GEN 41

Genesis 41:2

WEB

Behold, seven cattle came up out of the river. They were sleek and fat, and they fed in the marsh grass.

BSB

when seven cows, sleek and well-fed, came up from the river and began to graze among the reeds.

KJV

And, behold, there came up out of the river seven well favoured kine and fatfleshed; and they fed in a meadow.

Matthew Henry

Verses 1–8

Genesis 41:1–8

Observe, 1. The delay of Joseph's enlargement. It was not till the end of two full years (Gen 41:1); so long he waited after he had entrusted the chief butler with his case and began to have some prospect of relief. Note, We have need of patience, not only bearing, but waiting, patience. Joseph lay in prison until the time that his word came, Psa 105:19. There is a time set for the deliverance of God's people; that time will come, though it seem to tarry; and, when it comes, it will appear to have been the best time, and therefore we ought to wait for it (Hab 2:3), and not think two full years too long to continue waiting. 2. The means of Joseph's enlargement, which were Pharaoh's dreams, here related. If we were to look upon them as ordinary dreams, we might observe from them the follies and absurdities of a roving working fancy, how it represents to itself tame cows as beasts of prey (nay, more ravenous than any, eating up those of their own kind), and ears of corn as devouring one another. Surely in the multitude of dreams, nay, even in one dream, there are divers vanities, Ecc 5:7. Now that God no longer speaks to us in that way, I think it is no matter how little we either heed them or tell them. Foolish dreams related can make no better than foolish talk. But these dreams which Pharaoh dreamed carried their own evidence with them that they were sent of God; and therefore, when he awoke, his spirit was troubled, Gen 41:8. It cannot but put us into a concern to receive any extraordinary message from heaven, because we are conscious to ourselves that we have no reason to expect any good tidings thence. His magicians were puzzled, the rules of their art failed them: these dreams of Pharaoh, it seems, did not fall within the compass of them, so that they could not offer at the interpretation of them. This was to make Joseph's performance by the Spirit of God the more admirable. Human reason, prudence, and foresight, must be nonplussed, that divine revelation may appear the more glorious in the contrivance of our redemption, Co1 2:13, Co1 2:14. Compare with this story, Dan 2:27; Dan 4:7; Dan 5:8. Joseph's own dreams were the occasion of his troubles, and now Pharaoh's dreams were the occasion of his enlargement.

Cross-references: Gen 41:1 · Ps 105:19 · Hab 2:3 · Eccl 5:7 · Gen 41:8 · 1Cor 2:13 · 1Cor 2:14 · Dan 2:27 · Dan 4:7 · Dan 5:8

Hebrew interlinear

H2009

הִנֵּהhinnêh/hin-nay'/

dp — lo!

Derivation: prolongation for 2005;

lo!

KJV: behold, lo, see.

הִנֵּה

demonstr.part — lo!

הִנֵּה, once הִנֶּה־ Gn 19:2, demonstr.part. lo!, behold!

H4480

מִןmin/min/

prep — part, from, out of

Derivation: or מִנִּי; or מִנֵּי; (constructive plural) (Isaiah 30:11); for 4482;

properly, a part of; hence (prepositionally), from or out of in many senses

KJV: above, after, among, at, because of, by (reason of), from (among), in, × neither, × nor, (out) of, over, since, × then, through, × whether, with.

מִן־

prep — out of

מִן־, and מִ, before יְ, prep. expressing the idea of separation, hence out of, from, on account of, off, on the side of, since, above, than, so that not

1. with verbs expressing (or implying) separation or removal

a. from, against

b. מן also, without a verb of similar significance, sometimes expresses the idea of separation, away from, far from

c. of position, off, on the side of, on

2. Out of, Gk. ἐκ, Lat. ex

3. Partitively

4. Of time

a. as marking the terminus a quo, the anterior limit of a continuous period from, since

b. as marking the period immediately succeeding the limit after

c. towards, to

5. (וְעַד) עַדמִן from … even to

6. In comparisons, beyond, above

7. מן is prefixed to an infin.:

a. with causal force, from, on account of, through

b. after verbs implying restraint, prevention, cessation, etc.

c. with a temporal force, since, after

8. Once as a conj. before a finite verb. that

9. In compounds:

מֵן

n. [m.] — portion

[מֵן] n. [m.] portion

H2975

יְאֹרyᵉʼôr/yeh-ore'/

n-m — channel, Nile, Tigris

Derivation: of Egyptian origin;

a channel, e.g. a fosse, canal, shaft; specifically the Nile, as the one river of Egypt, including its collateral trenches; also the Tigris, as the main river of Assyria

KJV: brook, flood, river, stream.

יְאֹר

n.m — stream of the Nile

יְאֹר, יְאוֹר n.m. stream of the Nile, stream, canal

H5927

עָלָהʻâlâh/aw-law'/

v — ascend, high, mount

Derivation: a primitive root;

to ascend, intransitively (be high) or actively (mount); used in a great variety of senses, primary and secondary, literal and figurative

KJV: arise (up), (cause to) ascend up, at once, break (the day) (up), bring (up), (cause to) burn, carry up, cast up, shew, climb (up), (cause to, make to) come (up), cut off, dawn, depart, exalt, excel, fall, fetch up, get up, (make to) go (away, up); grow (over) increase, lay, leap, levy, lift (self) up, light, (make) up, × mention, mount up, offer, make to pay, perfect, prefer, put (on), raise, recover, restore, (make to) rise (up), scale, set (up), shoot forth (up), (begin to) spring (up), stir up, take away (up), work.

