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.

GENESIS 41:48KJV
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Genesis 41:48 (KJV)

What does Genesis 41:48 mean?

Genesis 41:48 describes how Joseph gathered all the food produced during the seven plentiful years in Egypt and stored it in the cities, collecting the food from the surrounding fields and placing it in each city’s storehouses. This verse shows Joseph’s careful management to prepare for the coming years of famine.

Pharaoh had put Joseph in charge of Egypt’s food supply after Joseph interpreted Pharaoh’s dreams about seven years of abundance followed by seven years of famine. In this verse, Joseph organizes the collection and storage of grain, making sure that each city stored food from its own nearby fields. This careful system helped ensure that the people would have enough to eat when the famine arrived.

The Hebrew behind Genesis 41:48

  • The word for “gathered up” is אָסַף (ʾāsaf), which means to collect or assemble. This word emphasizes Joseph’s active role in bringing together the food from all over Egypt.
  • The word for “food” is אֹכֶל (ʾokhel), meaning food or provisions. The repeated use of this word in the verse highlights the focus on practical, everyday needs.
  • The word for “city” is עִיר (ʿir), and “cities” is עָרִים (ʿārim). The verse notes that food from each field around a city was stored in that city, showing a decentralized and organized approach.
  • The word for “field” is שָׂדֶה (sadeh), meaning cultivated land or farmland. This detail shows that the food was gathered locally, not just from one central location.

Why Genesis 41:48 matters

  • This verse clarifies that Joseph’s plan was not just to store food, but to do so in a way that made it accessible to each community, which would have been crucial during a widespread famine.
  • The verse connects directly to the earlier part of the chapter, where Joseph interprets Pharaoh’s dreams and proposes a solution, showing the practical steps taken to carry out that plan.
  • Understanding the organized and local nature of the storage helps explain why Egypt was able to survive the famine and even help neighboring nations, as described later in the chapter.

Where else these words appear

“food” Hebrew H400 · used in 41 verses

  • Genesis 14:11 And they took all the goods of Sodom and Gomorrah, and all their victuals, and went their way.
  • Exodus 16:16 This is the thing which the LORD hath commanded, Gather of it every man according to his eating, an omer for every man, according to the number of your persons; take ye every man for them which are in his tents.
  • Job 38:41 Who provideth for the raven his food? when his young ones cry unto God, they wander for lack of meat.

“up” Hebrew H6908 · used in 121 verses

  • Genesis 41:35 And let them gather all the food of those good years that come, and lay up corn under the hand of Pharaoh, and let them keep food in the cities.
  • 2 Chronicles 32:6 And he set captains of war over the people, and gathered them together to him in the street of the gate of the city, and spake comfortably to them, saying,
  • Jeremiah 31:8 Behold, I will bring them from the north country, and gather them from the coasts of the earth, and with them the blind and the lame, the woman with child and her that travaileth with child together: a great company shall return thither.