Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Genesis 41:4
And the ill favored and leanfleshed kine did eat up the seven well favored and fat kine. So Pharaoh awoke.
4. did eat up ] The fantastic side of the dream. Cf. Gen 40:11; Gen 40:17.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
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.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
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 ( B , 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.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
So Pharaoh awoke: 1Ki 3:15
Reciprocal: Gen 41:3 – ill favoured Gen 41:54 – the seven Deu 17:1 – sheep