Genesis 41:21 kjv

And when they had eaten them up, it could not be known that they had eaten them; but they were still ill favored, as at the beginning. So I awoke.

Genesis 41:21 nkjv

When they had eaten them up, no one would have known that they had eaten them, for they were just as ugly as at the beginning. So I awoke.

Genesis 41:21 niv

But even after they ate them, no one could tell that they had done so; they looked just as ugly as before. Then I woke up.

Genesis 41:21 esv

but when they had eaten them no one would have known that they had eaten them, for they were still as ugly as at the beginning. Then I awoke.

Genesis 41:21 nlt

But afterward you wouldn't have known it, for they were still as thin and scrawny as before! Then I woke up.

Genesis 41 verses

Genesis 41 21 Meaning

Pharaoh recounts his bewildering dream, specifically the portion where the thin, ugly cows consumed the seven fat, healthy cows. Despite this act of consumption, the lean cows showed no change or improvement in their appearance; they remained as gaunt and wretched as they were initially. This detail was the most disturbing aspect of the dream for Pharaoh, as it defied natural understanding and left him deeply troubled before he awoke. It signified an insatiable consumption that provided no nourishment or visible benefit.

Genesis 41 21 Context

Genesis chapter 41 details Pharaoh's two disturbing dreams, his inability to find an interpretation from Egypt's wise men and magicians, and the chief cupbearer's remembrance of Joseph. Pharaoh then sends for Joseph, who interprets the dreams as seven years of abundant harvest followed by seven years of severe famine. Verse 21 is a pivotal point in Pharaoh's retelling of his dream to Joseph, emphasizing the bewildering detail that made the dream particularly unsettling: the lean cows consuming the fat ones, yet showing no change. This specific anomaly underscored the dream's supernatural origin and prophetic weight. Historically, ancient Egyptians, deeply dependent on the Nile's annual floods for agricultural fertility, would have found a dream depicting such a bizarre agricultural event profoundly unsettling, signaling a divine message concerning the very source of their life and prosperity. The failure of the Egyptian wise men to interpret such a dream further highlighted its unique divine source, contrasting it with human wisdom.

Genesis 41 21 Word analysis

• וָאֹכַל (va'okhal) – "And I ate" / "When I had eaten them": This is a Waw-Consecutive imperfect verb from אָכַל (akhal), "to eat," signifying sequential action in Pharaoh's recount. Pharaoh describes his subjective experience of seeing the consumption. It’s an active observation, intensifying the personal impact of the strange event.
• אֹתָן (otan) – "them": A feminine plural pronoun referring specifically to the seven fat cows described earlier in Pharaoh's dream, emphasizing their identity as the consumed entities.
• וְלֹא (ve'lo) – "and not" / "it was not": A conjunction ("and") followed by the negative particle ("not"). It introduces a stark contrast, highlighting the absence of an expected outcome.
• נוֹדַע (noda') – "known" / "perceived": This is the Niphal (passive) perfect form of יָדַע (yada'), "to know." The phrase "it was not known" signifies that no discernible sign, proof, or outward indication appeared. The consumption was hidden or invisible in its effect, adding to the dream's baffling nature. This indicates a phenomenon beyond normal comprehension or physical law.
• כִּי־בָאוּ (ki-va'u) – "that they had come": The particle "that" introduces the content of what was not known. בָּאוּ is the Qal perfect of בּוֹא (bo'), "to come" or "to enter." It indicates that the fat cows (or their substance) had fully entered the lean cows.
• אֶל־קִרְבֶּן (el-qirban) – "into their inwards/middle/body": Comprised of the preposition אֶל (el), "into," and the noun קֶרֶב (qerev), "inward part" or "midst," with the feminine plural suffix "-hen" (referring to the ugly cows). This phrase specifies the completeness of the consumption – they were absorbed into the very being of the ugly cows.
• וּמַרְאֵיהֶן (u'mar'ehen) – "and their appearance": Conjunction ("and") and the noun מַרְאֶה (mar'eh), meaning "appearance," "sight," or "vision," with the feminine plural suffix "-hen" referring to the ugly cows. This emphasizes the visual, observable state of the lean cows.
• רַע (ra') – "bad" / "ugly": An adjective meaning "bad," "evil," "ugly," or "wretched." Here, it describes the deteriorated physical state of the ugly cows, highlighting their continued emaciated condition.
• כְּבַתְּחִלָּה (kevat'khillah) – "as at the beginning": The preposition כְּ (ke), "as" or "like," followed by תְּחִלָּה (t'chillah), "beginning" or "first time." This powerful comparison underlines that there was no change whatsoever. The state of scarcity and misery was fixed, unameliorated by the immense consumption, mirroring the persistence of famine's effects.
• וָאִיקָץ (va'iqaṭz) – "So I awoke": A Waw-Consecutive imperfect verb from יָקַץ (yaqats), "to awake." This signifies the end of the dream sequence, triggered by the profound disturbance caused by the inexplicable phenomenon within the dream.

Words-group analysis:

• "וְלֹא נוֹדַע כִּי־בָאוּ אֶל־קִרְבֶּן" (ve'lo noda ki-va'u el-qirban): "and it was not known that they had come into their inwards." This phrase communicates the core paradox and unsettling mystery of the dream. The expected outcome of nourishment and visible improvement following consumption was absent. This inexplicable state highlights a profound and unnatural depletion, hinting at a divine operation beyond human comprehension. It underscores the severity of the coming famine, where resources will vanish without leaving a trace of benefit or repletion.
• "וּמַרְאֵיהֶן רַע כְּבַתְּחִלָּה" (u'mar'ehen ra' kevat'chillah): "and their appearance was bad as at the beginning." This clause reinforces the previous point by focusing on the persistent outward sign of the inner unfulfillment. The visible unchanged "bad" or "ugly" appearance despite immense intake emphasizes the depth of the desolation and the non-reversibility of the coming judgment. It visually encapsulates the idea that consumption under a curse yields no satisfaction or lasting gain.

Genesis 41 21 Bonus section

This verse subtly introduces a key biblical theme: situations where abundant resources are consumed yet yield no lasting satisfaction or visible gain, often due to divine judgment or human spiritual emptiness. Pharaoh's agitation highlights that true mysteries, inexplicable by conventional wisdom, often point to a divine hand at work, creating an opening for God's true prophet, Joseph, to provide revelation. The lack of an internal and external change in the consuming cows serves as a powerful visual metaphor for how deeply destructive the coming famine would be, consuming all that was good without alleviating the underlying desolation, reflecting the depth of spiritual starvation when humanity neglects God.

Genesis 41 21 Commentary

Genesis 41:21 captures the climax of Pharaoh's first dream's perplexing nature, specifically the moment when the inexplicability of the cows' transformation (or lack thereof) profoundly disturbed him. The verse underscores that despite the seemingly full consumption of healthy resources by the lean cows, no outward sign of their being nourished or changing their emaciated state was evident. This anomaly – consumption without benefit – made the dream deeply unsettling to Pharaoh, signaling a supernatural message that defied ordinary understanding and thus could not be interpreted by human wisdom alone. It prophetically illustrated the complete and devastating effect of the future famine: an abundance of food would be consumed, yet the land and its people would remain gaunt and depleted, with no lasting replenishment or improvement.