13
There was noאֵיןbreadוְלֶחֶםin allבְּכָלthe land,הָאָרֶץforכִּיthe famineהָרָעָבwas veryמְאֹדsevere,כָבֵדand the landוַ אֶרֶץof Egyptמִצְרַיִםand the landוְאֶרֶץof Canaanכְּנַעַןlanguishedתֵּלַהּbecause ofמִפְּנֵיthe famine.הָרָעָב
Genesis 47:13
Study it in the app“There was no bread in all the land, for the famine was very severe, and the land of Egypt and the land of Canaan languished because of the famine.”
With the Hebrew beneath
Genesis 47:13, word by word
- breadלֶחֶםlechem
bread
Food made of kneaded, baked flour: the basis of each day's meal.
Where else “lechem” appears- the landאָרֶץarets
land
A region or nation, above all Israel's.
Where else “arets” appears- the famineרָעָבraav
famine, hunger
Hunger; famine, a shortage of food in a region.
Where else “raav” appears- was veryמְאֹדmeod
very
To a very high degree: the word that adds force to what is said.
Where else “meod” appears- severeכָבֵדchaved
severe
Hard and severe, difficult to bear: a terrible famine.
Where else “chaved” appears- of Egyptמִצְרַיִםmitsrayim
Egypt, Mizraim
See it on the mapWhere else “mitsrayim” appears- of Canaanכְּנַעַןkenaan
Canaan
See it on the mapWhere else “kenaan” appears- languishedתֵּלַהּtelah
languish
To lose all strength from hunger.
Where else “telah” appears- because ofפְּנֵיpene
before
Literally "to the face of": in sight of someone, or on account of something.
Where else “pene” appears
Places in this verse
1Egypt
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).
2Canaan
Today: Israel, West Bank, Gaza, Lebanon, western Syria
The land between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea, today Israel, Palestine and parts of Lebanon.
God promised this land to Abraham and his descendants (Gen 17:8). Israel entered it after forty years in the wilderness (Josh 5:12).
The context
12Joseph provided his father, his brothers, and all his father’s household with bread, according to the number of their little ones.
13 · This verse (above)
14Joseph gathered up all the silver that was found in the land of Egypt and in the land of Canaan, for the grain that they were buying; and Joseph brought the silver into the house of Pharaoh.
To study Genesis 47 in a group
1. What it says
What did Joseph do for his family and for Egypt during the famine (vv. 11-12, 14-26)?
2. What it means
How does Jacob describe his years to Pharaoh, and what does he do when he arrives and when he leaves (vv. 7-10)?
3. How I live it
How can you help someone in need with what you have?