Genesis-Chapter-41
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“Genesis Chapter 41”
With Rabbi,
Dr. Reuven Ben Avraham-Goossens, PhD.
From the Dungeon to the Throne.
Introduction:
Genesis Chapter 41 describes one of the most dramatic reversals of fortune in
the entire Torah. After two full years of silence, Joseph is summoned from the
prison directly into the court of the world’s greatest empire. This chapter illustrates
that when the Almighty’s purpose is ready to manifest, no prison door can hold
it back, and the wisdom of the covenant will always outshine the wisdom of the
world.
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Let us read
Genesis Chapter 41, verses 1 to 57: (JPS-1917 version of the Torah). Below this chapter you
will find my commentary for this study.
1 “And it came to pass at the end of two
full years, that Pharaoh dreamed: and, behold, he
stood by the river. 2 And, behold, there came up
out of the river seven kine, well-favoured and
fat-fleshed; and they fed in the reed-grass. 3 And,
behold, seven other kine came up after them out of
the river, ill favoured and lean-fleshed; and stood by the other kine upon the brink of the river. 4 And
the ill-favoured and lean-fleshed kine did eat up the
seven well-favoured and fat kine. So Pharaoh awoke. 5 And he slept and dreamed a second time: and, behold,
seven ears of corn came up upon one stalk, rank and good. 6 And,
behold, seven ears, thin and blasted with the east wind, sprung up after
them. 7 And the thin ears swallowed up the seven
rank and full ears. And Pharaoh awoke, and, behold, it was a dream.
8 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.
9 Then spoke the chief butler unto Pharaoh, saying: ‘I make mention
of my faults this day: 10 Pharaoh was wroth
with his servants, and put me in the ward of the house of the captain of the
guard, me and the chief baker. 11 And we
dreamed a dream in one night, I and he; we dreamed each man according to the
interpretation of his dream. 12 And there was
with us there a young man, a 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. 13 And it came to pass,
as he interpreted to us, so it was: I was restored unto mine office, and he was
hanged’. 14 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. 15 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 when thou hearest
a dream thou canst interpret it’. 16 And Joseph
answered Pharaoh, saying: ‘It is not in me; אֱלֹהִים - Elohim (God) will give Pharaoh an answer of
peace’. 17 And Pharaoh spoke unto Joseph: ‘In
my dream, behold, I stood upon the brink of the river. 18 And,
behold, there came up out of the river seven kine,
fat-fleshed and well-favoured; and they fed in the reed-grass. 19 And,
behold, seven other kine came up after them, poor and
very ill-favoured and lean-fleshed, such as I never saw in all the land of Egypt for badness. 20 And
the lean and ill-favoured kine did eat up the first
seven fat kine. 21 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. 22 And I saw in my dream, and, behold, seven ears came
up upon one stalk, full and good. 23 And,
behold, seven ears, withered, thin, and blasted with the east wind, sprung up
after them. 24 And the thin ears swallowed up
the seven good ears. And I told it unto the magicians; but there was none that
could declare it to me’. 25 And Joseph said
unto Pharaoh: ‘The dream of Pharaoh is one; what אֱלֹהִים - Elohim is about to do He hath declared unto
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 lean and ill-favoured kine that came up after them are seven years, and also the
seven empty ears blasted with the east wind; they shall be seven years of
famine. 28 That is the thing which I spoke unto
Pharaoh: what אֱלֹהִים - Elohim is about to do He hath shown unto Pharaoh. 29 Behold, there come seven years of great plenty
throughout all the land
of Egypt. 30 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; 31 and the plenty shall not be known in the land by
reason of that famine which followeth; for it shall
be very grievous. 32 And for that the dream was
doubled unto Pharaoh twice, it is because the thing is established by אֱלֹהִים - Elohim, and אֱלֹהִים - Elohim will shortly bring it to pass. 33 Now
therefore let Pharaoh look out a man discreet and wise, and set him over the land of Egypt. 34 Let
Pharaoh do this, and let him appoint overseers over the land, and take up the
fifth part of the land
of Egypt in the seven
years of plenty. 35 And let them gather all the
food of these good years that come, and lay up corn under the hand of Pharaoh
for food in the cities, and let them keep it. 36 And
the food shall be for a 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’. 37 And
the thing was good in the eyes of Pharaoh, and in the eyes of all his servants. 38 And Pharaoh said unto his servants: ‘Can we find
such a one as this, a man in whom the spirit of אֱלֹהִים - Elohim is?’ 39 And
Pharaoh said unto Joseph: ‘Forasmuch as אֱלֹהִים - Elohim hath shown thee all this, there is none so discreet and wise as thou. 40 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’. 41 And
Pharaoh said unto Joseph:’See,
I have set thee over all the land
of Egypt’. 42 And Pharaoh took off his signet 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. 43 And he made
him to ride in the second chariot which he had; and they cried before him: ‘Abrech’; and he set him over all the land of Egypt. 44 And Pharaoh said unto Joseph: ‘I am Pharaoh, and
without thee shall no man lift up his hand or his foot in all the land of Egypt’. 45 And
Pharaoh called Joseph’s name Zaphenath-paneah; and he
gave him to wife Asenath the daughter of Poti-phera priest of On. And
Joseph went out over the land
of Egypt. 46 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. 47 And in the seven years of plenty the earth brought forth
in heaps. 48 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. 49 And
Joseph laid up corn as the sand of the sea, very much, until they left off
numbering; for it was without number. 50 And
unto Joseph were born two sons before the year of famine came, whom Asenath the daughter of Poti-phera
priest of On bore unto him. 51 And
Joseph called the name of the first-born Manasseh: ‘for אֱלֹהִים - Elohim hath made me forget all my toil, and all my father’s house’. 52 And
the name of the second called he Ephraim: ‘for אֱלֹהִים - Elohim hath made me fruitful in the land of my
affliction’. 53 And the seven years of plenty, that was in the land
of Egypt, came to
an end. 54 And the seven years of famine began
to come, according as Joseph had said; and there was famine in all lands; but
in all the land
of Egypt there was bread. 55 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’. 56 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 was sore in the land of Egypt. 57 And
all countries came into Egypt
to Joseph to buy corn; because the famine was sore in all the earth.
