Free Bible Commentary
“Genesis 41:37-45”
Categories: Genesis“Now the proposal seemed good to Pharaoh and to all his servants. Then Pharaoh said to his servants, 'Can we find a man like this, in whom is a divine spirit?' So Pharaoh said to Joseph, 'Since God has informed you of all this, there is no one so discerning and wise as you are. You shall be over my house, and according to your command all my people shall do homage; only in the throne I will be greater than you.' Pharaoh said to Joseph, 'See, I have set you over all the land of Egypt.' Then Pharaoh took off his signet ring from his hand and put it on Joseph’s hand, and clothed him in garments of fine linen and put the gold necklace around his neck. He had him ride in his second chariot; and they proclaimed before him, 'Bow the knee!' And he set him over all the land of Egypt. Moreover, Pharaoh said to Joseph, 'Though I am Pharaoh, yet without your permission no one shall raise his hand or foot in all the land of Egypt.' Then Pharaoh named Joseph Zaphenath-paneah; and he gave him Asenath, the daughter of Potiphera priest of On, as his wife. And Joseph went forth over the land of Egypt.”
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“Now the proposal seemed good to Pharaoh and to all his servants.” (verse 37) The king believed the interpretation absolutely and Joseph's proposed plan to prepare for the times of sparsity was pleasing and plausible to Pharaoh and all his advisors. “Then Pharaoh said to his servants, 'Can we find a man like this, in whom is a divine spirit?'” (verse 38) Pharaoh and all his cabinet agreed that there could be no one more qualified to implement the fourteen year plan than the man who originated it. Pharaoh believed that God had interpreted the dream as Joseph had stated, and recognized the “divine spirit” that worked powerfully within him. “This is the first biblical mention of one so endowed... Belshazzar...describes Daniel: 'I have heard about you that you have the spirit of the gods in you, and that illumination, knowledge, and extraordinary wisdom are to be found in you' (Dan. 5:14). Generally, possession of the 'spirit of God' impels one to undertake a mission (Num. 27:18), imparts extraordinary energy and drive (Judg. 3:10; 11:29), and produces uncommon intelligence and practical wisdom.” (Nahum Sarna)
“So Pharaoh said to Joseph, 'Since God has informed you of all this, there is no one so discerning and wise as you are.” (verse 39) This was not mere flattery on Pharaoh's part, but an astute recognition of, not only Joseph's God-given ability to recognize the impending doom revealed in the king's dream, but the insight and wisdom to do something about it. In fact, Pharaoh was so impressed with the young man that he immediately placed him in a position of prominence. “You shall be over my house, and according to your command all my people shall do homage; only in the throne I will be greater than you.'” (verse 40) Joseph is taken from an obscure foreign prisoner serving in the jail house of the captain of the guard, and thrust upwardly to the position of second in command in all the Egyptian Empire, and answerable only to Pharaoh himself. Placed “over” Pharaoh's “house,” Joseph was named “'Overseer of the Domain of the Palace,' one of the known Egyptian bureaucratic titles. Most likely, Joseph is given control over the king's personal estates.” (Nahum Sarna)
“Then Pharaoh took off his signet ring from his hand and put it on Joseph’s hand, and clothed him in garments of fine linen and put the gold necklace around his neck.” (verse 42) “Pharaoh now performs a series of ceremonial acts that, in effect, constitute Joseph's investiture as 'Grand Visier of Egypt.'... The transfer of the ring bearing the royal seal from the finger of Pharaoh to that of Joseph signifies the delegation of authority; it enables the new official to validate documents in the king's name. The 'Royal Seal-Bearer was well known in the Egyptian bureaucracy... Joseph's new robes bring to mind the passage in the autobiography of Rekh-mi-Re, vizier of Upper Egypt in the days of Thutmose III (15th century B.C...), where he describes how he 'went forth...clad in fine linen.'... the giving of a gold chain was one of the highest distinctions the king could bestow upon his favorites.” (Nahum Sarna)
“He had him ride in his second chariot; and they proclaimed before him, 'Bow the knee!' And he set him over all the land of Egypt.” (verse 43) This first mention of the famed Egyptian chariot in the Bible is used to introduce Joseph to the people of Egypt as he “went forth over the land of Egypt (verse 45). Hundreds of years later, Pharaoh's chariots would pursue the fleeing Israelites to the Red Sea where their riders and horses would be drowned by a fierce overthrow from the Lord's righteous wrath. “They proclaimed before him, 'Bow the knee!'” “t\They commanded all that passed by him, or came to him, to show their reverent respect to him in this manner: compare Esther 3:2.” (Matthew Poole's Commentary) “His guard that attended him, when he rode out in his chariot, called to the people, as they passed along, to bow the knee to Joseph, as a token of veneration and respect; or they proclaimed him 'Abrech'...this is the father of the king...'Rech' signifies a king in the Syriac language; and this agrees with what Joseph himself says, that God had made him a father to Pharaoh, Genesis 45:8. (Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible)
“Without your permission no one shall raise his hand or foot in all the land of Egypt.'” (verse 44) This figure of speech simply meant that Joseph's authority was absolute, and that no significant official affair of state would be sanctioned without his approval. “Then Pharaoh named Joseph Zaphenath-panea...” (verse 45) It was common for a king to change the names of foreigners promoted to places of importance within his realm, such as Nebuchadnezzar would later do with Daniel and his three young friends (Daniel 1:7). Pharoah “Egyptianized” Joseph with this new name that indicated a fresh, new beginning for the former lowly, foreign prisoner. Nahum Sarna suggests this name might mean “revealer of hidden things” if it has a Hebrew twist to it. It could also possibly signify “God speaks” or “He lives” or “savior of the land”. Pharaoh also gave Joseph a wife named “Asenath” who was the daughter of the priest of the sun god.
It is pretty amazing that Pharoah was completely sold on the interpretation and all in on Joseph's plan even though he had not received one ounce of solid, empirical evidence that the things Joseph predicted would come to pass. This speaks to the fact that God's hand was guiding these affairs and His plan would not be overturned by the feeble minds of merely mortal men.
Please read Genesis 41:46-52 for tomorrow.
Have a blessed day!
-Louie Taylor
