Bible Strands
Genesis 41:19
After them, seven other cows—sickly, ugly, and thin—came up. I have never seen such ugly cows in all the land of Egypt!
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Joseph addresses Pharaoh during the dream interpretation, describing the second phase of the vision immediately after the seven healthy cows emerge from the Nile (Genesis 41:19).
The words — דַּלּוֹת (da.Lot) denotes physical weakness or emaciation, while רָע֥וֹת (ra.'ot) conveys a state of being visually repulsive or displeasing.
The thread — The verse extends the dream’s sequential livestock imagery, marking the transition from the first phase of abundance to the second phase of devastation that the surrounding verses frame as a prophetic warning (Genesis 41:18, 20).
Why it lands — It requires the reader to register the deliberate visual contrast in the vision to anticipate the coming reversal of prosperity.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
And, behold, seven other kine came up after them, poor and very ill favoured and leanfleshed, such as I never saw in all the land of Egypt for badness: