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Gênesis 41

ARC · Chapter 41/50

1E aconteceu que, ao fim de dois annos inteiros, Pharaó sonhou, e eis que estava em pé junto ao rio,

2E eis que subiam do rio sete vaccas, formosas á vista e gordas de carne, e pastavam no prado.

3E eis que subiam do rio após ellas outras sete vaccas, feias á vista e magras de carne; e paravam junto ás outras vaccas na praia do rio.

4E as vaccas feias á vista, e magras de carne, comiam as sete vaccas formosas á vista e gordas. Então acordou Pharaó.

5Depois dormiu, e sonhou outra vez, e eis que brotavam d'uma cana sete espigas cheias e boas,

6E eis que sete espigas miudas, e queimadas do vento oriental, brotavam após ellas.

7E as espigas miudas devoravam as sete espigas grandes e cheias. Então acordou Pharaó, e eis que era um sonho.

8E aconteceu que pela manhã o seu espirito perturbou-se, e enviou e chamou todos os adivinhadores do Egypto, e todos os seus sabios; e Pharaó contou-lhes os seus sonhos, mas ninguem havia que os interpretasse a Pharaó.

9Então fallou o copeiro-mór a Pharaó, dizendo: Dos meus peccados me lembro hoje:

10Estando Pharaó mui indignado contra os seus servos, e pondo-me em guarda na casa do capitão da guarda, a mim e ao padeiro-mór,

11Então sonhámos um sonho na mesma noite, eu e elle, cada um conforme a interpretação do seu sonho sonhámos.

12E estava ali comnosco um mancebo hebreu, servo do capitão da guarda, e contámos-lh'os, e interpretou-nos os nossos sonhos, a cada um os interpretou conforme o seu sonho.

13E como elle nos interpretou, assim mesmo foi feito: a mim me fez tornar ao meu estado, e a elle fez enforcar.

14Então enviou Pharaó, e chamou a José, e o fizeram sair logo da cova; e barbeou-se e mudou os seus vestidos, e veiu a Pharaó.

15E Pharaó disse a José: Eu sonhei um sonho, e ninguem ha que o interprete; mas de ti ouvi dizer que quando ouves um sonho o interpretas.

16E respondeu José a Pharaó, dizendo: Sem mim é isso: Deus responderá paz a Pharaó.

17Então disse Pharaó a José: Eis que em meu sonho estava eu em pé na praia do rio

18E eis que subiam do rio sete vaccas gordas de carne e formosas á vista, e pastavam no prado.

19E eis que outras sete vaccas subiam após estas, muito feias á vista, e magras de carne; não tenho visto outras taes, emquanto á fealdade, em toda a terra do Egypto.

20E as vaccas magras e feias comiam os primeiras sete vaccas gordas;

21E entravam em suas entranhas, mas não se conhecia que houvessem entrado em suas entranhas: porque o seu parecer era feio como no principio. Então acordei.

22Depois vi em meu sonho, e eis que d'uma cana subiam sete espigas cheias e boas;

23E eis que sete espigas seccas, miudas e queimadas do vento oriental, brotavam após ellas.

24E as sete espigas miudas devoravam as sete espigas boas. E eu disse-o aos magos, mas ninguem houve que m'o interpretasse.

25Então disse José a Pharaó: O sonho de Pharaó é um só; o que Deus ha de fazer, notificou a Pharaó.

26As sete vaccas formosas são sete annos; as sete espigas formosas tambem são sete annos: o sonho é um só

27E as sete vaccas feias á vista e magras, que subiam depois d'ellas, são sete annos; e as sete espigas miudas e queimadas do vento oriental, serão sete annos de fome.

28Esta é a palavra que tenho dito a Pharaó; o que Deus ha de fazer, mostrou-o a Pharaó.

29E eis que veem sete annos, e haverá grande fartura em toda a terra do Egypto.

30E depois d'elles levantar-se-hão sete annos de fome, e toda aquella fartura será esquecida na terra do Egypto, e a fome consumirá a terra;

31E não será conhecida a abundancia na terra, por causa d'aquella fome que haverá depois; porquanto será gravissima.

32E que o sonho foi duplicado duas vezes a Pharaó, é porquanto esta coisa é determinada de Deus, e Deus se apressa a fazel-a.

33Portanto Pharaó se proveja agora d'um varão entendido e sabio, e o ponha sobre a terra do Egypto:

34Faça isso Pharaó, e ponha governadores sobre a terra, e tome a quinta parte da terra do Egypto nos sete annos de fartura,

35E ajuntem toda a comida d'estes bons annos, que veem, e amontoem o trigo debaixo da mão de Pharaó, para mantimento nas cidades, e o guardem;

36Assim será o mantimento para provimento da terra, para os sete annos de fome, que haverá na terra do Egypto; para que a terra não pereça de fome.

