Pharaoh's Strange Dreams
Seven Fat Cows, Seven Lean Cows
Two years after the chief cup-bearer's return to court (Bereshith 41) Pharaoh had a dream, the well-known dream of the seven fat cows coming up from the Nile; but soon seven lean cows come up from the Nile and devour the seven fat cows. Then Pharaoh awoke, He fell asleep again and dreamed a second time. This time, seven ears of corn, full and ripe grew on the same stalk. Shortly afterwards, beside the first ears, grew seven ears which were meagre and scorched by the east wind. 10 The scanty ears of corn swallowed the seven full and ripe ears, of corn. Then Pharaoh awoke.
At once on rising Pharaoh had all the magicians and wise men of Egypt summoned to him in order to obtain an authentic interpretation of his dream, but unfortunately none of them was able to supply the key to understanding them,
'Pharaoh,' says Bereshith, or else 'Pharaoh, king of Egypt', always without the definite article. The Scriptures cannot be regarded as an historical work in the modern sense of the term; these pages of Bereshith are intended to relate the dramatic adventures of the clan of Abraham and his descendants, the nomad patriarchs, the envoys of the one YAHWEH. The Old Covenant was never meant to furnish us with the complicated history of the Near East in ancient times.
Yet it is interesting to note that this term Pharaoh was used in the Scriptures while in the West its precise meaning was unknown. It needed the archaeological discoveries of last century and especially the deciphering of the hieroglyphics for the historical meaning of this term to be obtained. Nowadays orientalists have even discovered its etymology: pr-'a, literally the 'great house'. At the time of the Old Empire (2780-2280) the term designated the palace buildings, then, as a result of the evolution of the language it came to mean the court and, finally, it was taken as a synonym for the sovereign, 'for he alone in the world possesses a palace' (pr-'a).
In the Scriptural text the reader will have noticed that the name of the Pharaoh in Yoseph's time is not mentioned. On this account certain scholars have come to the conclusion that the account is not historical. Some eminent Egyptologists have pointed out, however, that at the beginning of the New Empire (1560), which came immediately after the period of the occupation by the Hyksos, the title of Pharaoh by itself was in agreement with the practice of the Egyptian scribes. The actual name of the Pharaoh, completing his royal title, did not appear until much later, at least in the papyri, at the late period and during Greco-Roman times. This does not apply, of course, to inscriptions on the pedestals of statues.
Another expression used by the writer of the narrative seems to indicate that the dream depicted the incident of the seven fat and seven lean cows in the delta of the Nile, that is, in the very heart of the territory conquered by the Hyksos. 11
According to the translation by E, Dhorme the passage in question should read that the cows were feeding 'among the rushes in the marshland'. Now from certain Egyptian texts we know that ever since the Old Empire (2780-2280) the marshes of the delta, with their dense vegetation of rushes and papyrus, provided an ideal feeding ground for herds of cattle, Pharaoh's dream, therefore, certainly appears to have had as its setting the Delta in which the Hyksos were settled.
10 There is a geographical error here In Egypt it is the south wind which dries and spoils the harvest thus causing famine. In Palestine it is the east wind (the Scriptures often mentions the wind from the south-east) coming from the desert. The story-teller or the scribe was mistaken in the correction that he made, interpreting with Palestine in mind.
11 In fact, on several occasions the Hyksos pharaohs attempted to advance to the south in the valley of the Nile; the stupendous agricultural wealth of this long corridor was a constant temptation to them. Some Hyksos incursions penetrate" as far as Thebes, the capital of Upper Egypt where the 'barbarians of the north as the natives called them, contrived to settle for some time. In any case, southern Egypt, freed from the Hyksos occupation, was rapidly transformed into a centre of active resistance against the invaders; and it was there that arose the military and national movement which finally drove out the Hyksos.
Yoseph Interprets Pharaoh's Dreams
Without losing sight of Yoseph's story, it will be useful for the moment to examine the social and religious standing of the 'wise men' summoned by Pharaoh to interpret his two successive dreams. What exactly were these 'wise men', these 'magicians' (hartummim) mentioned by the Scriptures whom, as we shall see, Yoseph was to cover with confusion by his enlightening explanation?
