Discovery BoxGenesis 41:26-30 
Context41:26 The seven good cows represent seven years, and the seven good heads of grain represent seven years. Both dreams have the same meaning. 1 41:27 The seven lean, bad-looking cows that came up after them represent seven years, as do the seven empty heads of grain burned with the east wind. They represent 2 seven years of famine. 41:28 This is just what I told 3 Pharaoh: God has shown Pharaoh what he is about to do. 41:29 Seven years of great abundance are coming throughout the whole land of Egypt. 41:30 But seven years of famine will occur 4 after them, and all the abundance will be forgotten in the land of Egypt. The famine will devastate 5 the land.
1 tn Heb “one dream it is.”
2 tn Heb “are.” Another option is to translate, “There will be seven years of famine.”
3 tn Heb “it is the word that I spoke.”
4 tn The perfect with the vav consecutive continues the time frame of the preceding participle, which has an imminent future nuance here.
5 tn The Hebrew verb כָּלָה (kalah) in the Piel stem means “to finish, to destroy, to bring an end to.” The severity of the famine will ruin the land of Egypt.
