And it came to pass, when they had eaten up the grain which they had brought from Egypt, that their father said to them, “Go back, buy us a little food.”
Parallel translations
- WEB When they had eaten up the grain which they had brought out of Egypt, their father said to them, “Go again, buy us a little more food.”
- KJV And it came to pass, when they had eaten up the corn which they had brought out of Egypt, their father said unto them, Go again, buy us a little food.
- BSB So when Jacob’s sons had eaten all the grain they had brought from Egypt, their father said to them, “Go back and buy us a little more food.”
- NASB So it came about, when they had finished eating the grain which they had brought from Egypt, that their father said to them, “Go back, buy us a little food.”
- NLT When the grain they had brought from Egypt was almost gone, Jacob said to his sons, “Go back and buy us a little more food.”
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
With the grain eaten, Jacob tells his sons to buy more food. His command reopens the question of Benjamin.
Overview
Jacob's simple instruction to "buy us a little more food" ignores the condition that Benjamin must come, prompting Judah's response. The exhausted supplies force the family back toward Egypt and toward Joseph. Necessity becomes the means by which God advances the reunion.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 8
- Prov 31:16She considers a field, and buys it. With the fruit of her hands, she plants a vineyard.
- Prov 15:16Better is little, with the fear of Yahweh, than great treasure with trouble.
- Prov 16:18Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.
- 1 Tim 5:8But if anyone doesn’t provide for his own, and especially his own household, he has denied the faith, and is worse than an unbeliever.
- 1 Tim 6:6–8But godliness with contentment is great gain.
- Gen 43:20and said, “Oh, my lord, we indeed came down the first time to buy food.
- Gen 42:1–2Now Jacob saw that there was grain in Egypt, and Jacob said to his sons, “Why do you look at one another?”
- Gen 43:4If you’ll send our brother with us, we’ll go down and buy you food,
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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 43:2 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
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