Joseph continued for over two years in prison, after the butler and chief baker of Pharaoh had gone. God had prepared the right time for when Joseph would be exalted and could use his special talents governing the Egyptian people.
This began with the two dreams of Pharaoh. Like those of the butler and the baker, these dreams came from God, and upon waking, his spirit was troubled i.e., very worried.
As usual, he called magicians and wise men to his presence, but this time he called all that were in Egypt, because he was very worried. Magicians and wise men were common at that time, scholars of science and arts, astrology, interpretation of dreams, prophecy and magic. Having told them his dreams, but waited for their interpretation in vain: no one could interpret them.
The chief butler was serving Pharaoh while this was happening, and recalled his own experience in prison, when Joseph had correctly interpreted his dream. Seeing the concern of the Pharaoh and the incompetence of the magicians and wise men, he plucked up courage and told how a young Hebrew, servant of the captain of the guard had correctly interpreted his dream, and that of the chief baker.
Pharaoh, without any other hope, then sent and called Joseph. Brought quickly out of the dungeon, he had no time for anything but to shave and change clothes (as opposed to Middle Easterners, Egyptians shaved their face completely). Joseph was now a changed man: a new life was before him and he emerged from the depths of the dungeon, as if risen again, and went to help the gentiles: a beautiful picture of Christ.
In front of Pharaoh Joseph modestly denied that he was skilled at interpreting dreams but gave all glory to God, declaring that He would give a favourable answer to Pharaoh. Like him, we should always be aware that if we bring good to others, it is God who works in us to do so.
Pharaoh told his two dreams to Joseph: in reality it was only one message from God, told in two ways to give it more emphasis (v.25, 32):
Seven cows (buffaloes) emerged from the river (Nile), fine looking and fat, and they were grazing.Then another seven emerged, poor and very ugly and gaunt, and ate up the first seven, the fat cows. They didn’t look any better for it however, they were just as ugly as at the beginning.
Seven heads came up on one stalk, full and good. Then seven heads, withered, thin and blighted by the east wind sprang up after them. And the thin heads devoured the seven good heads.
Joseph then explained that the dreams were one, and God had shown Pharaoh what He was about to do:
The seven fat cows and the seven good heads would be seven years of great plenty in Egypt.
The seven thin and ugly cows and seven empty heads blighted by the east wind would be seven years of famine that would follow the years of plenty, so severe that all that previous abundance would be forgotten.
The importance of the revelation of what God was soon to do was highlighted by the repetition of the dream.
Having interpreted the dreams, and so finished doing what the Pharaoh had ordered, Joseph could have silenced. His nature, however, was to help others. He therefore could not restrain himself and, given the gravity of the situation, immediately suggested measures that should be taken by Pharaoh to make good use of the years of plenty and to soften the effects of the years of shortage:
Select a discerning and wise man to rule the land of Egypt.
Appoint officers over the land.
Impose a tax of 20% in kind over the crops in the seven plentiful years.
Gather all the food of those good years and store up the grain under the authority of Pharaoh and let them keep it in cities.
Pharaoh and all his officials were pleased with the advice of Joseph, and Pharaoh declared that Joseph had a supernatural perception, having the Spirit of God in him like no other man.
Pharaoh then followed the advice of Joseph and immediately chose the governor general of Egypt: Joseph himself because God had made him know all these things, so there was no one as discerning and wise as he.
His authority was defined by the Pharaoh: Joseph was to be over the house of Pharaoh, and to have absolute authority over all the Egyptian people. Only the Pharaoh would be above him. As evidence of the authority delegated to him, Joseph was given Pharaoh's signet ring: if it was placed on a document, for example (they used papyrus documents) in a ball of hot wax, it was as if it were the signature of Pharaoh himself: he was Pharaoh’s plenipotentiary attorney.
The new job required certain advantages and privileges: fine linen (used by the rich), a gold necklace around his neck (symbol of sovereignty), an excellent chariot (only the Pharaoh had a better one) and scouts ahead, forcing the people to bow before him.
Pharaoh indicated that he did not want to interfere with what Joseph did. Maybe so that Joseph would not seem to be so foreign to the Egyptians, the Pharaoh gave him the name of Zaphnath-Paaneah (Revealer of Secrets), and an Egyptian wife, Asenath (Gift of the sun-god) daughter of Potipherah priest of On (City of the sun, or Heliopolis, which was located on the east bank of the River Nile, just north of Memphis, near Cairo).
At this point Joseph was 30 years old and went over all the land of Egypt.
This reminds us that the Lord Jesus is also glorified in heaven, at the right hand of God, having received from him a new name and all authority in heaven and on earth, and a Gentile bride which is being prepared for Him. He also began his ministry on the land when 30 years old.
What God had announced through the dreams happened, and there were first seven years of great plenty in Egypt. Joseph stored the food produced during those seven years, under guard, gathering “very much grain, as the sand of the sea”.
His wife bore him two sons during those years, and he called the firstborn Manasseh (Causing to Forget), because God had made him forget the trials that he had gone through, and in the absence of the family of father, and Ephraim (Double Fruit) because of the prosperity that God had given him.
The seven years of famine followed as had been announced. Due to the foresight of Joseph, Egypt was prepared, but the people in the surrounding lands had no grain.
First the Egyptians, then the foreigners came to Joseph, who opened all the warehouses, and sold what they contained.
1 Then it came to pass, at the end of two full years, that Pharaoh had a dream; and behold, he stood by the river.
2 Suddenly there came up out of the river seven cows, fine looking and fat; and they fed in the meadow.
3 Then behold, seven other cows came up after them out of the river, ugly and gaunt, and stood by the other cows on the bank of the river.
