Verse by Verse

1 Now the famine was severe in the land.

² And it came to pass, when they had eaten up the grain which they had brought from Egypt, that their father said to them, “Go back, buy us a little food.”

³ But Judah spoke to him, saying, “The man solemnly warned us, saying, ‘You shall not see my face unless your brother is with you.’

⁴ If you send our brother with us, we will go down and buy you food.

⁵ But if you will not send him, we will not go down; for the man said to us, ‘You shall not see my face unless your brother is with you.’ ”

⁶ And Israel said, “Why did you deal so wrongfully with me as to tell the man whether you had still another brother?”

⁷ But they said, “The man asked us pointedly about ourselves and our family, saying, ‘Is your father still alive? Have you another brother?’ And we told him according to these words. Could we possibly have known that he would say, ‘Bring your brother down’?”

⁸ Then Judah said to Israel his father, “Send the lad with me, and we will arise and go, that we may live and not die, both we and you and also our little ones.

⁹ I myself will be surety for him; from my hand you shall require him. If I do not bring him back to you and set him before you, then let me bear the blame forever.

¹⁰ For if we had not lingered, surely by now we would have returned this second time.”

¹¹ And their father Israel said to them, “If it must be so, then do this: Take some of the best fruits of the land in your vessels and carry down a present for the man—a little balm and a little honey, spices and myrrh, pistachio nuts and almonds.

¹² Take double money in your hand, and take back in your hand the money that was returned in the mouth of your sacks; perhaps it was an oversight.

¹³ Take your brother also, and arise, go back to the man.

¹⁴ And may God Almighty give you mercy before the man, that he may release your other brother and Benjamin. If I am bereaved, I am bereaved!”

It is at this point (v.3) that Judah’s role begins to expand and theologically overshadow that of Joseph, for to ensure the safety of Benjamin he takes the positive initiative (just as he took the negative initiative to sell off Joseph) and declares to his father that he will be surety for his brother. The expression used here is significant, for it is from the same root used previously—and certainly not coincidentally!—by Judah in 38:17-18 to describe the “surety” or “pledge” that Tamar takes from him and which serves as the catalyst for his own spiritual “turning point.” The use of the same root here thus serves as an unmistakable—even if literarily subtle—link between the two episodes that serves to underscore that thematic relevance of the former as well as the moral-behavioral shift of Judah in this latter. — Wechsler, page 257.

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It is interesting that, at this point in the narrative (v.6), the name Israel begins to be used instead of Jacob. This name had not been used since Genesis 37:13. It seems that, as long as Jacob seemed completely broken and defeated by virtue of Joseph’s apparent death, his old name, Jacob is used. Now, for the first time, he begins to consider the possibility of allowing Benjamin to go. His faith is in process of revival, and so he is called Israel again. …

Judah spoke up again, promising that he himself would be surety for Benjamin. He put the matter kindly, but bluntly. This was really their only possible course of action. If they didn’t follow through on it, not only would Benjamin die, but all of them, including Jacob’s grandchildren. Death by starvation was becoming a very real possibility, so severe was the food shortage. … He concluded by reminding Jacob that, if they had not procrastinated so long, they could already have made the trip to Egypt and back twice over. — Morris, page 605.

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[The Hebrews] kept putting off a second trip (v.10) [probably] because of their certainty that it would prove disastrous unless Benjamin were with them and because of Jacob’s adamant refusal to let him go. — Morris, page 603.

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Both Israel and his sons seem to speak of [Joseph], this stubborn Egyptian official only as “the man.” Evidently they were never informed of his name (Zaphnath-paaneah) or else were reluctant to use it for some reasons. Israel prepared a gift for the man. … The gift included balm, myrrh, and spices (the same articles mentioned in Genesis 37:25 as being carried into Egypt by the Midianite tradesmen, and thus apparently considered by the Egyptians as valuable imports), as well as nuts (probably pistachios) and almonds, neither of which were produced in Egypt, and honey (probably grape “honey,” a thick syrup boiled down from fresh grape juice, which also was not produced in Egypt). [The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge suggests the “honey” came from dates.]

Beside these items, Israel reminded them to take back the bundles of money which had been restored in their sacks on the first trip, and which evidently they had left undisturbed since, as well as “double money” to pay for the new purchase of grain. …

Finally, Israel told them to take their brother Benjamin with them to the man down in Egypt, expressing the prayerful hope and confidence that God Almighty (El Shaddai), who had been the God of the Abrahamic covenant (Genesis 17:1), would overrule in the heart of the man and constrain him to return both Benjamin and Simeon … If not, Israel was content to leave the matter with God. — Morris, page 606.

²⁵ Then Joseph gave a command to fill their sacks with grain, to restore every man’s money to his sack, and to give them provisions for the journey. Thus he did for them.

²⁶ So they loaded their donkeys with the grain and departed from there.

