Genesis 41:54

Then the 7 dry years started. There was no rain, and the food plants stopped growing. It happened just like Joseph said. The same thing happened in all the other countries around Egypt too. There was no rain and no food plants growing in those countries, so the people in those countries didn’t have enough food. But there was still lots of food in those big sheds in Egypt.

Plain English Version

In The King James Version

And the seven years of dearth began to come, according as Joseph had said: and the dearth was in all lands; but in all the land of Egypt there was bread.

In Context

53For those 7 years, lots and lots of food plants grew in Egypt country. But at the end of those 7 good years, the rain stopped coming.

55This is what happened in Egypt country at the time when the rain stopped coming. It got dry all over Egypt country, and the food plants everywhere stopped growing. It got really bad, and all the Egypt people started to get hungry. So they went to Pharaoh, and they said to him, “Please, please give us food.” Then Pharaoh said to all the Egypt people, “Go to Joseph, and do whatever he tells you.” So they went to Joseph, and they asked him for food. Then Joseph got his workers to go to all the towns in Egypt country and open those big sheds. There was lots of food in those sheds from the 7 good years. So Joseph’s workers started to sell that food to the Egypt people.

Read all of Genesis 41

Cross References

Genesis 41:3After that, another 7 cows came up from the river. Those other 7 cows were ugly and skinny, and they stood beside the river next to the 7 fat cows.

Genesis 41:27Then Joseph said, “And you know those 7 ugly, skinny cows, those ones that came up from the river later on, they are like a picture of 7 dry years with no rain and no food plants growing. And you know those 7 small groups of seeds on the wheat plant. They were dry, because a hot dry wind blew on them. Well, they are like a picture of those 7 dry years too.”

Genesis 42:2Somebody told me that there is lots of food in Egypt country. Go there and buy food for all of us. If you don’t go and buy food for us, we will die.”

Genesis 42:6At that time, Joseph was in charge of Egypt country, and he was the one that sold food to everybody. So Joseph’s brothers came to him, and they got down on their knees and put their faces near the ground, to show him respect.

Genesis 45:11You know, there will be 5 more years of no rain and no food plants growing. But I will give food to you and your family and your animals for those 5 years. I will do that for you, so that you will not become really poor, and you and your animals will not die.”’”

Matthew Henry on Genesis 41:47-57

The Famine in Egypt and Canaan. ( b. c. 1706.) 46 And 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 And in the seven plenteous years the earth brought forth by handfuls. 48 And 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: the food of the field, which was round about every city, laid he up in the same. 49 And Joseph gathered… Read the whole commentary →

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Study Genesis 41:54