Genesis 41:54
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the seven years of famine began, just as Joseph had said. And although there was famine in every country, there was food throughout the land of Egypt.
Commentaries
Excerpts gathered from published commentaries to ground the reading.
Pharaoh's Dreams and Their Interpretation. - Two full years afterwards (ימים accus. "in days," as in Gen 29:14) Pharaoh had a dream. He was standing by the Nile, and saw seven fine fat cows ascend from the Nile and feed in the Nile-grass (אחוּ an Egyptian word); and behind them seven others, ugly (according to Gen 41:19, unparalleled in their ugliness), lean (בּשׂר דּקּות "thin in flesh," for which we find in Gen 41:19 דּלּות "fallen away," and בּשׂר רקּות withered in flesh, fleshless), which placed themselves beside those fat ones on the brink of the Nile and devoured them, without there being any effect to show that they had eaten them. He then awoke, but fell asleep again and had a second, similar dream: seven fat (Gen 41:22, full) and fine ears grew upon one blade, and were swallowed up by seven thin (Gen 41:23, "and hardened") ones, which were blasted by the east wind (קדים i.e., the S.E. wind, Chamsin, from the desert of Arabia).
Open source ↗Two things Providence is here bringing about: - I. The advancement of Joseph. II. The maintenance of Jacob and his family in a time of famine; for the eyes of the Lord run to and fro through the earth, and direct the affairs of the children of men for the benefit of those few whose hearts are upright with him. In order to these, we have here, 1. Pharaoh's dreams (Gen 41:1-8). 2. The recommendation of Joseph to him for an interpreter (Gen 41:9-13). 3. The interpretation of the dreams, and the prediction of seven years of plenty and seven years of famine in Egypt, with the prudent advice given to Pharaoh thereupon (v. 14-36). 4. The preferment of Joseph to a place of the highest power and trust in Egypt (Gen 41:37-45). 5. The accomplishment of Joseph's prediction, and his fidelity to his trust (Gen 41:46, etc.).
Open source ↗Original language
The Hebrew and Greek words behind this passage, with Strong's numbers — from openscriptures (CC BY-SA).
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Then famine and great suffering swept across Egypt and Canaan, and our fathers could not find food.
And there I will provide for you, because there will be five more years of famine. Otherwise, you and your household and everything you own will come to destitution.’
He called down famine on the land and cut off all their supplies of food.
but seven years of famine will follow them. Then all the abundance in the land of Egypt will be forgotten, and the famine will devastate the land.
“Look,” he added, “I have heard that there is grain in Egypt. Go down there and buy some for us, so that we may live and not die.”
Now the famine was still severe in the land.
Moreover, the seven thin, ugly cows that came up after them are seven years, and so are the seven worthless heads of grain scorched by the east wind—they are seven years of famine.
There was no food, however, in all that region, because the famine was so severe; the lands of Egypt and Canaan had been exhausted by the famine.