²⁷ But as one of them opened his sack to give his donkey feed at the encampment, he saw his money; and there it was, in the mouth of his sack.

²⁸ So he said to his brothers, “My money has been restored, and there it is, in my sack!” Then their hearts failed them and they were afraid, saying to one another, “What is this that God has done to us?”

²⁹ Then they went to Jacob their father in the land of Canaan and told him all that had happened to them, saying:

³⁰ “The man who is lord of the land spoke roughly to us, and took us for spies of the country.

³¹ But we said to him, ‘We are honest men; we are not spies.

³² We are twelve brothers, sons of our father; one is no more, and the youngest is with our father this day in the land of Canaan.’

³³ Then the man, the lord of the country, said to us, ‘By this I will know that you are honest men: Leave one of your brothers here with me, take food for the famine of your households, and be gone.

³⁴ And bring your youngest brother to me; so I shall know that you are not spies, but that you are honest men. I will grant your brother to you, and you may trade in the land.’ ”

³⁵ Then it happened as they emptied their sacks, that surprisingly each man’s bundle of money was in his sack; and when they and their father saw the bundles of money, they were afraid.

³⁶ And Jacob their father said to them, “You have bereaved me: Joseph is no more, Simeon is no more, and you want to take Benjamin. All these things are against me.”

³⁷ Then Reuben spoke to his father, saying, “Kill my two sons if I do not bring him back to you; put him in my hands, and I will bring him back to you.”

³⁸ But he said, “My son shall not go down with you, for his brother is dead, and he is left alone. If any calamity should befall him along the way in which you go, then you would bring down my gray hair with sorrow to the grave.”

Their journey back home must have been over a distance of about 250 miles or more. Presumably Jacob was still living in Hebron, and Joseph’s headquarters were possibly at or near the city of Memphis, which is about 10 miles south of the present city of Cairo. Thus, the journey would take them probably about three weeks. — Morris, page 601

Their hearts failed them and they were afraid (v.28) — presumably because they believed the Egyptians would consider that they’d not paid for the grain and so had, in fact, stolen it. When the time came to return to Egypt (which they would have to do eventually to recover Simeon), the governor would have an extra thing to accuse them of.

When Jacob discovered that all his sons had money in their sacks, he reacted with horror (v.36) and expected the worst.

Jacob accused his nine sons (more truly than he knew) of having been responsible for the loss of two of his children, Joseph and Simeon, and now surely they were going to cause the loss of Benjamin also, which was more than he could bear. And not only this, if they went into Egypt with Benjamin as the man had instructed them, they could all be charged with robbery, and maybe none of them would be allowed to return! Jacob would lose his entire family … Before he could really think through the situation and regain his trust and faith in God, he cried out that everything was against him. …

Upset by his father’s distress, Reuben (typically concerned, and meaning well, but nevertheless confused and unstable) rashly promised that he would be responsible for Benjamin if Jacob would let him go with them. If anything happened to him, he assured his father, then Jacob could slay his (Reuben’s) own two sons in punishment. Exactly what satisfaction he thought his father could get out of killing two of his grandsons, after already losing his sons, is hardly clear. …

Jacob simply refused altogether to consider letting Benjamin go down to Egypt … And there the matter stood for the time being. — Morris, pages 602-603.

1 When Jacob saw that there was grain in Egypt, Jacob said to his sons, “Why do you look at one another?”

² And he said, “Indeed I have heard that there is grain in Egypt; go down to that place and buy for us there, that we may live and not die.”

³ So Joseph’s ten brothers went down to buy grain in Egypt.

⁴ But Jacob did not send Joseph’s brother Benjamin with his brothers, for he said, “Lest some calamity befall him.”

⁵ And the sons of Israel went to buy grain among those who journeyed, for the famine was in the land of Canaan.

⁶ Now Joseph was governor over the land; and it was he who sold to all the people of the land. And Joseph’s brothers came and bowed down before him with their faces to the earth.

⁷ Joseph saw his brothers and recognized them, but he acted as a stranger to them and spoke roughly to them. Then he said to them, “Where do you come from?” And they said, “From the land of Canaan to buy food.”

⁸ So Joseph recognized his brothers, but they did not recognize him.

⁹ Then Joseph remembered the dreams which he had dreamed about them, and said to them, “You are spies! You have come to see the nakedness of the land!”

¹⁰ And they said to him, “No, my lord, but your servants have come to buy food.

¹¹ We are all one man’s sons; we are honest men; your servants are not spies.”

¹² But he said to them, “No, but you have come to see the nakedness of the land.”

¹³ And they said, “Your servants are twelve brothers, the sons of one man in the land of Canaan; and in fact, the youngest is with our father today, and one is no more.”

¹⁴ But Joseph said to them, “It is as I spoke to you, saying, ‘You are spies!’

