Verse-by-Verse Commentary
The Book of Genesis
Chapter 41: From the Dungeon to the Throne
After two more long years in prison, Joseph's hour finally comes. Pharaoh dreams two troubling dreams that none of his wise men can explain, and at last the butler remembers the young Hebrew who had read his dream in prison. Joseph is rushed from the dungeon to stand before the most powerful man on earth, and his first words give God all the glory: "It is not in me: God shall give Pharaoh an answer of peace." He reveals seven years of plenty and seven of famine, and gives wise counsel to prepare. Pharaoh sees that "the Spirit of God" is in him and raises Joseph in a single day from a prison cell to the second throne of Egypt, that through him the whole world might be saved from starving. Genesis 41 is the great reversal, humility lifted to honor, and a picture of the exalted Christ to whom all must come for bread.
About This Commentary
This is a verse-by-verse study of Genesis chapter 41. For each section you will find the KJV text, plain explanation, and a Gospel Focus where the text touches God's perfect timing, humility before honor, and the many ways Joseph pictures the exalted Lord Jesus Christ. Chapter 41 lifts Joseph from prison to power to save many alive. Every Scripture quotation is from the King James Version.
Setting the Stage
It Is Not in Me
Pharaoh dreams of cattle and corn that none can explain, until Joseph is brought up and points past himself to God, who alone gives the answer.
Seven Years, Then Seven
Joseph reveals seven years of plenty followed by seven of famine, and counsels Pharaoh to store up grain to save the land.
The Spirit of God in Him
Pharaoh sees God's wisdom in Joseph and raises him in a day from the dungeon to rule all Egypt, second only to the throne.
Go Unto Joseph
The famine spreads over all the earth, and all countries come to Joseph for bread, the one man appointed to keep the world alive.
God Shall Give Pharaoh an Answer (Genesis 41:1-16)
Pharaoh's dreams baffle all Egypt, the butler at last remembers Joseph, and Joseph is brought from the dungeon, giving God all the glory.
It Is Not in Me: God Shall Give the Answer
"And it came to pass at the end of two full years, that Pharaoh dreamed: and, behold, he stood by the river. And, behold, there came up out of the river seven well favoured kine and fatfleshed; and they fed in a meadow. And, behold, seven other kine came up after them out of the river, ill favoured and leanfleshed; and stood by the other kine upon the brink of the river. And the ill favoured and leanfleshed kine did eat up the seven well favoured and fat kine. So Pharaoh awoke. And he slept and dreamed the second time: and, behold, seven ears of corn came up upon one stalk, rank and good. And, behold, seven thin ears and blasted with the east wind sprung up after them. And the seven thin ears devoured the seven rank and full ears. And Pharaoh awoke, and, behold, it was a dream. And it came to pass in the morning that his spirit was troubled; and he sent and called for all the magicians of Egypt, and all the wise men thereof: and Pharaoh told them his dream; but there was none that could interpret them unto Pharaoh. Then spake the chief butler unto Pharaoh, saying, I do remember my faults this day: Pharaoh was wroth with his servants, and put me in ward in the captain of the guard's house, both me and the chief baker: And we dreamed a dream in one night, I and he; we dreamed each man according to the interpretation of his dream. And there was there with us a young man, an Hebrew, servant to the captain of the guard; and we told him, and he interpreted to us our dreams; to each man according to his dream he did interpret. And it came to pass, as he interpreted to us, so it was; me he restored unto mine office, and him he hanged. Then Pharaoh sent and called Joseph, and they brought him hastily out of the dungeon: and he shaved himself, and changed his raiment, and came in unto Pharaoh. And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, I have dreamed a dream, and there is none that can interpret it: and I have heard say of thee, that thou canst understand a dream to interpret it. And Joseph answered Pharaoh, saying, It is not in me: God shall give Pharaoh an answer of peace. And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, In my dream, behold, I stood upon the bank of the river: And, behold, there came up out of the river seven kine, fatfleshed and well favoured; and they fed in a meadow: And, behold, seven other kine came up after them, poor and very ill favoured and leanfleshed, such as I never saw in all the land of Egypt for badness: And the lean and the ill favoured kine did eat up the first seven fat kine: And when they had eaten them up, it could not be known that they had eaten them; but they were still ill favoured, as at the beginning. So I awoke. And I saw in my dream, and, behold, seven ears came up in one stalk, full and good: And, behold, seven ears, withered, thin, and blasted with the east wind, sprung up after them: And the thin ears devoured the seven good ears: and I told this unto the magicians; but there was none that could declare it to me. And Joseph said unto Pharaoh, The dream of Pharaoh is one: God hath shewed Pharaoh what he is about to do. The seven good kine are seven years; and the seven good ears are seven years: the dream is one. And the seven thin and ill favoured kine that came up after them are seven years; and the seven empty ears blasted with the east wind shall be seven years of famine. This is the thing which I have spoken unto Pharaoh: What God is about to do he sheweth unto Pharaoh."
