What does Genesis 41:15 mean?
Joseph is the favorite son of Jacob (Genesis 37:3), hated by his brothers for that status as well as his grandiose dreams (Genesis 37:8). His brothers arranged to sell Joseph into slavery, where he served in the house of an Egyptian (Genesis 37:36). This led to imprisonment on a false charge (Genesis 39:19–20). Two years later after being freed, one of Joseph's fellow prisoners mentions that he met a man who could interpret dreams (Genesis 40:3; 41:1). This was in response to the Egyptian king's inability to understand a pair of ominous visions (Genesis 41:8–13).With no warning, Joseph has been quickly brought from prison, shaved according to Egyptian social customs, dressed, and placed before the Pharaoh of Egypt. Now he learns why. Pharaoh has heard of Joseph's ability to interpret dreams, and he wants someone to interpret his (Genesis 41:14).
Genesis 41:9–36 contains Joseph's explanation of Pharaoh's visions. When Egypt's ruler is bothered by vivid dreams, his formerly jailed cupbearer remembers a young Hebrew. This is Joseph, who explained the cupbearer's dream in prison (Genesis 40:23). Joseph explains that Pharaoh's dreams point to seven years of abundance in Egypt followed by seven years of desperate famine. Joseph boldly proposes a plan to manage the coming crisis.
Joseph's status in Genesis 41 begins as "forgotten Hebrew prison slave" and ends as "the second most powerful man in Egypt." The cupbearer from the previous chapter finally mentions Joseph two years later, when Pharaoh is troubled by dreams which wise men can't interpret. Joseph reveals the meaning of the dreams: seven years of abundance will be followed by seven years of great famine in the land. Pharaoh, recognizing that God's Spirit is with Joseph, makes him second in command over the entire nation and tasks him with preparing for the famine.