37E esta palavra foi boa aos olhos de Pharaó, e aos olhos de todos os seus servos.

38E disse Pharaó a seus servos: Achariamos um varão como este, em quem haja o espirito de Deus?

39Depois disse Pharaó a José: Pois que Deus te fez saber tudo isto, ninguem ha tão entendido e sabio como tu

40Tu estarás sobre a minha casa, e por tua bocca se governará todo o meu povo, sómente no throno eu serei maior que tu

41Disse mais Pharaó a José: Vês aqui te tenho posto sobre toda a terra do Egypto.

42E tirou Pharaó o seu annel da sua mão, e o poz na mão de José, e o fez vestir de vestidos de linho fino, e poz um collar d'oiro no seu pescoço,

43E o fez subir no segundo carro que tinha, e clamavam diante d'elle: Ajoelhae; assim o poz sobre toda a terra do Egypto.

44E disse Pharaó a José: Eu sou Pharaó; porém sem ti ninguem levantará a sua mão ou o seu pé em toda a terra do Egypto

45E chamou Pharaó o nome de José Zaphnath-paneah, e deu-lhe por mulher a Asenath, filha de Potiphera, sacerdote de On; e saiu José por toda a terra do Egypto.

46E José era da edade de trinta annos quando esteve diante da face de Pharaó, rei do Egypto. E saiu José da face de Pharaó, e passou por toda a terra do Egypto.

47E a terra produziu nos sete annos de fartura a mãos cheias.

48E ajuntou todo o mantimento dos sete annos, que houve na terra do Egypto, e guardou o mantimento nas cidades, pondo nas cidades o mantimento do campo que estava ao redor de cada cidade.

49Assim ajuntou José muitissimo trigo, como a areia do mar, até que cessou de contar; porquanto não havia numeração.

50E nasceram a José dois filhos (antes que viesse um anno de fome), que lhe pariu Asenath, filha de Potiphera, sacerdote de On.

51E chamou José o nome do primogenito Manasseh ; porque disse: Deus me fez esquecer de todo o meu trabalho, e de toda a casa de meu pae.

52E o nome do segundo chamou Ephraim ; porque disse: Deus me fez crescer na terra da minha afflicção.

53Então acabaram-se os sete annos de fartura que havia na terra do Egypto,

54E começaram a vir os sete annos de fome, como José tinha dito; e havia fome em todas as terras, mas em toda a terra do Egypto havia pão.

55E tendo toda a terra do Egypto fome, clamou o povo a Pharaó por pão; e Pharaó disse a todos os egypcios: Ide a José ; o que elle vos disser, fazei.

56Havendo pois fome sobre toda a terra, abriu José tudo em que havia mantimento, e vendeu aos egypcios; porque a fome prevaleceu na terra de Egypto.

57E todas as terras vinham ao Egypto, para comprar de José; porquanto a fome prevaleceu em todas as terras.

📖 Chapter study

Summary

Pharaoh has troubling dreams that no one can interpret; Joseph is summoned from prison, interprets the dreams as seven years of abundance followed by seven years of famine, and is promoted to governor of Egypt to manage the crisis.

Explanation

This is the chapter of Joseph's great turning point: after thirteen years of slavery and imprisonment, he is suddenly elevated to the second most powerful position in Egypt, yet the text makes clear that the credit is not his, but God's ('God shall give Pharaoh an answer of peace,' v. 16). Joseph's practical wisdom is not limited to interpreting the dream but includes a concrete and efficient administrative plan for handling the coming crisis, showing that spiritual gifts and practical competence go hand in hand. His rise from foreign slave and prisoner to governor is one of the most dramatic reversals in all of Scripture, and it sets the stage for the reunion with his family, which will take place in the chapters that follow because of the famine spreading across the whole region. The lesson is that God can turn years of seemingly meaningless suffering into precise preparation for a greater purpose.

Fun facts

  • The Egyptian title given to Joseph, 'Zaphnath-paaneah' (v. 45), has been linked by Egyptologists to Egyptian expressions meaning something like 'sustainer of life' or 'revealer of secrets,' fitting precisely with his role as dream interpreter and administrator who would save many lives.
  • The names Joseph gave to his two Egyptian sons, Manasseh ('God has made me forget') and Ephraim ('God has made me fruitful,' v. 51-52), reveal his perspective of faith even amid success, acknowledging God's hand both in his past sorrows and in his present prosperity.

