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Genesis 40:8

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Bible Text

They said to him, "We have dreamed a dream, and there is no one who can interpret it." Joseph said to them, "Don't interpretations belong to God? Please tell it to me."

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Maps for this passage

Canaan in the Patriarchal AgeCanaan during the patriarchal period, before the Israelite conquest.
The Ancient Near East (Fertile Crescent)The ancient Near East and Fertile Crescent, from Mesopotamia to Egypt, the world of the patriarchs.

Historical maps are public-domain atlas plates, digitized by Wikimedia Commons.

Egypt was the land where Joseph had been sold into slavery and imprisoned under Pharaoh’s authority. In this setting, Joseph’s claim that interpretations belong to God contrasts the true God’s sovereignty with Egypt’s courtly reliance on dreams and divination.

Places in this passage

Genesis 40:8 mentions Egypt.

Egypt · Ricardo Liberato

Place data & photos: OpenBible.info (CC BY). Map tiles © OpenStreetMap contributors.