Genesis 41:48 | 79
28
“ It is just as I said to Phar aoh : God has shown Phar aoh what he is about to do . 29 Sev en years of great abun dance are com ing through out the land of Egypt , 30 but sev en years of fam ine will fol low them . Then all the abun dance in Egypt will be for got ten , and the fam ine will rav age the land .
31
The abun dance in the land will not be re membered , be cause the fam ine that fol lows it will be so se vere . 32 The rea son the dream was giv en to Phar aoh in two forms is that the mat ter has been firm ly de cid ed by God , and God will do it soon .
33
“ And now let Phar aoh look for a dis cern ing and wise man and put him in charge of the land of Egypt . 34 Let Phar aoh ap point com mis sion ers over the land to take a fifth of the har vest of Egypt during the sev en years of abun dance . 35 They should col lect all the food of these good years that are com ing and store up the grain un der the au thor i ty of Phar aoh , to be kept in the cit ies for food . 36 This food should be held in re serve for the coun try , to be used dur ing the sev en years of fam ine that will come upon Egypt , so that the coun try may not be ru ined by the fam ine .”
37
The plan seemed good to Phar aoh and to all his of fi cials . 38 So Phar aoh asked them , “ Can we find any one like this man , one in whom is the spir it of God a ?”
39
Then Phar aoh said to Jo seph , “ Since God has made all this known to you , there is no one so discern ing and wise as you . 40 You shall be in charge of my pal ace , and all my peo ple are to sub mit to your or ders . Only with re spect to the throne will I be great er than you .”
Joseph in Charge of Egypt
41
So Phar aoh said to Jo seph , “ I here by put you in charge of the whole land of Egypt .” 42 Then Phar aoh took his sig net ring from his fin ger and put it on Jo seph ’ s fin ger . He dressed him in robes of fine lin en and put a gold chain around his neck .
43
He had him ride in a char i ot as his sec ond-incom mand , b and peo ple shout ed be fore him , “ Make way c !” Thus he put him in charge of the whole land of Egypt .
44
Then Phar aoh said to Jo seph , “ I am Phar aoh , but with out your word no one will lift hand or foot in all Egypt .” 45 Phar aoh gave Jo seph the name Zaph e nath-Pa ne ah and gave him As e nath daughter of Po tiph era , priest of On , d to be his wife . And Jo seph went through out the land of Egypt .
46
Jo seph was thir ty years old when he en tered the ser vice of Phar aoh king of Egypt . And Jo seph went out from Phar aoh ’ s pres ence and trav eled through out Egypt . 47 Dur ing the sev en years of abun dance the land pro duced plen ti ful ly . 48 Jo seph col lect ed all the food pro duced in those sev en years of abun dance in Egypt and stored it in the
a
38 Or of the gods b
43 Or in the chariot of his second-incommand ; or in his second chariot c
43 Or Bow down d
45 That is , Heliopolis ; also in verse 50
41:26 – 31 Joseph interprets the details of Pharaoh ’ s dreams . God reveals that he will bring seven years of great agricultural abundance to Egypt and afterward seven years of devastating famine . The famine will be so severe that no one will remember the seven years of plenty .
41:37 – 57 Pharaoh promotes Joseph following the satisfactory interpretation of his dreams ( 41:26 – 31 ). He recognizes that Joseph has been divinely given the interpretation and that if the predicted disaster happens , no one is better positioned to guide Egypt through it . Joseph has already presented Pharaoh with the solution for surviving the seven-year famine .
Pharaoh also elevates Joseph through the ranks of Egyptian society . Pharaoh marries Joseph into a prestigious family . Pharaoh also makes Joseph second in command — which means he appointed Joseph as leader of at least the granaries and palace , and perhaps even as grand vizier of Egypt in general . It is difficult to know what position precisely Joseph obtained since the titles used in this section are Hebrew terms , not words borrowed from Egyptian , although they seem to reflect Egyptian positions . Although the idea of a Semite from Canaan attaining such high status is abnormal , examples of Semitic high officials are known from Egyptian texts . As the years of plenty pass and the famine strikes the land , Joseph will be able to help Egypt , his family and the rest of the world survive .
41:38 spirit of God The Hebrew phrase used here could be a reference to an empowering by Joseph ’ s God , Yahweh , or an Egyptian god . It may also be translated as “ the spirit of the gods ” and refer to the Egyptian pantheon in general . Since this is spoken by Pharaoh , he likely means that in his perception the Egyptian gods are with Joseph . 41:40 in charge of my palace Compare 39:4 and note . Only with respect to the throne It is difficult to identify which office Joseph was appointed to in the Egyptian bureaucracy .
41:42 – 43 There are many scenes in surviving Egyptian records that depict the bestowal of a reward by a pharaoh or commemorate an appointment to high office ( or both ). In general , the scenes include the same elements as the Joseph story : bestowal of a seal or insignia of authority , a gold necklace , fine linen garments and an honorific chariot ride ( vv . 42 – 43 ).
41:42 signet ring This ring signified the Pharaoh ’ s approval , functioning like his signature of approval for a mandate . 41:45 Zaphenath-Paneah Joseph is given an Egyptian name , though the narrative continues to refer to him as Joseph . The precise derivation and meaning of this name is unknown . Asenath This name or title likely means “ she who belongs to Neith ”; Neith is an Egyptian goddess . This name does not appear among extant Egyptian texts . Potiphera Likely a variant of the name Potiphar , but probably not the same person as Joseph ’ s former master . See note on 37:36 . On The central location for Egyptian worship of Ra , the sun god . 41:46 Joseph was thirty years old Roughly 13 years have passed since Joseph was sold into slavery ( see 37:2 ). Compare note on 40:1 .