Bible Answers

Pharaoh's Dreams Gen 41

After two whole years the cupbearer finally remembered Joseph. What caused him to remember?

Pharaoh had a dream and could not find anyone to interpret it. Pharaoh dreamed that he was standing on the shore of the river Nile. He saw seven fat cows come from the Nile and start to eat grass. Then seven thin cows came from the Nile and ate the seven fat ones.

Then Pharaoh had a second dream, he saw a stalk with seven plump, fat ears of grain and a stalk with seven withered, shriveled ears of grain growing on one plant. The thin stalk then ate the fat, good one.

Pharaoh called the magicians and wise men of Egypt and asked them to interpret his dream, but no one could interpret (explain) it. Then the cupbearer remembered that Joseph had explained his dream. Pharaoh sent for Joseph and he came. Pharaoh told Joseph the dream and he could interpret it. The seven good cows and the seven good ears of grain are seven years of plenty. The seven skinny cows and the seven thin stalks of grain are seven years of famine. Joseph told Pharaoh that there would be seven years of plentiful harvest and seven years of famine in Egypt.

What did Joseph tell Pharaoh to do? Pharaoh was to find a wise man who was to collect a fifth of the harvest during the good years and save this up for the seven years of famine. Pharaoh saw that Joseph was a very wise man. He put Joseph in charge of all Egypt. Joseph became the governor, only Pharaoh was higher than Joseph. Joseph married a lady named Asenath and received two sons name Manasseh and Ephraim.

So, Joseph carried out the plan in order that Egypt would not go hungry during the famine. He made people bring him food during the years of plenty and stored it in the cities. When the seven years of famine came, Joseph took this food out of storage and let the people come to him to buy grain.

And so Egypt had food during the awful famine.