Genesis 41:20
New International Version
The lean, ugly cows ate up the seven fat cows that came up first.

New Living Translation
These thin, scrawny cows ate the seven fat cows.

English Standard Version
And the thin, ugly cows ate up the first seven plump cows,

Berean Standard Bible
Then the thin, ugly cows devoured the seven well-fed cows that were there first.

King James Bible
And the lean and the ill favoured kine did eat up the first seven fat kine:

New King James Version
And the gaunt and ugly cows ate up the first seven, the fat cows.

New American Standard Bible
and the thin and ugly cows ate the first seven fat cows.

NASB 1995
and the lean and ugly cows ate up the first seven fat cows.

NASB 1977
and the lean and ugly cows ate up the first seven fat cows.

Legacy Standard Bible
and the lean and ugly cows ate up the first seven fat cows.

Amplified Bible
And the lean and ugly cows ate up the first seven fat cows.

Christian Standard Bible
Then the thin, sickly cows ate the first seven well-fed cows.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
Then the thin, ugly cows ate the first seven well-fed cows.

American Standard Version
and the lean and ill-favored kine did eat up the first seven fat kine:

Contemporary English Version
The skinny cows ate the fat ones.

English Revised Version
and the lean and ill favoured kine did eat up the first seven fat kine:

GOD'S WORD® Translation
The thin, sickly cows ate up the seven well-fed ones.

Good News Translation
The thin cows ate up the fat ones,

International Standard Version
But those thin, gaunt cows gobbled up the first seven healthy cows!

Majority Standard Bible
Then the thin, ugly cows devoured the seven well-fed cows that were there first.

NET Bible
The lean, bad-looking cows ate up the seven fat cows.

New Heart English Bible
The thin and miserable-looking cows ate up the first seven fat cows.

Webster's Bible Translation
And the lean and the ill-favored cows ate up the first seven fat cows:

World English Bible
The thin and ugly cattle ate up the first seven fat cattle;
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
And the lean and the bad cows eat up the first seven fat cows,

Young's Literal Translation
'And the lean and the bad kine eat up the first seven fat kine,

Smith's Literal Translation
And the heifers thin and evil will devour the first seven fat heifers.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
And the devoured and consumed the former,

Catholic Public Domain Version
These devoured and consumed the first,

New American Bible
The gaunt, bad cows devoured the first seven fat cows.

New Revised Standard Version
The thin and ugly cows ate up the first seven fat cows,
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
And the lean and ill-favored cows ate up the first seven fat cows;

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
And the sickly and ill cows ate the seven former fat cows:
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
And the lean and ill-favoured kine did eat up the first seven fat kine.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
And the seven ill-favoured and thin cows ate up the seven first good and choice cows.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Joseph Interprets Pharaoh's Dreams
19After them, seven other cows—sickly, ugly, and thin—came up. I have never seen such ugly cows in all the land of Egypt! 20Then the thin, ugly cows devoured the seven well-fed cows that were there first. 21When they had devoured them, however, no one could tell that they had done so; their appearance was as ugly as it had been before. Then I awoke.…

Cross References
Exodus 7:12
Each one threw down his staff, and it became a serpent. But Aaron’s staff swallowed up the other staffs.

Daniel 2:31-35
As you, O king, were watching, a great statue appeared. A great and dazzling statue stood before you, and its form was awesome. / The head of the statue was pure gold, its chest and arms were silver, its belly and thighs were bronze, / its legs were iron, and its feet were part iron and part clay. ...

Daniel 4:10-17
In these visions of my mind as I was lying in bed, I saw this come to pass: There was a tree in the midst of the land, and its height was great. / The tree grew large and strong; its top reached the sky, and it was visible to the ends of the earth. / Its leaves were beautiful, its fruit was abundant, and upon it was food for all. Under it the beasts of the field found shelter, in its branches the birds of the air nested, and from it every creature was fed. ...

Psalm 105:16-22
He called down famine on the land and cut off all their supplies of food. / He sent a man before them—Joseph, sold as a slave. / They bruised his feet with shackles and placed his neck in irons, ...

Acts 7:11-13
Then famine and great suffering swept across Egypt and Canaan, and our fathers could not find food. / When Jacob heard that there was grain in Egypt, he sent our fathers on their first visit. / On their second visit, Joseph revealed his identity to his brothers, and his family became known to Pharaoh.

Job 33:15-18
In a dream, in a vision in the night, when deep sleep falls upon men as they slumber on their beds, / He opens their ears and terrifies them with warnings / to turn a man from wrongdoing and keep him from pride, ...

1 Kings 3:5
One night at Gibeon the LORD appeared to Solomon in a dream, and God said, “Ask, and I will give it to you!”

Matthew 13:25-30
But while everyone was asleep, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and slipped away. / When the wheat sprouted and bore grain, then the weeds also appeared. / The owner’s servants came to him and said, ‘Sir, didn’t you sow good seed in your field? Where then did the weeds come from?’ ...

Acts 2:17
‘In the last days, God says, I will pour out My Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams.

Joel 2:28
And afterward, I will pour out My Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions.

