaoh saith unto Joseph, 'I [am] Pharaoh, and without thee a man doth not lift up his hand and his foot in all the land of Egypt;' 45 and Pharaoh calleth Joseph's name Zaphnath-Paaneah, and he giveth to him Asenath daughter of Poti-Pherah, priest of On, for a wife, and Joseph goeth out over the land of Egypt. 46 And Joseph [is] a son of thirty years in his standing before Pharaoh king of Egypt, and Joseph goeth out from the presence of Pharaoh, and passeth over through all the land of Egypt; 47 and the land maketh in the seven years of plenty by handfuls. 48 And he gathereth all the food of the seven years which have been in the land of Egypt, and putteth food in the cities; the food of the field which [is] round about [each] city hath he put in its midst; 49 and Joseph gathereth corn as sand of the sea, multiplying exceedingly, until that he hath ceased to number, for there is no number. 50 And to Joseph were born two sons before the year of famine cometh, whom Asenath daughter of Poti-Pherah, priest of On, hath borne to him, 51 and Joseph calleth the name of the first-born Manasseh: 'for, God hath made me to forget all my labour, and all the house of my father;' 52 and the name of the second he hath called Ephraim: 'for, God hath caused me to be fruitful in the land of mine affliction.' 53 And the seven years of plenty are completed which have been in the land of Egypt, 54 and the seven years of famine begin to come, as Joseph said, and famine is in all the lands, but in all the land of Egypt hath been bread; 55 and all the land of Egypt is famished, and the people crieth unto Pharaoh for bread, and Pharaoh saith to all the Egyptians, 'Go unto Joseph; that which he saith to you — do.' 56 And the famine has been over all the face of the land, and Joseph openeth all [places] which have [corn] in them, and selleth to the Egyptians; and the famine is severe in the land of Egypt, 57 and all the earth hath come to Egypt, to buy, unto Joseph, for the famine was severe in all the earth.
Genesis · Young's Literal Translation
Genesis 41 Young's Literal Translation
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
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)