1Es war nun nach Verlauf von zwei Jahren, da hatte Par'o einen Traum, er stand am Fluß; 2und sieh, aus dem Fluß stiegen sieben Kühe, schön anzusehn und fett an Fleisch, und weideten im Ried. 3Und sieh, sieben andere Kühe stiegen nach ihnen aus dem Fluß, häßlich anzusehn und magern Leibes, und hielten neben den Kühen am Ufer des Flusses. 4Und die häßlichen und mageren Kühe fraßen die sieben schönen und fetten Kühe. Da erwachte Par'o. 5Dann schlief er ein und träumte zum zweitenmal: Und sieh, sieben Ähren schossen auf an einem Halm, stark und schön. 6Und sieh, sieben dünne und vom Ostwind verblasene Ähren sproßten nach ihnen hervor. 7Und es verschlangen die dünnen Ähren die sieben starken und vollen Ähren. Da erwachte Par'o, und sieh, es war ein Traum. 8Es war aber am Morgen, da war sein Geist in Unruhe, und er ließ alle Schriftkundigen und alle Weisen Mizraims rufen; und Par'o erzählte ihnen seinen Traum, aber keiner konnte dies Par'o deuten. 9Da redete der Obermundschenk zu Par'o und sprach: «Meiner Verfehlungen muß ich heute erinnern. 10Par'o zürnte über seine Diener und tat mich in Gewahrsam, in das Haus des Obersten der Leibwächter, mich und den Oberbäcker. 11Da hatten wir einen Traum in einer Nacht, ich und er; jeder nach der Bedeutung seines Traumes träumten wir. 12Nun war dort bei uns ein ebräischer Bursch, ein Knecht des Obersten der Leibwächter. Dem erzählten wir es, und er deutete uns unsre Träume, jedem seinem Traum gemäß deutete er sie. 13Nun war es: Wie ers uns gedeutet hatte, so geschah es; mich hat man wieder in mein Amt eingesetzt, und ihn hat man gehängt!» 14Da ließ Par'o Josef rufen. Und man entließ ihn eiligst aus der Grube, und er schor sich und wechselte die Kleider und trat vor Par'o. 15Da sprach Par'o zu Josef: «Ich habe einen Traum gehabt, und es ist niemand da, der ihn deuten kann; ich habe aber von dir gehört, du verstehst, einen Traum zu deuten.» 16Da antwortete Josef Par'o und sprach: «Das steht nicht bei mir; Gott antworte, was Par'o frommt.» 17Da sprach Par'o zu Josef: «In meinem Traum wars: Sieh, da stand ich am Ufer des Flusses. 18Und sieh, aus dem Fluß stiegen sieben Kühe, fett an Fleisch und schön von Gestalt, und weideten im Ried. 19Und sieh, sieben andere Kühe stiegen nach ihnen herauf, elend und sehr häßlicher Gestalt und magern Leibes; ich habe im ganzen Land Mizraim noch nicht ihresgleichen an Häßlichkeit gesehen. 20Und es fraßen die mageren und häßlichen Kühe die sieben ersten, fetten Kühe, 21und sie kamen in ihren Leib, aber man merkte ihnen nicht an, daß sie in ihren Leib gekommen, und ihr Aussehen blieb schlecht wie zuvor. Da erwachte ich. 22Dann sah ich in meinem Traum: Sieh, sieben volle und schöne Ähren schossen auf an einem Halm. 23Und sieh, sieben Ähren, taub, dünn, vom Ostwind verblasen, sproßten nach ihnen hervor. 24Und es verschlangen die dünnen Ähren die sieben schönen Ähren. Und ich erzählte es den Schriftkundigen, aber niemand konnte mir es ansagen.» 25Da sprach Josef zu Par'o: «Der Traum Par'os ist einer. Was Gott tun will, das hat er Par'o angesagt. 26Die sieben schönen Kühe sind sieben Jahre, und die sieben schönen Ähren sind sieben Jahre; es ist ein Traum. 27Die sieben mageren und schlechten Kühe aber, die nach ihnen heraufkamen, sind sieben Jahre, und die sieben leeren, vom Ostwind verblasenen Ähren werden sieben Jahre des Hungers sein. 28Das ist das, was ich Par'o gesagt habe: Was Gott tun will, das hat er Par'o schaun lassen. 29Sieh, sieben Jahre kommen: Großer Überfluß herrscht da im ganzen Land Mizraim. 30Nach ihnen aber erstehen sieben Jahre des Hungers; aller Überfluß wird dann vergessen sein im Land Mizraim, und der Hunger wird das Land vernichten. 31Und man wird im Land nichts mehr von dem Überfluß merken vor jenem Hunger nachher, denn er wird sehr schwer sein. 32Und, daß der Traum sich bei Par'o wiederholte: Weil die Sache bei Gott fest beschlossen ist, und Gott eilt, sie auszuführen. 