¹⁵ In this manner you shall be tested: By the life of Pharaoh, you shall not leave this place unless your youngest brother comes here.

¹⁶ Send one of you, and let him bring your brother; and you shall be kept in prison, that your words may be tested to see whether there is any truth in you; or else, by the life of Pharaoh, surely you are spies!”

¹⁷ So he put them all together in prison three days.

¹⁸ Then Joseph said to them the third day, “Do this and live, for I fear God:

¹⁹ If you are honest men, let one of your brothers be confined to your prison house; but you, go and carry grain for the famine of your houses.

²⁰ And bring your youngest brother to me; so your words will be verified, and you shall not die.” And they did so.

²¹ Then they said to one another, “We are truly guilty concerning our brother, for we saw the anguish of his soul when he pleaded with us, and we would not hear; therefore this distress has come upon us.”

²² And Reuben answered them, saying, “Did I not speak to you, saying, ‘Do not sin against the boy’; and you would not listen? Therefore behold, his blood is now required of us.”

²³ But they did not know that Joseph understood them, for he spoke to them through an interpreter.

²⁴ And he turned himself away from them and wept. Then he returned to them again, and talked with them. And he took Simeon from them and bound him before their eyes.

Here’s Williams’ take on why Joseph acted as he did.

He loved [his brothers], and therefore sought their spiritual welfare. He acted so as to bring their sin to remembrance, to make them confess it with their own lips, and not just to him and in his presence, for he still concealed himself from them, but to God and in His presence. His detention of Simeon, and, afterwards, of Benjamin, was skillfully designed so as to find out if they still were indifferent to the cries of a captive brother and the tears of a bereaved father. His plans succeeded admirably, his sternness and his kindness both conspired to disquiet them; and his goodness helped to lead them to repentance. — Williams, page 39.

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Apparently, everyone coming into Egypt from foreign lands to buy grain had to obtain a direct permit from Joseph before he would be allowed to do so. It might well be that, under cloak of such a purchasing mission, outsiders might enter the land for subversive purposes. Foreign kings might covet Egypt’s wealth and desire to infiltrate and sabotage and possibly invade and plunder the land. It was up to Joseph to carefully screen all such alien travelers to be sure of their purposes. — Morris, page 595.

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[Joseph] had been a lad of seventeen when [his brothers] last saw him; now he was about thirty-eight. Furthermore, he was not dressed as a slave, but as a king. Also, he spoke to them through an interpreter (v.23), and so they did not even know he could speak their language.

As did everyone who come into Joseph’s presence, except Pharaoh himself (Genesis 41:43), they had to bow down before him. The did not realize, of course, that in so doing they were making the very dream come true for which they had hated him (Genesis 37:7-8). The word “bowed down” in verse 6 is the same as “make obeisance” in 37:7. — Morris, page 596.

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In [chapters 42-45] God “ties together” the various strands of circumstance that are spun in the previous five chapters (from 37:2), bringing the brothers face-to-face with their sin for the purpose of reconciliation and, consequently, refinement in godliness as He continues to mold them into the ideal covenant people that they will one day be (cf. Deuteronomy 10:12-22; Isaiah 1:25-26; Malachi 1:5). This dénouement commences when as a result of the famine—which extended even to the land of Canaan (see 41:57)—Jacob sends the ten brothers of Joseph to buy grain from Egypt. When they arrive, though Joseph recognizes his brothers, they do not recognize him, which situation Joseph then wisely exploits in order to (1) determine whether their collective character has improved and they have moved beyond their predilection to deceitfulness, while (2) ensuring that a connection is established which will ensure their continued interaction. Towards this end Joseph accuses the brothers of being spies, which they of course deny, whereupon Joseph sets a condition to determine whether the truth is really with them. Though initially this condition is that one of them will return to fetch Benjamin while the other nine remain confined (i.e., held as prisoners), Joseph compassionately mitigates this condition (he will not do to them, even for a much shorter period, what they did to him) and confines only one of them, Simeon, while the other nine return to their father Jacob in the land of Canaan. — Wechsler, pages 256-257.

One wonders if Simeon was the one chosen as the hostage because he was a ringleader in the murder of the Shechemites (Genesis 34:25-31) and, perhaps, in selling Joseph into slavery.

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.

[Pharaoh] gave Joseph an Egyptian name, Zaphnath-paaneah, the exact meaning of which is somewhat doubtful. It has been variously interpreted as “Abundance of life,” “Savior of the World,” “Revealer of Secrets,” “God’s Word Speaking Life,” “Furnisher of Sustenance,” and so on. This variety of possible names at least indicates that Pharaoh probably conferred a name on him which was expressive of his unique contributions to Egypt at this time in her history.

