and behold, there came up out of the Nile seven cows, attractive and plump, and they fed in the reed grass.
In his sleep, Pharaoh stands beside the Nile. He watches seven sleek, well-fed cows climb the bank and graze in the reed grass. It looks like an ordinary Egyptian scene. Yet this is God speaking, and the picture will empty a prison and feed a starving world.
A Scene Drawn From Egypt Itself
Every detail belongs to the country where the dreamer lived. The word for the river points to one river only. The grazing ground is where Egyptian cattle went to feed.
William KellyBut here in the chapter before us, how wild, strange, and ominous the double dream sent to wake the king! Yet the word used for the "river" points beyond question to the Nile. So does the marsh-grass on its bank, which cattle loved to browse.
The cattle were not chosen at random either.
F. B. HoleSheep were not popular in Egypt and cattle provided the flesh food, and grain gave them their bread. The river Nile was the basis of the prosperity of both.
The River Egypt Trusted
God chose the one image that touched Egypt's confidence. The Nile never seemed to fail. Its sources lay too far away to trace. So the nation trusted the water instead of the God behind it.
Frederick William GrantEgypt had to depend too, but not so directly. Its river was its boast. The sources that fed it lay too far away for anyone to notice easily. This is a vivid picture of the world in its self-sufficiency and independence of God.
That habit did not die with Egypt. Writers see it wherever people trust something nearer than God.
C KnappThis is like the world. They have no need of God. Their springs are all down here. Christians can say, "All my springs are in You." God is the source of all their joys. Their hopes all rest on Christ above. They look to heaven for everything. But the ungodly are not like this. Their resource is some "river." It is gold and stocks and houses and lands with some.
Revelation No Wise Man Could Read
The dream was clear enough to disturb Pharaoh. No one in his court could explain it. That failure was not a one-off.
Hamilton SmithFirst God reveals what He is about to do; but even so man cannot profit by the revelation... as in the past, so now, the wise men of this world are at a total loss when they try to interpret the Word of God. So Pharaoh calls in the magicians of Egypt and all its wise men, only to find that no one can interpret his dreams. Man's pride in his own intellect blinds him to a simple fact: only God can interpret what God communicates.
Fat Years That Do Not Last
The fat cows are the good news in the dream. Writers explain what they stood for, and why God sent the picture at all.
Leslie M. GrantThe seven cows meant seven years... The well-fed cows and the good ears of grain showed that there would be seven years of plenty through all the land of Egypt... God does things like this to wake people up. He wants them to realise that their blessing does not depend on circumstances, but on the God who brings about every circumstance.
The same writer reads the dream as a picture of the world's own history.
Frederick William GrantSeven years of plenty, then seven years of famine that will devour them up — such is the prophecy of Pharaoh's dream. Even now the world is enjoying its plentiful years, and it hardly believes the future so plainly foretold for it. Still, the time of famine is surely not far off. It will display the resources of Him whom men will then see as the only one able to meet its terrible demands.
The Dream That Opened a Prison
The cows grazing by the Nile arrive at God's chosen moment. They are the last link in a chain of instruments He had been using.
Hamilton SmithThe right time having come, the last instrument in the hand of God is ready to complete the work that leads to the exaltation of Joseph. Already God had used the king's captain, the king's jailer, and the king's butler; now He will use the king himself.
Writers find more in the river than Egypt's food supply.
An Outline of Sound WordsThe river Nile shows us God's provision for the needs of Egypt. It also reminds the Christian that God used Pharaoh's dream about the river to bring Joseph before us. Joseph is the man with God's mind, and a picture of the Saviour of the world.
Summary
- River — cattle and grain both depended on the Nile. God put His warning in the one image Egypt trusted most.
- Reliance — the river's distant sources let Egypt feel it did not need heaven. Every age finds its own springs to trust.
- Revelation — God spoke plainly enough to trouble a king. No trained mind in Egypt could read the message. Only God interprets what God sends.
- Reversal — the fat cows stand for seven good years, and they get eaten. Blessing rests on God, not on circumstances.
- Rescue — the dream was God's last instrument. It lifted Joseph out of prison to feed a starving world.