Pharaoh’s Dreams (Gen 41)
1 Now it happened at the end of two full years that Pharaoh had a dream, and behold, he was standing by the Nile,
Midrash Tanchuma Buber, Miketz 3:3
And here he was standing over the Nile—The wicked ones establish themselves over their gods, but the righteous are secure over their Creator.
Rashi’s Commentary
It happened at the end—As the Targum renders it by מִסוֹף “at the end.” All forms of the noun קֵץ signify one end or the other.
By the Nile—No other river is called יְאוֹרִים except the Nile, because the whole country (Egypt) is full of artificially constructed canals (יְאוֹרִים) and the Nile flows into them and fills them with water, since rain does not fall in Egypt as regularly as in other lands.
2 and behold, there came up out of the river seven cows, sleek and fat, and they grazed in the marsh grass.
Rashi’s Commentary
Sleek—This was an indication of a period of plenty, when people show themselves well-disposed one to another, for no-one then envies another person’s prosperity (cf. Genesis Rabbah 89:4).
In the marsh grass—In the marshy land. Old French marais; English, marsh. Similar is (Job 8:11) “Can reeds (אָחוּ) thrive?”
3 And behold, seven other cows came up after them out of the Nile, ugly and gaunt, and stood beside the other cows which were on the Nile bank.
Rashi’s Commentary
And gaunt in old French tenuis, meaning thin.
4 And the ugly and gaunt cows ate up the seven sleek, fat cows [signifying the forgetting of the years of plenty in the years of famine]. Then Pharaoh awoke.
Rashi’s Commentary
Ate up—Indicating that all the joy occasioned by the years of plenty would be forgotten in the days of famine.
5 He fell asleep and dreamed a second time; and behold, seven heads of grain, healthy and good, were growing on a single stalk.
Rashi’s Commentary
On a single stalk—Tuyau in old French.
בְּרִיאוֹת sains, English healthy.
6 And behold, after them sprouted seven heads—thin and beaten by the east wind.
Rashi’s Commentary
And beaten old French hales, (i.e. burnt up by the east wind)—But the Targum renders it by וּשְׁקִיפָן קִדּוּם beaten upon by the east wind (and so burst open), an expression similar to מַשְׁקוֹף a lintel, which is beaten continually by the door which knocks against it.
קָדִים is the east wind—called bise in old French.
7 The thin heads swallowed up the seven healthy, full heads. Then Pharaoh awoke, and behold, it was a [completed] dream [demanding an interpretation].
Rashi’s Commentary
בְּרִיאוֹת sains in old French; English healthy.
And behold, it was a dream—And behold a whole dream was completed before him (i.e. representation of what was evidently a completed whole had passed before him as a dream during his sleep) and demanded an interpreter.
8 Now in the morning his mind was troubled, so he sent and called for all the magicians of Egypt and all its wise men. And Pharaoh told them his dreams, but there was no one who could interpret them for Pharaoh [i.e., to Pharaoh’s satisfaction].
Rashi’s Commentary
His mind was troubled—The Targum renders it by “his mind was agitated” (beaten upon)—it rang within like a bell (כְּפַעִמוֹן). With regard to Nebuchadnezzar it states (Dan 2:1) וַתִּתְפָּעֶם (the verb in the Hithpael, thus having a double ת), because in that case there were two reasons for perturbation—his forgetting the dream and his ignorance of its interpretation (Genesis Rabbah 89:5).
The magicians—Heb. חַרְטֻמֵי, those who excite themselves (נֶחֱרִים) by means of the bones of the dead—because they enquire of the dead. טִימֵי used in this phrase means bones in Aramaic. In the Mishnah we have (Mishnah Oholot 17:3) “a house that is full of timia”—full of bones.
But there was no one who could interpret them for Pharaoh—There were, indeed, some who interpreted it, but not in reference to Pharaoh (i.e., their interpretations had no reference to him as a Pharaoh, as a king), so that their words found no acceptance by him and he was not satisfied with their interpretation. They said: “You will beget seven daughters and you will bury seven daughters” (Genesis Rabbah 89:6).
1Co 1:19
For it is written:
“I will destroy the wisdom of the wise;
and the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate.”
1Co 3:18-20
Let no man deceive himself. If any man among you thinks that he is wise in this age, he must become foolish, so that he may become wise. For the wisdom of this world is foolishness before God. For it is written: “He is the one who catches the wise in their craftiness”; and again, “The Lord knows that the thoughts of the wise are futile.”
9 Then the chief cupbearer said to Pharaoh, “I would make mention today of my own shortcomings.
10 Pharaoh was angry with his servants, and he put me in confinement in the house of the captain of the guard, both me and the chief baker.
11 We had a dream on the same night, I and he; each according to [i.e., in consonance with] the [subsequent] interpretation of his own dream did we dream.
Rashi’s Commentary
Each according to the interpretation of his own dream—Each of us dreamed a dream that fitted in with the interpretation that was given to us, and was exactly like it (not the kind of irrelevant interpretation offered you by your wise men).
12 Now there with us was a Hebrew [who does not even know our language] youth [a simpleton], a servant [unworthy of royal regard] of the captain of the guard, and we related them to him, and he interpreted our dreams for us; for each of us, he interpreted according to [the nature of] his own dream.
Rashi’s Commentary
A Hebrew, who does not even know our language.
A Hebrew youth, a servant—Cursed be the wicked for the favours they do are never really complete! He mentions him in disparaging language.