Pharaoh next obtained a suitable wife for Joseph … The girl chosen was the daughter of an Egyptian priest. Nothing is said about her except her name and parentage. We can only assume that Joseph, dedicated as he was to the Lord, would not have consented to marry her unless he was satisfied that she would leave her own pagan beliefs to follow Jehovah. …

The girl’s name was Asenath, which apparently indicates something like “Dedicated to Neith,” Neigh being the Egyptian equivalent of the goddess Minerva. Thus there is little doubt that she had been brought up in the polytheistic Egyptian religion. Her father, Potipherah (meaning essentially the same thing as Potiphar, “given by Ra, the sun-god”), was actually a prominent priest in this religious system, located at the temple at On (probably the same as Heliopolis, a city specially devoted to the sun-god). … So far as the record goes, at least, Joseph never married any wife other than Asenath. — Morris, pages 587-588.

Joseph was 30 years old when he interpreted Pharaoh’s dream, which means that he had been away from his family for 13 years.

It was during the seven-year period of prosperity that two sons were born to Joseph and Asenath. These two sons were destined to give their names to two of the most prominent tribes of Israel.

The boys were named by Joseph in recognition of his unusual experiences. The first was named Manasseh, meaning, “Forgetting,” and signifying that God had caused Joseph to forget all the long years of suffering and rejection he had endured. …

His second son was named Ephraim (“Doubly Fruitful”) in thankfulness for the manner in which God had so richly blessed him and prospered him. — Morris, page 589

God caused the crops of Egypt to grow so abundantly that just 20% of the crop from the seven good years was enough to supply the needs of the Egyptians and the surrounding nations during the seven years of famine. Notice that Joseph didn’t just give away the grain, but sold it—perhaps to replenish the treasury for the cost of buying the grain to begin with.

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.”

There’s no hint in Scripture that, when Joseph suggested that Pharaoh find a “discerning and wise man” (v.33), he expected Pharaoh to choose him. Although I also have to think, by this time, that his selection didn’t surprise him.

This chief administrator should be provided with a corps of capable and trustworthy deputies to administer his plan. It would be necessary to levy a “double tithe” on the produce of Egypt during the years of plenty. It has been shown by historians that tithing was practiced in ancient Egypt and other nations, as a form of tax or tribute to the king; but a 20 percent levy would be very unusual, and might well be resisted, especially if enacted by an unpopular sovereign. Thus, the chief administrator of this plan would have be be skilled in diplomacy and persuasion, as well as be of unquestioned integrity himself, in order to overcome the natural reluctance of the people to such a tax. — Morris, pages 583-584.

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Even though Joseph had been completely unknown … only a few hours earlier, it was transparently clear that here was a man of unique qualities, ideally suited to administer the plan he had formulated and proposed.

They also recognized that he was a man of unique spiritual attributes and that, indeed, this was the real reason for his other abilities. Though they could hardly have understood the doctrine of the Holy Spirit and the filling of the Spirit, nevertheless they acknowledged that in Joseph dwelt the Spirit of God. …

[Pharaoh] gave Joseph his signet ring, possession of which enabled its owner to place his seal and signature on official documents of state. He was clad in fine linen robes, the finest in Egypt. A golden chair, emblematic of his authority, was placed around his neck.

A royal procession of state was organized, with Joseph riding immediately behind Pharaoh in a chariot only slightly less ornate, … thus indicating to the entire populace that Joseph was now second in command of the kingdom. As he rode, men accompanying his chariot cried out to the people along the way to bow the knee to him. — Morris, pages 585-586.

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Joseph then advises Pharaoh to find a man discerning and wise who can implement the specific steps he describes to prepare for this famine. In marked contrast to his successor 400 years later “who did not know Joseph” (Exodus 1:8), the present Pharaoh responds ebulliently by affirming the truth of what Joseph’s God has informed him, as well as that Joseph is himself the very discerning and wise man needed for the task. Pharaoh thus makes Joseph second in authority only to himself (anticipating the same redemptive “positioning” (and hence God’s hand in such) of, inter alias, Esther and Mordechai at the opposite end of Israel’s Hebrew-Bible history: cf. esp. Esther 8:2; 10:3) and declares that “Apart from you, no one shall raise his hand or foot in all the land of Egypt.”  — Wechsler, page 255.

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.

The cows (v.2) must have impressed Pharaoh especially in a religious sense, because the cow was the emblem of Isis, the revered Egyptian goddess of fertility. In the Egyptian “Book of the Dead,” the chief scripture of ancient Egypt, the god of vegetation and the nether world, Osiris, is represented as a great bull accompanied by seven cows.

