Genesis 41:4 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And the ugly, thin cows ate up the seven attractive, plump cows. And Pharaoh awoke.

NIV: And the cows that were ugly and gaunt ate up the seven sleek, fat cows. Then Pharaoh woke up.

NASB: Then the ugly and thin cows ate the seven fine-looking and fat cows. Then Pharaoh awoke.

CSB: The sickly, thin cows ate the healthy, well-fed cows. Then Pharaoh woke up.

NLT: Then the scrawny, thin cows ate the seven healthy, fat cows! At this point in the dream, Pharaoh woke up.

KJV: And the ill favoured and leanfleshed kine did eat up the seven well favoured and fat kine. So Pharaoh awoke.

NKJV: And the ugly and gaunt cows ate up the seven fine looking and fat cows. So Pharaoh awoke.

This concludes a disturbing dream which appeared to Pharaoh, the ruler of Egypt. As he stands by the Nile River, he has seen seven healthy-looking cows come up out of the water, followed by seven sickly-looking cows (Genesis 41:1–3). Now the dream concludes with a startling sight: The thin cows devour the healthy cows right before Pharaoh's eyes. Then he wakes up.

Egyptian culture placed great importance on the meaning of dreams. It's likely Pharaoh immediately assumed this vision was prophetic. Even if he did not, what happens next will make that certain. After falling back asleep, Pharaoh will see another dream, with a similar outcome, involving ears of grain. This will lead him to seek answers. His magicians and scholars will be stumped (Genesis 41:5–8). This quest soon finds Joseph—still languishing in prison (Genesis 40:23)—and his God-given ability to interpret dreams (Genesis 41:9–13).

Genesis 41:1–8 describes troubling prophetic dreams as seen by the king of Egypt, whose title is "Pharaoh." Both dreams involve a group of seven pleasant-looking images—first cows, then grain—which are consumed by a second group of seven, which are withered and evil-looking. The nature of these dreams makes it clear they have meaning, but none of the Egyptian diviners or scholars can make sense of them. This will lead one servant—the formerly jailed cupbearer—to finally mention Joseph and his ability to interpret dreams (Genesis 40:23).

Joseph's status in Genesis 41 begins as "forgotten Hebrew prison slave" and ends as "the second most powerful man in Egypt." The cupbearer from the previous chapter finally mentions Joseph two years later, when Pharaoh is troubled by dreams which wise men can't interpret. Joseph reveals the meaning of the dreams: seven years of abundance will be followed by seven years of great famine in the land. Pharaoh, recognizing that God's Spirit is with Joseph, makes him second in command over the entire nation and tasks him with preparing for the famine.

Joseph was sold into slavery by his own brothers (Genesis 37:24–28). He then excelled in his work for an Egyptian official, only to be falsely accused and imprisoned (Genesis 39:20). There, he accurately interpreted dreams for servants of the Egyptian ruler (Genesis 40:20–22). Unfortunately, the restored cupbearer failed to mention Joseph, leaving him in prison for two more years (Genesis 40:23). A series of disturbing dreams leads to Joseph's audience with Pharaoh. This, in turn, leads to Joseph becoming the second most powerful man in the nation. The following chapters emphasize Joseph's reunion with his family. Details about his administration of food during the famine are recorded in Genesis 47:13–26.

The book of Genesis establishes fundamental truths about God. Among these are His role as the Creator, His holiness, His hatred of sin, His love for mankind, and His willingness to provide for our redemption. We learn not only where mankind has come from, but why the world is in its present form. The book also presents the establishment of Israel, God's chosen people. Many of the principles given in other parts of Scripture depend on the basic ideas presented here in the book of Genesis. Within the framework of the Bible, Genesis explains the bare-bones history of the universe leading up to the captivity of Israel in Egypt, setting the stage for the book of Exodus.

Accessed 5/1/2024 8:18:58 PM