CHAPTER 41

41:1-57 And it came to pass after two full years that Pharao had a dream. He thought he stood upon the bank of the river. 2 And lo, there came up as it were out of the river seven cows, fair in appearance, and choice of flesh, and they fed on the sedge. 3 And other seven cows came up after these out of the river, ill-favoured and lean-fleshed, and fed by the other cows on the bank of the river. 4 And the seven ill-favoured and lean cows devoured the seven well-favoured and choice-fleshed cows; and Pharao awoke. 5 And he dreamed again. And, behold, seven ears came up on one stalk, choice and good. 6 And, behold, seven ears thin and blasted with the wind, grew up after them. 7 And the seven thin ears and blasted with the wind devoured the seven choice and full ears; and Pharao awoke, and it was a dream. 8 And it was morning, and his soul was troubled; and he sent and called all the interpreters of Egypt, and all her wise men; and Pharao related to them his dream, and there was no one to interpret it to Pharao. 9 And the chief cupbearer spoke to Pharao, saying, I this day remember my fault: 10 Pharao was angry with his servants, and put us in prison in the house of the captain of the guard, both me and the chief baker. 11 And we had a dream both in one night, I and he; we saw, each according to his dream. 12 And there was there with us a young man, a Hebrew servant of the captain of the guard; and we related to him our dreams, and he interpreted them to us. 13 And it came to pass, as he interpreted them to us, so also it happened, both that I was restored to my office, and that he was hanged. 14 And Pharao having sent, called Joseph; and they brought him out from the prison, and shaved him, and changed his dress, and he came to Pharao. 15 And Pharao said to Joseph, I have seen a vision, and there is no one to interpret it; but I have heard say concerning thee that thou didst hear dreams and interpret them. 16 And Joseph answered Pharao and said, Without God an answer of safety shall not be given to Pharao. 17 And Pharao spoke to Joseph, saying, In my dream methought I stood by the bank of the river; 18 and there came up as it were out of the river, seven cows well-favoured and choice-fleshed, and they fed on the sedge. 19 And behold seven other cows came up after them out of the river, evil and ill-favoured and lean-fleshed, such that I never saw worse in all the land of Egypt. 20 And the seven ill-favoured and thin cows ate up the seven first good and choice cows. 21 And they went into their bellies; and it was not perceptible that they had gone into their bellies, and their appearance was ill-favoured, as also at the beginning; and after I awoke I slept, 22 and saw again in my sleep, and as it were seven ears came up on one stem, full and good. 23 And other seven ears, thin and blasted with the wind, sprang up close to them. 24 And the seven thin and blasted ears devoured the seven fine and full ears: so I spoke to the interpreters, and there was no one to explain it to me. 25 And Joseph said to Pharao, The dream of Pharao is one; whatever God does, he has shewn to Pharao. 26 The seven good cows are seven years, and the seven good ears are seven years; the dream of Pharao is one. 27 And the seven thin kine that came up after them are seven years; and the seven thin and blasted ears are seven years; there shall be seven years of famine. 28 And as for the word which I have told Pharao, whatsoever God intends to do, he has shewn to Pharao: 29 behold, for seven years there is coming great plenty in all the land of Egypt. 30 But there shall come seven years of famine after these, and they shall forget the plenty that shall be in all Egypt, and the famine shall consume the land. 31 And the plenty shall not be known in the land by reason of the famine that shall be after this, for it shall be very grievous. 32 And concerning the repetition of the dream to Pharao twice, it is because the saying which is from God shall be true, and God will hasten to accomplish it. 33 Now then, look out a wise and prudent man, and set him over the land of Egypt. 34 And let Pharao make and appoint local governors over the land; and let them take up a fifth part of all the produce of the land of Egypt for the seven years of the plenty. 35 And let them gather all the food of these seven good years that are coming, and let the corn be gathered under the hand of Pharao; let food be kept in the cities. 36 And the stored food shall be for the land against the seven years of famine, which shall be in the land of Egypt; and the land shall not be utterly destroyed by the famine. 37 And the word was pleasing in the sight of Pharao, and in the sight of all his servants. 38 And Pharao said to all his servants, Shall we find such a man as this, who has the Spirit of God in him? 39 And Pharao said to Joseph, Since God has shewed thee all these things, there is not a wiser or more prudent man than thou. 40 Thou shalt be over my house, and all my people shall be obedient to thy word; only in the throne will I excel thee. 41 And Pharao said to Joseph, Behold, I set thee this day over all the land of Egypt. 42 And Pharao took his ring off his hand, and put it on the hand of Joseph, and put on him a robe of fine linen, and put a necklace of gold about his neck. 43 And he mounted him on the second of his chariots, and a herald made proclamation before him; and he set him over all the land of Egypt. 44 And Pharao said to Joseph, I am Pharao; without thee no one shall lift up his hand on all the land of Egypt. 45 And Pharao called the name of Joseph, Psonthomphanech; and he gave him Aseneth, the daughter of Petephres, priest of Heliopolis, to wife. 46 And Joseph was thirty years old when he stood before Pharao, king of Egypt. And Joseph went out from the presence of Pharao, and went through all the land of Egypt. 47 And the land produced, in the seven years of plenty, whole handfuls of corn. 48 And he gathered all the food of the seven years, in which was the plenty in the land of Egypt; and he laid up the food in the cities; the food of the fields of a city round about it he laid up in it. 49 And Joseph gathered very much corn as the sand of the sea, until it could not be numbered, for there was no number of it. 50 And to Joseph were born two sons, before the seven years of famine came, which Aseneth, the daughter of Petephres, priest of Heliopolis, bore to him. 51 And Joseph called the name of the first-born, Manasse; for God, said he, has made me forget all my toils, and all my father’s house. 52 And he called the name of the second, Ephraim; for God, said he, has increased me in the land of my humiliation. 53 And the seven years of plenty passed away, which were in the land of Egypt. 54 And the seven years of famine began to come, as Joseph said; and there was a famine in all the land; but in all the land of Egypt there was bread. 55 And all the land of Egypt was hungry; and the people cried to Pharao for bread. And Pharao said to all the Egyptians, Go to Joseph, and do whatsoever he shall tell you. 56 And the famine was on the face of all the earth; and Joseph opened all the granaries, and sold to all the Egyptians. 57 And all countries came to Egypt to buy of Joseph, for the famine prevailed in all the earth.

