The seven good cows are seven years, and the seven good ears are seven years; the dreams are one.
Pharaoh has just told a dream that no one in Egypt could explain. A prisoner gives the answer: the cows and the ears are not two riddles but one measure of time. Three small things carry the verse: the number seven, the word "are," and the claim that one dream lies behind two pictures.
Two pictures, one message
Joseph treats the two dreams as one message. One writer explains what each picture stands for:
L. M. GrantJoseph interpreted the dream for Pharaoh at once: "The dreams of Pharaoh are one." That is, the second dream simply confirmed the first. God was showing Pharaoh beforehand what He was going to do in Egypt. The seven cows meant seven years, and the seven good ears of grain meant seven years. God had chosen to reveal to an Egyptian king what He planned to do.
What "are" means here
The cows are not years. They stand for years — a use of the word "is" found right through Scripture:
VariousScripture often uses "is" to mean "represents." It is so common that we need not dwell on it. For example: "the Rock was Christ"; "The seven good cows are seven years"; "The seed is the word of God"; "It is the LORD's Passover."
The wisdom Egypt could not buy
Joseph gave Pharaoh the meaning. But he began by denying that he had any power of his own:
Hamilton SmithThe man who would one day hold power that no one before or since has ever held is for the moment stuck in a prison. He is counted among "what is low and despised in the world." Yet God chose him to "shame the strong" and "bring to nothing things that are." … Joseph at once admits, "It is not in me." It was no more in Joseph than in the wise men of Egypt. … He does not say, "God can give Pharaoh an answer," true as that would have been. His faith goes past what God can do and states what God will do.
Another writer hears the same note in Paul's confession that his competence came from God:
F. B. HoleIt is a mark of a true servant of God to say, "It is not in me."
Why God doubled it
Why send the same message twice? The repeat carried its own meaning:
William KellyJoseph explains that both dreams pointed to one event: seven years of plenty, followed by as many years of famine, beyond anything ever seen. Both were God's doing, for extraordinary ends. So was His making it all known to Pharaoh, which lay beyond what man could know. The doubling of the dream showed not only that it was certain, but how soon it would happen. God does not deceive, nor is He mocked.
After the plenty, the famine
Writers apply this pattern in two directions. One reads the world's present ease as its years of plenty:
Frederick W GrantSeven years of plenty, followed by seven years of famine that swallow them up — this is what Pharaoh's dream foretells. The world is still enjoying its years of plenty, and it barely believes the future clearly foretold for it. Yet the time of famine is surely not far off. It will show the resources of Him who will then be seen as the only one able to meet its terrible needs.
Another applies it to the preaching of God's word:
The Christian's FriendIn a time of plenty, who thinks of famine? … The same is sometimes true of the ministry of the word of God. When many honoured servants of the Lord are busy ministering Christ to souls, few stop to think that scarcity may follow the plenty.
Why God sends both
One writer names the purpose behind dealings like these:
L. M. GrantGod does such things to wake people up. He wants them to see that their blessing does not depend on circumstances, but on the God who brings about every circumstance.
Summary
- One dream. The cows and the ears say the same thing twice. The second picture confirms the first; it does not add a second event.
- One meaning. "Are" here means "stands for" — the same everyday use of the word found in "The seed is the word of God" and "the Rock was Christ."
- One source. Joseph had no ability of his own. He told Pharaoh it was not in him, and that God would answer.
- One certainty. God doubled the dream to tell Pharaoh two things: it was certain, and it was near. God does not deceive.
- One warning. Plenty is measured, and it ends — whether the lack ahead is of bread or of God's word. Blessing rests on God, not on circumstances.