John Calvin Commentary Genesis 41:53

"And the seven years of plenty, that was in the land of Egypt, came to an end." — Genesis 41:53 (ASV)

And the seven years... were ended. Already the former unusual fertility, which showed Joseph to have been a true prophet, had gained him a name and reputation; and in this way the Egyptians had been restrained from raising any uproar against him. Nevertheless, it is wonderful that a people so proud should have endured, in the time of prosperity, the rule of a foreigner.

But the famine that followed proved a sharper and more severe curb for subduing their proud and fierce spirits, so that they might be brought into subjection to authority. When, however, Moses says that there was grain in all the land of Egypt, while the neighboring regions were suffering from hunger, he seems to suggest that wheat had also been stored up by private individuals.

And indeed, (as we have said elsewhere,) it was inevitable that the rumor of the approaching famine would spread widely, and would everywhere instill fear and anxiety, so that each person would make some provision for himself. Nevertheless, however foresighted each might have been, what they had preserved would, in a short time, be consumed. From this it became clear with what skill and prudence Joseph had perceived from the beginning, that Egypt would not be safe unless provisions were publicly gathered together under the king's authority.