The word used in the case of the cattle (akal) indicates the lean cattle actually chewed up the fat cattle. In the case of the grain the word is bala, indicating a process of swallowing, or engulfing. — Morris, pages 576-577

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seven heads (v.5) — A species of wheat, which grows in Egypt, bears, when perfect, seven ears on one stalk as its natural conformation. It differs from ours in having a solid steam, or at least a stem full of pith, in order to yield sufficient nourishment and support to so great a weight as the ears — Treasury, page 29

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east wind (v.6) — All the mischief done to corn or fruit by blasting, smutting, mildew, etc. are attributed to the east wind. In Egypt it is peculiarly destructive, because it comes through the parched deserts of Arabia, often destroying vast numbers of people. — Treasury, page 29.

shaved (v.14) — the first mention of shaving in the Bible

Joseph was in a prime position to bargain—for wealth, or at least his freedom. But he didn’t hesitate to give God all the credit  for his ability to interpret dreams (v.16). Joseph immediately assured Pharaoh, however, that God would interpret the dreams and that He had sent them intentionally to prepare Pharaoh for upcoming events.

When Pharaoh restated his dreams to Joseph, he added a few minor details. He said the lean cows were the ugliest he’d ever seen, and even after they at the seven fat cows, they remained as ugly (vs.19-21).

The fact that the dream had been given to Pharaoh twice was explained by [Joseph] to constitute firm assurance that God would indeed fulfill its predictions, and would do so beginning very soon. It is noteworthy that Joseph insisted, not less than four times, that all of this had come from God (vs. 16, 25, 28, 32). God had sent the dream, God had given the interpretation, and God would bring it all to pass. …

The two names for God are used quite selectively. Whenever Joseph was speaking to Egyptians about God, he used the name Elohim (“God”), as is befitting for those to whom God could be known only as a mighty Creator and Sovereign. Whenever the inspired writer of the narrative made comment about God’s dealing with Joseph, however, he used the covenant name, Jehovah (“LORD”), as this was the redemptive name by which He had made Himself specially known to the people of His peculiar promises. — Morris, pages 581-582.

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God does not resolve Joseph’s personal situation—which is, after all, only one thread in a much larger tapestry depicting His solicitude for His people—until the end of two full years, at which time Pharaoh has two dreams that cause his spirit to be troubled. Since Pharaoh could find no one to interpret these dreams … the chief cupbearer (implicitly prompted by God) recalls Joseph and tells Pharaoh of his ability to accurately interpret dreams. Significantly, when Pharaoh summons Joseph and asks if he can truly interpret dreams, Joseph’s response—his first recorded words in two years—is, “it is not in me,” which Hebrew expression may be more literally translated, “(It is) apart from me”—i.e., “It has nothing to do with me.” Not only has Joseph not grown bitter after spending thirteen years (unjustly) as a slave and then prisoner, but his focus is in fact set squarely on God and His glory—a focus which was undoubtedly essential to staving off despair during those years. Indeed, at the first opportunity, Joseph unabashedly emphasizes the sovereignty (and hence glory) of God to Pharaoh himself—and without fawning, for he tells him that “God will respond to Pharaoh’s situation” (not “God will give Pharaoh a favorable answer,” as it is sometimes translated. Hebrew sh?l?m (generally signifying “peace” or “completeness”) is here intended in the sense of “situation” or “welfare,” the state of which is as yet unknown. — Wechsler, pages 254-255.

1 It came to pass after these things that the butler and the baker of the king of Egypt offended their lord, the king of Egypt.

² And Pharaoh was angry with his two officers, the chief butler and the chief baker.

³ So he put them in custody in the house of the captain of the guard, in the prison, the place where Joseph was confined.

⁴ And the captain of the guard charged Joseph with them, and he served them; so they were in custody for a while.

⁵ Then the butler and the baker of the king of Egypt, who were confined in the prison, had a dream, both of them, each man’s dream in one night and each man’s dream with its own interpretation.

⁶ And Joseph came in to them in the morning and looked at them, and saw that they were sad.

⁷ So he asked Pharaoh’s officers who were with him in the custody of his lord’s house, saying, “Why do you look so sad today?”

⁸ And they said to him, “We each have had a dream, and there is no interpreter of it.” So Joseph said to them, “Do not interpretations belong to God? Tell them to me, please.”

⁹ Then the chief butler told his dream to Joseph, and said to him, “Behold, in my dream a vine was before me,

¹⁰ and in the vine were three branches; it was as though it budded, its blossoms shot forth, and its clusters brought forth ripe grapes.

¹¹ Then Pharaoh’s cup was in my hand; and I took the grapes and pressed them into Pharaoh’s cup, and placed the cup in Pharaoh’s hand.”

¹² And Joseph said to him, “This is the interpretation of it: The three branches are three days.

¹³ Now within three days Pharaoh will lift up your head and restore you to your place, and you will put Pharaoh’s cup in his hand according to the former manner, when you were his butler.

¹⁴ But remember me when it is well with you, and please show kindness to me; make mention of me to Pharaoh, and get me out of this house.

¹⁵ For indeed I was stolen away from the land of the Hebrews; and also I have done nothing here that they should put me into the dungeon.”

¹⁶ When the chief baker saw that the interpretation was good, he said to Joseph, “I also was in my dream, and there were three white baskets on my head.

