Behold, seven cattle came up out of the river. They were sleek and fat, and they fed in the marsh grass. Behold, seven other cattle came up after them out of the river, ugly and thin, and stood by the other cattle on the brink of the river. The ugly and thin cattle ate up the seven sleek and fat cattle. So Pharaoh awoke. He slept and dreamed a second time; and behold, seven heads of grain came up on one stalk, healthy and good. Behold, seven heads of grain, thin and blasted with the east wind, sprung up after them. The thin heads of grain swallowed up the seven healthy and full ears. Pharaoh awoke, and behold, it was a dream.
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Genesis 41:2-7 sits inside this longer paragraph.
At the end of two full years, Pharaoh dreamed, and behold, he stood by the river. Behold, seven cattle came up out of the river. They were sleek and fat, and they fed in the marsh grass. Behold, seven other cattle came up after them out of the river, ugly and thin, and stood by the other cattle on the brink of the river. The ugly and thin cattle ate up the seven sleek and fat cattle. So Pharaoh awoke. He slept and dreamed a second time; and behold, seven heads of grain came up on one stalk, healthy and good. Behold, seven heads of grain, thin and blasted with the east wind, sprung up after them. The thin heads of grain swallowed up the seven healthy and full ears. Pharaoh awoke, and behold, it was a dream. In the morning, his spirit was troubled, and he sent and called for all of Egypt’s magicians and wise men. Pharaoh told them his dreams, but there was no one who could interpret them to Pharaoh.
Parallel Translations
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Behold, seven cattle came up out of the river. They were sleek and fat, and they fed in the marsh grass.
Behold, seven other cattle came up after them out of the river, ugly and thin, and stood by the other cattle on the brink of the river.
The ugly and thin cattle ate up the seven sleek and fat cattle. So Pharaoh awoke.
He slept and dreamed a second time; and behold, seven heads of grain came up on one stalk, healthy and good.
Behold, seven heads of grain, thin and blasted with the east wind, sprung up after them.
The thin heads of grain swallowed up the seven healthy and full ears. Pharaoh awoke, and behold, it was a dream.
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And, behold, there came up out of the river seven well favoured kine and fatfleshed; and they fed in a meadow.
And, behold, seven other kine came up after them out of the river, ill favoured and leanfleshed; and stood by the other kine upon the brink of the river.
And the ill favoured and leanfleshed kine did eat up the seven well favoured and fat kine. So Pharaoh awoke.
And he slept and dreamed the second time: and, behold, seven ears of corn came up upon one stalk, rank and good.
And, behold, seven thin ears and blasted with the east wind sprung up after them.
And the seven thin ears devoured the seven rank and full ears. And Pharaoh awoke, and, behold, it was a dream.
Show all 3 translations
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And, behold, there came up out of the river seven kine, well-favoured and fat-fleshed; and they fed in the reed-grass.
And, behold, seven other kine came up after them out of the river, ill favoured and lean-fleshed; and stood by the other kine upon the brink of the river.
And the ill-favoured and lean-fleshed kine did eat up the seven well-favoured and fat kine. So Pharaoh awoke.
And he slept and dreamed a second time: and, behold, seven ears of corn came up upon one stalk, rank and good.
And, behold, seven ears, thin and blasted with the east wind, sprung up after them.
And the thin ears swallowed up the seven rank and full ears. And Pharaoh awoke, and, behold, it was a dream.
Cross-references (10)
- Ezekiel 17:10 (v6) Yes, behold, being planted, will it prosper? Won’t it utterly wither when the east wind touches it? It will wither in the beds where it…
- Ezekiel 19:12 (v6) But it was plucked up in fury. It was cast down to the ground, and the east wind dried up its fruit. Its strong branches were broken off…
- Hosea 13:15 (v6) Though he is fruitful among his brothers, an east wind will come, the breath of Yahweh coming up from the wilderness; and his spring will…
- Genesis 20:3 (v7) But God came to Abimelech in a dream of the night, and said to him, “Behold, you are a dead man, because of the woman whom you have taken;…
- Genesis 37:5 (v7) Joseph dreamed a dream, and he told it to his brothers, and they hated him all the more.
Show all 10 cross-references
- Genesis 41:4 (v3) The ugly and thin cattle ate up the seven sleek and fat cattle. So Pharaoh awoke.
