Antiguo Testamento

Genesis — Capítulo 41

PHARAOH'S DREAM. (Gen. 41:1-24) at the end of two full years--It is not certain whether these years are reckoned from the beginning of Joseph's imprisonment, or from the events described in the preceding chapter--most…

Versión

Texto — Reina-Valera 1960

1Aconteció que pasados dos años tuvo Faraón un sueño. Le parecía que estaba junto al río;

2y que del río subían siete vacas, hermosas a la vista, y muy gordas, y pacían en el prado.

3Y que tras ellas subían del río otras siete vacas de feo aspecto y enjutas de carne, y se pararon cerca de las vacas hermosas a la orilla del río;

4y que las vacas de feo aspecto y enjutas de carne devoraban a las siete vacas hermosas y muy gordas. Y despertó Faraón.

5Se durmió de nuevo, y soñó la segunda vez: Que siete espigas llenas y hermosas crecían de una sola caña,

6y que después de ellas salían otras siete espigas menudas y abatidas del viento solano;

7y las siete espigas menudas devoraban a las siete espigas gruesas y llenas. Y despertó Faraón, y he aquí que era sueño.

8Sucedió que por la mañana estaba agitado su espíritu, y envió e hizo llamar a todos los magos de Egipto, y a todos sus sabios; y les contó Faraón sus sueños, mas no había quien los pudiese interpretar a Faraón.

9Entonces el jefe de los coperos habló a Faraón, diciendo: Me acuerdo hoy de mis faltas.

10Cuando Faraón se enojó contra sus siervos, nos echó a la prisión de la casa del capitán de la guardia a mí y al jefe de los panaderos.

11Y él y yo tuvimos un sueño en la misma noche, y cada sueño tenía su propio significado.

12Estaba allí con nosotros un joven hebreo, siervo del capitán de la guardia; y se lo contamos, y él nos interpretó nuestros sueños, y declaró a cada uno conforme a su sueño.

13Y aconteció que como él nos los interpretó, así fue: yo fui restablecido en mi puesto, y el otro fue colgado.

14Entonces Faraón envió y llamó a José. Y lo sacaron apresuradamente de la cárcel, y se afeitó, y mudó sus vestidos, y vino a Faraón.

15Y dijo Faraón a José: Yo he tenido un sueño, y no hay quien lo interprete; mas he oído decir de ti, que oyes sueños para interpretarlos.

16Respondió José a Faraón, diciendo: No está en mí; Dios será el que dé respuesta propicia a Faraón.

17Entonces Faraón dijo a José: En mi sueño me parecía que estaba a la orilla del río;

18y que del río subían siete vacas de gruesas carnes y hermosa apariencia, que pacían en el prado.

19Y que otras siete vacas subían después de ellas, flacas y de muy feo aspecto; tan extenuadas, que no he visto otras semejantes en fealdad en toda la tierra de Egipto.

20Y las vacas flacas y feas devoraban a las siete primeras vacas gordas;

21y estas entraban en sus entrañas, mas no se conocía que hubiesen entrado, porque la apariencia de las flacas era aún mala, como al principio. Y yo desperté.

22Vi también soñando, que siete espigas crecían en una misma caña, llenas y hermosas.

23Y que otras siete espigas menudas, marchitas, abatidas del viento solano, crecían después de ellas;

24y las espigas menudas devoraban a las siete espigas hermosas; y lo he dicho a los magos, mas no hay quien me lo interprete.

25Entonces respondió José a Faraón: El sueño de Faraón es uno mismo; Dios ha mostrado a Faraón lo que va a hacer.

26Las siete vacas hermosas siete años son; y las espigas hermosas son siete años: el sueño es uno mismo.

27También las siete vacas flacas y feas que subían tras ellas, son siete años; y las siete espigas menudas y marchitas del viento solano, siete años serán de hambre.

28Esto es lo que respondo a Faraón. Lo que Dios va a hacer, lo ha mostrado a Faraón.

29He aquí vienen siete años de gran abundancia en toda la tierra de Egipto.