Verse-by-verse explanation

  1. Gênesis 41:1Only after two full years — during which Joseph remained forgotten in prison — does Pharaoh have the dream that will finally bring Joseph back into the picture.
  2. Gênesis 41:2Seven handsome, fat cows come up from the Nile and graze peacefully — the first half of a dream that will repeat with a variation right after.
  3. Gênesis 41:3Seven other cows, ugly and thin, come up after the first ones and stand beside them on the riverbank.
  4. Gênesis 41:4The ugly, thin cows devour the handsome, fat ones — an image disturbing enough to wake Pharaoh instantly.
  5. Gênesis 41:5Pharaoh falls back asleep and has a second dream: seven ears of grain, full and good, growing on a single stalk.
  6. Gênesis 41:6Seven thin ears, scorched by the desert wind, sprout right after the first ones.
  7. Gênesis 41:7The thin ears devour the good ones, and Pharaoh wakes up realizing that the two dreams, so similar in structure, demanded some explanation.
  8. Gênesis 41:8In ancient Egypt, the king kept a standing staff of wise men and diviners whose job was to interpret dreams and signs — more a royal advisory post than a street practice. None of them could decode Pharaoh’s dream, which makes the contrast with Joseph, a foreign prisoner, pulling off what the country’s elite couldn’t, even sharper.
  9. Gênesis 41:9Only at this point does the cupbearer finally remember Joseph, calling his own forgetfulness his “faults” — two years after promising to intercede.
  10. Gênesis 41:10The cupbearer reminds Pharaoh of the context: it was in the captain of the guard’s prison, together with the baker, that it all happened.
  11. Gênesis 41:11He tells how the two of them dreamed on the same night, each dream with its own meaning.
  12. Gênesis 41:12He mentions the young Hebrew, servant of the captain of the guard, who managed to interpret each dream separately.
  13. Gênesis 41:13And he confirms that the interpretation came true exactly as Joseph had said: one was restored, the other hanged.
  14. Gênesis 41:14The Egyptians used to shave their heads and faces, while the Hebrews wore beards as part of their identity. Before appearing before Pharaoh, Joseph has to conform to the Egyptian standard, changing clothes and shaving — a visual sign that he was leaving behind the look of a foreign prisoner.
  15. Gênesis 41:15Pharaoh sends for Joseph and tells him he has heard that Joseph can interpret dreams just by hearing them.
  16. Gênesis 41:16Joseph answers by denying his own merit: it isn’t him who interprets, it’s God who will give Pharaoh the answer he needs — the same principle he had already used with the cupbearer and the baker.
  17. Gênesis 41:17Pharaoh begins telling the dream of the cows, repeating essentially the same scene already described before, but now in the king’s own voice.
  18. Gênesis 41:18He repeats the description of the seven handsome, fat cows grazing by the river.
  19. Gênesis 41:19Pharaoh adds an emotional detail that wasn’t there before: he had never seen such ugly cows in all the land of Egypt.
  20. Gênesis 41:20He repeats that the thin, ugly cows devoured the first seven fat cows.
  21. Gênesis 41:21Pharaoh adds a new, unsettling detail: even after eating the fat cows, the thin cows still looked just as terrible — as if the abundance had never existed.
  22. Gênesis 41:22Pharaoh tells the second dream: seven ears of grain, full and good, growing on a single stalk of wheat.
  23. Gênesis 41:23Seven dried, thin ears, scorched by the desert wind, sprout right after.
  24. Gênesis 41:24The thin ears devour the good ones, and Pharaoh points out that he had already told this to the Egyptian magicians, without any of them being able to interpret it.
  25. Gênesis 41:25Joseph explains right away that the two dreams are actually a single warning: God is revealing to Pharaoh what He is about to do.
  26. Gênesis 41:26The seven handsome cows and the seven good ears represent the same thing: seven years, each image telling the same message in a different way.
  27. Gênesis 41:27The ugly cows and the scorched ears represent seven years of famine — the second half of the same double message.
  28. Gênesis 41:28Joseph repeats the central point: this isn’t a theory of his, it’s something God has already decided and shown to Pharaoh.
  29. Gênesis 41:29First will come seven years of great abundance throughout the land of Egypt.
  30. Gênesis 41:30Then will come seven years of famine so severe they will wipe abundance from memory, consuming the whole land.
  31. Gênesis 41:31The famine will be so bad that no one will even remember there was abundance before it.
  32. Gênesis 41:32Joseph explains why the dream came twice: it shows that the decision has already been made by God and that He will carry it out soon, without delay.
