At the beginning of Genesis chapter forty-one, Pharaoh, king of Egypt, experiences two troubling and prophetic dreams. The first dream depicts seven beautiful, healthy cows coming out of the Nile River to feed on the grass. Then seven famished, emaciated cows come up after them and devour them. The second dream is similar. Pharaoh sees seven good ears of grain growing on a single stalk. Then seven thin, wasted-looking ears grow up after them and somehow swallow up the healthy ears of grain. Ancient Egyptians placed great emphasis on dreams. These are vivid; Pharaoh is disturbed by these visions.
The king calls his wise men and magicians who have education in various disciplines. Some would have been priests or shamans of the Egyptian religion. Despite their efforts, none can tell him what the dreams might mean. The situation seems strange since they could have tried to give a false answer; many would have thought that better than telling Pharaoh, “I don’t know.” Yet God’s provision means they can’t even invent a good explanation. Finally, Pharaoh’s chief cupbearer remembers how Joseph, “a young Hebrew,” accurately interpreted his and the baker’s troubling dreams in prison two years earlier. Most likely, the cupbearer had not lost that history from his mind. Instead, this is the first time he felt it was to his advantage to bring it up.
Joseph is quickly released from prison and brought before Pharaoh. Pharaoh says he has heard the young Hebrews can interpret dreams. In a bold statement, Joseph corrects the absolute ruler of Egypt and insists that it is God who knows. Joseph promises to pass along the divine truth once he has heard the dreams. Pharaoh’s description of his visions follows the same outline earlier in the chapter and adds a few details. However, the second set of seven cows that Pharaoh sees describes here using terms that mean “evil,” “ugly,” and “scrawny.” Pharaoh notes that these are the most horrible-looking animals he has ever seen. Further, when the skeletal cows have eaten the healthy cows, they still look as if they are starving. The second set of ears of grain looks blasted by the sandstorms of the desert.
Joseph explains that God is revealing what He is about to do. Both dreams mean the same thing, and the repetition is for emphasis. Seven years of great abundance, represented by the healthy cows and grain, will be followed by seven years of terrible famine, which represent the sickly cows and grain. The starvation will be so severe that no one will remember the good years. Pharaoh’s dreams were to give him counsel on how to run his own country. Joseph launches into a proposed plan for how Pharaoh should manage the coming crisis. Joseph says Pharaoh should appoint a wise leader with a team of overseers, to take 20 percent of each crop for the next seven years and put it into storehouses. Then, when the famine begins, Egypt will provide.