And the thin ears devoured the seven good ears ,.... See Gill on Genesis 41:7 , and I told this unto the magicians ; just in the same manner as he had to Joseph: but there was none that could declare it unto me ; the meaning of it; what all this should signify or portend. read more
Joseph before Pharaoh, or from the prison to the throne. I. THE DREAMS OF THE MONARCH . 1. His midnight visions . Two full years have expired since the memorable birthday of Pharaoh which sent the baker to ignominious execution, but restored the butler to the favor of his royal master. Slumbering upon his bed, the king of Egypt seems to stand among the tall grass upon the banks of the Nile. First seven well-formed and full-fleshed heifers appear to climb up one after the... read more
The tried man is now made ready by long experience for his position of responsibility and honor. He is thirty years old. He can commence his public ministry for the people of God and the world. Pharaoh's dreams, the kine and the ears of corn, like those of the butler and baker, have their natural element in them; but apart from the Spirit of God Joseph would not have dared to give them such an interpretation. Even had his intelligence penetrated the secret, he would not have ventured on a... read more
- Joseph Was Exalted1. יאר ye'or, “river, canal,” mostly applied to the Nile. Some suppose the word to be Coptic.2. אחוּ 'āchû, “sedge, reed-grass, marsh-grass.” This word is probably Coptic.8. חרטמים charṭumı̂ym, ἐξηγηταὶ exēgētai, ἱερογραμματεῖς hierogrammateis, “sacred scribes, hieroglyphs.” חרט chereṭ “stylus,” a graving tool.43. אברך 'abrēk “bend the knee.” In this sense it is put for הברך habrēk imperative hiphil of ברך bārak. Those who take the word to be Coptic render it... read more
Joseph’s rise to power (39:1-41:57)In contrast to Judah, Joseph was blameless in his behaviour in Egypt. Soon he was placed in charge of Potiphar’s household (39:1-6). When he rejected the immoral invitations of Potiphar’s wife, she turned against him bitterly and had him thrown into prison (7-20). Again his behaviour was blameless, and soon he was given a position of responsibility over the other prisoners (21-23).Among the prisoners who later joined Joseph were two of Pharaoh’s palace... read more
24. the thin ears devoured the seven good ears—devoured is a different word from that used in Genesis 41:4 and conveys the idea of destroying, by absorbing to themselves all the nutritious virtue of the soil around them. Genesis 41:4- :. JOSEPH INTERPRETS PHARAOH'S DREAMS. read more
Joseph carefully gave God the glory for his interpretive gift in his response to Pharaoh (Genesis 41:16)."As far as Joseph was concerned, absolute truthfulness in guarding God’s honor was far more important than personal advantages." [Note: Leupold, 2:1025-26.] "Like Daniel before Nebuchadnezzar, he expressly disclaims all ability of himself to unfold the secret counsels of heaven, or exercise that wisdom for which Pharaoh seems very willing to give him credit. The same humility has been in... read more
The Dreams of Pharaoh and the Advancement of Joseph1. Pharaoh] It is believed that a dynasty of Asiatic (perhaps Bedouin) conquerors, known as the Hyksôs or Shepherd kings, were now in power in Egypt. Their rule lasted for 500 years, until 1700 or 1600 b.c., when a native Nubian dynasty from Thebes expelled the invaders. The court was at Zoan on the eastern frontier of Egypt. The elevation of Joseph to an almost royal position, and the welcome extended to his kinsmen, were natural at the hands... read more
Joseph the Optimist Genesis 41:33 Neither the personality nor the public position of Joseph accounts for his effect on posterity. His peculiarity is not that he rises to a pinnacle of earthly splendour. It is that his splendour has come out of his dungeon. I. The portrait of Joseph is a philosophical picture the earliest attempt to delineate a theory of the universe in the form of the narrative. Joseph is made the spokesman of the new evangel. He comes before us as the advocate for optimism.... read more
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Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Genesis 41:17-32
Here, I. Pharaoh relates his dream. He dreamt that he stood upon the bank of the river Nile, and saw the kine, both the fat ones and the lean ones, come out of the river. For the kingdom of Egypt had no rain, as appears, Zech. 14:18; but the plenty of the year depended upon the overflowing of the river, and it was about one certain time of the year that it overflowed. If it rose to fifteen or sixteen cubits, there was plenty; if to twelve or thirteen only, or under, there was scarcity. See how... read more