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My
Commentary on Verses 1-57:
Verses
1-7: (Pharaoh’s
Troubled Sleep). Two full years pass before Pharaoh dreams of
seven fat cattle consumed by seven lean cattle, followed by seven full ears of
corn consumed by seven withered ears. The repetitive nature of the dreams
underscores their urgency. The setting by the river Nile is significant, as the
Nile was the source of Egypt's
life, showing that the coming crisis would strike at the very heart of their
existence.
Verses
8-13: (The
Failure of the Magicians). Pharaoh’s spirit is troubled, and he calls upon all the
magicians and wise men of Egypt,
but none can interpret the dreams. It is at this point of total systemic
failure that the chief butler finally remembers his offense and speaks of the “Hebrew
youth” in the prison who interpreted his own dream with absolute accuracy.
Verses
14-16: (The
Presentation of the Servant). Joseph is hastily brought out of the dungeon, shaved,
and given new garments. When Pharaoh states he has heard Joseph can understand
a dream to interpret it, Joseph responds with ultimate humility: “It is not in
me; אֱלֹהִים - Elohim will give Pharaoh an
answer of peace”. Joseph refuses to take credit for his gift, sanctifying the
Name before the ruler of Egypt.
Verses
17-32: (The
Single Meaning of the Dual Dreams). Pharaoh repeats his dreams to Joseph. Joseph
explains that the two dreams are one: the seven fat cattle and full ears
represent seven years of great plenty, which will be entirely forgotten when
followed by seven years of severe famine. He explains that the dream was
doubled because the matter is established by אֱלֹהִים - Elohim, and the Almighty will
shortly bring it to pass.
Verses
33-36: (The
Wisdom of Action). Joseph does not stop at interpretation; he immediately
offers a pragmatic, strategic plan. He advises Pharaoh to appoint a discreet
and wise man to oversee the land and store a fifth of the food during the years
of plenty as a reserve. This shows that true spiritual insight must always be
coupled with practical stewardship to preserve life.
Verses
37-45: (The
Elevation of Joseph). The proposal pleases Pharaoh and his servants.
Recognizing the Divine spirit in Joseph, Pharaoh elevates him to be second only
to the throne, presenting him with his signet ring, vestures of fine linen, and
a gold chain. Joseph is given the Egyptian name Zaphenath-paneah
and married to Asenath, completing his transformation
from a foreign slave to the administrator of the empire.
Verses
46-52: (The
Years of Abundance and Family). Joseph is thirty years old when he begins his
governance. During the seven years of plenty, he gathers food in infinite
quantities. During this time, two sons are born to him: ‘Manasseh’, signifying
that אֱלֹהִים - Elohim has made him forget his
toil and his father’s house, and ‘Ephraim’, signifying that אֱלֹהִים - Elohim has made him fruitful in
the land of his affliction.
Verses 53-57: (The Famine Begins). The
seven years of plenty end, and the famine strikes exactly as Joseph predicted.
While the surrounding lands suffer, there is bread in Egypt because
of Joseph’s foresight. When the Egyptians cry to Pharaoh for food, Pharaoh
gives a simple command that seals Joseph’s authority: “Go unto Joseph; what he saith to you, do”.
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My Closing Message:
Chapter 41 demonstrates that the trials we endure are often the precise
training ground needed for our ultimate purpose. Joseph’s years of management
in Potiphar’s house and the prison prepared him to
manage an empire. This chapter reminds us that true wisdom is recognized not by
titles, but by the ability to provide life and stability in times of deep
crisis, honouring the Divine source of all
understanding.
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Rabbi,
Dr. Reuven Ben Avraham-Goossens, PhD.
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