¹⁷ In the uppermost basket were all kinds of baked goods for Pharaoh, and the birds ate them out of the basket on my head.”

¹⁸ So Joseph answered and said, “This is the interpretation of it: The three baskets are three days.

¹⁹ Within three days Pharaoh will lift off your head from you and hang you on a tree; and the birds will eat your flesh from you.”

²⁰ Now it came to pass on the third day, which was Pharaoh’s birthday, that he made a feast for all his servants; and he lifted up the head of the chief butler and of the chief baker among his servants.

²¹ Then he restored the chief butler to his butlership again, and he placed the cup in Pharaoh’s hand.

²² But he hanged the chief baker, as Joseph had interpreted to them.

²³ Yet the chief butler did not remember Joseph, but forgot him.

Joseph was 17 years old when he was sold into slavery in Egypt (Genesis 37:2), and 30 years old when he appeared before Pharaoh and was put in charge of the nation’s grain (Genesis 41:46).

The chief butler of Pharaoh was the overseer of his vineyards and wine cellar, as well as his personal cupbearer, responsible to see that all drinks served the king were both safe and of best quality. Likewise the chief baker was responsible for the food which Pharaoh ate. It is said that both of these men were “officers,” but again the word used is (as in the case of Potiphar) actually the Hebrew word for “eunuchs.”… In some way, these two men had offended (literally “sinned against”) Pharaoh, and so were thrown into the same prison where Joseph was. … They were imprisoned in “the house of the captain of the guard.” This was Potiphar’s title … — this was the prison over which Potiphar had jurisdiction. — Morris, page 569.

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All the officers in the employment of the ancient kings of Egypt were taken from the most illustrious families of the priesthood in the country; no slave or common person being ever permitted to serve in the presence of the king. As these persons were of the most noble families, it is natural to expect they would be put, when accused, into the state prison. — The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge, page 28.

The passage doesn’t say whether the dreams of the butler and baker were sent by God to enable Joseph to demonstrate his ability to interpret them. It seems probable.  Joseph had had experiences of his own with dreams (Genesis 37:6-9).

The interpretation of the butler’s dream seems pretty straightforward. Joseph’s contribution largely lies in his determining that the three branches represent three days. Joseph explained that he, like the butler, was wrongly imprisoned, and asked the man to remember him and speak on his behalf. Joseph only mentioned that he was “stolen away from the land of the Hebrews,” and didn’t mention that his own brothers had sold him.

It was only after the baker saw that the interpretation of the butler’s dream “was good,” that he decided to tell Joseph his own dream. He had dreamed that he carried three baskets, the topmost one filled with bread, but before he could serve the food to Pharaoh, birds ate the bread. Joseph informed him that the three baskets were three days, but that he would be hung on a tree and the birds would eat his flesh.

Apparently Pharaoh had delayed announcing the findings of his investigation and his resultant verdict until the date of his own birthday, which was, as it turned out, the third day after the two dreams.

It was customary for the king to give a banquet for his servants on his birthday. … One might speculate that whatever plot had been laid against Pharaoh might have been intended to be consummated on this occasion; if so, this would lend peculiar significance to its exposure and punishment at this time. … Two full years (Genesis 41:1) were to lapse before [the butler] would remember and bring Joseph to Pharaoh’s attention. — Morris, pages 574-575.

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God’s hand in the affair now becomes more explicit as He prepares the way to Joseph’s elevation—and thus Israel’s preservation—via the dreams He gives to two newly-arrived prisoners from Pharaoh’s court. [Although Joseph’s interpretation proved true] the chief cupbearer … forgot him (v.23). In this Joseph is undoubtedly continuing to learn what it means to wait upon the Lord as He continues to prepare the present path of deliverance and maneuver “the heart of the king … like channels of water in (His) hand” (Proverbs 21:1). A notable parallel, moreover, which is clearly intended to bear out the same theological principle, may be found in the “forgetting” of king Ahasuerus to reward Mordechai’s deed (likewise concerning two of the king’s officials) until that time when it is most effectively suited to the delivery of Israel (and not just the elevation of Mordechai; see Esther 6. — Wechsler, pages 253-254.

⁷ And it came to pass after these things that his master’s wife cast longing eyes on Joseph, and she said, “Lie with me.”

⁸ But he refused and said to his master’s wife, “Look, my master does not know what is with me in the house, and he has committed all that he has to my hand.

⁹ There is no one greater in this house than I, nor has he kept back anything from me but you, because you are his wife. How then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?”

¹⁰ So it was, as she spoke to Joseph day by day, that he did not heed her, to lie with her or to be with her.

¹¹ But it happened about this time, when Joseph went into the house to do his work, and none of the men of the house was inside,

¹² that she caught him by his garment, saying, “Lie with me.” But he left his garment in her hand, and fled and ran outside.

