Commentary for Genesis 41:19
וְהִנֵּ֞ה שֶֽׁבַע־פָּר֤וֹת אֲחֵרוֹת֙ עֹל֣וֹת אַחֲרֵיהֶ֔ן דַּלּ֨וֹת וְרָע֥וֹת תֹּ֛אַר מְאֹ֖ד וְרַקּ֣וֹת בָּשָׂ֑ר לֹֽא־רָאִ֧יתִי כָהֵ֛נָּה בְּכָל־אֶ֥רֶץ מִצְרַ֖יִם לָרֹֽעַ׃
And, behold, seven other kine came up after them, poor and very ill-favoured and lean-fleshed, such as I never saw in all the land of Egypt for badness.
Rashi on Genesis
דלות means LEAN, as (2 Samuel 13:4) “Why art thou thus becoming (דל) lean?” which occurs in the narrative of Amnon.
Ask RabbiBookmarkShareCopy
Sforno on Genesis
לא ראיתי כהנה, Pharaoh meant that such a dream as he had did not reflect anything that he might have thought about during the preceding day, as is usual for most dreams. For what he had seen in his dream was beyond anything he had ever experienced while awake. (compare Daniel 2,29). [the novelty of Seforno’s approach is that he does not understand the word כהנה as referring merely to the frightening appearance of the lean cows. Ed.]
Ask RabbiBookmarkShareCopy
Radak on Genesis
ורקות בשר, with the letter ר instead of the letter ד the meaning is derived from רקק, as in רקיקי מצות, in Exodus 29,2 where it means “unleavened wafers.” [the author refers to the thinness of wafers describing the thinness of the flesh on these cows. Ed.]
Ask RabbiBookmarkShareCopy