Verse Lens · Context pointer
Genesis 41:28 Explained in Context
Use this verse as a doorway into the larger passage—not as an isolated saying.
Verse 28. 28This is the thing which I have spoken unto Pharaoh: What God is about to do he sheweth unto Pharaoh.
King James Version — public domain in the United States · Bible text and permissions
Role in This Section
Joseph repeats the interpretive control: God has shown Pharaoh what God is about to do. The repetition transitions from identifying symbols to announcing the actual sequence.
Read It With
- Genesis 41:1–36
Read verses 25–32. Verse 28 restates the source and imminence before verses 29–31 describe abundance and famine and verse 32 explains the doubled dream.
Why It Needs Context
The verse's repetition reinforces the interpretation; it does not add a separate event or explain every cause behind the coming famine.
Read Genesis 41:25–32 together
Why these verses belong together: Joseph unifies the dreams, identifies both symbol pairs, announces abundance and famine, and explains the duplication.
Verse 25. 25 And Joseph said unto Pharaoh, The dream of Pharaoh is one: God hath shewed Pharaoh what he is about to do.
Verse 26. 26 The seven good kine are seven years; and the seven good ears are seven years: the dream is one.
Verse 27. 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.
Verse 28. 28 This is the thing which I have spoken unto Pharaoh: What God is about to do he sheweth unto Pharaoh.
Verse 29. 29 Behold, there come seven years of great plenty throughout all the land of Egypt:
Verse 30. 30 And there shall arise after them seven years of famine; and all the plenty shall be forgotten in the land of Egypt; and the famine shall consume the land;
Verse 31. 31 And the plenty shall not be known in the land by reason of that famine following; for it shall be very grievous.
Verse 32. 32 And for that the dream was doubled unto Pharaoh twice; it is because the thing is established by God, and God will shortly bring it to pass.
Continue in Context
The full thought-unit study remains the final contextual authority for this Verse Lens.
Read Genesis 41:1–36 — Pharaoh Dreams, Joseph Interprets, and Egypt Is WarnedSources used for this context pointer
How certain is this explanation? strong
These are the sources used directly for this lens. Language, grammar, disagreements, and the complete source shelf remain attached to the full thought-unit research record.
Biblical text
King James (Authorized) Version — eng-kjv2006
eBible.org and CrossWire Bible Society
USFM archive eng-kjv2006_usfm.zip; source files dated 2026-08-19; downloaded 2026-08-24; archive SHA-256 aec1b3b26c622fd3d963d2bbac963016b9513246ffbfa20da00bb100372ea007; normalized corpus SHA-256 09aef51d90488aa7b9722b3fd9a93f4b25f6bf2064c5fd798fb39673c300ddf2.
Supports: Displayed text, delay, dreams, recollection, summons, interpretation, counsel, response, later grain movement, and later famine administration.
Exact location: Genesis 41:1–36; 40:20–23; 41:37–57; 42:1–9; 47:13–26 in the pinned standardized 1769 KJV
Open source ↗hebrew text morphology and lemma data
Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible — Genesis
Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible Project
Open Scriptures, Version 2.2 released 2021; repository inspected 2026
Supports: Two-full-years phrase, Nile and dream wording, troubled spirit, hartummim, cupbearer faults, pit and clothing, bil'adai, shalom Pharaoh, dream duplication, discernment, fifth, reserve, and land-preservation wording.
Exact location: WLC Genesis 41:1–36, especially vv. 1, 8–9, 14–16, 24–36
Open source ↗