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:

GENESIS 41:19KJV
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Genesis 41:19 (KJV)

What does Genesis 41:19 mean?

Genesis 41:19 describes seven cows that came up after the first group, but these were in very poor condition—thin, sickly, and looking worse than any cows the speaker had ever seen in Egypt. The verse emphasizes just how unhealthy and miserable these cows appeared, highlighting their extreme badness.

In this verse, Pharaoh is recounting his troubling dream to Joseph. He describes the second set of cows as "poor and very ill favoured and leanfleshed," using strong language to stress their terrible state. This vivid description sets up the contrast between the healthy cows and these unhealthy ones, which is crucial for understanding the dream’s meaning in the story.

The Hebrew behind Genesis 41:19

  • "poor" (דַּלּוֹת, dalot): This word means weak or thin, emphasizing the cows’ frailty and lack of strength.
  • "very" (מְאֹד, me'od): This intensifier stresses just how bad the cows’ condition was, not just ill-favored but extremely so.
  • "ill favoured" (רָע, ra‘): This word means bad or evil, but here it refers to the cows’ appearance—ugly or unhealthy looking.
  • "leanfleshed" (רַקּוֹת בָּשָׂר, raqqot basar): This phrase means thin of flesh, pointing to the cows being emaciated, with barely any meat on their bones.
  • "badness" (רָעָה, ra‘ah): This word for "badness" underlines just how unusually terrible these cows looked, worse than anything seen before in Egypt.

Why Genesis 41:19 matters

  • The verse highlights the severity of the famine that Pharaoh’s dream is predicting, using the image of the worst cows he has ever seen to drive home the point.
  • The strong language and repetition make it clear that this is not a normal occurrence, signaling to Joseph (and the reader) that the dream is about something extraordinary and alarming.
  • This description sets up the contrast needed for Joseph’s interpretation, showing that the coming hardship will be unlike anything Egypt has experienced before.

Where else these words appear

“leanfleshed” Hebrew H7534 · used in 3 verses

  • Genesis 41:20 And the lean and the ill favoured kine did eat up the first seven fat kine:
  • Genesis 41:27 And the seven thin and ill favoured kine that came up after them are seven years; and the seven empty ears blasted with the east wind shall be seven years of famine.

“poor” Hebrew H1803 · used in 8 verses

  • 2 Kings 24:14 And he carried away all Jerusalem, and all the princes, and all the mighty men of valour, even ten thousand captives, and all the craftsmen and smiths: none remained, save the poorest sort of the people of the land.
  • Song of Solomon 7:5 Thine head upon thee is like Carmel, and the hair of thine head like purple; the king is held in the galleries.
  • Jeremiah 40:7 Now when all the captains of the forces which were in the fields, even they and their men, heard that the king of Babylon had made Gedaliah the son of Ahikam governor in the land, and had committed unto him men, and women, and children, and of the poor of the land, of them that were not carried away captive to Babylon;

“favoured” Hebrew H8389 · used in 15 verses

  • Genesis 29:17 Leah was tender eyed; but Rachel was beautiful and well favoured.
  • Judges 8:18 Then said he unto Zebah and Zalmunna, What manner of men were they whom ye slew at Tabor? And they answered, As thou art, so were they; each one resembled the children of a king.
  • Esther 2:7 And he brought up Hadassah, that is, Esther, his uncle's daughter: for she had neither father nor mother, and the maid was fair and beautiful; whom Mordecai, when her father and mother were dead, took for his own daughter.

“badness” Hebrew H7455 · used in 19 verses

  • Deuteronomy 28:20 The LORD shall send upon thee cursing, vexation, and rebuke, in all that thou settest thine hand unto for to do, until thou be destroyed, and until thou perish quickly; because of the wickedness of thy doings, whereby thou hast forsaken me.
  • Jeremiah 4:4 Circumcise yourselves to the LORD, and take away the foreskins of your heart, ye men of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem: lest my fury come forth like fire, and burn that none can quench it, because of the evil of your doings.
  • Jeremiah 24:8 And as the evil figs, which cannot be eaten, they are so evil; surely thus saith the LORD, So will I give Zedekiah the king of Judah, and his princes, and the residue of Jerusalem, that remain in this land, and them that dwell in the land of Egypt: