You shall be in charge of my house, and all my people shall be obedient to you; only regarding the throne will I be greater than you.”
Parallel translations
- WEB You shall be over my house, and according to your word will all my people be ruled. Only in the throne I will be greater than you.”
- KJV Thou shalt be over my house, and according unto thy word shall all my people be ruled: only in the throne will I be greater than thou.
- BSB You shall be in charge of my house, and all my people are to obey your commands. Only with regard to the throne will I be greater than you.”
- NKJV You shall be over my house, and all my people shall be ruled according to your word; only in regard to the throne will I be greater than you.”
- NLT You will be in charge of my court, and all my people will take orders from you. Only I, sitting on my throne, will have a rank higher than yours.”
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Pharaoh sets Joseph over his whole household and all Egypt, second only to the throne.
Overview
Joseph is elevated from prisoner to ruler of Egypt in a single day. This dramatic reversal fulfills the trajectory of his earlier dreams of authority. His exaltation after suffering foreshadows Christ, who was humbled then raised to the highest place.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 12
- Prov 22:29Do you see a man skilled in his work? He will serve kings. He won’t serve obscure men.
- Acts 7:10and delivered him out of all his afflictions, and gave him favor and wisdom before Pharaoh, king of Egypt. He made him governor over Egypt and all his house.
- Ps 105:21–22He made him lord of his house, and ruler of all of his possessions;
- Gen 39:4–6Joseph found favor in his sight. He ministered to him, and he made him overseer over his house, and all that he had he put into his hand.
- Gen 45:8–9So now it wasn’t you who sent me here, but God, and he has made me a father to Pharaoh, lord of all his house, and ruler over all the land of Egypt.
- Dan 5:29Then commanded Belshazzar, and they clothed Daniel with purple, and put a chain of gold about his neck, and made proclamation concerning him, that he should be the third ruler in the kingdom.
- Ps 2:12Give sincere homage to the Son, lest he be angry, and you perish on the way, for his wrath will soon be kindled. Blessed are all those who take refuge in him.
- Dan 6:3Then this Daniel was distinguished above the presidents and the satraps, because an excellent spirit was in him; and the king thought to set him over the whole realm.
- Dan 2:46–48Then the king Nebuchadnezzar fell on his face, and worshiped Daniel, and commanded that they should offer an offering and sweet odors to him.
- Gen 45:26They told him, saying, “Joseph is still alive, and he is ruler over all the land of Egypt.” His heart fainted, for he didn’t believe them.
- 1 Sam 10:1Then Samuel took the vial of oil, and poured it on his head, and kissed him, and said, “Hasn’t Yahweh anointed you to be prince over his inheritance?
- Job 31:27and my heart has been secretly enticed, and my hand threw a kiss from my mouth,
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Christ at the center
From the first promise that the seed of the woman would crush the serpent (3:15), through Abraham's blessing to all nations and Judah's coming ruler, Genesis sows every seed that flowers in Christ — the true offspring, the better Adam, the ram caught for Isaac.
How Genesis 41:40 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.