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Genesis 41 Bible study: From the dungeon to Pharaoh
Two years after the cupbearer forgot him, Joseph was brought from the dungeon to interpret Pharaoh's dreams, saying, "It isn’t in me. God will give Pharaoh an answer of peace." Pharaoh called him "a man in whom is the Spirit of God" and set him over Egypt at thirty. He stored grain for the famine and named his sons Manasseh and Ephraim, forgetting and fruitful.
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“Joseph answered Pharaoh, saying, “It isn’t in me. God will give Pharaoh an answer of peace.””
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“Pharaoh describes Joseph as a man in whom is ‘the Spirit of God.’”
Is that in Genesis 41, or not? Make your call.
What's really going on
Pharaoh's dreams
"At the end of two full years, Pharaoh dreamed": seven sleek cattle eaten by seven thin ones, and seven good heads of grain swallowed by seven thin ones (41:1-7). His spirit is troubled, but "there was no one who could interpret them" (41:8). Then the cupbearer says, "I remember my faults today", and tells Pharaoh about "a young man, a Hebrew" who interpreted their dreams (41:9-13).
Where it leads to Jesus
Sold, then set over Egypt
Genesis 41:41leads toActs 7:52
Pharaoh tells Joseph, "I have set you over all the land of Egypt" (41:41). Stephen retells it: the patriarchs "sold him into Egypt. God was with him", and "He made him governor over Egypt and all his house" (Acts 7:9-10); his speech goes on to Moses, "whom they refused" (Acts 7:35), and ends with "the Righteous One, of whom you have now become betrayers and murderers" (Acts 7:52). Many read Stephen's Joseph, sold by his brothers and then set over Egypt, as a picture of Jesus; Stephen doesn't say so, and others read Joseph there simply as part of Israel's history.
Honest questions
Questions people ask about Genesis 41
That was a taste
The rest of Genesis 41 is waiting in Favor
- "It isn’t in me"
- "A discreet and wise man"
- Manasseh and Ephraim
- "A man in whom is the Spirit of God"
- "What he says to you, do"
- Joseph in the Psalms
- 19 questions as you read
- 5 more Hebrew words
- A short check at the end
- Your notes, saved as you go
Favor reads the Bible in order, so you'll reach Genesis 41 with everything before it in view. First week free, then $10 a month per person.
The Hebrew word behind it
רוּחַ אֱלֹהִיםruach Elohimsay ROO-akh e-lo-HEEM
Ruach is "breath, wind, spirit", including "spirit of God" (Brown-Driver-Briggs); Elohim is God. Pharaoh's words, "a man in whom is the Spirit of God" (41:38), use the same two words as the Bible's second verse, "God’s Spirit was hovering over the surface of the waters" (1:2). In this chapter ruach also describes Pharaoh's own "spirit", troubled by the dreams (41:8).
For your group
Genesis 41 Bible study questions
- 1Joseph said, "It isn’t in me." How would it change your work if you spoke that way about your gifts?
- 2Joseph named his sons for what God had helped him forget and where God had made him fruitful. What would you name those two things in your life?
- 3Joseph stored grain in the good years for the famine to come. What does wise planning look like for a believer?
Leading a group? In Favor, everyone reads Genesis 41 during the week and answers these questions privately. Answers stay sealed until you meet, then appear together, and you can print the week's sheet.
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Questions
What is Favor?
Favor is a Bible study app that explains every chapter as you read: the Hebrew and Greek behind the words, the details most readers miss, and how each part of the Bible leads to Jesus. Read on your own, or start a Bible study with friends, family or your church.
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Can I read Genesis 41 straight away?
Favor takes the Bible as one story, in order, so you'll reach Genesis 41 with everything that leads up to it in view. Start from Genesis, or meet Jesus first in the Gospels. You can read the text of any chapter in Favor's Look up whenever you like.
Do I need a group?
No. Many people read on their own. If you'd like to read with others, start a Bible study and share one link. Everyone's answers stay private until you meet.
I've never really read the Bible. Is this for me?
Yes. Favor starts where you are and explains as it goes. The questions along the way aren't marked right or wrong: you answer, then see what the text shows.
Which Bible does Favor use?
The World English Bible, a modern, readable translation in the public domain. God's name appears as "the LORD", as in most English Bibles.
Is Favor tied to a church?
No. Favor is non-denominational. Where Christians read a passage differently, it shows the main views side by side and doesn't pick one.
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Scripture quotations are from the World English Bible, which is in the public domain. Hebrew and Greek words are checked against the original-language texts and public-domain lexicons. What we believe · Favor home