30Y tras ellos seguirán siete años de hambre; y toda la abundancia será olvidada en la tierra de Egipto, y el hambre consumirá la tierra.

31Y aquella abundancia no se echará de ver, a causa del hambre siguiente la cual será gravísima.

32Y el suceder el sueño a Faraón dos veces, significa que la cosa es firme de parte de Dios, y que Dios se apresura a hacerla.

33Por tanto, provéase ahora Faraón de un varón prudente y sabio, y póngalo sobre la tierra de Egipto.

34Haga esto Faraón, y ponga gobernadores sobre el país, y quinte la tierra de Egipto en los siete años de la abundancia.

35Y junten toda la provisión de estos buenos años que vienen, y recojan el trigo bajo la mano de Faraón para mantenimiento de las ciudades; y guárdenlo.

36Y esté aquella provisión en depósito para el país, para los siete años de hambre que habrá en la tierra de Egipto; y el país no perecerá de hambre.

37El asunto pareció bien a Faraón y a sus siervos,

38y dijo Faraón a sus siervos: ¿Acaso hallaremos a otro hombre como este, en quien esté el espíritu de Dios?

39Y dijo Faraón a José: Pues que Dios te ha hecho saber todo esto, no hay entendido ni sabio como tú.

40Tú estarás sobre mi casa, y por tu palabra se gobernará todo mi pueblo; solamente en el trono seré yo mayor que tú.

41Dijo además Faraón a José: He aquí yo te he puesto sobre toda la tierra de Egipto.

42Entonces Faraón quitó su anillo de su mano, y lo puso en la mano de José, y lo hizo vestir de ropas de lino finísimo, y puso un collar de oro en su cuello;

43y lo hizo subir en su segundo carro, y pregonaron delante de él: ¡Doblad la rodilla!; y lo puso sobre toda la tierra de Egipto.

44Y dijo Faraón a José: Yo soy Faraón; y sin ti ninguno alzará su mano ni su pie en toda la tierra de Egipto.

45Y llamó Faraón el nombre de José, Zafnat-panea; y le dio por mujer a Asenat, hija de Potifera sacerdote de On. Y salió José por toda la tierra de Egipto.

46Era José de edad de treinta años cuando fue presentado delante de Faraón rey de Egipto; y salió José de delante de Faraón, y recorrió toda la tierra de Egipto.

47En aquellos siete años de abundancia la tierra produjo a montones.

48Y él reunió todo el alimento de los siete años de abundancia que hubo en la tierra de Egipto, y guardó alimento en las ciudades, poniendo en cada ciudad el alimento del campo de sus alrededores.

49Recogió José trigo como arena del mar, mucho en extremo, hasta no poderse contar, porque no tenía número.

50Y nacieron a José dos hijos antes que viniese el primer año del hambre, los cuales le dio a luz Asenat, hija de Potifera sacerdote de On.

51Y llamó José el nombre del primogénito, Manasés; porque dijo: Dios me hizo olvidar todo mi trabajo, y toda la casa de mi padre.

52Y llamó el nombre del segundo, Efraín; porque dijo: Dios me hizo fructificar en la tierra de mi aflicción.

53Así se cumplieron los siete años de abundancia que hubo en la tierra de Egipto.

54Y comenzaron a venir los siete años del hambre, como José había dicho; y hubo hambre en todos los países, mas en toda la tierra de Egipto había pan.

55Cuando se sintió el hambre en toda la tierra de Egipto, el pueblo clamó a Faraón por pan. Y dijo Faraón a todos los egipcios: Id a José, y haced lo que él os dijere.

56Y el hambre estaba por toda la extensión del país. Entonces abrió José todo granero donde había, y vendía a los egipcios; porque había crecido el hambre en la tierra de Egipto.

57Y de toda la tierra venían a Egipto para comprar de José, porque por toda la tierra había crecido el hambre.

