Discovery BoxGenesis 41:7-10 
Context41:7 The thin heads swallowed up the seven healthy and full heads. Then Pharaoh woke up and realized it was a dream. 1
41:8 In the morning he 2 was troubled, so he called for 3 all the diviner-priests 4 of Egypt and all its wise men. Pharaoh told them his dreams, 5 but no one could interpret 6 them for him. 7 41:9 Then the chief cupbearer said to Pharaoh, “Today I recall my failures. 8 41:10 Pharaoh was enraged with his servants, and he put me in prison in the house of the captain of the guards – me and the chief baker.
1 tn Heb “And look, a dream.”
sn Pharaoh’s two dreams, as explained in the following verses, pertained to the economy of Egypt. Because of the Nile River, the land of Egypt weathered all kinds of famines – there was usually grain in Egypt, and if there was grain and water the livestock would flourish. These two dreams, however, indicated that poverty would overtake plenty and that the blessing of the herd and the field would cease.
2 tn Heb “his spirit.”
3 tn Heb “he sent and called,” which indicates an official summons.
4 tn The Hebrew term חַרְטֹם (khartom) is an Egyptian loanword (hyr-tp) that describes a class of priests who were skilled in such interpretations.
5 tn The Hebrew text has the singular (though the Samaritan Pentateuch reads the plural). If retained, the singular must be collective for the set of dreams. Note the plural pronoun “them,” referring to the dreams, in the next clause. However, note that in v. 15 Pharaoh uses the singular to refer to the two dreams. In vv. 17-24 Pharaoh seems to treat the dreams as two parts of one dream (see especially v. 22).
6 tn “there was no interpreter.”
7 tn Heb “for Pharaoh.” The pronoun “him” has been used in the translation for stylistic reasons.
8 tn Heb “sins, offenses.” He probably refers here to the offenses that landed him in prison (see 40:1).