Youth, unwise and unfitted for a high position.
A servant—And it is written in the laws of Egypt that a slave may neither become a ruler nor dress in princely robes (Genesis Rabbah 89:7).
For each of us . . . according to his own dream—He interpreted according to the dream and approximating to its contents.
13 And it was, [just] as he interpreted it to us did it come to pass: I, he [Pharaoh] restored to my position, and the baker was impaled.”
Rashi’s Commentary
I, he restored to my position—He means Pharaoh who was mentioned before, where it is said (v. 10) “Pharaoh was angry with his servants.” The phrase is elliptical not stating explicitly who restored, for it is not necessary to state explicitly who restored: obviously he who has the power to restore viz, Pharaoh. This is the ease with all elliptical sentences—they leave the matter indefinite as to who has to do the action (i.e. they omit the subject of the verb).
14 So Pharaoh sent and called for Joseph, and they quickly brought him from the dungeon, and when he had shaved [in deference to the king] and changed his clothes, he then came to Pharaoh.
Rashi’s Commentary
From the dungeon—From the place of imprisonment which was made as a kind of pit. Similarly, wherever בּוֹר occurs in Scripture it signifies a pit—even though it does not contain water it is still called a בּוֹר; old French fosse.
And when he had shaved, out of respect for the king (Genesis Rabbah 89:9).
15 Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I have had a dream, and there is no one who can interpret it. But I have heard it said of you that you understand a dream, to interpret it.”
Midrash Tanchuma, Miketz 3:4
Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I have had a dream.” Joseph replied, “God will give the answer . . . to Pharaoh” (Gen 41:15-16). Because he ascribed greatness to him who possessed greatness, the Holy One, blessed be he, said to him, “Since you did not seek to exalt yourself, be assured you will be elevated to greatness and leadership by me.”
Rashi’s Commentary
You understand means understanding and paying heed to. Examples are: “Joseph understood (שֹׁמֵעַ)” (42:23); and“whose language you will not understand (תִּשְׁמַע)” (Deu 28:49). Old French entendre.
You understand a dream, to interpret it—Means you listen to and understand a dream, to interpret it.
16 And Joseph replied to Pharaoh, saying, “It [the interpretation of dreams] is not mine; God will give the answer [through my mouth] that will bring peace to Pharaoh.”
Rashi’s Commentary
Not mine—Heb. בִּלְעָדָי. The wisdom to interpret dreams is not mine, but God will answer—he will put in my mouth the answer that will bring peace to Pharaoh.
Luk 19:42
saying, “If you had known, even you, in this day, the things which make for peace—but now they have been hidden from your eyes.”
2Co 3:5
Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim anything as coming from ourselves, but our competence is from God.
17 Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “In my dream, behold, I was standing on the bank of the Nile,
18 and behold, seven cows, fat and sleek came up out of the river, and they grazed in the marsh grass.
19 Lo, seven other cows came up after them—scrawny and very ugly and with meager flesh, such as I had never seen in all the land of Egypt.
Rashi’s Commentary
דַלוֹת means scrawny, as (2Sa 13:4) “Why are you . . . becoming (דַל) thinner?” which occurs in the narrative of Amnon.
And with meager flesh—Wherever רַקוֹת is found in Scripture it means spare (literally, deficient) of flesh; old French flouet.
20 And the lean, ugly cows ate up the first seven fat cows.
21 Yet when they had devoured them, no one would have known that they had devoured them, for they were just as ugly as before. Then I awoke.
22 “I saw also in my dream seven heads growing on a single stalk, full and good.
23 And lo, seven heads, withered, thin, and scorched by the east wind, sprouted up after them.
Rashi’s Commentary
Withered—In Aramaic צוּנְמָא signifies a rock. They are like wood without moisture and as hard as a rock. The Targum renders: נָצָן לַקְיָן נָצָן— there was nothing in them but the withered blossom, because they were empty of grain.
24 And the thin heads of grain swallowed up the seven good heads. I told this to the magicians, but there was no one who could explain it to me.”
25 Then Joseph said to Pharaoh, “The dreams of Pharaoh are one and the same. God has revealed to Pharaoh what he is about to do.
Mar 13:23
But be on guard; I have told you everything in advance.
Rev 4:1
After this I looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven. And the first voice which I had heard, like the sound of a trumpet speaking with me, said, “Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this.”
Gen 42:23
They did not realize that Joseph understood them, for an interpreter [Manasseh] was between them [and Joseph (when they spoke with him)].
Deu 28:49
The Lord will bring a nation against you from afar, from the end of the earth, as swift as the eagle swoops down [with suddenness and swiftness], a nation whose language you will not understand,
2Sa 13:4
He said to him, “Why are you, being the king’s son, becoming thinner morning after morning? Will you not tell me?”
Amnon said to him, “I am in love with Tamar, my brother Absalom’s sister.”
Job 8:11
[And this is what they will tell you:] Can papyrus grow where there is no marsh?
Can reeds thrive without water?
Dan 2:1
And in the second year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar [i.e., the second year after the destruction of the Temple], Nebuchadnezzar had dreams; and his mind was so troubled [both the dream and its meaning evading him] and his sleep was broken upon him.
This work, "Pharaoh’s Dreams," is a derivative of "The Rashi Chumash" and "The Rashi Ketuvim" by Rabbi Shraga Silverstein used under CC BY 3.0