Hebrew Study
Summoned at last, Joseph deflects every eye from himself: "It is not in me: God shall give Pharaoh an answer of peace" — bil'aday, "apart from me." He is hasted out of the dungeon — the word for that pit is bor, the very term for the waterless cistern his brothers threw him in (37:24). In a single verse God lifts him from the bor to the throne-room: from pit to palace.
Explanation
"At the end of two full years," Pharaoh dreams two dreams: seven fat cows swallowed by seven lean ones, and seven full ears of corn devoured by seven thin ones. His spirit is troubled, but none of the magicians or wise men of Egypt can interpret them. At last the chief butler remembers, confessing, "I do remember my faults this day," and tells Pharaoh about the young Hebrew in prison. Joseph is brought "hastily out of the dungeon," shaved and given clean clothes, and set before Pharaoh. When Pharaoh says he has heard Joseph can interpret dreams, Joseph refuses the credit at once: "It is not in me: God shall give Pharaoh an answer of peace." In one sentence Joseph both denies any power of his own and promises that God will speak. Thirteen years of slavery and prison have not made him bitter or proud; they have made him humble and God-centered.
Gospel Focus
The timing here is everything: "at the end of two full years." Joseph waited two more years in prison after the butler forgot him, but not one day too long. Had he been released earlier, he would have gone home and never been in Egypt to save the world. God's delay was not neglect; it was perfect timing, for "he hath made every thing beautiful in his time" (Ecclesiastes 3:11). When our answer seems late, God is often lining up a far greater purpose than the one we were praying for. And notice Joseph's beautiful humility in the moment of his opportunity. Standing before the king who held his freedom, with every reason to talk himself up, Joseph said, "It is not in me: God shall give Pharaoh an answer." He would not steal an ounce of God's glory even to win his release. This is the heart God can trust with greatness, one that will give Him the credit. It is no accident that the man who said "it is not in me" is the man God was about to exalt, for "whosoever exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted."
What God Is About to Do (Genesis 41:17-36)
Joseph reveals that the two dreams are one message from God, seven years of plenty and seven of famine, and counsels Pharaoh to store grain against the coming want.
The Thing Is Established by God
"Behold, there come seven years of great plenty throughout all the land of Egypt: And there shall arise after them seven years of famine; and all the plenty shall be forgotten in the land of Egypt; and the famine shall consume the land; And the plenty shall not be known in the land by reason of that famine following; for it shall be very grievous. And for that the dream was doubled unto Pharaoh twice; it is because the thing is established by God, and God will shortly bring it to pass. Now therefore let Pharaoh look out a man discreet and wise, and set him over the land of Egypt. Let Pharaoh do this, and let him appoint officers over the land, and take up the fifth part of the land of Egypt in the seven plenteous years. And let them gather all the food of those good years that come, and lay up corn under the hand of Pharaoh, and let them keep food in the cities. And that food shall be for store to the land against the seven years of famine, which shall be in the land of Egypt; that the land perish not through the famine. And the thing was good in the eyes of Pharaoh, and in the eyes of all his servants."