33Nun aber möge Par'o sich einen verständigen und weisen Mann ersehen und ihn über das Land Mizraim setzen. 34Par'o lasse Aufseher bestellen über das Land und lasse das Land Mizraim ein Fünfteil abgeben in den sieben Jahren des Überflusses. 35Und sie sollen alles Eßbare dieser kommenden guten Jahre sammeln und Getreide in den Städten zu Händen Par'os als Nahrung aufspeichern und bewahren. 36Und die Nahrung bleibe für das Land aufbewahrt für die sieben Jahre des Hungers, die im Land Mizraim sein werden, damit das Land nicht durch den Hunger zugrundegehe.» 37Und die Rede gefiel Par'o und allen seinen Dienern. 38Und Par'o sprach zu seinen Dienern: «Könnten wir einen Mann finden wie diesen, in dem der Geist Gottes ist?» 39Und Par'o sprach zu Josef: «Nachdem Gott dir all dies kundgetan hat, ist keiner so verständig und weise wie du. 40Du sollst über mein Haus gesetzt sein. Deinem Wort soll mein ganzes Volk sich fügen, und nur um den Thron will ich höher sein als du.» 41Und Par'o sprach zu Josef: «Sieh, ich setze dich über das ganze Land Mizraim!» 42Da zog Par'o seinen Siegelring von seiner Hand und steckte ihn an die Hand Josefs, und kleidete ihn in Gewänder von Byssus und legte die goldene Kette um seinen Hals. 43Und er ließ ihn in dem zweiten seiner Wagen fahren, und man rief vor ihm aus: «Beugt euch!» So setzte er ihn über das ganze Land Mizraim. 44Und Par'o sprach zu Josef: «Ich bin Par'o, aber ohne dich soll niemand Hand oder Fuß heben im ganzen Land Mizraim.» 45Und Par'o nannte Josef: Zafenat-Paaneah und gab ihm Asenat, die Tochter Poti-Feras, des Priesters von On, zum Weib. Und Josef zog aus über das Land Mizraim. 46Josef aber war dreißig Jahre alt, als er vor Par'o, dem König von Mizraim, stand. Und Josef ging von Par'o hinweg und durchzog das ganze Land Mizraim. 47Das Land aber trug in den sieben Jahren des Überflusses zu vollen Händen. 48Und er sammelte alles Eßbare dieser sieben Jahre, die nun im Land Mizraim waren, und legte Nahrung in die Städte; in jede Stadt legte er die Nahrung von den Feldern, die rings um sie waren. 49Und Josef häufte Getreide auf wie Sand am Meer, über die Maßen viel, so daß man aufhörte zu zählen, denn es war nicht zu zählen. 50Josef aber wurden zwei Söhne geboren, bevor das Jahr des Hungers kam, die ihm Asenat, die Tochter Poti-Feras, des Priesters von On, gebar. 51Und Josef nannte den Erstgeborenen Menaschsche; denn: «Vergessen ließ mich Gott all mein Übel und das ganze Hause meines Vaters.» 52Und den Zweiten nannte er Efraim; denn: «Fruchtbar hat mich Gott gemacht im Land meines Elends.» 53Und die sieben Jahre des Überflusses, die im Land Mizraim herrschten, gingen zu Ende, 54und es begannen die sieben Jahre des Hungers zu kommen, wie Josef es gesagt. Da war Hunger in allen Ländern, aber im ganzen Land Mizraim war Brot. 55Als nun das ganze Land Mizraim hungerte, da schrie das Volk zu Par'o um Brot. Da sprach Par'o zu ganz Mizraim: «Geht zu Josef! Was er euch sagen wird, das tut!» 56Der Hunger aber herrschte auf der ganzen Erde. Da öffnete Josef alles, worin (Vorrat) war, und verkaufte an die Mizräer; aber stärker wurde der Hunger im Land Mizraim. 57Und alle Welt kam nach Mizraim, um bei Josef Getreide einzukaufen, denn stark war der Hunger auf der ganzen Erde.
Jamieson Fausset Brown Bible Commentary 1 PHARAOH'S DREAM. (Gen. 41:1-24)
at the end of two full years--It is not certain whether these years are reckoned from the beginning of Joseph's imprisonment, or from the events described in the preceding chapter--most likely the latter. What a long time for Joseph to experience the sickness of hope deferred! But the time of his enlargement came when he had sufficiently learned the lessons of God designed for him; and the plans of Providence were matured.