AUGUSTINE OF HIPPO. (Gen. 41:1). WHAT DOES IT MEAN: IT SEEMED TO PHARAOH THAT HE WAS ON THE RIVER? — Pharaoh thought he was standing on the river. Abraham's servant used the same expression: Here I am standing on the fountain of water (Gen. 24:43). The Greek text, in the second passage, says: επι της πητης; in the same way as in the first one it says: επι του ποταμου. If this expression is correctly understood in the Psalm that says: That he founded the earth on the water (Ps. 24:2), there is no need to think that the earth swims on the water like a ship. In fact, according to this expression, it is perfectly understood that the earth is higher than water. For it is high above the waters, that the animals of the earth may dwell therein. [Question 132]

(Gen. 41:30). ABUNDANCE PROMISED. — The words of Scripture: And they will forget the future abundance in all the land of Egypt, we must understand them in the sense that it is not a future abundance for those who have to endure hunger, as if afterwards abundance would come to them. But that abundance was future then, when the author spoke. It is as if he said: men will forget this abundance that the fat cattle and the good grains meant as a future thing, during the famine that meant the undernourished cattle and the bad grains. [Question 133]

 (Gen. 41:38). THE SPIRIT OF GOD. — Shall we meet another man like this, who has in himself the spirit of God? If I am not mistaken, this is already the third time that the Spirit of God, the Holy Spirit, is insinuated in this book. The first time it was said: “And the spirit of God was carried on the water (Gen. 1:2).” The second time, where God said, "My spirit will not abide in these men, for they are flesh (Gen. 6:3)." The third time here, when Pharaoh says that Joseph has the spirit of God. But the Holy Spirit is not yet said. [Question 134]

 (Gen. 41:45). NICKNAME OF JOSEPH. — Pharaoh gave the name Zaphenath-paneah. It is said that this name means "revealed things hidden". Obviously it is because Joseph revealed to the king his dreams. They say that in the Egyptian language this name means "savior of the world". [Question 135]

