NOTES for Gen 41:1-24
This is one of the most astonishing moments in the Joseph story, although the most dramatic plotline still lies ahead: at the beginning of the chapter he is sitting in prison, and by the end he becomes the second person in the state, with the title "Savior of the Empire" (that is how his new "name" is evidently translated). And indeed, God makes him the key figure in saving Egypt, and later Israel as well. What is the secret of such a swift career? It is simply that this young man, who had not even dreamed of such adventures, found himself, almost against his will, drawn into the mysterious unfolding of the plan of the Lord of earthly history, who saves and destroys empires and nations. That is the only reason he could say so simply: "It is not mine; God will give you an answer." Here is another "property" of Sacred History: it is carried out by those who can say, "It is not I; God is doing this..."