Now when Jacob saw that there was corn in Egypt, Jacob said unto his sons, Why do ye look one upon 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?”
- BSB When Jacob learned that there was grain in Egypt, he said to his sons, “Why are you staring at one 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 7:12But when Jacob heard that there was corn in Egypt, he sent out our fathers first.
- Josh 7:10And the LORD said unto Joshua, Get thee up; wherefore liest thou thus upon thy face?
- 1 Kgs 19:3And when he saw that, he arose, and went for his life, and came to Beersheba, which belongeth to Judah, and left his servant there.
- 2 Kgs 8:3–4And it came to pass at the seven years’ end, that the woman returned out of the land of the Philistines: and she went forth to cry unto the king for her house and for her land.
- Gen 41:54And the seven years of dearth began to come, according as Joseph had said: and the dearth was in all lands; but in all the land of Egypt there was bread.
- Hos 5:13When Ephraim saw his sickness, and Judah saw his wound, then went Ephraim to the Assyrian, and sent to king Jareb: yet could he not heal you, nor cure you of your wound.
- Jer 8:14Why do we sit still? assemble yourselves, and let us enter into the defenced cities, and let us be silent there: for the LORD our God hath put us to silence, and given us water of gall to drink, because we have sinned against the LORD.
- Gen 41:57And all countries came into Egypt to Joseph for to buy corn; because that the famine was so sore in all lands.
- Gen 42:2And he said, Behold, I have heard that there is corn in Egypt: get you down thither, and buy for us from thence; that we may live, and not die.
- Exod 20:18And all the people saw the thunderings, and the lightnings, and the noise of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking: and when the people saw it, they removed, and stood afar off.
- Ezra 10:4Arise; for this matter belongeth unto thee: we also will be with thee: be of good courage, and do it.
- Exod 5:19And the officers of the children of Israel did see that they were in evil case, after it was said, Ye shall not minish ought from your bricks of your daily task.
- Gal 2:7But contrariwise, when they saw that the gospel of the uncircumcision was committed unto me, as the gospel of the circumcision was unto Peter;
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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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.