JAMIESON-FAUSSET-BROWN BIBLE COMMENTARY

Versículo 8

I. he called for all the magicians of Egypt--It is not possible to define the exact distinction betw…

he called for all the magicians of Egypt--It is not possible to define the exact distinction between "magicians" and "wise men"; but they formed different branches of a numerous body, who laid claim to supernatural skill in occult arts and sciences, in revealing mysteries, explaining portents, and, above all, interpreting dreams. Long practice had rendered them expert in devising a plausible way of getting out of every difficulty and framing an answer suitable to the occasion. But the dreams of Pharaoh baffled their united skill. Unlike their Assyrian brethren (Dan 2:4), they did not pretend to know the meaning of the symbols contained in them, and the providence of God had determined that they should all be nonplussed in the exercise of their boasted powers, in order that the inspired wisdom of Joseph might appear the more remarkable.

Versículo 9

II. then spake the chief butler unto Pharaoh, saying, I do remember my faults--This public acknowledg…

then spake the chief butler unto Pharaoh, saying, I do remember my faults--This public acknowledgment of the merits of the young Hebrew would, tardy though it was, have reflected credit on the butler had it not been obviously made to ingratiate himself with his royal master. It is right to confess our faults against God, and against our fellow men when that confession is made in the spirit of godly sorrow and penitence. But this man was not much impressed with a sense of the fault he had committed against Joseph; he never thought of God, to whose goodness he was indebted for the prophetic announcement of his release, and in acknowledging his former fault against the king, he was practising the courtly art of pleasing his master.

Versículo 14

III. Then Pharaoh sent and called Joseph--Now that God's set time had come (Psa 105:19), no human powe…

Then Pharaoh sent and called Joseph--Now that God's set time had come (Psa 105:19), no human power nor policy could detain Joseph in prison. During his protracted confinement, he might have often been distressed with perplexing doubts; but the mystery of Providence was about to be cleared up, and all his sorrows forgotten in the course of honor and public usefulness in which his services were to be employed. shaved himself--The Egyptians were the only Oriental nation that liked a smooth chin. All slaves and foreigners who were reduced to that condition, were obliged, on their arrival in that country, to conform to the cleanly habits of the natives, by shaving their beards and heads, the latter of which were covered with a close cap. Thus prepared, Joseph was conducted to the palace, where the king seemed to have been anxiously waiting his arrival.

Versículo 15

IV. Pharaoh said, . . . I have dreamed a dream--The king's brief statement of the service required br…

Pharaoh said, . . . I have dreamed a dream--The king's brief statement of the service required brought out the genuine piety of Joseph; disclaiming all merit, he ascribed whatever gifts or sagacity he possessed to the divine source of all wisdom, and he declared his own inability to penetrate futurity; but, at the same time, he expressed his confident persuasion that God would reveal what was necessary to be known.

Versículo 17

V. Pharaoh said, In my dream, behold, I stood upon the bank of the river--The dreams were purely Egy…

Pharaoh said, In my dream, behold, I stood upon the bank of the river--The dreams were purely Egyptian, founded on the productions of that country and the experience of a native. The fertility of Egypt being wholly dependent on the Nile, the scene is laid on the banks of that river; and oxen being in the ancient hieroglyphics symbolical of the earth and of food, animals of that species were introduced in the first dream.

Versículo 18

VI. there came up out of the river seven kine--Cows now, of the buffalo kind, are seen daily plunging…

there came up out of the river seven kine--Cows now, of the buffalo kind, are seen daily plunging into the Nile; when their huge form is gradually emerging, they seem as if rising "out of the river." and they fed in a meadow--Nile grass, the aquatic plants that grow on the marshy banks of that river, particularly the lotus kind, on which cattle were usually fattened.

Versículo 19

VII. behold, seven other kine . . . poor and ill-favoured--The cow being the emblem of fruitfulness, t…

behold, seven other kine . . . poor and ill-favoured--The cow being the emblem of fruitfulness, the different years of plenty and of famine were aptly represented by the different condition of those kine--the plenty, by the cattle feeding on the richest fodder; and the dearth, by the lean and famishing kine, which the pangs of hunger drove to act contrary to their nature.

