Genesis 42:5 Made Simple

KJV ORIGINAL

And the sons of Israel came to buy corn among those that came: for the famine was in the land of Canaan.

Close to the original. Clear modern English.

✦ MADE SIMPLE

The sons of Israel came to buy grain along with many other people who had come for the same reason, because there was a severe famine in the land of Canaan.

⚡ THE BOTTOM LINE

The writer is showing that Jacob's sons had to travel to Egypt to buy food because their homeland was experiencing a devastating famine.

📚 Historical Context

This verse occurs during the seven-year famine that Joseph had predicted while serving Pharaoh in Egypt. Egypt had stored grain during the previous seven years of abundance, making it the regional source of food during the crisis. Jacob's family in Canaan, like many others in the region, were forced to travel to Egypt to survive.

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