Verse Lens · Concise explanation
Genesis 41:48 Explained in Context
Use this verse as a doorway into the larger passage—not as an isolated saying.
Verse 48. 48And 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.
King James Version — public domain in the United States · Bible text and permissions
Quick Meaning
Joseph gathers food during the abundant years and stores each area's produce in its nearby city. National authority is carried out through local collection and storage.
Read It With
- Genesis 41:37–57
Read verses 46–49 and 53–57. Joseph surveys the land, stores local produce during abundance, and later opens the reserves when famine becomes severe.
Why This Verse Appears Here
Local city storage explains how the abundant yield is converted into an accessible reserve.
Read Genesis 41:46–49 together
Why these verses belong together: Joseph's age and travel introduce the abundant yield, local city storage, and extraordinary reserve.
Verse 46. 46 And Joseph was thirty years old when he stood before Pharaoh king of Egypt. And Joseph went out from the presence of Pharaoh, and went throughout all the land of Egypt.
Verse 47. 47 And in the seven plenteous years the earth brought forth by handfuls.
Verse 48. 48 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.
Verse 49. 49 And Joseph gathered corn as the sand of the sea, very much, until he left numbering; for it was without number.
What Remains True
Preparation becomes useful through organized implementation close to the people and resources involved.
How It Can Shape Life
- Build reserves with traceable local inventories, responsible storage, fair labor practices, and clear release rules.
Continue in Context
The full thought-unit study remains the final contextual authority for this Verse Lens.
Read Genesis 41:37–57 — Joseph Rises to Govern EgyptSources used for this Verse Lens
How certain is this explanation? strong
Where care is needed
The verse does not state ownership, compensation, labor, accounting, or warehouse details.
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, appointment, investiture, administration, names, famine, dream fulfillment, later transactions, and sons' later role.
Exact location: Genesis 41:37–57; 37:5–11; 42:1–9; 47:13–26; 48:1–22 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: Divine-spirit wording, difficult rule and acclamation terms, Egyptian names, abundance idiom, Manasseh and Ephraim wordplays, totalizing scope, stores, and sales.
Exact location: WLC Genesis 41:37–57, especially vv. 38, 40, 42–45, 47–57
Open source ↗Translation and textual notes
NET Bible — Genesis with translators' notes
Biblical Studies Press
Biblical Studies Press, Digital edition accessed 2026
Supports: Translation alternatives, authority, investiture, Abrek, names and On, abundance idiom, name wordplays, famine scope, and distribution wording.
Exact location: NET Genesis 41 notes for vv. 37–57, especially vv. 38, 40, 42–45, 47, 51–57
Open NET Genesis 41 ↗