Versículo 22

VIII. I saw in my dream, and, behold, seven ears--that is, of Egyptian wheat, which, when "full and goo…

I saw in my dream, and, behold, seven ears--that is, of Egyptian wheat, which, when "full and good," is remarkable in size (a single seed sprouting into seven, ten, or fourteen stalks) and each stalk bearing an ear.

Versículo 23

IX. blasted with the east wind--destructive everywhere to grain, but particularly so in Egypt; where,…

blasted with the east wind--destructive everywhere to grain, but particularly so in Egypt; where, sweeping over the sandy deserts of Arabia, it comes in the character of a hot, blighting wind, that quickly withers all vegetation (compare Eze 19:12; Hos 13:15).

Versículo 24

X. the thin ears devoured the seven good ears--devoured is a different word from that used in Gen 41…

the thin ears devoured the seven good ears--devoured is a different word from that used in Gen 41:4 and conveys the idea of destroying, by absorbing to themselves all the nutritious virtue of the soil around them.

Versículo 25

XI. JOSEPH INTERPRETS PHARAOH'S DREAMS. (Gen 41:25-36)

JOSEPH INTERPRETS PHARAOH'S DREAMS. (Gen 41:25-36) Joseph said, . . . The dream . . . is one--They both pointed to the same event--a remarkable dispensation of seven years of unexampled abundance, to be followed by a similar period of unparalleled dearth. The repetition of the dream in two different forms was designed to show the absolute certainty and speedy arrival of this public crisis; the interpretation was accompanied by several suggestions of practical wisdom for meeting so great an emergency as was impending.

Versículo 33

XII. Now therefore let Pharaoh look out a man--The explanation given, when the key to the dreams was s…

Now therefore let Pharaoh look out a man--The explanation given, when the key to the dreams was supplied, appears to have been satisfactory to the king and his courtiers; and we may suppose that much and anxious conversation arose, in the course of which Joseph might have been asked whether he had anything further to say. No doubt the providence of God provided the opportunity of his suggesting what was necessary.

Versículo 34

XIII. and let him appoint officers over the land--overseers, equivalent to the beys of modern Egypt.

and let him appoint officers over the land--overseers, equivalent to the beys of modern Egypt. take up the fifth part of the land--that is, of the land's produce, to be purchased and stored by the government, instead of being sold to foreign corn merchants.

Versículo 38

XIV. JOSEPH MADE RULER OF EGYPT. (Gen. 41:37-57)

JOSEPH MADE RULER OF EGYPT. (Gen. 41:37-57) Pharaoh said unto his servants--The kings of ancient Egypt were assisted in the management of state affairs by the advice of the most distinguished members of the priestly order; and, accordingly, before admitting Joseph to the new and extraordinary office that was to be created, those ministers were consulted as to the expediency and propriety of the appointment. a man in whom the Spirit of God is--An acknowledgment of the being and power of the true God, though faint and feeble, continued to linger amongst the higher classes long after idolatry had come to prevail.

Versículo 40

XV. Thou shalt be over my house--This sudden change in the condition of a man who had just been taken…

Thou shalt be over my house--This sudden change in the condition of a man who had just been taken out of prison could take place nowhere, except in Egypt. In ancient as well as modern times, slaves have often risen to be its rulers. But the special providence of God had determined to make Joseph governor of Egypt; and the way was paved for it by the deep and universal conviction produced in the minds both of the king and his councillors, that a divine spirit animated his mind and had given him such extraordinary knowledge. according unto thy word shall all my people be ruled--literally, "kiss." This refers to the edict granting official power to Joseph, to be issued in the form of a firman, as in all Oriental countries; and all who should receive that order would kiss it, according to the usual Eastern mode of acknowledging obedience and respect for the sovereign [WILKINSON].

