Dreams Joseph's Dream--Sermon

Copy the KJV text of this summary

Since the summary I provided was a modern synthesis, there isn't a direct "KJV version" of my specific words. However, I can provide the original scripture from the King James Version (KJV) that covers these three specific dream sequences.

Here are the primary passages for each set of dreams:

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1. Joseph’s Own Dreams (Genesis 37:5–9)

5 And Joseph dreamed a dream, and he told it his brethren: and they hated him yet the more. 6 And he said unto them, Hear, I pray you, this dream which I have dreamed: 7 For, behold, we were binding sheaves in the field, and, lo, my sheaf arose, and also stood upright; and, behold, your sheaves stood round about, and made obeisance to my sheaf.

9 And he dreamed yet another dream, and told it his brethren, and said, Behold, I have dreamed a dream more; and, behold, the sun and the moon and the eleven stars made obeisance to me.

2. The Prisoners' Dreams (Genesis 40:9–11, 16–17)

The Cupbearer’s Dream:

9 And the chief butler told his dream to Joseph, and said to him, In my dream, behold, a vine was before me; 10 And in the vine were three branches: and it was as though it budded, and her blossoms shot forth; and the clusters thereof brought forth ripe grapes: 11 And Pharaoh's cup was in my hand: and I took the grapes, and pressed them into Pharaoh's cup, and I gave the cup into Pharaoh's hand.

The Baker’s Dream:¹²

16 When the chief baker saw that the interpretation was good, he said unto Joseph, I also was in my dream, and, behold, I had three white baskets on my head: 17 And in the uppermost basket there was of all manner of bakemeats ³for Pharaoh; and the birds did eat them out of the ⁴basket upon my head.

3. Pharaoh’s Dreams (Genesis 41:1–7)

1 And it came to pass at the end of two full years, that Pharaoh dreamed: and, behold, he stood by the river. 2 And, behold, there came up out of the river seven well favoured kine and fatfleshed; and they fed in a meadow. 3 And, behold, seven other kine came up after them out of the river, ill favoured and leanfleshed; and stood by the other kine upon the brink of the river. 4 And the ill favoured and leanfleshed kine did eat up the seven well favoured and fat kine.⁵⁶

5 And ⁷he slept and dreamed the second time: and, behold, seven ears of corn came up upon one stalk, rank and good. 6 And, behold, seven thin ears and bl⁸asted with the east wind sprung up after them. 7 And the seven thin ears devoured the seven rank and full ears.⁹

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Key KJV Vocabulary Note¹⁰

To help with the reading, here are a few terms from the text above that have changed meaning since 1611:¹¹

• Obeisance: To bow down or show deep respect.¹²

• Kine: An archaic ¹³plural word for cows.

• Rank: In this context, it means thick, healthy, or robust (referring to the grain).¹⁴¹⁵

• Bakemeats: Pastries or baked goods.¹⁶¹⁷

Would you like the KJV text of Joseph’s interpretation of these dreams, or perhaps the KJV account of when his brothers finally bowed to him?¹⁸¹⁹

 

The story of Joseph in the Bible (found in Genesis 37–41) is famously driven by six symbolic dreams. These dreams acted as both a divine blueprint for Joseph's life and the catalyst for his journey from a favored son to a slave, and eventually to the second-most powerful man in Egypt.

Here is a summary of the three sets of dreams that define his story.

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1. Joseph’s Own Dreams: The Rise of a Ruler

When Joseph was 17, he had two dreams that he shared with his family. These fueled the jealousy of his ten older brothers and set the entire plot in motion.

• The Dream of the Sheaves: Joseph and his brothers were binding sheaves of grain in a field. Suddenly, Joseph’s sheaf stood upright, while his brothers’ sheaves gathered around and bowed down to it.

• The Dream of the Stars: Joseph saw the sun, the moon, and 11 stars bowing down to him.

• The Result: His brothers interpreted these as Joseph claiming he would rule over them. They were so enraged that they eventually sold him into slavery in Egypt, telling their father, Jacob, that he had been killed by a wild animal.

2. The Prisoners' Dreams: The Interpreter in Exile

Years later, while Joseph was wrongly imprisoned in Egypt, he met two of Pharaoh’s officials: the Chief Cupbearer and the Chief Baker. Both had troubling dreams on the same night.

• The Cupbearer’s Dream: He saw a vine with three branches that blossomed and produced grapes. He squeezed the grapes into Pharaoh’s cup and handed it to him.

  • Joseph’s Interpretation: The three branches represented three days. In three days, Pharaoh would restore the cupbearer to his position.

• The Baker’s Dream: He saw three baskets of bread on his head, but birds were eating the bread out of the top basket.

  • Joseph’s Interpretation: The three baskets also meant three days, but in this case, Pharaoh would execute the baker.

• The Result: Both interpretations came true exactly as Joseph predicted. Joseph asked the cupbearer to remember him to Pharaoh, but the cupbearer forgot him for two more years.

3. Pharaoh’s Dreams: The Salvation of Egypt

Finally, Pharaoh himself had two vivid dreams that none of his wise men could explain. The cupbearer then remembered Joseph.

• The Fat and Lean Cows: Pharaoh stood by the Nile and saw seven fat, healthy cows come out of the water. They were followed by seven skinny, sickly cows that proceeded to eat the fat cows.

