Purpose Of Dream Interpretation In Genesis

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The art of dream interpretation has existed since the creation of ancient societies like Egypt and Greece. The purpose of dream interpretation is to understand a deeper meaning or intention behind a dream, and, in some cases, to foresee the future. In chapters 39-41 of Genesis, God grants Joseph the ability to decipher dreams, which ultimately allows him to become a close advisor to the Pharaoh, the king of Egypt. However, in his analysis of dreams Joseph solely provides a forecast of the future. In other words, the dreams of Joseph’s clients do not provide insight into their own struggles, but instead give an outlook on their future and, at times, the world’s future. For this reason, it is evident that this portion of Genesis invokes aspects of the supernatural that are abundantly present in other religions, yet, in this case God is given full credit for their accuracy. To recap, chapter 39 provides the beginnings of Joseph’s rise from a servant to advisor to Pharaoh. Firstly, Joseph is a servant in the house of Potiphar, one of Pharaoh’s officials. Luckily for Joseph, God grants him favor his master and he becomes fairly successful. However, Potiphar’s wife takes an interest in Joseph and attempts to seduce him. Yet, Joseph’s loyalty to God…show more content…
In Daniel 2, Daniel interprets the the dreams of King Nebuchadnezzar in the same way that Joseph interpreted Pharaoh’s dreams. Again in Matthew 2, dreams are used to preempt dangerous situations as God appears to Joseph, husband of Mary, and tells him to escape to Egypt with his family. However, dream reading also shows up in Greek and Roman literature, most notably the Oneirocritica which is an entire set of books dedicated to the understanding of dreams and how they can reflect the future. So, visions are seen to be held in high regard even in the most ancient
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