Genesis 42:3 Made Simple

KJV ORIGINAL

And Joseph’s ten brethren went down to buy corn in Egypt.

Close to the original. Clear modern English.

✦ MADE SIMPLE

So Joseph's ten brothers went down to Egypt to buy grain.

⚡ THE BOTTOM LINE

This verse shows Joseph's brothers traveling to Egypt during a famine to buy food, not knowing their brother Joseph was now a powerful leader there.

📚 Historical Context

This occurs during a severe seven-year famine that Joseph had predicted through Pharaoh's dreams. Egypt had stored up grain during the seven years of plenty that preceded the famine, making it the place people from surrounding regions came to buy food. Joseph's brothers were forced to make this journey from Canaan because the famine had affected their land as well.

Explore Similar Verses

Genesis 37:28

When some Midianite traders came by, Joseph's brothers pulled him up out of the pit and sold him to the Ishmaelites for twenty pieces of silver. The traders then took Joseph to Egypt.

Genesis 39:1

Joseph was taken down to Egypt, where Potiphar bought him from the Ishmaelites who had brought him there. Potiphar was an Egyptian officer who served Pharaoh and was captain of the guard.

Genesis 42:6

Joseph was the ruler over the land of Egypt, and he was the one who sold grain to all the people in the country. When Joseph's brothers came to buy grain, they bowed down to him with their faces to the ground.

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