Discovery BoxGenesis 41:25-32 
Context41:25 Then Joseph said to Pharaoh, “Both dreams of Pharaoh have the same meaning. 1 God has revealed 2 to Pharaoh what he is about to do. 3 41:26 The seven good cows represent seven years, and the seven good heads of grain represent seven years. Both dreams have the same meaning. 4 41:27 The seven lean, bad-looking cows that came up after them represent seven years, as do the seven empty heads of grain burned with the east wind. They represent 5 seven years of famine. 41:28 This is just what I told 6 Pharaoh: God has shown Pharaoh what he is about to do. 41:29 Seven years of great abundance are coming throughout the whole land of Egypt. 41:30 But seven years of famine will occur 7 after them, and all the abundance will be forgotten in the land of Egypt. The famine will devastate 8 the land. 41:31 The previous abundance of the land will not be remembered 9 because of the famine that follows, for the famine will be very severe. 10 41:32 The dream was repeated to Pharaoh 11 because the matter has been decreed 12 by God, and God will make it happen soon. 13
1 tn Heb “the dream of Pharaoh is one.”
2 tn Heb “declared.”
3 tn The active participle here indicates what is imminent.
4 tn Heb “one dream it is.”
5 tn Heb “are.” Another option is to translate, “There will be seven years of famine.”
6 tn Heb “it is the word that I spoke.”
7 tn The perfect with the vav consecutive continues the time frame of the preceding participle, which has an imminent future nuance here.
8 tn The Hebrew verb כָּלָה (kalah) in the Piel stem means “to finish, to destroy, to bring an end to.” The severity of the famine will ruin the land of Egypt.
9 tn Heb “known.”
10 tn Or “heavy.”
11 tn Heb “and concerning the repeating of the dream to Pharaoh two times.” The Niphal infinitive here is the object of the preposition; it is followed by the subjective genitive “of the dream.”
12 tn Heb “established.”
13 tn The clause combines a participle and an infinitive construct: God “is hurrying…to do it,” meaning he is going to do it soon.
