When Jacob heard that grain was available in Egypt, he said to his sons, “Why are you standing around looking 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?
- 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?”
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 grain in Egypt, he sent out our fathers the first time.
- Josh 7:10Yahweh said to Joshua, “Get up! Why have you fallen on your face like that?
- 1 Kgs 19:3When he saw that, he arose, and ran for his life, and came to Beersheba, which belongs to Judah, and left his servant there.
- 2 Kgs 8:3–4At the end of seven years, the woman returned from the land of the Philistines. Then she went out to beg the king for her house and for her land.
- Gen 41:54The seven years of famine began to come, just as Joseph had said. There was famine in all lands, but in all the land of Egypt there was bread.
- Hos 5:13“When Ephraim saw his sickness, and Judah his wound, Then Ephraim went to Assyria, and sent to king Jareb: but he is not able to heal you, neither will he cure you of your wound.
- Jer 8:14“Why do we sit still? Assemble yourselves, and let us enter into the fortified cities, and let us be silent there; for Yahweh our God has put us to silence, and given us water of gall to drink, because we have sinned against Yahweh.
- Gen 41:57All countries came into Egypt, to Joseph, to buy grain, because the famine was severe in all the earth.
- Gen 42:2He said, “Behold, I have heard that there is grain in Egypt. Go down there, and buy for us from there, so that we may live, and not die.”
- Exod 20:18All the people perceived the thunderings, the lightnings, the sound of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking. When the people saw it, they trembled, and stayed at a distance.
- Ezra 10:4Arise; for the matter belongs to you, and we are with you. Be courageous, and do it.”
- Exod 5:19The officers of the children of Israel saw that they were in trouble, when it was said, “You shall not diminish anything from your daily quota of bricks!”
- Gal 2:7but to the contrary, when they saw that I had been entrusted with the Good News for the uncircumcision, even as Peter with the Good News for the circumcision
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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.