When Jacob learned that there was grain in Egypt, he said to his sons, “Why are you staring at one another?”
Parallel translations
- WEB Now Jacob saw that there was grain in Egypt, and Jacob said to his sons, “Why do you look at one another?”
- KJV Now when Jacob saw that there was corn in Egypt, Jacob said unto his sons, Why do ye look one upon another?
- NKJV When Jacob saw that there was grain in Egypt, Jacob said to his sons, “Why do you look at one another?”
- NASB Now Jacob saw that there was grain in Egypt, and Jacob said to his sons, “Why are you staring at one another?”
- NLT When Jacob heard that grain was available in Egypt, he said to his sons, “Why are you standing around looking at one another?
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Learning there is grain in Egypt, Jacob rebukes his sons for hesitating.
Overview
The famine reaches Canaan, and Jacob urges his sons to act. This need begins to draw the family toward the brother they betrayed. God is providentially steering events to reunite and redeem Joseph's family.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 13
- Acts 7:12When Jacob heard that there was grain in Egypt, he sent our fathers on their first visit.
- Josh 7:10But the LORD said to Joshua, “Stand up! Why have you fallen on your face?
- 1 Kgs 19:3And Elijah was afraid and ran for his life. When he came to Beersheba in Judah, he left his servant there,
- 2 Kgs 8:3–4At the end of seven years, when the woman returned from the land of the Philistines, she went to the king to appeal for her house and her land.
- Gen 41:54the seven years of famine began, just as Joseph had said. And although there was famine in every country, there was food throughout the land of Egypt.
- Hos 5:13When Ephraim saw his sickness and Judah his wound, then Ephraim turned to Assyria and sent to the great king. But he cannot cure you or heal your wound.
- Jer 8:14Why are we just sitting here? Gather together, let us flee to the fortified cities and perish there, for the LORD our God has doomed us. He has given us poisoned water to drink, because we have sinned against the LORD.
- Gen 41:57And every nation came to Joseph in Egypt to buy grain, because the famine was severe over all the earth.
- Gen 42:2“Look,” he added, “I have heard that there is grain in Egypt. Go down there and buy some for us, so that we may live and not die.”
- Exod 20:18When all the people witnessed the thunder and lightning, the sounding of the ram’s horn, and the mountain enveloped in smoke, they trembled and stood at a distance.
- Ezra 10:4Get up, for this matter is your responsibility, and we will support you. Be strong and take action!”
- Exod 5:19The Israelite foremen realized they were in trouble when they were told, “You must not reduce your daily quota of bricks.”
- Gal 2:7On the contrary, they saw that I had been entrusted to preach the gospel to the uncircumcised, just as Peter had been to the circumcised.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.
Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.
Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
Christ at the center
From the first promise that the seed of the woman would crush the serpent (3:15), through Abraham's blessing to all nations and Judah's coming ruler, Genesis sows every seed that flowers in Christ — the true offspring, the better Adam, the ram caught for Isaac.
How Genesis 42:1 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.