Pharaoh dreamed--"Pharaoh," from an Egyptian word Phre, signifying the "sun," was the official title of the kings of that country. The prince, who occupied the throne of Egypt, was Aphophis, one of the Memphite kings, whose capital was On or Heliopolis, and who is universally acknowledged to have been a patriot king. Between the arrival of Abraham and the appearance of Joseph in that country, somewhat more than two centuries had elapsed. Kings sleep and dream, as well as their subjects. And this Pharaoh had two dreams in one night so singular and so similar, so distinct and so apparently significant, so coherent and vividly impressed on his memory, that his spirit was troubled.
8 he called for all the magicians of Egypt--It is not possible to define the exact distinction between "magicians" and "wise men"; but they formed different branches of a numerous body, who laid claim to supernatural skill in occult arts and sciences, in revealing mysteries, explaining portents, and, above all, interpreting dreams. Long practice had rendered them expert in devising a plausible way of getting out of every difficulty and framing an answer suitable to the occasion. But the dreams of Pharaoh baffled their united skill. Unlike their Assyrian brethren (
Dan 2:4), they did not pretend to know the meaning of the symbols contained in them, and the providence of God had determined that they should all be nonplussed in the exercise of their boasted powers, in order that the inspired wisdom of Joseph might appear the more remarkable.
9 then spake the chief butler unto Pharaoh, saying, I do remember my faults--This public acknowledgment of the merits of the young Hebrew would, tardy though it was, have reflected credit on the butler had it not been obviously made to ingratiate himself with his royal master. It is right to confess our faults against God, and against our fellow men when that confession is made in the spirit of godly sorrow and penitence. But this man was not much impressed with a sense of the fault he had committed against Joseph; he never thought of God, to whose goodness he was indebted for the prophetic announcement of his release, and in acknowledging his former fault against the king, he was practising the courtly art of pleasing his master.
14 Then Pharaoh sent and called Joseph--Now that God's set time had come (
Ps 105:19), no human power nor policy could detain Joseph in prison. During his protracted confinement, he might have often been distressed with perplexing doubts; but the mystery of Providence was about to be cleared up, and all his sorrows forgotten in the course of honor and public usefulness in which his services were to be employed.
shaved himself--The Egyptians were the only Oriental nation that liked a smooth chin. All slaves and foreigners who were reduced to that condition, were obliged, on their arrival in that country, to conform to the cleanly habits of the natives, by shaving their beards and heads, the latter of which were covered with a close cap. Thus prepared, Joseph was conducted to the palace, where the king seemed to have been anxiously waiting his arrival.
15 Pharaoh said, . . . I have dreamed a dream--The king's brief statement of the service required brought out the genuine piety of Joseph; disclaiming all merit, he ascribed whatever gifts or sagacity he possessed to the divine source of all wisdom, and he declared his own inability to penetrate futurity; but, at the same time, he expressed his confident persuasion that God would reveal what was necessary to be known.
17 Pharaoh said, In my dream, behold, I stood upon the bank of the river--The dreams were purely Egyptian, founded on the productions of that country and the experience of a native. The fertility of Egypt being wholly dependent on the Nile, the scene is laid on the banks of that river; and oxen being in the ancient hieroglyphics symbolical of the earth and of food, animals of that species were introduced in the first dream.
18 there came up out of the river seven kine--Cows now, of the buffalo kind, are seen daily plunging into the Nile; when their huge form is gradually emerging, they seem as if rising "out of the river."
and they fed in a meadow--Nile grass, the aquatic plants that grow on the marshy banks of that river, particularly the lotus kind, on which cattle were usually fattened.
19 behold, seven other kine . . . poor and ill-favoured--The cow being the emblem of fruitfulness, the different years of plenty and of famine were aptly represented by the different condition of those kine--the plenty, by the cattle feeding on the richest fodder; and the dearth, by the lean and famishing kine, which the pangs of hunger drove to act contrary to their nature.
22 I saw in my dream, and, behold, seven ears--that is, of Egyptian wheat, which, when "full and good," is remarkable in size (a single seed sprouting into seven, ten, or fourteen stalks) and each stalk bearing an ear.
23 blasted with the east wind--destructive everywhere to grain, but particularly so in Egypt; where, sweeping over the sandy deserts of Arabia, it comes in the character of a hot, blighting wind, that quickly withers all vegetation (compare
Ezek 19:12;
Hos 13:15).
24 the thin ears devoured the seven good ears--devoured is a different word from that used in
Gen 41:4 and conveys the idea of destroying, by absorbing to themselves all the nutritious virtue of the soil around them.
25 JOSEPH INTERPRETS PHARAOH'S DREAMS. (
Gen 41:25-
Gen 41:36)
Joseph said, . . . The dream . . . is one--They both pointed to the same event--a remarkable dispensation of seven years of unexampled abundance, to be followed by a similar period of unparalleled dearth. The repetition of the dream in two different forms was designed to show the absolute certainty and speedy arrival of this public crisis; the interpretation was accompanied by several suggestions of practical wisdom for meeting so great an emergency as was impending.