עָלָה

vb — go up

עָלָה 890 vb. go up, ascend, climb

Qal

1. of persons, go up, ascend, in local relations

2. go up, in personal relations

3. of animals, go or come up

4. of vegetation, spring up, grow, shoot forth

5. of natural phenom., go up, rise

6. of inanimate things, instead of passive construction

7. of thoughts

8. come up before God, arrogance

9. go up, extend, of boundary

10. excel

Niph.

1.

a. be brought up

b. be taken up

c.

(1). pass., be taken up, away

(2). reflex., take oneself away from, get up from

2. reflex.: take oneself away

3. be exalted, of God

Hiph.

1. bring up persons

2. in personal relations

3. bring up animals

4. cause to ascend

5. mentally

6. offer a present; bring up tithe to

7. exalt

8. cause to ascend (in flame), offer sacrifice

Hoph.

1. be carried away

2. be taken up into, inserted in

3. be offered

Hithp. lift oneself

H7651

שֶׁבַעshebaʻ/sheh'-bah/

n — seven, full, seven times, week, indefinite

Derivation: or (masculine) (שִׁבְעָה); from 7650; a primitive cardinal number;

seven (as the sacred full one); also (adverbially) seven times; by implication, a week; by extension, an indefinite number

KJV: ( by) seven(-fold),-s, (-teen, -teenth), -th, times). Compare 7658.

שֶׁ֫בַע

n.m — seven

שֶׁ֫בַע, שִׁבְעָה 394 n.m. et f. seven

H6510

פָּרָהpârâh/paw-raw'/

n-f — heifer

Derivation: feminine of 6499;

a heifer

KJV: cow, heifer, kine.

פָּרָה

n.f — heifer

פָּרָה 26 n.f. heifer, cow

H3303

יָפֶהyâpheh/yaw-feh'/

a — beautiful

Derivation: from 3302;

beautiful (literally or figuratively)

KJV: beautiful, beauty, comely, fair(-est, one), goodly, pleasant, well.

יָפֶה

adj — fair

יָפֶה adj. fair, beautiful

H4758

מַרְאֶהmarʼeh/mar-eh'/

n-m — view, appearance

Derivation: from 7200a;

a view (the act of seeing); also an appearance (the thing seen), whether (real) a shape (especially if handsome, comeliness; often plural the looks), or (mental) a vision

KJV: × apparently, appearance(-reth), × as soon as beautiful(-ly), countenance, fair, favoured, form, goodly, to look (up) on (to), look(-eth), pattern, to see, seem, sight, visage, vision.

מַרְאֶה

n.m — sight

מַרְאֶה 102 n.m. sight, appearance, vision

1.

a. sight, phenomenon, spectacle

b. appearance

c. appearance, sight, vision

2. in gen. what is seen

3. specif. a (supernat.) vision

4. sight, vision = power of seeing (and enjoying), late

H1277

בָּרִיאbârîyʼ/baw-ree'/

a — fatted, plump

Derivation: from 1254 (in the sense of 1262);

fatted or plump

KJV: fat ((fleshed), -ter), fed, firm, plenteous, rank.

בָּרִיא

adj — fat

בָּרִיא adj. fat

H1320

בָּשָׂרbâsâr/baw-sawr'/

n-m — flesh, freshness, body, person, pudenda

Derivation: from 1319;

flesh (from its freshness); by extension, body, person; also (by euphemistically) the pudenda of a man

KJV: body, (fat, lean) flesh(-ed), kin, (man-) kind, nakedness, self, skin.

בָּשָׂר

n.m — flesh

בָּשָׂר 266 n.m. flesh

1. of the body

2. flesh for the body itself

3. male organ of generation (euphemism)

4. flesh for kindred, blood-relations

5. man over against God as frail or erring

H7462

רָעָהrâʻâh/raw-aw'/

v — tend, pasture, graze, rule, associate

Derivation: a primitive root;

to tend a flock; i.e. pasture it; intransitively, to graze (literally or figuratively); generally to rule; by extension, to associate with (as a friend)

KJV: × break, companion, keep company with, devour, eat up, evil entreat, feed, use as a friend, make friendship with, herdman, keep (sheep) (-er), pastor, shearing house, shepherd, wander, waste.

בֵּית־עֵ֫קֶד הָרֹעִים

n.pr.loc — shearing house

בֵּית־עֵ֫קֶד הָרֹעִים perh. n.pr.loc. (binding-house of the shepherds) 2 K 10:12

רָעָה

vb. denom — be a special friend

[רָעָה] vb. denom. Pi. be a special friend;—Ju 14:20

רָעָה

vb — associate with

[רָעָה] vb. prob. associate with

Qal cherish faithfulness

Hithp. do not make companionship with a bad-tempered man

רָעָה

vb — pasture

רָעָה 167 vb. pasture, tend, graze

Qal

1. trans.

2. intrans.

Niph. poss.

Hiph. v.

H260

אָחוּʼâchûw/aw'-khoo/

n-m — bulrush

Derivation: of uncertain (perhaps Egyptian) derivation;

a bulrush or any marshy grass (particularly that along the Nile)

KJV: flag, meadow.

אָחוּ

n.m — reeds

אָחוּ n.m. Jb 8:11 coll. reeds, rushes

Bible49 app

Get translation compare, commentary, and interlinear study — offline, on iPhone and Mac.

See Bible49