Genesis 41:1
Translations
King James Version (KJV)
And it came to pass at the end of two full years, that Pharaoh dreamed: and, behold, he stood by the river.
American King James Version (AKJV)
And it came to pass at the end of two full years, that Pharaoh dreamed: and, behold, he stood by the river.
American Standard Version (ASV)
And it came to pass at the end of two full years, that Pharaoh dreamed: and, behold, he stood by the river.
Basic English Translation (BBE)
Now after two years had gone by, Pharaoh had a dream; and in his dream he was by the side of the Nile;
Webster's Revision
And it came to pass at the end of two full years, that Pharaoh dreamed: and behold, he stood by the river.
World English Bible
It happened at the end of two full years, that Pharaoh dreamed: and behold, he stood by the river.
English Revised Version (ERV)
And it came to pass at the end of two full years, that Pharaoh dreamed: and, behold, he stood by the river.
Clarke's Genesis 41:1 Bible Commentary
Two full years - שנתים ימים shenathayim yamim, two years of days, two complete solar revolutions, after the events mentioned in the preceding chapter.
The river - The Nile, the cause of the fertility of Egypt.
Barnes's Genesis 41:1 Bible Commentary
The dreams are recited. "By the river." In the dream Pharaoh supposes himself on the banks of the Nile. "On rite green." The original word denotes the reed, or marsh grass, on the banks of the Nile. The cow is a very significant emblem of fruitful nature among the Egyptians, the hieroglyphic symbol of the earth and of agriculture; and the form in which Isis the goddess of the earth was adored. "Dreamed a second time." The repetition is designed to confirm the warning given, as Joseph afterward explains Genesis 41:32. Corn (grain) is the natural emblem of fertility and nurture. "Blasted with the east wind The east wind". The east wind is any wind coming from the east of the meridian, and may be a southeast or a northeast, as well as a direct east. The Hebrews were accustomed to speak only of the four winds, and, therefore, must have used the name of each with great latitude. The blasting wind in Egypt is said to be usually from the southeast. "And, behold, it was a dream." The impression was so distinct as to be taken for the reality, until he awoke and perceived that it was only a dream. "His spirit was troubled." Like the officers in the prison Genesis 40:6, he could not get rid of the feeling that the twofold dream portended some momentous event. "The scribes" - the hieroglyphs, who belonged to the priestly caste, and whose primary business was to make hieroglyphic and other inscriptions; while they were accustomed to consult the stars, interpret dreams, practise soothsaying, and pursue the other occult arts. The sages; whose chief business was the cultivation of the various arts above mentioned, while the engraving or inscribing department strictly belonged to the hieroglyphs or scribes. "His dream;" the twofold dream. "Interpreted them" - the two dreams.