Genesis 41:48
ESV
and he gathered up all the food of these seven years, which occurred in the land of Egypt, and put the food in the cities. He put in every city the food from the fields around it.
NIV
Joseph collected all the food produced in those seven years of abundance in Egypt and stored it in the cities. In each city he put the food grown in the fields surrounding it.
NASB
So he collected all the food of these seven years which occurred in the land of Egypt and put the food in the cities; he put in every city the food from its own surrounding fields.
CSB
Joseph gathered all the excess food in the land of Egypt during the seven years and put it in the cities. He put the food in every city from the fields around it.
NLT
During those years, Joseph gathered all the crops grown in Egypt and stored the grain from the surrounding fields in the cities.
KJV
And he gathered up all the food of the seven years, which were in the land of Egypt, and laid up the food in the cities: the food of the field, which was round about every city, laid he up in the same.
NKJV
So he gathered up all the food of the seven years which were in the land of Egypt, and laid up the food in the cities; he laid up in every city the food of the fields which surrounded them.
What does Genesis 41:48 mean?
Joseph is implementing the plan he proposed to Pharaoh (Genesis 41:33–36). God's message in Pharaoh's dream meant that the current seven years of abundant crops would be followed by seven years of little to no crops (Genesis 41:28–32). So, Joseph is using the authority given to him by Pharaoh to gather a portion of every crop and to put it into storage (Genesis 41:39–41).The specific plan had been to gather one-fifth of the harvest from every field, to haul that grain into the cities, and to store it there for the coming famine. We're not told if any farmers objected to this confiscation of their property. Of course, in civilizations such as ancient Egypt, there wasn't freedom to disagree with deified rulers such as Pharaoh. The authority of the Pharaoh was absolute, and Joseph's plan carried Pharaoh's authority. To stand against Joseph would have required risking one's own life.
The cities served as centralized storage places for the grain in each region. They would later serve as centralized distribution centers during the famine years. Additional details about Joseph's plan are found in Genesis 47:13–26.
Genesis 41:37–57 describes Joseph's sudden and breathtaking rise to power. Pharaoh, the ruler of Egypt, is convinced that God's Spirit is with Joseph, after seeing him interpret dreams and offer sound advice. He appoints Joseph to be the second most powerful man in the nation. His main task is to prepare for the devastating famine to come. Pharaoh gives to Joseph his own signet ring, along with a new Egyptian name and wife. Joseph sets about to use Pharaoh's authority to gather and store massive amounts of grain. This stockpile, built during the seven years of abundance can then be accessed when the famine strikes (Genesis 47:13–26).
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.