- Genesis 41:20-21 (v3) The thin and ugly cattle ate up the first seven fat cattle; and when they had eaten them up, it couldn’t be known that they had eaten them,…
- Deuteronomy 32:14 (v5) butter from the herd, and milk from the flock, with fat of lambs, rams of the breed of Bashan, and goats, with the finest of the wheat.…
- 1 Kings 3:15 (v4) Solomon awoke; and behold, it was a dream. Then he came to Jerusalem, and stood before the ark of Yahweh’s covenant, and offered up burnt…
- Isaiah 19:6 (v2) The rivers will become foul. The streams of Egypt will be diminished and dried up. The reeds and flags will wither away.
Cross-references from openbible.info (CC BY 4.0)
Explain this passage (13 sources)
Historical commentary, presented as a primary source — not an endorsement.
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Geneva Bible translators 1599 · Public Domain On vv2, 5 Or, fair to behold.
Or, fair to behold.
Or, staggie place.
Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain.
John Trapp 1656 · Public Domain On vv2–7 Gen 41:2 And, behold, there came up out of…
Gen 41:2 And, behold, there came up out of the river seven well favoured kine and fatfleshed; and they fed in a meadow.
Ver. 2. There came up out of the river] Nile; which, by overflowing, fatteneth the plain of Egypt, filling it with fruits; and so fitly deciphering the seven years of plenty. {a} So far as this river watereth, there is a black mould so fruitful, that they do but throw in the seed, and have four rich harvests in less than four months, say travellers. {b}
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{a} Mercer.
{b} Blunt’s Voyage, p. 37.
John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Matthew Poole 1685 · Public Domain On vv2, 3, 5, 6, 7 This suits well with the nature of the thing,…
This suits well with the nature of the thing, for both the fruitfulness and the barrenness of Egypt depended, under God, upon the increase or diminution of the waters of that river.
Kine, when they appeared in dreams, did portend, in the opinion of the learned Egyptians, the years or times to come, and them either good or bad, according to their quality.
Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
John Gill 1763 · Public Domain On vv2–7 And, behold, there came up out of the river…
And, behold, there came up out of the river seven well favoured kine, and fatfleshed,.... Seven cows or heifers, sleek, fat, and plump, goodly to look at; these seemed in the dream, as if they came out of the river, because they were fed with the fruits of the earth, which the overflowing of the river Nile, and its canals, produced:
and they fed in a meadow; adjoining to the river, where there was good pasture for them, and gives a reason of their being in so good a condition.
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
Adam Clarke 1810 · Public Domain On vv2, 6 Verse 2. There came up out of the river…
Verse 2. There came up out of the river seven well-favoured kine] This must certainly refer to the hippopotamus or river horse, as the circumstances of coming up out of the river and feeding in the field characterize that animal alone. The hippopotamus is the well-known inhabitant of the Nile, and frequently by night comes out of the river to feed in the fields, or in the sedge by the river side.
Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Joseph Benson 1811 · Public Domain On vv2, 5, 6 Gen 41:2. There came out of the river —…
Gen 41:2. There came out of the river — A just and proper emblem this, because both the fruitfulness and barrenness of the land of Egypt depended, under God, on the increase or diminution of the waters of that river. Well-favoured kine, and fat-fleshed — Signifying plenty of grass, whereby they had been thus fed, and promising milk and flesh-meat in abundance.
Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary 1859 · Public Domain On vv2, 3, 5, 6, 7 Marshy. Hebrew Achu; a word which the Septuagint and…
Marshy. Hebrew Achu; a word which the Septuagint and Siracides (Ecclesiasticus xl. 16, ) retain. (Du Hamel)
George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).
Daniel D. Whedon 1874 · Public Domain On vv2, 6 2. Seven well favoured kine — Hebrews, seven heifers…
2. Seven well favoured kine — Hebrews, seven heifers beautiful in appearance. “The Egyptians esteemed the cow above all other animals. It was sacred to Isis, (Herod. 2:41,) or rather to Athor, the Venus Genetrix of Egypt, and was looked on as a symbol of the earth and its cultivation and food. Hence it was very natural that in Pharaoh’s dream the fruitful and unfruitful years should be typified by well favoured and ill favoured kine.” — Speaker’s Com.
In a meadow — Rather, in the marsh grass, (אחו.)
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The word is of Egyptian origin, and signifies, according to Gesenius, “marsh-grass, reeds, bulrushes, sedge, every thing which grows in wet grounds. The word was adopted not only into the Hebrew, but also into the Greek idiom of Alexandria.” The Sept. does not translate the word, but reads, εν τω αχει.
Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges 1878 · Public Domain On vv2, 4, 5, 6 2. out of the river] The Nile is the…
2. out of the river] The Nile is the source of the fertility and wealth of Egypt. The cows issuing from the Nile would be a symbol of fertility. The Egyptian goddess Hathor is represented with the head of a cow.
seven kine] The number “seven” is commonly employed for the purposes of symbolism. The god Osiris is represented in Egyptian drawings as an ox accompanied by seven cows.
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reed-grass] The Heb. word aḥu transliterates the Egyptian aḥu, or iḥi. It is found also in Gen_41:18; Job_8:11; Hos_13:15. LXX ἄχει, which occurs also in Isa_19:7; Sir_40:16. Jerome, commenting on Isa_19:7, explains ἄχει as quicquid in palude virens nascitur. The word, derived from a root meaning “green,” is applied to the Nile reed-grass whose vivid green, under that bright sky, strikes every traveller in Egypt1[58]
[58] “Pro junco papyrum transtulerunt LXX, de quo charta fit, addentes de suo Achi, viride, quod in Hebraeo non habetur. Cumque ab eruditis quaererem, quid hic sermo significaret, audivi ab Aegyptiis hoc nomine lingua eorum quicquid in palude virens nascitur appellari” (Comm. in Esai, § 291).
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers 1878 · Public Domain On vv2, 5, 6 (2) Kine.—The cow was regarded by the Egyptians as…
(2) Kine.—The cow was regarded by the Egyptians as the symbol of the earth, and of agriculture; and naturally both the kine and the ears of wheat rose out of the river, because as no rain falls in Egypt, its fertility entirely depends upon the overflow of the Nile. The cows sacred to Isis were seven in number, and in a copy of the Ritual of the Dead, Mr. Malan (p. 192) found a picture of the seven sacred cows with the divine bull.
In a meadow.—Heb., in the marsh-grass. The word occurs only in this chapter and in Job_8:11, where it is translated flag. It is the name of the rank herbage which grows luxuriantly along the banks of the Nile; or, as some think, of one special kind of marsh-grass, called by botanists cyperus esculentus.
A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Pulpit Commentary 1880 · Public Domain On vv3–7 And, behold, seven other kind came up after them…
And, behold, seven other kind came up after them out of the river, ill. favored and lean-fleshed. The second seven cows, "evil to look upon," i.e. bad in appearance, and "thin (beaten small, dakoth, from dakak , to crush or beat small) of flesh," also proceeded from the river, since a failure in the periodical overflow of the Nile was the usual cause of scarcity and famine in Egypt. And stood by the other kine upon the brink of the river. The use of the term lip, hp; c; for brink, common enough in Hebrew (Gen_22:17; Exo_14:30; 1Ki_5:9) occurs also in a papyrus of the nineteenth dynasty, "I sat down by the lip of the river," which appears to suggest the impression that the verse in the text was written by one who was equally familiar with both languages (Canon Cook in "Speaker s Commentary," p. 485).
The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
unfoldingWord translationNotes 2017 · CC BY-SA 4.0 On vv4, 7 undesirable and thin
undesirable and thin
"weak and skinny." See how you translated this phrase in Genesis 41:3.
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desirable and fat
"healthy and well-fed." See how you translated this phrase in Genesis 41:2.
woke up
"awakened"
a second time
The word "second" is an ordinal number. AT: "again" (See: Ordinal Numbers)
Behold, seven heads
The word "behold" here shows that Pharaoh was surprised by what he saw.
heads of grain
The heads are parts of the corn plant on which the seeds grow.
came up on one stalk
"grew up on one stem." The stalk is the thick or tall part of a plant.
on one stalk, wholesome and good
"on one stock and they were healthy and beautiful"
thin and scorched by the east wind
This can be stated in active form. AT: "that were thin and burned because of the hot wind from the east" (See: Active or Passive)
the east wind
Wind from the east blew in from the desert. The heat of the east wind was often very destructive.
sprouted up
"grew up" or "developed"
translationWords
cow
Pharaoh
dream
grain
unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.
Tyndale Open Study Notes 2022 · CC BY-SA 4.0 On v5 41:5-7 Pharaoh’s second dream carried a similar message. Seven…
41:5-7 Pharaoh’s second dream carried a similar message. Seven plump . . . heads of grain on a single stalk were swallowed up by seven shriveled and withered heads that sprouted after them.
Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.