Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Genesis 41:23
And, behold, seven ears, withered, thin, [and] blasted with the east wind, sprung up after them:
23. withered ] The Hebrew word occurs here only in O.T., and is omitted by LXX and Lat.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
23. blasted with the eastwinddestructive everywhere to grain, but particularly so inEgypt; where, sweeping over the sandy deserts of Arabia, it comes inthe character of a hot, blighting wind, that quickly withers allvegetation (compare Eze 19:12;Hos 13:15).
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
And, behold, seven ears withered,…. Here a new epithet of the bad ears is given, and expressed by a word nowhere else used, which Ben Melech interprets, small, little, according to the use of the word in the Misnah; Aben Ezra, void, empty, such as had no grains of corn in them, nothing but husk or chaff, and observes that some render it images; for the word is so used in the Arabic language, and may signify that these ears were only mere shadows or images of ears, which had no substance in them: Jarchi says, the word, in the Syriac language signifies a rock, and so it denotes that these ears were dry as a rock, and had no moisture in them, laid dried, burnt up, and blasted with the east wind.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
(23) Withered.This word occurs only in this place. Its meaning is stony, that is, the grains were shrivelled and hard like bits of grit.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
withered: or, small
thin: Gen 41:6, 2Ki 19:26, Psa 129:6, Psa 129:7, Hos 8:7, Hos 9:16, Hos 13:15
blasted: All the mischief done to corn or fruit by blasting, smutting, mildew, etc. are attributed to the east wind – see parallel passages. In Egypt it is peculiarly destructive, because it comes through the parched deserts of Arabia, often destroying vast numbers of people. The destructive nature of the Sam, Simoom, Smoom, or Samiel, is mentioned by almost all travellers. When this pestilential wind advances, its approach is indicated by a redness in the air. The principal stream of the blast always moves in a line of about 20 yards in breadth, and 12 feet above the surface of the earth; but its parching influence pervades all places to a considerable distance. The only means of preservation from its noxious influence is to lie flat, with the face upon the ground, till the blast be over. Camels and other animals instinctively perceive its approach, and bury their mouths and nostrils in the ground. It rarely last more than seven or eight minutes, but so poisonous are its effects, that it instantly suffocates those who are unfortunate enough to inhale it.