Gen 41:1-7 | Clarke | e4.org | CHAPTER XLI Pharaoh's dream of the seven well-favoured and seven ill-favoured kine , 1-4. His dream of the seven full and seven thin ears of corn , 5-7. The magicians and wise men applied to for the interpretation of them, but could give no solution , 8. The chief butler recollects and recommends Joseph , 9-13. Pharaoh commands him to be brought out of prison , 14. Joseph appears before Pharaoh , 15, 16. Pharaoh repeats his dreams , 17-24. Joseph interprets them , 25-32, and gives Pharaoh directions how to provide against the approaching scarcity , 33-36. Pharaoh, pleased with the counsel, appoints Joseph to be superintendent of all his affairs , 37-41. Joseph receives the badges of his new office , 42, 43, and has his powers defined , 44; receives a new name, and marries Asenath, daughter of Poti-Pherah, priest of ON, 45. Joseph's age when brought before Pharaoh , 46. Great fertility of Egypt in the seven plenteous years , 47. Joseph hoards up the grain , 48, 49. Ephraim and Manasseh born , 50-52. The seven years of famine commence with great rigour , 53-55. Joseph opens the storehouses to the Egyptians , 56. People from the neighbouring countries come to Egypt to buy corn, the famine being in all those lands , 57. NOTES ON CHAP. XLI Verse 1. Two full years ] shenathayim yamim , two years of days, two complete solar revolutions, after the events mentioned in the preceding chapter. The river. ] The Nile, the cause of the fertility of Egypt.

‏ Genesis 41:1-7

CHAPTER XLI

Pharaoh's dream of the seven well-favoured and seven ill-favoured kine, 1-4.

His dream of the seven full and seven thin ears of corn, 5-7.

The magicians and wise men applied to for the interpretation of them, but could give no solution, 8.

The chief butler recollects and recommends Joseph, 9-13.

Pharaoh commands him to be brought out of prison, 14.

Joseph appears before Pharaoh, 15, 16.

Pharaoh repeats his dreams, 17-24.

Joseph interprets them, 25-32,

and gives Pharaoh directions how to provide against the approaching scarcity, 33-36.

Pharaoh, pleased with the counsel, appoints Joseph to be superintendent of all his affairs, 37-41.

Joseph receives the badges of his new office, 42, 43,

and has his powers defined, 44;

receives a new name, and marries Asenath, daughter of

Poti-Pherah, priest of ON, 45.

Joseph's age when brought before Pharaoh, 46.

Great fertility of Egypt in the seven plenteous years, 47.

Joseph hoards up the grain, 48, 49.

Ephraim and Manasseh born, 50-52.

The seven years of famine commence with great rigour, 53-55.

Joseph opens the storehouses to the Egyptians, 56.

People from the neighbouring countries come to Egypt to buy corn, the famine being in all those lands, 57.

NOTES ON CHAP. XLI

Verse 1. Two full years] shenathayim yamim, two years of days, two complete solar revolutions, after the events mentioned in the preceding chapter.

The river.] The Nile, the cause of the fertility of Egypt.

Verse 2. There came up out of the river seven well-favoured kine] This must certainly refer to the hippopotamus or river horse, as the circumstances of coming up out of the river and feeding in the field characterize that animal alone. The hippopotamus is the well-known inhabitant of the Nile, and frequently by night comes out of the river to feed in the fields, or in the sedge by the river side.

Verse 6. Blasted with the east wind] It has been very properly observed that all the mischief done to corn or fruit, by blasting, smutting, mildews, locusts, &c., is attributed to the east wind. See Ex 10:13; 14:21; Ps 78:26; Eze 17:10; Jon 4:8. In Egypt it is peculiarly destructive, because it comes through the parched deserts of Arabia, often destroying vast numbers of men and women. The destructive nature of the simoom or smoom is mentioned by almost all travellers. Mr. Bruce speaks of it in his Travels in Egypt. On their way to Syene, Idris their guide, seeing one of these destroying blasts coming, cried out with a loud voice to the company, "Fall upon your faces, for here is the simoom! I saw," says Mr. B., "from the S. E. a haze come, in colour like the purple part of the rainbow, but not so compressed or thick. It did not occupy twenty yards in breadth, and was about twelve feet high from the ground. It was a kind of blush upon the air, and it moved very rapidly, for I scarce could turn to fall upon the ground, with my head northward, when I felt the heat of its current plainly upon my face. We all lay flat upon the ground, as if dead, till Idris told us it was blown over. The meteor or purple haze which I saw was indeed passed, but the light air that still blew was of a heat to threaten suffocation. for my part, I found distinctly in my breast that I had imbibed a part of it; nor was I free from an asthmatic sensation till I had been some months in Italy, at the bathe of Poretta, near two years afterwards."-Travels, vol. vi., p. 462. On another occasion the whole company were made ill by one of these pestilential blasts, so that they had scarcely strength to load their camels.-ibid., p. 484. The action of this destructive wind is referred to by the Prophet Ho 13:15: Though he be fruitful among his brethren, an EAST WIND shall come, the wind of the Lord shall come up FROM THE WILDERNESS, and his spring shall BECOME DRY, and his fountain shall be DRIED up: he shall spoil the treasure of all pleasant vessels.