4 And the ugly and gaunt cows ate up the seven fine looking and fat cows. So Pharaoh awoke.
5 He slept and dreamed a second time; and suddenly seven heads of grain came up on one stalk, plump and good.
6 Then behold, seven thin heads, blighted by the east wind, sprang up after them.
7 And the seven thin heads devoured the seven plump and full heads. So Pharaoh awoke, and indeed, it was a dream.
8 Now 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 its wise men. And Pharaoh told them his dreams, but there was no one who could interpret them for Pharaoh.
9 Then the chief butler spoke to Pharaoh, saying: "I remember my faults this day.
10 When Pharaoh was angry with his servants, and put me in custody in the house of the captain of the guard, both me and the chief baker,
11 we each had a dream in one night, he and I. Each of us dreamed according to the interpretation of his own dream.
12 Now there was a young Hebrew man with us there, a servant of the captain of the guard. And we told him, and he interpreted our dreams for us; to each man he interpreted according to his own dream.
13 And it came to pass, just as he interpreted for us, so it happened. He restored me to my office, and he hanged him."
14 Then Pharaoh sent and called Joseph, and they brought him quickly out of the dungeon; and he shaved, changed his clothing, and came to Pharaoh.
15 And Pharaoh said to Joseph, "I have had a dream, and there is no one who can interpret it. But I have heard it said of you that you can understand a dream, to interpret it."
16 So Joseph answered Pharaoh, saying, "It is not in me; God will give Pharaoh an answer of peace."
17 Then Pharaoh said to Joseph: "Behold, in my dream I stood on the bank of the river.
18 Suddenly seven cows came up out of the river, fine looking and fat; and they fed in the meadow.
19 Then behold, seven other cows came up after them, poor and very ugly and gaunt, such ugliness as I have never seen in all the land of Egypt.
20 And the gaunt and ugly cows ate up the first seven, the fat cows.
21 When they had eaten them up, no one would have known that they had eaten them, for they were just as ugly as at the beginning. So I awoke.
22 Also I saw in my dream, and suddenly seven heads came up on one stalk, full and good.
23 Then behold, seven heads, withered, thin, and blighted by the east wind, sprang up after them.
24 And the thin heads devoured the seven good heads. So I told this to the magicians, but there was no one who could explain it to me."
25 Then Joseph said to Pharaoh, "The dreams of Pharaoh are one; God has shown Pharaoh what He is about to do:
26 The seven good cows are seven years, and the seven good heads are seven years; the dreams are one.
27 And the seven thin and ugly cows which came up after them are seven years, and the seven empty heads blighted by the east wind are seven years of famine.
28 This is the thing which I have spoken to Pharaoh. God has shown Pharaoh what He is about to do.
29 Indeed seven years of great plenty will come throughout all the land of Egypt;
30 but after them seven years of famine will arise, and all the plenty will be forgotten in the land of Egypt; and the famine will deplete the land.
31 So the plenty will not be known in the land because of the famine following, for it will be very severe.
32 And the dream was repeated to Pharaoh twice because the thing is established by God, and God will shortly bring it to pass.
33 "Now therefore, let Pharaoh select a discerning and wise man, and set him over the land of Egypt.
34 Let Pharaoh do this, and let him appoint officers over the land, to collect one-fifth of the produce of the land of Egypt in the seven plentiful years.
35 And let them gather all the food of those good years that are coming, and store up grain under the authority of Pharaoh, and let them keep food in the cities.
36 Then that food shall be as a reserve for the land for the seven years of famine which shall be in the land of Egypt, that the land may not perish during the famine."
37 So the advice was good in the eyes of Pharaoh and in the eyes of all his servants.
38 And Pharaoh said to his servants, "Can we find such a one as this, a man in whom is the Spirit of God?"
39 Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, "Inasmuch as God has shown you all this, there is no one as discerning and wise as you.
40 You shall be over my house, and all my people shall be ruled according to your word; only in regard to the throne will I be greater than you."
41 And Pharaoh said to Joseph, "See, I have set you over all the land of Egypt."
42 Then Pharaoh took his signet ring off his hand and put it on Joseph's hand; and he clothed him in garments of fine linen and put a gold chain around his neck.
43 And he had him ride in the second chariot which he had; and they cried out before him, "Bow the knee!" So he set him over all the land of Egypt.
44 Pharaoh also said to Joseph, "I am Pharaoh, and without your consent no man may lift his hand or foot in all the land of Egypt."
:45 And Pharaoh called Joseph's name Zaphnath-Paaneah. And he gave him as a wife Asenath, the daughter of Poti-Pherah priest of On. So Joseph went out over all the land of Egypt.
46 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 Now in the seven plentiful years the ground brought forth abundantly.
48 So 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; he laid up in every city the food of the fields which surrounded them.
49 Joseph gathered very much grain, as the sand of the sea, until he stopped counting, for it was immeasurable.
50 And to Joseph were born two sons before the years of famine came, whom Asenath, the daughter of Poti-Pherah priest of On, bore to him.
51 Joseph called the name of the firstborn Manasseh: "For God has made me forget all my toil and all my father's house."
52 And the name of the second he called Ephraim: "For God has caused me to be fruitful in the land of my affliction."
53 Then the seven years of plenty which were in the land of Egypt ended,
54 and the seven years of famine began to come, as Joseph had said. The famine was in all lands, but in all the land of Egypt there was bread.
55 So when all the land of Egypt was famished, the people cried to Pharaoh for bread. Then Pharaoh said to all the Egyptians, "Go to Joseph; whatever he says to you, do."
56 The famine was over all the face of the earth, and Joseph opened all the storehouses and sold to the Egyptians. And the famine became severe in the land of Egypt.
57 So all countries came to Joseph in Egypt to buy grain, because the famine was severe in all lands.
Genesis chapter 41