Free Bible Commentary
“Genesis 41:46-52”
Categories: Genesis“Now Joseph was thirty years old when he stood before Pharaoh, king of Egypt. And Joseph went out from the presence of Pharaoh and went through all the land of Egypt. During the seven years of plenty the land brought forth abundantly. So he gathered all the food of these seven years which occurred in the land of Egypt and placed the food in the cities; he placed in every city the food from its own surrounding fields. Thus Joseph stored up grain in great abundance like the sand of the sea, until he stopped measuring it, for it was beyond measure. Now before the year of famine came, two sons were born to Joseph, whom Asenath, the daughter of Potiphera priest of On, bore to him. Joseph named the firstborn Manasseh, 'For,' he said, 'God has made me forget all my trouble and all my father’s household.' He named the second Ephraim, 'For,' he said, 'God has made me fruitful in the land of my affliction.'”
---End of Scripture verses---
“Now Joseph was thirty years old when he stood before Pharaoh...” (verse 46) Since Joseph was seventeen when he first gave a unflattering report to his father about his brothers' bad behavior (Genesis 37:2-3), which eventually led to his brothers abusing him, his being sold into slavery, the false accusations by Potiphar's wife and his subsequent wrongful imprisonment, thirteen long years had transpired between his fall from family grace and his rise to Egyptian power. “And Joseph went out from the presence of Pharaoh and went through all the land of Egypt.” “Joseph loses no time in familiarizing himself with local conditions preparatory to his main task of enabling the Egyptians to survive the expected famine.” (Nahum Sarna)
“During the seven years of plenty the land brought forth abundantly.” (verse 47) The literal term used in Hebrew is “by handfuls”. This likely indicates that “Not in single stalks or grains, but in handfuls compared with the former yield” (Barnes' Notes on the Bible). This abundance corresponds with Pharaoh's second dream of “seven ears of grain” coming “up on a single stalk, plump and good” (verse 7). The seven years of abundance produced bumper crops of such astounding proportions that placing a fifth of the grain in storage facilities did not require sacrifice from the citizenry and did not affect the people's normal food consumption rate in the slightest.
“He placed in every city the food from its own surrounding fields.” (verse 48) Joseph made certain, with meticulous managerial skills, that every city in the kingdom became a repository of the excess grain and an epicenter of support for the surrounding rural regions during the time of future famine. He stored up such an abundance that he eventually stopped registering the grain into inventory because “it was beyond measure” (verse 49). “It was a strange quirk of fate that the shepherd boy should have become...'Minister of Agriculture.' Joseph's first dream, described in Genesis 37:7, perhaps contained a hint of his future vocation.” (Nahum Sarna)
“Now before the year of famine came, two sons were born to Joseph...” (verse 50) The firstborn son he named Manasseh. “The primary meaning of the name is 'he who causes to forget.' Such a name would most likely be given to a child born after some misfortune, such as the death of an earlier child or of the father. Joseph here adapts the name to his own situation.” (Nahum Sarna) Joseph had in mind his suffering from the ways his brothers had abused him in his “father's household” (verse 51). “With the birth of an heir, Joseph has now founded his own nuclear family. He has achieved physical, social, and psychological security and feels he can forget his miserably unhappy youth or at least not allow it to intrude upon his future.” (Nahum Sarna)
“He named the second Ephraim, 'For,' he said, 'God has made me fruitful in the land of my affliction.'” (verse 52) “The name originally must have meant either 'fertile land'...or 'pastureland'... Either...would aptly describe the future territory of the tribe bearing this name, which was located west of the Jordan in the central region. It was blessed with good soil and rainfall.” (Nahum Sarna) While the birth of Manasseh helped Joseph make peace with his troubled youth and the loss of his family, the birth of Ephraim helped to soothe the emotional and psychological wounds he incurred as a lonely foreigner in the land of his Egyptian enslavement. We are often told in the Bible and other places and sources of the great blessings that children provide to our lives. We see here the aspect of comfort they afford us from the pain and turmoil associated with living in a fallen world.
Please read Genesis 41:53-57.
Have a blessed day!
-Louie Taylor