Hebrew Study
Joseph frames the dream not as omen but revelation: "God hath shewed Pharaoh what he is about to do." The dream doubled means "the thing is established by God" — nakon, fixed and certain — and God "will shortly bring it to pass" (memaher, hastening it). What looks to Egypt like the caprice of the Nile is, to the eye of faith, the settled decree of God.
Explanation
Joseph listens to Pharaoh's dreams and declares that both dreams mean the same thing: "God hath shewed Pharaoh what he is about to do." The seven fat cows and seven full ears are seven years of great plenty; the seven lean cows and thin ears are seven years of famine so severe that the plenty will be entirely forgotten. The dream came twice, Joseph explains, "because the thing is established by God, and God will shortly bring it to pass." Then Joseph, unasked, gives wise counsel: let Pharaoh appoint a discreet and wise man to gather up a fifth of the harvest during the seven good years and store it in the cities, so the land will not perish when the famine comes. Joseph does not merely predict the future; he offers a plan to prepare for it. Revelation from God and practical wisdom go hand in hand.
Gospel Focus
Joseph keeps directing everyone to God: "God hath shewed Pharaoh what he is about to do," and "the thing is established by God." He understood that history is not a series of accidents but the outworking of God's sovereign plan. The God who rules the harvests and the years was announcing beforehand what He would do, so that His people could be ready. And notice the wisdom of preparing in the good years for the hard ones. Joseph urged Egypt to save in plenty against the coming famine, and there is a spiritual lesson in it. We are to use the seasons of abundance, of health, of open doors, to lay up what we will need in the lean seasons that come to every life. Above all, this points us to the greatest preparation of all: to store up treasure in heaven and to be ready for the day of account while the day of grace still shines. The wise, warned by God of what is coming, prepare; the foolish presume the plenty will last forever. Joseph teaches God's people to live awake, ready, and provisioned by faith for whatever God has said lies ahead.
A Man in Whom the Spirit of God Is (Genesis 41:37-46)
Pharaoh sees the wisdom of God in Joseph and raises him in a single day from the dungeon to rule over all the land of Egypt.
Can We Find Such a One as This?
"And Pharaoh said unto his servants, Can we find such a one as this is, a man in whom the Spirit of God is? And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, Forasmuch as God hath shewed thee all this, there is none so discreet and wise as thou art: Thou shalt be over my house, and according unto thy word shall all my people be ruled: only in the throne will I be greater than thou. And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, See, I have set thee over all the land of Egypt. And Pharaoh took off his ring from his hand, and put it upon Joseph's hand, and arrayed him in vestures of fine linen, and put a gold chain about his neck; And he made him to ride in the second chariot which he had; and they cried before him, Bow the knee: and he made him ruler over all the land of Egypt. And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, I am Pharaoh, and without thee shall no man lift up his hand or foot in all the land of Egypt. And Pharaoh called Joseph's name Zaphnathpaaneah; and he gave him to wife Asenath the daughter of Potipherah priest of On. And Joseph went out over all the land of Egypt. And Joseph was thirty years old when he stood before Pharaoh king of Egypt. And Joseph went out from the presence of Pharaoh, and went throughout all the land of Egypt. And in the seven plenteous years the earth brought forth by handfuls. And he gathered up all the food of the seven years, which were in the land of Egypt, and laid up the food in the cities: the food of the field, which was round about every city, laid he up in the same. And Joseph gathered corn as the sand of the sea, very much, until he left numbering; for it was without number. And unto Joseph were born two sons before the years of famine came, which Asenath the daughter of Potipherah priest of On bare unto him. And Joseph called the name of the firstborn Manasseh: For God, said he, hath made me forget all my toil, and all my father's house. And the name of the second called he Ephraim: For God hath caused me to be fruitful in the land of my affliction. And the seven years of plenteousness, that was in the land of Egypt, were ended. And the seven years of dearth began to come, according as Joseph had said: and the dearth was in all lands; but in all the land of Egypt there was bread."