  33. Gênesis 41:33Joseph uses the interpretation to offer practical advice: that Pharaoh choose a wise and discerning man to manage the land during this crisis.
  34. Gênesis 41:34“The fifth part” means one-fifth of the harvest, or 20 percent — a tax Joseph proposes collecting during the seven good years to build up a reserve stock. It isn’t permanent confiscation, but a kind of national grain savings, set aside for the seven years of famine still to come.
  35. Gênesis 41:35Joseph proposes gathering all the food from the good years and storing it under Pharaoh’s direct control, kept in the cities.
  36. Gênesis 41:36That stored food would serve as a reserve for the seven years of famine, keeping the whole land from being destroyed by scarcity.
  37. Gênesis 41:37Joseph’s proposal pleases both Pharaoh and all his advisors — no one questions the plan.
  38. Gênesis 41:38Pharaoh asks his own servants whether they could find anyone like Joseph, a man in whom is the spirit of God — publicly recognizing the divine source of Joseph’s wisdom.
  39. Gênesis 41:39Pharaoh concludes that, since it was God who revealed all this to Joseph, no one else could be as wise and capable to lead the plan.
  40. Gênesis 41:40Pharaoh puts Joseph in charge of his own house and of the entire people, making clear that only on the throne would he remain above him.
  41. Gênesis 41:41Pharaoh formalizes the appointment: Joseph is now set over the whole land of Egypt, not just over the royal household.
  42. Gênesis 41:42Pharaoh’s signet ring and gold chain weren’t just gifts — they were the official symbols of the second-highest office in the kingdom, like handing someone the keys and the seal of government. Dressing Joseph in fine linen and placing these on him practically promotes him to something like Egypt’s prime minister.
  43. Gênesis 41:43The “second chariot” was the official chariot ranking right below Pharaoh’s own. Riding it in public, with criers telling the people to bow, was a deliberate parade so that all of Egypt would recognize Joseph’s new authority.
  44. Gênesis 41:44Pharaoh underscores the reach of this power: without Joseph’s authorization, no one in all of Egypt could so much as move — an almost absolute authority for a former foreign slave.
  45. Gênesis 41:45Pharaoh gives Joseph an Egyptian name, Zaphnath-paaneah, and marries him to Asenath, daughter of a priest from the city of On — two gestures that tied him to local religion and politics. With that, Joseph stops being just “the Hebrew” and gains real status as an Egyptian noble.
  46. Gênesis 41:46Joseph was thirty years old when he took this position before Pharaoh, and he immediately sets out to travel across the whole land of Egypt to carry out his mission.
  47. Gênesis 41:47During the seven years of abundance foretold, the land produces grain in plenty, exactly as Joseph had announced.
  48. Gênesis 41:48Joseph gathers all the food from those years and organizes storage by city, keeping in each one the produce from the surrounding fields.
  49. Gênesis 41:49Joseph piles up so much grain that he stops counting it — the same exaggerated comparison to the sand of the sea used earlier in the promises of descendants to the patriarchs, now applied to the abundance of grain he himself organized.
  50. Gênesis 41:50Before the famine begins, Joseph’s two sons are born to him by Asenath — a detail showing he had already built a life of his own in Egypt before the crisis arrived.
  51. Gênesis 41:51Manasseh sounds similar, in Hebrew, to the word for “forget.” Joseph gives this name to his first son because he feels that, with his new position and new family, an old pain — being torn by force from his father’s house — has been left behind; not that he actually forgot it, but the name marks that turning point.
  52. Gênesis 41:52Ephraim relates, in Hebrew, to the idea of growing and bearing fruit. Joseph names his second son this way because, there in Egypt — a land that had only brought him suffering before — he was finally prospering; it’s the counterpart to his brother’s name, one marking what was left behind, the other what was working out.
  53. Gênesis 41:53The seven years of abundance end, exactly on the timeline predicted by the dream’s interpretation.
  54. Gênesis 41:54The seven years of famine begin, just as Joseph had said — the famine strikes several lands, but Egypt still has bread thanks to the planned storage.
  55. Gênesis 41:55The Egyptian people, starving, cry out to Pharaoh for food, and he directs them straight to Joseph, confirming the authority he had given him.
  56. Gênesis 41:56As the famine worsens, Joseph opens the storehouses and begins selling the stored grain to the Egyptians.
  57. Gênesis 41:57The famine spreads across so many regions that people from distant lands begin coming to Egypt just to buy grain from Joseph — the beginning of his reunion with his own family.

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