ON POTIPHAR, JOSEPH'S FATHER-IN-LAW. — And he gave him Asenath the daughter of Potiphar, the priest of the city of the sun. We often wondered who this Potiphar was, that is, whether he was the servant of Joseph or another. Most likely it was another. In fact, there are many reasons to think that it is not the first one. First, because the Scripture does not mention anything that could report no small glory to that young man, we seem to have been able to omit such a thing, namely, to marry the daughter of that man in whose house he served. Secondly, how could a eunuch have a daughter? To this we answer: And how could he have a wife? Thus, it is believed that he became a eunuch or because of some injury or of his own volition. In addition it is necessary to consider the fact that there is not even a mention his position, as is usually done, and that was the αρχιμαγειρος, title that the Latin translators translated as head chefs and others translate as head of the militia. But this is also answered by saying that he had those two positions, the priesthood of the Sun and the head of the militia. In another place, however, the position which he held and which was suitable for such acts was appropriately remembered, and here, after Joseph had manifested a not insignificant divine quality, that office must have been mentioned by his father-in-law; divine quality not small, in the opinion of the Egyptians, since it boasted the priesthood of the Sun. Now in all this, since he was also head of the prison guard, it seems too incredible that a priest was the head of this job. Moreover, Scripture does not simply say that he was a priest of the Sun, but of the city of the Sun, called Heliopolis. It is said that this city is more than twenty miles from the city of Memphis, where the Pharaohs, that is, the kings, resided in a special way. How, then, could he courageously serve the king in the leadership of the militia, abandoning the office of priest? It should be added, furthermore, that they are said to have always rendered their services only in the temples of the gods and did not perform any other office. But just in case things happened in another way, that each one think what he wants, since there is no problem that has no solution, whether there has been a single Potiphar or two. Neither of these two hypotheses that one admits is dangerous to faith or contrary to the truth of the Scriptures of God. [Question 136]

(Gen. 41:49). WHAT IS THE MEANING: BECAUSE THERE WERE NO MORE NUMBERS? —And Joseph gathered grain as the sand of the sea, very much, until he could not count it, because it was innumerable. The words ‘because it was innumerable’ meant that the amount was so large, that it exceeded any number usually used and did not know what that number was. But how can there be no number to indicate a huge but finite quantity? In spite of everything, this has been said in the form of hyperbole. [Question 137]

JOHN CHRYSOSTOM OF CONSTANTINOPLE. Do you still want us to examine the history of Joseph, and to see by means of duels this incomparable man, who became master of all Egypt, relieved everyone, thanks to the intelligence that was in him? And he went away, saith the scripture, from the presence of Pharaoh, and went over all the land of Egypt; and the earth gave sheaves in the seven years of fertility: and he gathered as much grain as there is sand in the sea. Thus, having received from the king full authority, he received the fruits of the earth, and the put in deposit in the cities, in order to relieve, with the help of these resources, the future distress. You know now how this righteous man was rewarded, even here below, for his patience, his resignation, all his virtues, when he left a prison for the palace of a king. (50) Now, two sons were born to him before the coming of the years of famine. (51) He gave the first name of Manasseh: because, said he, God made me forget all my troubles and those of my father. Admire his piety: by the name he gave to his child he consecrated the memory of all that had happened, in order to constantly show his gratitude, and so that the child who was born to him had only to to reflect on his name, to be instructed in the temptations and patience which had brought the righteous to such a degree of elevation. Because he made me forget all my troubles and those of my father. What to say, All my troubles? It seems to me that here he is referring to his first and second servitude, as well as the sufferings of his captivity. And all those of my father: that is to say, the separation that had torn him from the arms of his father, when, in the tenderest age, this child, raised with so much solicitude, was thrown of liberty in slavery. (52) And he called the second name Ephraim, because, said he, God hath lifted me up in the land of my abasement. You see it: this new name is still dictated by recognition. It is as if he were saying: Not only have I forgotten my sorrows, but I have also been elevated to honors, in the country where I had endured so deep a humiliation, where I had been exposed to more extreme perils, and in danger of losing life. But now you have to listen to the rest. After the seven years of abundance, suddenly came the years of famine, as Joseph had predicted. For events only demonstrated to all the wisdom of the righteous, and inclined all the fronts before him. And, in spite of the extreme scarcity, he prevented everything, at first, that no distress was felt. (54) For there was bread in all Egypt. But when discomfort increased, the people made Pharaoh hear his complaints, unable to hold on for longer: hunger forced them to resort to the king. Notice now the recognition of this monarch. (55.) But Pharaoh said to the Egyptians Go to Joseph and do what he tells you. It is almost as if he had said: Why hold your eyes on me? Do you not see that I am only king in appearance, that it is Joseph who has saved you all? Where did you come from to come to me? Go to him, and do what he tells you. (56) Joseph opened the granaries and sold the wheat to the Egyptians. And as the famine caused his rigors everywhere to be felt: All the countries, he said, came to buy wheat in Egypt: for hunger reigned over all the earth. See how, little by little, Joseph's dreams begin to come true. [Homilies on Genesis]