Hebrew Study
Pharaoh himself confesses the secret of Joseph: "a man in whom the Spirit of God is" — ruach Elohim. He is given an Egyptian throne-name, Zaphnath-paaneah, and a wife, Asenath — yet remains God's man in Pharaoh's court. He stands before Pharaoh at thirty years old (v. 46), the same age at which another beloved, long-hidden Son would step forward to begin His public work (Luke 3:23).
Explanation
Joseph's counsel pleases Pharaoh and all his court, and Pharaoh recognizes the true source of Joseph's wisdom: "a man in whom the Spirit of God is." So Pharaoh sets Joseph over all of Egypt, second only to himself. He gives Joseph his own signet ring, dresses him in fine linen, puts a gold chain around his neck, sets him in the second royal chariot, and has men cry before him, "Bow the knee." In a single day Joseph goes from a forgotten prisoner in a dungeon to the ruler of the greatest nation on earth. He is given a new Egyptian name and a wife, and he is thirty years old when he stands before Pharaoh, the same age at which the Lord Jesus would begin His ministry. The dreams Joseph had as a boy, of sheaves and stars bowing to him, are beginning to come true, but by God's hand and in God's time, not his own scheming.
Gospel Focus
Joseph's rise is one of the clearest pictures of Christ in all the Old Testament. Here is a beloved son, betrayed and sold, falsely condemned, cast down to the lowest place, and then, in God's time, lifted to the highest place, with all commanded to bow the knee before him, and made the savior of the world. It is the very shape of the gospel: "he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death ... Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name" (Philippians 2:8-9). What Joseph was to Egypt, Jesus is to the world, the once-rejected one now exalted, before whom every knee shall bow. And Joseph's path is the pattern for us as well: "Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time" (1 Peter 5:6). The way up in God's kingdom runs down first, through faithfulness in the pit and the prison. Notice too that even a pagan king could see "the Spirit of God" in Joseph. When the one God fills and leads a life, it shows, and the world takes notice of a person plainly moved by the Spirit of God.
Go Unto Joseph (Genesis 41:47-57)
Joseph stores up grain through the years of plenty, and when famine covers the earth, all the world comes to him for bread.
All Countries Came to Joseph for Bread
"And when all the land of Egypt was famished, the people cried to Pharaoh for bread: and Pharaoh said unto all the Egyptians, Go unto Joseph; what he saith to you, do. And the famine was over all the face of the earth: And Joseph opened all the storehouses, and sold unto the Egyptians; and the famine waxed sore in the land of Egypt. And all countries came into Egypt to Joseph for to buy corn; because that the famine was so sore in all lands."
Hebrew Study
Joseph reads his own life in his sons' names: Manasseh, Menasheh, "for God hath made me forget all my toil"; Ephraim, Ephrayim, "for God hath caused me to be fruitful in the land of my affliction." Grace turns the very ground of his suffering into forgetting and fruit. And "all countries came into Egypt to Joseph to buy" — the famished nations must come to the one man who holds bread, a shadow of every soul that must come to Christ for the bread of life.
Explanation
Through the seven years of plenty Joseph gathers grain "as the sand of the sea, very much, until he left numbering." During these years two sons are born to him, Manasseh, "for God ... hath made me forget all my toil," and Ephraim, "for God hath caused me to be fruitful in the land of my affliction." Then the seven years of famine begin exactly as Joseph said, and the dearth is "in all lands; but in all the land of Egypt there was bread." When the people cry to Pharaoh, he sends them all to one man: "Go unto Joseph; what he saith to you, do." Joseph opens the storehouses, and not only Egypt but "all countries came into Egypt to Joseph for to buy corn." The one who was thrown in a pit and forgotten in a prison is now the one man in the world who holds the bread of life for the nations. God had raised him up to "save much people alive."
Gospel Focus
"Go unto Joseph; what he saith to you, do." Those words could be spoken of the Lord Jesus to a starving world. In the famine, there was bread in only one place and only one name to go to, and so it is with salvation: there is one Savior, and the Father says to every hungry soul, go to Him and do what He says. Jesus declared, "I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger" (John 6:35). As all countries came to Joseph, so all nations are called to come to Christ, for in Him alone is the bread that gives eternal life. Notice too the grace in Joseph's sons' names. He named the first Manasseh, because God made him "forget all my toil," and the second Ephraim, because God made him "fruitful in the land of my affliction." God did not merely rescue Joseph out of his suffering; He redeemed the suffering itself, turning the place of his affliction into the place of his fruitfulness. That is what our God does. He does not waste our pain; He makes us fruitful in the very land where we once wept, and He appoints the once-rejected to become the bread of life for many.
