10
There wasוַיְהִיa famineרָעָבin the land,בָּאָרֶץand Abramוַ אַבְרָםwent downיֵּרֶדto Egyptמִצְרַיְמָהto reside as an alienלָגוּרthere,שָׁםforכִּיthe famineהָרָעָבwas severeכָבֵדin the land.בָּאָרֶץ
Genesis 12:10
Study it in the app“There was a famine in the land, and Abram went down to Egypt to reside as an alien there, for the famine was severe in the land.”
With the Hebrew beneath
Genesis 12:10, word by word
- There wasיְהִיyehi
exist
To exist: "let there be light".
Where else “yehi” appears- a famineרָעָבraav
famine, hunger
Hunger; famine, a shortage of food in a region.
Where else “raav” appears- in the landאָרֶץarets
land
A region or nation, above all Israel's.
Where else “arets” appears- and Abramאַבְרָםavram
Abram
Abram, the name of Abraham before God changed it (Genesis 17:5). It means "exalted father".
Where else “avram” appears- went downיֵּרֶדyered
go down
To go from a higher place to a lower one, like from the mountain to the valley.
Where else “yered” appears- to Egyptמִצְרַיְמָmitsrayma
Egypt, Mizraim
See it on the mapWhere else “mitsrayma” appears- to reside as an alienגוּרgur
sojourn
To live in a place that is not your own.
Where else “gur” appears- was severeכָבֵדchaved
severe
Hard and severe, difficult to bear: a terrible famine.
Where else “chaved” appears
Places in this verse
Egypt
Today: Egypt (Nile Valley)
A country in northeast Africa along the Nile River, southwest of Israel.
Joseph was sold into it, and his family went down to live there (Gen 37:28; 46:6). God brought Israel out of it with a mighty hand (Exod 12:41). The child Jesus fled there with his parents (Matt 2:14).
The context
9Then Abram set out, moving on by stages toward the Negev.
10 · This verse (above)
11When he was about to enter Egypt, he said to Sarai his wife, “Look, I know that you are a woman beautiful in appearance.
To study Genesis 12 in a group
1. What it says
What did YHWH command and promise Abram, and what did he do (vv. 1-4)?
2. What it means
What does it mean that in Abram all the families of the earth will be blessed (v. 3)?
3. How I live it
What step of trust can you take today, even without seeing the whole road, as Abram did?