Genesis 39-41: Joseph leads us to the Bread of Life
Intro
Towards the end of Genesis, Joseph the Patriarch is sold into slavery. Despite this very lowly place, Joseph exemplifies how to follow God. We can follow his example so we too may always place our hope in God to spend eternity with Him. After the many hours spent studying Genesis, it is great to see how Genesis ends with Joseph pointing us to Christ, just like his fathers did.
Joseph is sold into slavery
Joseph was taken into Egypt and sold to Potiphar, who was an officer of Pharaoh. Potiphar quicky saw that everything Joseph did prospered because the Lord was him. Because of this, Joseph was raised to the overseer of the house and Potiphar did not have to worry about anything but the food he ate. God blessed Potiphar’s house for Joseph’s sake.
Potiphar’s wife saw Joseph and wanted to lay with him. Joseph repeatedly declined her out of respect for his master. One day, Joseph was in the house and no other men were in the house, except Potiphar’s wife. She grabbed him by his garment and told him to lay with her. He refused and ran off leaving his garment in her hand. She then screamed for the men of her household and told them that Joseph tried to force himself on her until she screamed, while showing his garment as evidence.
Potiphar believed this and had Joseph put in prison. While in prison, God was with Joseph. The keeper of the prison saw this and committed the care of the prison to Joseph.
No matter where Joseph was, God was with him. Through Joseph, God blessed Potiphar’ house and exalted Joseph. Despite being raised up as overseer, Joseph still gave glory and honor to God. This is shown by Joseph acting as a man of God by being chaste despite the numerous advances from his master’s wife. But, as we know, “all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted” (2 Tim 3:12).1
We can also understand the fact that he was imprisoned indicates Potiphar might have had his doubts about the allegations. Imprisonment was a mild punishment for a foreign slave charged with attempted rape of an Egyptian noblewoman, yet Potiphar showed him mercy.2
Joseph was thrown into prison due to the lies of his master’s wife. Joseph maintained his constancy in the ways of God. Because of this, the prison guard saw that Joseph was blessed by God in all his actions. After all, “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 5:10).3 It is important that we always stay faithful to God even through trials and tribulations.
Joseph interprets the dreams of the prisoners
After some time had passed, the butler and baker for Pharaoh were imprisoned. One night, both of these men had dreams and were saddened because they had no one to interpret them. Joseph then told them, “Do not interpretations belong to God? Tell them to me, I pray you.” (Gen 40:8).
Joseph offered them interpretations of the dreams saying that the butler would be reappointed after three days and the baker will be executed in three days. Three days later, Joseph’s interpretations became true. Despite the great news for the butler, he forgot about Joseph and did not tell Pharaoh about him.
We can see Joseph’s loyalty to God. He had been blessed by God under Potiphar and in prison, yet he did not attribute any of this to himself. This is expressed when Joseph says interpretations of dreams belongs to God. Through this, Joseph offers to help the men without exalting himself, instead glorifying God.
At one point in these passages, Joseph notes that he has done nothing deserving of being put in the “dungeon” (Gen 40:15). The word used for dungeon can also be translated into “pit” as shown in the original Hebrew used in Genesis 37:24 when Joseph’s brothers cast him into the “pit.”4,5 This shows that yet again Joseph finds himself in the same circumstances; Joseph was not guilty when his brothers cast him into the pit nor when he was imprisoned in this dungeon. Despite this, we can see that Joseph maintained his fidelity to God the entire time and did not falter. He did not forsake himself from God.
Joseph becomes vizier of Egypt
After two more years pass, Pharaoh had two dreams. After awaking from these dreams, he was troubled and called for all the magicians and wise men in Egypt. None of them were able to interpret it. The chief butler heard this and remembered Joseph. He told Pharaoh about Joseph and Pharoah had Joseph brought to him.
Pharaoh said to Joseph “I have heard it said of you that when you hear a dream you can interpret it.” Joseph answered Pharaoh, “It is not in me; God will give Pharaoh a favorable answer.” (Gen 41:15-16). Pharaoh told Joseph the dreams. Joseph told Pharaoh that there would be seven years of abundance followed by seven years of famine. He adds that the doubling of the dreams means this is a thing fixed by God and it will come to pass.