33 Now therefore let Pharaoh look out a man--The explanation given, when the key to the dreams was supplied, appears to have been satisfactory to the king and his courtiers; and we may suppose that much and anxious conversation arose, in the course of which Joseph might have been asked whether he had anything further to say. No doubt the providence of God provided the opportunity of his suggesting what was necessary.
34 and let him appoint officers over the land--overseers, equivalent to the beys of modern Egypt.
take up the fifth part of the land--that is, of the land's produce, to be purchased and stored by the government, instead of being sold to foreign corn merchants.
38 JOSEPH MADE RULER OF EGYPT. (Gen. 41:37-57)
Pharaoh said unto his servants--The kings of ancient Egypt were assisted in the management of state affairs by the advice of the most distinguished members of the priestly order; and, accordingly, before admitting Joseph to the new and extraordinary office that was to be created, those ministers were consulted as to the expediency and propriety of the appointment.
a man in whom the Spirit of God is--An acknowledgment of the being and power of the true God, though faint and feeble, continued to linger amongst the higher classes long after idolatry had come to prevail.
40 Thou shalt be over my house--This sudden change in the condition of a man who had just been taken out of prison could take place nowhere, except in Egypt. In ancient as well as modern times, slaves have often risen to be its rulers. But the special providence of God had determined to make Joseph governor of Egypt; and the way was paved for it by the deep and universal conviction produced in the minds both of the king and his councillors, that a divine spirit animated his mind and had given him such extraordinary knowledge.
according unto thy word shall all my people be ruled--literally, "kiss." This refers to the edict granting official power to Joseph, to be issued in the form of a firman, as in all Oriental countries; and all who should receive that order would kiss it, according to the usual Eastern mode of acknowledging obedience and respect for the sovereign [WILKINSON].
41 Pharaoh said, . . . See, I have set thee over all the land--These words were preliminary to investiture with the insignia of office, which were these: the signet-ring, used for signing public documents, and its impression was more valid than the sign-manual of the king; the khelaat or dress of honor, a coat of finely wrought linen, or rather cotton, worn only by the highest personages; the gold necklace, a badge of rank, the plain or ornamental form of it indicating the degree of rank and dignity; the privilege of riding in a state carriage, the second chariot; and lastly--
43 they cried before him, Bow the knee--abrech, an Egyptian term, not referring to prostration, but signifying, according to some, "father" (compare
Gen 45:8); according to others, "native prince"--that is, proclaimed him naturalized, in order to remove all popular dislike to him as a foreigner.
44 These ceremonies of investiture were closed in usual form by the king in council solemnly ratifying the appointment.
I am Pharaoh, and without thee, &c.--a proverbial mode of expression for great power.
45 Zaphnath-paaneah--variously interpreted, "revealer of secrets"; "saviour of the land"; and from the hieroglyphics, "a wise man fleeing from pollution"--that is, adultery.
gave him to wife Asenath, the daughter of--His naturalization was completed by this alliance with a family of high distinction. On being founded by an Arab colony, Poti-pherah, like Jethro, priest of Midian, might be a worshipper of the true God; and thus Joseph, a pious man, will be freed from the charge of marrying an idolatress for worldly ends.
On--called Aven (
Ezek 30:17) and also Beth-shemesh (
Jer 43:13). In looking at this profusion of honors heaped suddenly upon Joseph, it cannot be doubted that he would humbly yet thankfully acknowledge the hand of a special Providence in conducting him through all his checkered course to almost royal power; and we, who know more than Joseph did, cannot only see that his advancement was subservient to the most important purposes relative to the Church of God, but learn the great lesson that a Providence directs the minutest events of human life.
46 Joseph was thirty years old when he stood before Pharaoh--seventeen when brought into Egypt, probably three in prison, and thirteen in the service of Potiphar.
went out . . . all the land--made an immediate survey to determine the site and size of the storehouses required for the different quarters of the country.
47 the earth brought forth by handfuls--a singular expression, alluding not only to the luxuriance of the crop, but the practice of the reapers grasping the ears, which alone were cut.
48 he gathered up all the food of the seven years--It gives a striking idea of the exuberant fertility of this land, that, from the superabundance of the seven plenteous years, corn enough was laid up for the subsistence, not only of its home population, but of the neighboring countries, during the seven years of dearth.
50 unto Joseph were born two sons--These domestic events, which increased his temporal happiness, develop the piety of his character in the names conferred upon his children.
53 The seven years of plenteousness . . . ended--Over and above the proportion purchased for the government during the years of plenty, the people could still have husbanded much for future use. But improvident as men commonly are in the time of prosperity, they found themselves in want, and would have starved by thousands had not Joseph anticipated and provided for the protracted calamity.
57 The famine was sore in all lands--that is, the lands contiguous to Egypt--Canaan, Syria, and Arabia.
