Behold, there came up out of the river seven cattle, sleek and fat, and they fed in the marsh grass.
Parallel translations
- KJV And, behold, there came up out of the river seven well favoured kine and fatfleshed; and they fed in a meadow.
- BSB when seven cows, sleek and well-fed, came up from the river and began to graze among the reeds.
- NKJV Suddenly there came up out of the river seven cows, fine looking and fat; and they fed in the meadow.
- NASB And behold, from the Nile seven cows came up, fine-looking and fat; and they grazed in the marsh grass.
- NLT In his dream he saw seven fat, healthy cows come up out of the river and begin grazing in the marsh grass.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Pharaoh sees seven healthy, fat cattle come up from the river to graze.
Overview
The sleek cattle picture coming years of agricultural plenty in Egypt, whose prosperity depended on the Nile. God communicates future events through imagery rooted in Egypt's own setting. The dream is the first half of a single message about what God is about to do.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 1
- Isa 19:6The rivers will become foul. The streams of Egypt will be diminished and dried up. The reeds and flags will wither away.
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Christ at the center
From the first promise that the seed of the woman would crush the serpent (3:15), through Abraham's blessing to all nations and Judah's coming ruler, Genesis sows every seed that flowers in Christ — the true offspring, the better Adam, the ram caught for Isaac.
How Genesis 41:2 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
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