• The Seven Ears of Grain: Pharaoh saw seven heads of healthy grain growing on a single stalk. Then, seven thin, scorched heads of grain grew up and swallowed the healthy ones.

• Joseph’s Interpretation: Joseph told Pharaoh that both dreams meant the same thing: Egypt would have seven years of great abundance, followed immediately by seven years of severe famine.

• The Result: Pharaoh was so impressed by Joseph’s wisdom that he promoted him to Governor of Egypt to manage the grain storage.

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The Fulfillment

The story comes full circle during the famine. Joseph's brothers traveled to Egypt to buy grain and, not recognizing him, bowed down to him to request food—exactly as Joseph’s teenage dreams had predicted. Instead of seeking revenge, Joseph saved his family and the known world from starvation, famously stating:

"You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good."

Would you like me to dive deeper into the specific symbolism of these dreams or provide a summary of what happened to Joseph's brothers after they reunited?

The symbolism in Joseph’s dreams is layered, moving from personal family dynamics to national survival, and ultimately to a theological message about destiny.¹ Each set of dreams uses specific cultural and agricultural imagery to convey its message.²

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1. The Family Dreams: Sheaves and Stars

These dreams symbolize the transition of Joseph’s status from a subordinate brother to a sovereign leader.

• The Sheaves (Earthly Realm): Wheat sheaves represent livelihood and labor. By bowing, the brothers' sheaves were symbolically acknowledging that Joseph would eventually control their "bread"—their physical survival. This foreshadowed the famine where they literally had to come to him for food.

• The Celestial Bodies (Heavenly Realm): The sun (Jacob), the moon (Rachel/the family matriarch), and the 11 stars (the brothers) represent the entire family unit. Moving from "earthly" grain to "heavenly" stars showed that Joseph’s elevation wasn’t just a promotion; it was a divinely ordained shift in the family hierarchy that even his father would eventually respect.

2. The Prisoners' Dreams: Life and Death

While in prison, the symbols Joseph interpreted were tied to the occupations of the dreamers, but the underlying message was about the "giving" and "taking" of life.

• The Cupbearer (The Vine): The vine symbolizes life, growth, and restoration.³ The act of "pressing grapes" into the cup is a proactive service. It symbolized that the Cupbearer's "life-giving" role to Pharaoh would be restored.

• The Baker (The Baskets): In contrast, the Baker’s dream is passive. Instead of serving Pharaoh, the birds (scavengers) are eating from him. In biblical symbolism, birds eating flesh or bread often represent judgment or the loss of life.

• The Number Three: In both dreams, the number three (branches and baskets) represented time.⁴ This established Joseph’s authority to interpret not just symbols, but the timing of God's plan.

3. Pharaoh’s Dreams: Consumption and Chaos

Pharaoh’s dreams shifted the scale from personal to national. The symbolism here is centered on the Nile River, which the Egyptians worshipped as a god and the source of all life.

• The Cows (Animal Wealth): In ancient Egypt, cows were symbols of fertility and the goddess Hathor.⁵ Healthy cows emerging from the Nile meant the river would provide; the sickly cows "swallowing" the fat ones symbolized a disaster so great it would "consume" all previous prosperity.

• The Grain (Agricultural Wealth): This reinforced the message of the cows. The "east wind" mentioned in the text (which scorched the grain) was the khamsin, a hot desert wind known for destroying crops.

• The Doubling: Joseph explained that having the dream twice meant the matter was "firmly decided by God" and would happen soon.⁶ The repetition was a symbol of certainty.

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The Overarching Theme: Sovereignty

The core symbolism of all six dreams is The Reversal of Fortune. * The small becomes great (Joseph).

• The healthy becomes consumed (The cows/grain).

• The prisoner becomes the ruler.

This taught the ancient audience that human circumstances—no matter how dire—are subject to a higher providence.

Would you like me to explain how Joseph's ability to interpret these symbols changed his character, or perhaps look at how these dreams are viewed in different religious traditions?

Here is the King James Version (KJV) text for Joseph’s interpretations of the three sets of dreams.

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1. Interpretation of the Cupbearer’s (Butler's) Dream

Genesis 40:12–13

12 And Joseph said unto him, This is the interpretation of it: The three branches are three days: 13 Yet within three days shall Pharaoh lift up thine head, and restore thee unto thy place: and thou shalt deliver Pharaoh's cup into his hand, after the former manner when thou wast his butler.¹²

2. Interpretation of the Baker’s Dream³⁴

Genesis 40:18–19⁵⁶

18 And Joseph answered and said, This is the interpretation thereof: The three baskets are three days: 19 Yet within three d⁷ays shall P⁸haraoh lift up thy head from off thee, and shall hang thee on a tree; and the birds shall eat thy flesh from off thee.

3. Interpretation of Pharaoh’s Dreams

Genesis 41:25–32

25 And Joseph said unto Pharaoh, The dream of Pharaoh is one: God hath shewed Pharaoh what he is about to do. 26 The seven good kine are seven years; and the seven good ears are seven years: the dream is one.

27 And the seven thin and ill favoured kine that came up after them are seven years; and the seven empty ears blasted with the east wind shall be seven years of famine.⁹

28 This is the thing which I have spoken unto Pharaoh: What God is about to do he shewed unto Pharaoh. 29 Behold, there come s¹⁰even years of great¹¹