According to modern authorities who study the subject, a dream “is a succession of images, ideas, emotions and sensations that usually occur involuntarily in the mind during certain stages of sleep.[1] Most folks spend about two hours dreaming at night, and each dream lasts for about five to twenty minutes, even though the dreamer may believe they were much longer.[2] The modern scientific study of dreams is called oneirology. However, it isn’t known where dreams originate in the brain, whether their origin is from one particular area, or if multiple areas of the brain work together in producing them. Neither is it understood what purpose dreaming has for one’s body or mind. It is believed that dreams are ordinary regenerations of thoughts, which folks had earlier, and which in some manner had occupied their minds. One may be surprised that the Bible has a similar explanation, as noted in Isaiah 29:8. Nevertheless, the Bible also gives some dreams a prophetic status, and even presents them as communication vehicles between God and man.
Pharaoh’s dream is one of the more important dreams that we find in the Bible. It is what moves events in Egypt and in Canaan that not only brings Joseph into prominence, but also brings Jacob and his entire family to Egypt, where they stay, and their descendants grow into a nation in their own right, as the Lord promised Abraham.
So, Pharaoh had a dream, which none of his servants were able to interpret, but Pharaoh’s cupbearer informed Pharaoh of a man, who was held in the king’s prison by the captain of the guard. He told Pharaoh how he needed to listen to dreams only once and was able to interpret them correctly. Therefore, Pharaoh commanded that Joseph be brought before him, and when this was done, Pharaoh told Joseph his dream (Genesis 41:15). He explained that he was standing on the bank of the Nile River, when, suddenly, seven healthy and well-favored cows came up out of the river and grazed among the reeds on the riverbank (Genesis 41:17-18). Afterward, seven other cows emerged from the Nile, but they were poor in health and ill-favored, and they ate up the first seven cows, yet, although they ate up the first seven cows, their appearance didn’t change. They remained poor looking and ill-favored. Then Pharaoh awoke and saw it was a dream (Genesis 41:19-21).
After this, Pharaoh said he dreamed a second time, but in the second dream, he dreamed of seven ears of corn, which came up on one stalk, and they were full and good. However, immediately afterward, seven other ears arose, these also on one stalk, but they were thin, withered and blasted with the east wind. Moreover, these seven thin ears of corn devoured the seven healthy looking ears. He told all this to his servants, the priests and the astrologers, but they were unable to interpret these things for him (Genesis 41:22-24).
I don’t think this means they didn’t try or offer an ‘interpretation,’ but whatever may have been said wasn’t believable to the degree of giving Pharaoh peace of mind, which is what he sought. However, Joseph told Pharaoh “…God shall give Pharaoh peace” (Genesis 41:16). Either Joseph accurately perceived Pharaoh sought peace of mind, or Pharaoh told Joseph, “I have dreamed a dream, and there is none that can interpret it…” (verse-15) and revealed then none could interpret in a manner that gave him peace of mind, but the text doesn’t come out and say that. Therefore, either Joseph perceived this, or the text doesn’t reveal the complete discussion between Joseph and Pharaoh.
Joseph began his interpretation by telling Pharaoh that God has shown Pharaoh, what was about to occur. Moreover, although Pharaoh had two dreams, the dreams were one in that they point to one important event, vis-à-vis the seven good cows and the seven good ears of corn point to seven years of abundant harvest, while the seven poor looking cows and the seven thin ears of corn point to seven years of famine in the land (Genesis 41:25-27).
Joseph concluded by saying that the thing he told Pharaoh is the thing God intended to do, and he has revealed it to Pharaoh. Indeed, there shall be seven years of plenty in Egypt, but there would follow a famine so great that the years of plenty wouldn’t be remembered. So greatly shall the latter seven years consume the land. Pharaoh dreamed the dream twice, because God has shown him it would certainly come to pass and very soon (Genesis 41:28-32)
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[1] See American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, fourth edition (2000).
[2] See How Dream Works (2006), by Lee Ann Obringer; also National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (2006), Brain Basics: Understanding Sleep.
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