1 Corinthians 15:41-42
The sun has one degree of splendor, the moon another, and the stars another; and star differs from star in splendor. / So will it be with the resurrection of the dead: What is sown is perishable; it is raised imperishable.

Revelation 17:8
The beast that you saw—it was, and now is no more, but is about to come up out of the Abyss and go to its destruction. And those who dwell on the earth whose names were not written in the Book of Life from the foundation of the world will marvel when they see the beast that was, and is not, and yet will be.

Isaiah 29:8
as when a hungry man dreams he is eating, then awakens still hungry; as when a thirsty man dreams he is drinking, then awakens faint and parched. So will it be for all the many nations who go to battle against Mount Zion.

Jeremiah 23:28
Let the prophet who has a dream retell it, but let him who has My word speak it truthfully. For what is straw compared to grain?” declares the LORD.

Matthew 27:19
While Pilate was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent him this message: “Have nothing to do with that innocent man, for I have suffered terribly in a dream today because of Him.”


Treasury of Scripture

And the lean and the ill favored cows did eat up the first seven fat cows:

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Ate Bad Cattle Cows Eat Fat Favored First Gaunt Ill Ill-Favored Ill-Favoured Kine Lean Meal Seven Thin Ugly
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Ate Bad Cattle Cows Eat Fat Favored First Gaunt Ill Ill-Favored Ill-Favoured Kine Lean Meal Seven Thin Ugly
Genesis 41
1. Pharaoh has two dreams.
9. Joseph interprets them.
33. He gives Pharaoh counsel, and is highly advanced, and married.
46. The seven years of plenty.
50. He begets children.
53. The famine begins.














And the thin, ugly cows
This phrase introduces the second part of Pharaoh's dream, which Joseph later interprets. The Hebrew word for "thin" is "דַּקּוֹת" (dakkot), suggesting not just physical thinness but a lack of substance or vitality. The word "ugly" is translated from "רָעוֹת" (ra'ot), which can mean evil or bad, indicating a deeper, more ominous quality. In the context of the dream, these cows represent a period of famine and hardship. Historically, Egypt was known for its reliance on the Nile's flooding to sustain agriculture. A failure in this system would indeed lead to dire consequences, as symbolized by these cows.

devoured
The Hebrew word used here is "וַתֹּאכַלְנָה" (vato'chalna), which means to consume or eat up. This action is aggressive and total, indicating the severity of the famine that would consume the abundance previously enjoyed. In a spiritual sense, this can be seen as a warning of how quickly prosperity can be overtaken by adversity if not managed wisely. The act of devouring also suggests a complete and overwhelming takeover, leaving nothing behind.

the seven well-fed cows
The "seven well-fed cows" are described in Hebrew as "בְּרִיאוֹת בָּשָׂר" (briot basar), meaning healthy or fat in flesh. These cows symbolize the seven years of plenty that Egypt would experience. The number seven often represents completeness or perfection in the Bible, indicating a full cycle of abundance. This period of prosperity was a divine provision, a time to prepare for the coming famine. The historical context of Egypt's agricultural cycles underscores the importance of these years of plenty as a time of preparation and stewardship.

that were there first
This phrase emphasizes the sequence of events in Pharaoh's dream. The well-fed cows came first, highlighting the natural order of prosperity followed by hardship. The Hebrew word "רִאשֹׁנָה" (rishonah) means first or former, indicating precedence. This sequence serves as a reminder of the cyclical nature of life and the importance of foresight and planning. Scripturally, it underscores the principle of sowing and reaping, where times of abundance should be used to prepare for future challenges.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
Then the thin,
הָרַקּ֖וֹת (hā·raq·qō·wṯ)
Article | Adjective - feminine plural
Strong's 7534: Thin, only, altogether, surely

ugly
וְהָרָע֑וֹת (wə·hā·rā·‘ō·wṯ)
Conjunctive waw, Article | Adjective - feminine plural
Strong's 7451: Bad, evil

cows
הַפָּר֔וֹת (hap·pā·rō·wṯ)
Article | Noun - feminine plural
Strong's 6510: A heifer, cow

devoured
וַתֹּאכַ֙לְנָה֙ (wat·tō·ḵal·nāh)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person feminine plural
Strong's 398: To eat

the seven
שֶׁ֧בַע (še·ḇa‘)
Number - feminine singular
Strong's 7651: Seven, seven times, a week, an indefinite number

well-fed
הַבְּרִיאֹֽת׃ (hab·bə·rî·’ōṯ)
Article | Adjective - feminine plural
Strong's 1277: Fatted, plump

cows
הַפָּר֛וֹת (hap·pā·rō·wṯ)
Article | Noun - feminine plural
Strong's 6510: A heifer, cow

that were there first.
הָרִאשֹׁנ֖וֹת (hā·ri·šō·nō·wṯ)
Article | Adjective - feminine plural
Strong's 7223: First, in place, time, rank


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OT Law: Genesis 41:20 The thin and ugly cattle ate up (Gen. Ge Gn)
Genesis 41:19
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