A Note on History
The details of Joseph's rise read like an authentic Egyptian court ceremony. Pharaoh's gift of a signet ring, robes of fine linen, and a gold chain about the neck matches the documented Egyptian "gold of honour," a public reward in which the king decorated a favored official with gold collars, attested in tomb reliefs and inscriptions. His ride in the second chariot with a herald crying before him, his new Egyptian name, and his marriage to Asenath, daughter of the priest of On (Heliopolis, a major Egyptian religious center), all reflect genuine Egyptian custom, as does storing grain by royal authority against famine.
Chapter 41 in Review
Genesis 41 is the great reversal of Joseph's life. After two more years in prison, Pharaoh's dreams baffle all Egypt until the butler remembers Joseph, who is rushed from the dungeon and gives God all the glory: "It is not in me: God shall give Pharaoh an answer of peace." Joseph reveals seven years of plenty and seven of famine and wisely counsels Pharaoh to store up grain. Seeing "the Spirit of God" in him, Pharaoh raises Joseph in a single day to rule all Egypt, second only to the throne. Joseph stores grain through the plenty, and when famine covers the earth, "all countries came into Egypt to Joseph for to buy corn."
For the Apostolic reader, this chapter shines with Christ. Joseph, the beloved son betrayed and cast down, is lifted in God's time to the highest place, given a name and a throne, with all commanded to bow the knee, and made the savior of the world, just as the Lord Jesus "humbled himself" and was therefore "highly exalted." What Pharaoh said of Joseph, "Go unto Joseph; what he saith to you, do," the Father says of His Son, the true Bread of life to whom all nations must come. And Joseph's story teaches us that God's delays are perfect timing, that the humble who give God the glory are the ones He can trust with greatness, and that God does not waste our affliction but makes us fruitful in the very land of our sorrow. The way up runs down first, and God exalts in due time.
- God's delays are perfect timing; "at the end of two full years" was exactly right (41:1; Ecclesiastes 3:11).
- The humble who give God the glory are the ones He can trust with greatness: "It is not in me" (41:16).
- Joseph pictures the exalted Christ, lifted from lowest to highest, before whom all bow the knee (41:40-43; Philippians 2:8-9).
- There is bread in one place and one name; "Go unto Joseph" foreshadows "go to Christ," the bread of life (41:55; John 6:35).
- God does not waste affliction but makes us fruitful in the land of our sorrow (41:52; 1 Peter 5:6).
Questions for Reflection
- Joseph waited two more years, but not a day too long. Where do you need to trust that God's timing, not yours, is perfect?
- Given his great chance, Joseph said, "It is not in me." Do you give God the glory, or take credit for what He does through you?
- God made Joseph fruitful in "the land of my affliction." How might God be turning a place of pain in your life into fruitfulness?
References & Sources
Scripture is quoted from the King James Version (KJV). "Kine" means cattle, "corn" means grain, and Manasseh and Ephraim carry the meanings Joseph gives them in the text, as can be checked in any Bible reference. Supporting passages are listed so every claim can be verified in its own setting. If anything here does not look right, a verse, a reference, or a wording, please tell us at info@FruitBearers.net. Thank you for helping us keep Bible Learning error free.
- Egyptian court customs behind Joseph's investiture: the "gold of honour" reward ceremony; On (Heliopolis); standard Egyptological sources.
- The dreams and Joseph's humility: Genesis 41:1-16; Ecclesiastes 3:11.
- God shows what He is about to do: Genesis 41:17-36.
- Joseph exalted to the throne: Genesis 41:37-46; Philippians 2:8-9; 1 Peter 5:6.
- All the world comes to Joseph for bread: Genesis 41:47-57; John 6:35.