Genesis 41:37

Summary

The verse states that "the word/matter" was good in the eyes of Pharaoh and in the eyes of all his servants. It closes the scene of Joseph's counsel (interpreting the dreams and proposing a plan), reporting the positive reception of that proposal by Pharaoh and his court.

Key words

• yiitav ("it was good", H3190) — qal verb, narrative form (preceded by the vav that continues the story sequence); expresses that something "became good" or "pleased" in the eyes of someone.
• davar ("word", H1697) — masculine singular noun with the article ha ("the"); refers to what was just said or proposed, not necessarily a physical "word" but "the matter/thing."
• 'einei ("[the] eyes of", H5869) — feminine dual noun in construct state, appearing twice (lines 6 and 10); it is part of the idiom "to be good in the eyes of X," meaning "to seem good to X" / "to please X."
• Par'oh ("Pharaoh", H6547) — proper title, first person to whom the matter "seems good."
• 'avadav ("his servants", H5650) — masculine plural noun in construct with the suffix va ("his", H9023), preceded by kol ("all", H3605); designates the totality of Pharaoh's servants, forming a group parallel to Pharaoh himself.

What the text says

The Hebrew sentence follows the pattern verb-subject typical of narrative: va-yiitav ha-davar ("and the word was good"), followed by two parallel prepositional phrases introduced by be-'einei ("in the eyes of"). This repetition of 'einei — once for Pharaoh, once for "all his servants" — creates a symmetrical structure that groups both parties as recipients of the same positive judgment, using the exact same idiomatic construction for each.

The expression "good in the eyes of" is a common idiom in Biblical Hebrew to express that something pleases or satisfies someone; it does not describe a visual perception but an evaluation. The definite article on ha-davar ("the word/matter") indicates that it refers to a specific matter already established in the previous context, not to something newly introduced.

Differences between versions

The LXX renders ha-davar (singular, "the word/matter") as τὰ ῥήματα ("the words/matters," plural in Greek). It also translates the idiom be-'einei ("in the eyes of") with the preposition ἐναντίον ("before," "in the presence of"), replacing the ocular image with one of physical or hierarchical presence.

The Vulgate uses consilium ("counsel," "plan") for ha-davar, a more specific interpretive term than the Hebrew "word/matter," and likewise omits the "eyes" idiom, stating simply that it "pleased" (placuit) Pharaoh and his ministers.