Joseph suggests Pharaoh appoints an overseer to prepare for the famine. Pharaoh saw that God was with Joseph and appoints him as the vizier. At thirty years of age, Joseph was given power over all of Egypt, second only to Pharaoh. Pharaoh then gave Joseph his signet ring and had him dressed in fine lined with chains of gold before they rode chariots together with Pharaoh commanding everyone to “bow the knee!” to Joseph (Gen 41:43). Joseph was also given a wife who was a daughter of one of the priests.
Joseph prepared Egypt for the famine. During the famine “all the earth came to Egypt to Joseph to buy grain, because the famine was severe over all the earth.” (Genesis 41:57).
Yet again, we see Joseph placed in a position of power and authority, this time by Pharaoh. Pharaoh truly gave him full authority over Egypt by giving Joseph the signet ring to promulgate royal decrees. Joseph was also given a wife from the family of a priest, meaning he had been brought into the ranks of Egyptian nobility.6 Joseph was not temporarily exalted, instead he was married into the noble ranks of Egypt. This was not a position that he could be removed from through deceit, instead, this was going to be his position for the rest of his earthly life. By maintaining his faith in the eternal God, he was given temporal blessings.
There are a couple of interesting things to note here. First, Joseph said that the doubling of Pharaoh’s dreams meant this was fixed by God, which is akin to the double dreams Joseph had in Genesis 37, which ultimately do come true.7 Second, Joseph was thirty years old at this time, meaning it had been thirteen years since he had his dreams before being sold to the Ishmaelites, which is quite a long time.8
Lastly, we see everything come together as a type of Christ. The famine was severe throughout all the land surrounding Egypt, so much that “all the earth came to Egypt to Joseph to buy grain.” Everyone was starving for nourishment, just as we all are starving spiritually. Joseph was thrown into a pit, sold into slavery, punished for the lies of others, and then eventually removed from the imprisonment of the dungeon to be exalted as the lord of Egypt for all to come to him for grain. Jesus Christ was betrayed for thirty pieces of silver, scourged and crucified for our sins though He was sinless, buried in a tomb, and ultimately manifested Himself as Lord of all, and said that all must come to Him to receive the “Bread of Life” (John 6:35).
Conclusion
Everyone surrounding Egypt underwent long distances to go to Joseph to purchase grain to satisfy their temporal needs. It seemed as though people traveled from “all the earth.” If people did this for their temporal needs, surely, we would all undergo even greater measures for eternal needs. Yet, God is so good that He does not require this of us. Our eternal needs are nourished at any Catholic Church because every Catholic Church is home to the Tabernacle, which holds “the bread of life.”
Our Lord said, that He is “the Bread of Life,” “the living bread,” and “whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day” (John 6:54). The Eucharist is “the body and blood, together with the soul and divinity, of our Lord Jesus Christ” (CCC 1374). The Eucharist was instituted during the Last Supper when Jesus ‘took bread, and when He had given thanks He broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is My body which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of Me.”’ (Luke 22:19).
This Bread of life is available to us every Catholic Mass every single day of the week. By taking the short journey to the Catholic Church to partake in the Holy Mass and receive the bread of life in remembrance of our Lord, we will be raised up on the last day and have eternal life.
We must follow the example of Joseph and stay faithful to God. God repaid Joseph’s faith by blessing him during his earthly life. We can be faithful to God, and if we are, God will bless us during this life and all eternity.
References
12008. The Orthodox Study Bible. Nashville: Thomas Nelson.pg50
22024. The Ignatius Catholic Study Bible. San Francisco, CA: Ignatius Press.pg107
32008. The Orthodox Study Bible. Nashville: Thomas Nelson.pg51
42024. The Ignatius Catholic Study Bible. San Francisco, CA: Ignatius Press.pg108
5n.d. “953. bowr.” Bible Hub. Accessed January 15, 2026. https://biblehub.com/hebrew/953.htm.
62024. The Ignatius Catholic Study Bible. San Francisco, CA: Ignatius Press.pg109
7Ibid.
8Ibid.
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