The identification of this caste of interpreters of dreams is a recent discovery in Egyptology, so that we now know that around the sovereign, from morning to night, there was a body of priests called 'scribes of the House of Life'. Before taking up their posts they had studied for a long time in a religious school in which they learnt everything to do with magic and the control of occult powers. From the first hours of the day they surrounded the king, they assisted him in his ritual toilet, they were not far from the table when he ate, they were in his bed chamber when he retired. The pharaoh, a son of the gods and a god himself, was continually protected in all the actions of his earthly life, by a watchful band of magicians, men in possession of important occult knowledge. These were the 'magicians and wise men' mentioned by the Scriptures and whose description is to be found in the papyrus.
But no one could interpret [his dream] for Pharaoh. That is, there was no one among these experts able to do so. In this disturbing situation the chief cup-bearer remembered the young Hebrew in the prison who had surprisingly revealed the future to him. He told his master about it and an order was at once given for Yoseph to be brought to the palace. In true oriental style Yoseph wore a beard and, in accordance with the custom of Egyptians of the lower classes, his only garment was a loin cloth. This was entirely unsuitable dress for an audience. Yoseph shaved and changed his clothes, and came into Pharaoh's presence.
Notice how at the beginning of the conversation Yoseph reveals his QADASH attitude. 'I do not count' he said. 'It is YAHWEH who will give Pharaoh a favourable answer.' The problem was explained to him and he at once provided an answer: the seven fat cows represented seven years of fine harvests; the seven lean cows symbolized seven years of terrible famine which would follow the period of plenty. The prophecy was entirely confirmed by the second dream which was a repetition of the first using a similar allegory. This double dream proved that the event was already determined by YAHWEH, and YAHWEH is impatient to bring it about.
At this Yoseph, who after all was only a slave of little importance, ventured to give good advice to his sovereign. He did so very cleverly and with a great affectation of humility, asking nothing for himself, of. course, and his advice seemed absolutely disinterested. 'Pharaoh should now choose a man who is intelligent and wise to govern the land of Egypt. Pharaoh should take action…. '
Yoseph placed before Pharaoh a plan
Immediately Yoseph placed before Pharaoh a plan to be carried out with all urgency: during the seven years of abundance a tax should be imposed on the farmers of one fifth of their harvests. Then, by government authority, these reserves should be stored carefully in certain urban centres; by this means, when the periods of scarcity came, the country could be saved from famine.
Both Pharaoh's dreams and Yoseph's far-seeing plan fit in very accurately with the agricultural fluctuations of the valley of the Nile. The whole life of Egypt depends essentially on the annual flooding of the Nile. Pliny, the Latin author, explains the position by means of a table which is eloquent in its simplicity:
12 cubits (at Aswan, where the level of the Nile was measured); famine.
14 cubits: joy. 15 cubits: delight.
On the other hand, if the rise was too great it meant disaster in the shape of dykes carried away, irrigation systems disorganized and, when the river went down, since the water subsided too slowly, it was impossible to sow at the proper time. Egyptologists who have made a careful examination of the biblical account of Yoseph have sought to discover if the two periods -seven years of plenty followed by seven years of scarcity -are recorded in Egyptian history. So far no trace of them has been found. Generally speaking biblical scholars consider that in this case the number seven has a symbolical value: 3 + 4 (4, the earth, a square; 3, heaven, a triangle); the sum, 7, being the Universe or, at least, a figure of a certain allegorical significance.
Yoseph Index Yoseph Sitemap Scripture History Through the Ages Yoseph Egyptian Adventure Yoseph Scriptures and Dreams The Plot Against Yoseph Yoseph's Brothers Cruel Seqel Yoseph In The House Of Potiphar Yoseph In Prison Pharaoh's Strange Dreams Yoseph Slave Becomes Viceroy Of Egypt Yoseph's Unexpected Family Reunion The Ten Brothers Before Yoseph Yacob Goes To Egypt Yoseph and the Death Of Yacob YAHWEH's Sword History Further Anxieties Of Yoseph's Brothers Yisraelites Remain In Egypt Period Of The Great Persecution