¹³ And so it was, when she saw that he had left his garment in her hand and fled outside,

¹⁴ that she called to the men of her house and spoke to them, saying, “See, he has brought in to us a Hebrew to mock us. He came in to me to lie with me, and I cried out with a loud voice.

¹⁵ And it happened, when he heard that I lifted my voice and cried out, that he left his garment with me, and fled and went outside.”

¹⁶ So she kept his garment with her until his master came home.

¹⁷ Then she spoke to him with words like these, saying, “The Hebrew servant whom you brought to us came in to me to mock me;

¹⁸ so it happened, as I lifted my voice and cried out, that he left his garment with me and fled outside.”

¹⁹ So it was, when his master heard the words which his wife spoke to him, saying, “Your servant did to me after this manner,” that his anger was aroused.

²⁰ Then Joseph’s master took him and put him into the prison, a place where the king’s prisoners were confined. And he was there in the prison.

²¹ But the Lord was with Joseph and showed him mercy, and He gave him favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison.

²² And the keeper of the prison committed to Joseph’s hand all the prisoners who were in the prison; whatever they did there, it was his doing.

²³ The keeper of the prison did not look into anything that was under Joseph’s authority, because the Lord was with him; and whatever he did, the Lord made it prosper.

Joseph’s imprisonment and subsequent events are mentioned in Psalm 105:17-22: He sent a man before them—Joseph—who was sold as a slave. They hurt his feet with fetters, he was laid in irons. until the time that his word came to pass, the word of the Lord tested him. The king sent and released him, the ruler of the people let him go free. He made him lord of his house, and ruler of all his possessions, to bind his princes at his pleasure, and teach his elders wisdom.

In rejecting [Potiphar’s wife’s] invitation, Joseph tried not to offend her. [He didn’t say that] she was unattractive or undesirable, nor that he was condemning her as immoral for making such a proposal, but that there were greater considerations which must take precedence. His master, and her husband, trusted him fully; it would be a terrible betrayal of his trust for Joseph to take the one thing he had kept from him, his own wife. Even more importantly, such an action would be a great sin against God Himself! Even though neither her husband nor the other servants should ever find out, God would know. … Potiphar’s wife, however, was nor persuaded by Joseph’s good and proper reasoning, but continued day after day trying to attract him to her bed. Joseph not only continued to refuse, but began to avoid her altogether, trying not even “to be with her.” — Morris, pages 561-562

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The passionate desire of Potiphar’s wife suddenly turned into the rage of a woman scorned. Knowing that her desire for Joseph was not completely impossible of fulfillment, her only thought was to humiliate him as deeply as possible for his rejection of her. Joseph’s garment (apparently a sort of long cloak or robe) was still in her hand. She knew it would be interpreted as evidence incriminating her unless she quickly took the initiative by accusing Joseph.

Accordingly she began to make a loud outcry, calling for the men servants to come help her. She cleverly appealed to their latent jealously of Joseph and resentment of Potiphar by suggesting it was her husband’s fault for bringing in an outsider (“an Hebrew”). … [Potiphar’s wife] seemed to place the blame on Potiphar himself for giving a foreign slave such authority in freedom around the house. … There is no indication that Joseph made any effort to defend himself from these charges. — Morris, page 562-564.

There really isn’t much to say about this passage except that Joseph must have been extraordinarily impressive—everywhere he went, people in power turned over all their responsibilities to him and trusted him completely. Obviously God was orchestrating it, but still, those in power thought they were making the decision and thought they had good reasons for doing so.

1 Now Joseph had been taken down to Egypt. And Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, captain of the guard, an Egyptian, bought him from the Ishmaelites who had taken him down there.

² The Lord was with Joseph, and he was a successful man; and he was in the house of his master the Egyptian.

³ And his master saw that the Lord was with him and that the Lord made all he did to prosper in his hand.

⁴ So Joseph found favor in his sight, and served him. Then he made him overseer of his house, and all that he had he put under his authority.

⁵ So it was, from the time that he had made him overseer of his house and all that he had, that the Lord blessed the Egyptian’s house for Joseph’s sake; and the blessing of the Lord was on all that he had in the house and in the field.

⁶ Thus he left all that he had in Joseph’s hand, and he did not know what he had except for the bread which he ate. Now Joseph was handsome in form and appearance.

[Many] scholars believe that [Joseph’s time in Egypt] was during the reign of the Hyksos kings in Egypt. They were foreign invaders, probably at least partially of Semitic stock, who came from the East and conquered Egypt according to the standard chronology, about 1720 B.C. They were also called the “Shepherd Kings.” Many believe that it was because of their Semitic origin that the rules of Egypt in Joseph’s day treated the children of Israel so well when Jacob and his family moved to Egypt. The Hyksos were expelled from Egypt prior to Moses’ time, so that the pharaoh of the new dynasty “knew not Joseph,” and soon began to persecute the Hebrew “relatives” of the Hyksos. While this general background and its inferences may be correct, they should not be regarded as firmly established. — Morris, page 558.

