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So the sons of Israel came to buy grain among those who were coming, because the famine was also in the land of Canaan.
Genesis 42:5 · New American Standard Bible
Parallel translations
  • WEB The sons of Israel came to buy among those who came, for the famine was in the land of Canaan.
  • KJV And the sons of Israel came to buy corn among those that came: for the famine was in the land of Canaan.
  • BSB So the sons of Israel were among those who came to buy grain, since the famine had also spread to the land of Canaan.
  • NKJV And the sons of Israel went to buy grain among those who journeyed, for the famine was in the land of Canaan.
  • NLT So Jacob’s sons arrived in Egypt along with others to buy food, for the famine was in Canaan as well.

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

The sons of Israel arrive in Egypt to buy grain along with many others fleeing the famine in Canaan.

Overview

Joseph's brothers join the crowds seeking food in Egypt. The famine in Canaan drives the covenant family toward Egypt, as God had foreshadowed. These events set the stage for Israel's later sojourn in Egypt foretold to Abraham.

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 5

  • Acts 7:11Now a famine came over all the land of Egypt and Canaan, and great affliction. Our fathers found no food.
  • Gen 12:10There was a famine in the land. Abram went down into Egypt to live as a foreigner there, for the famine was severe in the land.
  • Gen 41:57All countries came into Egypt, to Joseph, to buy grain, because the famine was severe in all the earth.
  • Gen 26:1There was a famine in the land, besides the first famine that was in the days of Abraham. Isaac went to Abimelech king of the Philistines, to Gerar.
  • Acts 11:28One of them named Agabus stood up, and indicated by the Spirit that there should be a great famine all over the world, which also happened in the days of Claudius.

Themes, concepts, people & topics

Topics (1)

Resources, by level

Commentaries & study tools

  • VideoBibleProject — Genesis videosBibleProject · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.

  • VideoWatch teaching on Genesis 42:5YouTube · Lay · Free

    Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.

  • CommentaryEnduring Word — verse-by-verseDavid Guzik · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.

  • CommentaryClassic commentaries for this verseBibleHub (20+ works) · Pastoral · Free

    Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.

  • CommentaryMatthew Henry on GenesisMatthew Henry · Pastoral · Free · evangelical

    The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).

  • ReferenceInterlinear, lexicon & Strong'sBlue Letter Bible · Seminary · Free

    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 42:5 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.