New King James Version
Genesis 41:18
18Suddenly seven cows came up out of the river, fine looking and fat; and they fed in the meadow.
Genesis 41:18 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)And, behold, there came up out of the river seven kine, fatfleshed and well favoured; and they fed in a meadow:
- New International Version (NIV)when out of the river there came up seven cows, fat and sleek, and they grazed among the reeds.
- English Standard Version (ESV)Seven cows, plump and attractive, came up out of the Nile and fed in the reed grass.
- New Living Translation (NLT)and I saw seven fat, healthy cows come up out of the river and begin grazing in the marsh grass.
Context of Genesis 41:18
16So Joseph answered Pharaoh, saying, “It is not in me; God will give Pharaoh an answer of peace.” 17Then Pharaoh said to Joseph: “Behold, in my dream I stood on the bank of the river. Suddenly seven cows came up out of the river, fine looking and fat; and they fed in the meadow. 19Then behold, seven other cows came up after them, poor and very ugly and gaunt, such ugliness as I have never seen in all the land of Egypt. 20And the gaunt and ugly cows ate up the first seven, the fat cows.
Read all of Genesis 41Genesis 41:18 word by word
וְהִנֵּ֣ה מִן־הַיְאֹ֗ר עֹלֹת֙ שֶׁ֣בַע פָּר֔וֹת בְּרִיא֥וֹת בָּשָׂ֖ר וִיפֹ֣ת תֹּ֑אַר וַתִּרְעֶ֖ינָה בָּאָֽחוּ׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- And, behold, there came upעָלָה‛âlâh · to ascend: riseH5927
- out of the riverיְאֹרye'ôr · NileH2975
- sevenשֶׁ֫בַעsheba‛ shib‛âh · sevenH7651
- kineפָּרָהpârâh · heiferH6510
- fatfleshedבָּשָׂרbâώâr · fleshH1320
- fatfleshedבָּרִיאbârîy' · fatH1277
- and wellיָפֶהyâpheh · beautifulH3303
- favouredתֹּ֫אַרtô'ar · appearanceH8389
- and they fedרָעָהrâ‛âh · to pastureH7462
- in a meadowאָחוּ'âchû · meadowH260
Cross-references for Genesis 41:18
Commentaries on Genesis 41:18
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 18Seven kine, fat-fleshed - See Clarke on Genesis 41:2; (note). And observe farther, that the seven fat and the seven lean kine coming out of the same river plainly show, at once, the cause both of the plenty and the dearth. It is well known that there is scarcely any rain in Egypt; and that the country depends for its fertility on the overflowing of the Nile; and that the fertility is in proportion to the duration and quantity of the overflow. We may…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 1-57Verses 1-57 - Joseph Was Exalted 1. יאר ye'or “river, canal,” mostly applied to the Nile. Some suppose the word to be Coptic. 2. אחוּ 'āchû “sedge, reed-grass, marsh-grass.” This word is probably Coptic. 8. חרטמים charṭumı̂ym ̓̀ exēgētai ̔͂ hierogrammateis “sacred scribes, hieroglyphs.” חרט chereṭ “stylus,” a graving tool. 43. אברך 'abrēk “bend the knee.” In this sense it is put for הברך habrēk imperative hiphil of ברך bārak Those who take the…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 9-32Verses 9-32 God's time for the enlargement of his people is the fittest time. If the chief butler had got Joseph to be released from prison, it is probable he would have gone back to the land of the Hebrews. Then he had neither been so blessed himself, nor such a blessing to his family, as afterwards he proved. Joseph, when introduced to Pharaoh, gives honour to God. Pharaoh had dreamed that he stood upon the bank of the river Nile, and saw the kine, both…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 17-24Pharaoh recounted his dreams and testified that no human wisdom could interpret them.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1818. there came up out of the river seven kine--Cows now, of the buffalo kind, are seen daily plunging into the Nile; when their huge form is gradually emerging, they seem as if rising "out of the river." and they fed in a meadow--Nile grass, the aquatic plants that grow on the marshy banks of that river, particularly the lotus kind, on which cattle were usually fattened.Read the comment
Topics related to Genesis 41:18
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Genesis 41
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Rashi on Tanakh
- Calvin’s Commentaries
- Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
- John Wesley’s Notes
- Darby Translation Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
- Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
New King James Version — © 1982 Thomas Nelson, Inc
Commentaries