Genesis 41:4

Gen 41:4 And the ill favoured and leanfleshed kine did eat up the seven well favoured and fat kine. So Pharaoh awoke.

Ver. 4. Did eat up the seven, &c.] In famine is not only outward want, but a greedy dog-like appetite within (Bουλιμια, appetitas caninus), that an ordinary meal sufficeth not, {Isa 9:20} but men are ready to eat one another: as they did at Potidea, in the Peloponnesian war; at Utica, when it was besieged by Hamilcar the father of Hannibal; at Jerusalem, when it was beleaguered by Vespasian; at Tunis, in the African war, when the soldiers were tithed, that is, every tenth man was cut in pieces and devoured. Such a famine there was at Rome in the days of Honorius the Emperor, that they were ready to eat one another; and this voice was heard in the place of public meeting, Pone precium humanae carni. At Antioch in Syria, many of the Christians, in the holy war, through famine, devoured the dead bodies of their recently slain enemies. At the siege of Scodra, they were well-nigh put to this extremity, when horses were dainty meat; yea, they were glad to eat dogs, cats, rats, and the skins of beasts sod. It exceedeth all credit, to tell at what exceeding great price a little mouse was sold, or puddings made of dogs’ guts. {a} And if our relations deceived us not, such things as these we heard of lately, to have happened in Germany. Alterius perditio, tua cautio. Seest thou another man perish? see to thyself.

{a} Thucyd.; Polyb.; Joseph.; Manlii., loc. com. 278; Alsted., Chronol., p. 300; Turk. Hist., fol. 18, 426.

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

4. did eat up] The fantastic side of the dream. Cf. Gen_40:11; Gen_40:17.

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

And the ill favoured and leanfleshed kine did eat up the seven well favoured and fat kine,.... So it seemed in the dream as if this was done, was very strange and surprising that animals should devour one another; and especially that tame ones, cows or heifers, should eat those of their own species, which was never known to be done:

so Pharaoh awoke; through surprise at the strange sight he had in his dream.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

And the ill-favored and lean fleshed kine did eat up the seven we favored and fat kine without there being any effect to show that they had eaten them (ver. 21). So (literally, and) Pharaoh awoke.

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

undesirable and thin

"weak and skinny." See how you translated this phrase in Genesis 41:3.

desirable and fat

"healthy and well-fed." See how you translated this phrase in Genesis 41:2.

woke up

"awakened"

a second time

The word "second" is an ordinal number. AT: "again" (See: Ordinal Numbers)

Behold, seven heads

The word "behold" here shows that Pharaoh was surprised by what he saw.

heads of grain

The heads are parts of the corn plant on which the seeds grow.

came up on one stalk

"grew up on one stem." The stalk is the thick or tall part of a plant.

on one stalk, wholesome and good

"on one stock and they were healthy and beautiful"

thin and scorched by the east wind

This can be stated in active form. AT: "that were thin and burned because of the hot wind from the east" (See: Active or Passive)

the east wind

Wind from the east blew in from the desert. The heat of the east wind was often very destructive.

sprouted up

"grew up" or "developed"

translationWords

cow

Pharaoh

dream

grain

unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.

ותאכלנה AND THEY ATE — indicating that all the joy occasioned by the years of plenty would be forgotten in the days of famine.

Rashi on the Tanakh — English translations: “The Judaica Press complete Tanach with Rashi, translated by A. J. Rosenberg” (CC BY 4.0); “Pentateuch with Rashi's commentary by M. Rosenbaum and A.M. Silbermann, 1929-1934” (public domain); “The Metsudah Tanach series, Lakewood, N.J” (CC BY 4.0); and “The Book of Joshua, Metsudah Publications, 1997” (CC BY 4.0). Text via Sefaria.

AND THE COWS ATE UP. In my opinion this is a sign that the years of famine shall consume the years of plenty. It is from this that Joseph inferred that he should tell Pharaoh, And let them store up all the food of those good years, And the food shall serve as a reserve for the land against the seven years of famine, as he saw that the healthy cows and ears of corn were absorbed by the lean ones. This was no mere counsel which Joseph proposed, for was he appointed to be a counselor of the king? It was only in connection with the interpretation of the dream that he said thus: And the plenty shall be forgotten, And the plenty shall not be known. These words of Joseph constitute the interpretation of: It could not be known that they had eaten them up, their appearance being bad as previously, for Joseph saw that by their consumption of the fat cows, the lean ones did not become fine and plump. They served them for subsistence only, for had they not eaten them they would have died in their lean state. This is unlike Rashi, who says that the plenty shall be forgotten is the interpretation of the eating itself., are the interpretation of the aspect of the dream expressed by: It could not be known that they had eaten them up.

Ramban (Nachmanides) on the Tanakh — English translation: “Commentary on the Torah by Ramban (Nachmanides). Translated and annotated by Charles B. Chavel. New York, Shilo Pub. House, 1971-1976” (CC BY 4.0). Text via Sefaria.

ותאכלנה, this is the explanation of the strange behaviour of the seven lean cows, i.e. that during the seven years of famine the seven good years of plenty would be absorbed as if they had never existed. No trace would remain of the seven good years.

Radak on the Tanakh — English translations: “Sefaria Community Translation” (CC0 1.0 (public-domain dedication)); “Eliyahu Munk, HaChut Hameshulash” (CC BY 4.0); “Rabbi Mike Feuer, Jerusalem Anthology” (CC BY 4.0); and “R. David Kimhi on the first book of Psalms, Translated by R.G. Finch, London, 1919” (public domain). Text via Sefaria.