And the famine was sore in the land.
Parallel translations
- WEB The famine was severe in the land.
- BSB Now the famine was still severe in the land.
- NKJV Now the famine was severe in the land.
- NASB Now the famine was severe in the land.
- NLT But the famine continued to ravage the land of Canaan.
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 famine grows severe, forcing the family to act. The pressing need overrides Jacob's reluctance.
Overview
This brief note explains why Jacob must finally reconsider sending Benjamin: the grain is gone and starvation looms. God uses ordinary hardship to move the family toward Egypt and reunion. The severity of the famine underscores the wider providence that drew Joseph to Egypt to preserve life.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 7
- Gen 12:10And there was a famine in the land: and Abram went down into Egypt to sojourn there; for the famine was grievous in the land.
- Gen 41:54–57And 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.
- Eccl 9:1–2For all this I considered in my heart even to declare all this, that the righteous, and the wise, and their works, are in the hand of God: no man knoweth either love or hatred by all that is before them.
- Acts 7:11–13Now there came a dearth over all the land of Egypt and Chanaan, and great affliction: and our fathers found no sustenance.
- Gen 42:5And the sons of Israel came to buy corn among those that came: for the famine was in the land of Canaan.
- Lam 5:10Our skin was black like an oven because of the terrible famine.
- Gen 18:13And the LORD said unto Abraham, Wherefore did Sarah laugh, saying, Shall I of a surety bear a child, which am old?
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 43:1 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.