Genesis 41:4

41:4 The bad-looking, thin cows ate the seven fine-looking, fat cows. Then Pharaoh woke up.

Genesis 41:6

41:6 Then ¹  seven heads of grain, thin and burned by the east wind, were sprouting up after them.

Genesis 41:23

41:23 Then ²  seven heads of grain, withered and thin and burned with the east wind, were sprouting up after them.

Genesis 41:3

41:3 Then seven bad-looking, thin cows were coming up after them from the Nile, ³  and they stood beside the other cows at the edge of the river. ⁴ 

Genesis 41:7

41:7 The thin heads swallowed up the seven healthy and full heads. Then Pharaoh woke up and realized it was a dream. ⁵ 

Genesis 41:24

41:24 The thin heads of grain swallowed up the seven good heads of grain. So I told all this ⁶  to the diviner-priests, but no one could tell me its meaning.” ⁷ 

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¹ tn Heb “And look.”

² tn Heb “And look.”

³ tn Heb “And look, seven other cows were coming up after them from the Nile, bad of appearance and thin of flesh.”

⁴ tn Heb “the Nile.” This has been replaced by “the river” in the translation for stylistic reasons.

⁵ tn Heb “And look, a dream.”

sn Pharaoh’s two dreams, as explained in the following verses, pertained to the economy of Egypt. Because of the Nile River, the land of Egypt weathered all kinds of famines – there was usually grain in Egypt, and if there was grain and water the livestock would flourish. These two dreams, however, indicated that poverty would overtake plenty and that the blessing of the herd and the field would cease.

⁶ tn The words “all this” have been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

⁷ tn Heb “and there was no one telling me.”