According to this exegete, Joseph, in response to the one who asked about the king's dream, instructed that seeds be sown for seven years as they had been done before; that is, he desired the continuation of the sowing customs that had been practiced in previous years. These words are also in the nature of an admonition and advice that Joseph gave to the people; it is a view that directed them to accumulate and store what they would eat.

يقول: تزرعون هذه السبع السنين، كما كنتم تزرعون سائر السنين قبلها على عادتكم فيما مضى. والدأب: العادة

According to Kurtubî, this verse contains Joseph's interpretation of the dream: the seven fat cattle and green ears of grain represent seven abundant/fertile years, while the seven thin cattle and dried ears of grain represent seven years of famine. He also discusses linguistically the possibility that the word 'dâba' comes from the root of dâbe/âdet, and discusses its possibilities as infinitive-state-adjective and differences in recitation. Finally, he evaluates this verse as a foundational principle of the sharî'î interests (maqāṣid al-sharî'ah) in Islamic jurisprudence, which aim to protect religion, soul, intellect, lineage, and property.

هذه الآية أصل في القول بالمصالح الشرعية التي هي حفظ الأديان والنفوس والعقول والأنساب والأموال فكل ما تضمن تحصيل شيء من هذه الأمور فهو مصلحة وكل ما يفوت شيئا منها فهو مفسدة ودفعه مصلحة

According to Ibn Kesîr, the seven fat cattle in the dream represent blessed and rainy seven years, while the seven thin cattle represent years of drought. The products obtained during these abundant years should be stored in their ears to delay spoilage, only a small amount should be eaten, and waste should be avoided. Thus, in the years of famine, the products accumulated will be utilized; otherwise, nothing would be obtained from the seeds sown.

إلا المقدار الذي تأكلونه وليكن قليلا قليلا لا تسرفوا فيه لتنتفعوا في السبع الشداد وهن السبع السنين المحل التي تعقب هذه السبع المتواليات

According to Beydâvî, Joseph's interpretation continues by explaining the symbols in the dream (fat/thin cattle, green/dried ears of grain) as abundant and famine years; seeds are to be sown for seven years, the harvest is to be left in the ear of grain, then during the following seven dry years the accumulated grain will be consumed, and after that a blessed year will come whereby the people will be blessed with rain and press fruit. It is stated that Joseph obtained this knowledge through revelation or knowledge of the divine law that famine transforms into abundance.

ولعله علم ذلك بالوحي أو بأن انتهاء الجدب بالخصب، أو بأن السنة الإلهية على أن يوسع على عباده بعد ما ضيق عليهم

According to Zemahşerî, the word 'deeben' is an infinitive from the verb 'dâba fi al-amal' and is used as a state (hal) belonging to the years to be sown/harvested whose subject is present tense verbs; that is, it means 'dā'ibīn' (those working continuously). Furthermore, the verb 'ya'kulna' is used through metaphorical attribution (majāzī isnad); although the actual eater is the people of those years, the act of eating is attributed to the years.

و { يأكلن } من الإسناد المجازي

According to this exegete, the word 'dâb' fundamentally means in the language work done with seriousness and continuity; proceeding from this, in the metaphor in the verse, the word 'dâb' is explained by some scholars as meaning 'ijtihād/effort' and by others as meaning 'sha'n/state/custom'. According to these two interpretations, the direction of the metaphor is the comparison of the disbelievers' effort and attitude in denying Muhammad to the effort and attitude of Pharaoh's family against Moses; indeed, just as they were destroyed because of their sins, these too will be destroyed.

الدأب استمرار الشيء على حالة واحدة