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Potiphar, to whom Joseph was sold, was captain of Pharaoh’s bodyguard, and also probably in charge of political executions ordered by Pharaoh. He is also called an “officer” of Pharaoh, the Hebrew word being saris, meaning “eunuch,” or “chamberlain.” It was evidently customary in ancient pagan countries, beginning with Sumeria, to require prominent officers associated closely with the king’s court to be castrated, perhaps to ensure full-hearted devotion to the duties required of them and to minimize the possibility of their taking over the kingdom by military coup to establish a dynasty of their own. — Morris, page 559.

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This chapter clearly establishes the pan-historical (yet unpopular and often unrecognized) principle of righteous-remnant living—to wit, that “all who desire to live godly … will be persecuted” (2 Timothy 3:12). It is through such persecution, however that the greatest “training in righteousness” (2 Timothy 3:16) often occurs as the believer learns what it is to truly depend on God in the process. In the present chapter, accordingly, we see God complementing Joseph’s efforts at godly living by causing him to “find favor” in the sight of key individuals (a key phrase denoting God’s “behind-the-scenes” activity) and blessing the results of his work in a way that ultimately benefits the welfare of Israel, God’s covenant people. — Wechsler, page 252.

²⁴ And it came to pass, about three months after, that Judah was told, saying, “Tamar your daughter-in-law has played the harlot; furthermore she is with child by harlotry.” So Judah said, “Bring her out and let her be burned!”

²⁵ When she was brought out, she sent to her father-in-law, saying, “By the man to whom these belong, I am with child.” And she said, “Please determine whose these are—the signet and cord, and staff.”

²⁶ So Judah acknowledged them and said, “She has been more righteous than I, because I did not give her to Shelah my son.” And he never knew her again.

²⁷ Now it came to pass, at the time for giving birth, that behold, twins were in her womb.

²⁸ And so it was, when she was giving birth, that the one put out his hand; and the midwife took a scarlet thread and bound it on his hand, saying, “This one came out first.”

²⁹ Then it happened, as he drew back his hand, that his brother came out unexpectedly; and she said, “How did you break through? This breach be upon you!” Therefore his name was called Perez.

³⁰ Afterward his brother came out who had the scarlet thread on his hand. And his name was called Zerah.

Even though Tamar was living back in her own father’s home, she was still under Judah’s authority, nominally engaged to his son Shelah. The penalty for adultery in such a case, even in an ungodly society like that of Canaan, was death, as may be observed in the Code of Hammurabi and other ancient codes. In all such systems there seems to have been a double standard, with much more severe penalties being imposed on the woman than on the man, evidently on the basis of the shame attached to a man having some other man’s child born in his family. — Morris, page 555.

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The midwife attending the birth first saw a tiny hand emerge and, in order to keep the twins distinct, assuming this one would be born first, she tied a scarlet thread on his hand. But then, surprisingly, his hand drew back, and the other twin forged ahead and came out first. The latter was named Perez, meaning “breaking-through,” in token of the manner of his birth. The other was named Zerah, meaning “rising.” It was he on whose hand had been tied the scarlet thread.

Tamar, therefore, had the distinction of being one of the few women whose names are listed in the official genealogy of Jesus (Matthew 1:3). The others were Rahab, Ruth, and the one who had been the wife of Uriah, that is, Bathsheba (Matthew 1:5-6). It is remarkable that all four of these women were non-Jews … Tamar was a Canaanite, Rahab a native of Jericho and thus presumably also a Canaanite, Ruth was a Moabitess, and Bathsheba probably a Hittite (at least by marriage to Uriah, if not by birth). — Morris, pages 556-557.

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Judah’s “turning-point” comes when Tamar reveals that he is in fact the father, whereupon Judah is resolutely (and very publicly!) confronted with his sins—namely: (1) his failure to show compassion and do his “duty” towards Tamar (as well as his son Er) by giving her to Shelah as his wife; (2) his engaging in illicit sex with a harlot (as he thought Tamar to be); and (3) his hypocrisy in mercilessly calling for the execution of Tamar (and her baby) for the very same sin he committed—with her, as he now realizes. Expressive of his contrition, Judah declares that Tamar “is more righteous than I”—which comparison is, of course, relative—that is to say, Tamar was more righteous than Judah in the drama of this chapter, but certainly not perfectly righteous, for though the conception of a son from Judah’s line was her right, the way in which she went about ensuring that conception was still sinful. God, nonetheless, “causes all things to work together for good … to those who are called according to His purpose” (Romans 8:28), and from Tamar’s conception are born twins, Perez and Zerah, from the former of whom would descend Jesus, the culmination of the Path of Redemption here being laid. — Wechsler, page 251.