Versículo 41

16. Pharaoh said, . . . See, I have set thee over all the land--These words were preliminary to inves…

Pharaoh said, . . . See, I have set thee over all the land--These words were preliminary to investiture with the insignia of office, which were these: the signet-ring, used for signing public documents, and its impression was more valid than the sign-manual of the king; the khelaat or dress of honor, a coat of finely wrought linen, or rather cotton, worn only by the highest personages; the gold necklace, a badge of rank, the plain or ornamental form of it indicating the degree of rank and dignity; the privilege of riding in a state carriage, the second chariot; and lastly--

Versículo 43

17. they cried before him, Bow the knee--abrech, an Egyptian term, not referring to prostration, but …

they cried before him, Bow the knee--abrech, an Egyptian term, not referring to prostration, but signifying, according to some, "father" (compare Gen 45:8); according to others, "native prince"--that is, proclaimed him naturalized, in order to remove all popular dislike to him as a foreigner.

Versículo 44

18. These ceremonies of investiture were closed in usual form by the king in council solemnly ratifyi…

These ceremonies of investiture were closed in usual form by the king in council solemnly ratifying the appointment. I am Pharaoh, and without thee, &c.--a proverbial mode of expression for great power.

Versículo 45

19. Zaphnath-paaneah--variously interpreted, "revealer of secrets"; "saviour of the land"; and from t…

Zaphnath-paaneah--variously interpreted, "revealer of secrets"; "saviour of the land"; and from the hieroglyphics, "a wise man fleeing from pollution"--that is, adultery. gave him to wife Asenath, the daughter of--His naturalization was completed by this alliance with a family of high distinction. On being founded by an Arab colony, Poti-pherah, like Jethro, priest of Midian, might be a worshipper of the true God; and thus Joseph, a pious man, will be freed from the charge of marrying an idolatress for worldly ends. On--called Aven (Eze 30:17) and also Beth-shemesh (Jer 43:13). In looking at this profusion of honors heaped suddenly upon Joseph, it cannot be doubted that he would humbly yet thankfully acknowledge the hand of a special Providence in conducting him through all his checkered course to almost royal power; and we, who know more than Joseph did, cannot only see that his advancement was subservient to the most important purposes relative to the Church of God, but learn the great lesson that a Providence directs the minutest events of human life.

Versículo 46

20. Joseph was thirty years old when he stood before Pharaoh--seventeen when brought into Egypt, prob…

Joseph was thirty years old when he stood before Pharaoh--seventeen when brought into Egypt, probably three in prison, and thirteen in the service of Potiphar. went out . . . all the land--made an immediate survey to determine the site and size of the storehouses required for the different quarters of the country.

Versículo 47

21. the earth brought forth by handfuls--a singular expression, alluding not only to the luxuriance o…

the earth brought forth by handfuls--a singular expression, alluding not only to the luxuriance of the crop, but the practice of the reapers grasping the ears, which alone were cut.

Versículo 48

22. he gathered up all the food of the seven years--It gives a striking idea of the exuberant fertili…

he gathered up all the food of the seven years--It gives a striking idea of the exuberant fertility of this land, that, from the superabundance of the seven plenteous years, corn enough was laid up for the subsistence, not only of its home population, but of the neighboring countries, during the seven years of dearth.

Versículo 50

23. unto Joseph were born two sons--These domestic events, which increased his temporal happiness, de…

unto Joseph were born two sons--These domestic events, which increased his temporal happiness, develop the piety of his character in the names conferred upon his children.

Versículo 53

24. The seven years of plenteousness . . . ended--Over and above the proportion purchased for the gov…

The seven years of plenteousness . . . ended--Over and above the proportion purchased for the government during the years of plenty, the people could still have husbanded much for future use. But improvident as men commonly are in the time of prosperity, they found themselves in want, and would have starved by thousands had not Joseph anticipated and provided for the protracted calamity.

Versículo 57

25. The famine was sore in all lands--that is, the lands contiguous to Egypt--Canaan, Syria, and Arabia.

The famine was sore in all lands--that is, the lands contiguous to Egypt--Canaan, Syria, and Arabia. Next: Genesis Chapter 42

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