Genesis 41:55

And when all the land of Egypt was famished, the people cried to Pharaoh for bread: and Pharaoh said unto all the Egyptians, Go unto Joseph; what he saith to you, do.

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Word by word — the Hebrew

Word	Hebrew	Strong’s	Meaning
land	אֶ֣רֶץ 'E.retz	H776	the earth (at large · noun, common feminine singular construct
Egypt	מִצְרַ֔יִם mitz.Ra.yim	H4714	Mitsrajim · proper noun, a place name
famished	וַתִּרְעַב֙ va.tir.'Av	H7456	to hunger · conjunction + verb, qal sequential imperfect, 3rd person feminine singular
people	הָעָ֛ם ha.'Am	H5971	a people (as a congregated unit) · definite article + noun, common masculine singular absolute
cried	וַיִּצְעַ֥ק vai.yitz.'Ak	H6817	to shriek · conjunction + verb, qal sequential imperfect, 3rd person masculine singular
Pharaoh	פַּרְעֹ֖ה par.'Oh	H6547	Paroh · noun, masculine singular absolute
bread	לַלָּ֑חֶם la.La.chem	H3899	food (for man or beast) · preposition with the article + noun, common masculine singular absolute
Pharaoh	פַּרְעֹ֤ה par.'Oh	H6547	Paroh · noun, masculine singular absolute
said	וַיֹּ֨אמֶר vai.Yo.mer	H559	to say (used with great latitude) · conjunction + verb, qal sequential imperfect, 3rd person masculine singular
Egyptians	מִצְרַיִם Mitsrayim	H4714	Mitsrajim
Go	יָלַךְ yâlak	H3212	to walk (literally or figuratively)
Joseph	יוֹסֵ֔ף yo.Sef	H3130	Joseph · proper noun, a man's name
saith	יֹאמַ֥ר yo.Mar	H559	to say (used with great latitude) · verb, qal imperfect, 3rd person masculine singular
do	תַּעֲשֽׂוּ ta.'a.Su	H6213	to do or make · verb, qal imperfect, 2nd person masculine plural

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (James Strong, 1890/1894), public domain; digitized by Open Scriptures (CC BY-SA). KJV word tagging: eBible.org (public domain). Original-language text, parsing and brief lexicon: STEPBible.org data from Tyndale House, Cambridge (CC BY 4.0).

Cross-references

Jeremiah 14:1-6 The word of the LORD that came to Jeremiah concerning the dearth.
Matthew 3:17 And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.
Matthew 17:5 While he yet spake, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them: and behold a voice out of the cloud, which said, This is my beloved Son, in wh…
Genesis 41:40-41 Thou shalt be over my house, and according unto thy word shall all my people be ruled: only in the throne will I be greater than thou.
2 Kings 6:25-29 And there was a great famine in Samaria: and, behold, they besieged it, until an ass’s head was sold for fourscore pieces of silver, and the…
Psalms 105:20-22 The king sent and loosed him; even the ruler of the people, and let him go free.
Lamentations 4:3-10 Even the sea monsters draw out the breast, they give suck to their young ones: the daughter of my people is become cruel, like the ostriches…
John 1:14-16 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace a…

Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Genesis 41:46–end

Observe here, I. The building of Joseph's family in the birth of two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim, Gen 41:50-52. In the names he gave them, he owned the divine Providence giving this happy turn to his affairs, 1. He was made to forget his misery, Job 11:16. We should bear our afflictions when they are present as those that know not but Providence may so outweigh them by after-comforts as that we may even forget them when they are past. But could he be so unnatural as to forget all his father's house? He means the unkindness he received from his brethren, or perhaps the wealth and honour he expected from his father, with the birthright. The robes he now wore made him forget the coat of divers c…

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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Genesis 41:53

The seven years of plenteousness . . . ended--Over and above the proportion purchased for the government during the years of plenty, the people could still have husbanded much for future use. But improvident as men commonly are in the time of prosperity, they found themselves in want, and would have starved by thousands had not Joseph anticipated and provided for the protracted calamity.

Adam Clarke on Genesis 41:55

When all the land of Egypt was famished - As Pharaoh, by the advice of Joseph, had exacted a fifth part of all the grain during the seven years of plenty, it is very likely that no more was left than what was merely necessary to supply the ordinary demand both in the way of home consumption, and for the purpose of barter or sale to neighboring countries.

John Gill on Genesis 41:55

And when all the land of Egypt was famished,.... Their old stock and store eaten up, and the inhabitants ready to starve with hunger: the people cried to Pharaoh for bread; as their common father, and knowing that he had stores of provision laid up in all cities against this time: and Pharaoh said to the Egyptians, go unto Joseph; whom he had appointed over this business of providing and laying up corn against this time, and of distributing it: what he saith to you, do; give the price for the corn he fixes or requires; for this was the principal thing they had to do with him, to get corn for their money.

The Church Fathers

Joseph went out to gather in the grain, and he stored it in every city.… Then at the end of the good years, when those of famine came, Joseph took special care of the orphans, widows and every needy person in Egypt so that there was no anxiety in Egypt.
— Ephrem the Syrian, COMMENTARY ON GENESIS 36:1

Finally, whoever was suffering from hunger, was sent to Joseph. Who are these people, if not those of whom it is said: They will turn back at evening, and suffer hunger like dogs? However, the hunger was not limited to one place, but was all over the land; because there was no one who would do good. Therefore, the Lord Jesus, having mercy on earthly fasts, opened His storehouses and revealed the hidden treasures of celestial mysteries and knowledge, so that no one would lack sustenance. For Wisdom says: Come, eat my bread. And therefore it is said of Him alone: The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want, who is satisfied by Christ. Therefore, Christ opened His storehouses and sold, not for the price of money, but for the price of faith, and seeking the reward of devotion. But He sold not to a few in Judea, but He sold to all, so that He might be believed by all nations.
— Ambrose of Milan, On Joseph the Patriarch

The Church Fathers: public-domain translations (Ante-Nicene and Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers), verse-indexed by SermonIndex (CC BY 4.0).

Dictionary and topics

Famine — The first mentioned in Scripture was so grievous as to compel Abraham to go down to the land of Egypt (Gen. 26:1). Another is mentioned as having occurred in the days of Isaac, causing him to go to…
Joseph — Remover or increaser. (1.) The elder of the two sons of Jacob by Rachel (Gen. 30:23, 24), who, on the occasion of his birth, said, “God hath taken away [Heb. ‘asaph] my reproach.” “The Lord shall add…
Kine — (Heb. sing. parah, i.e., “fruitful”), mentioned in Pharaoh’s dream (Gen. 41: 18). Here the word denotes “buffaloes,” which fed on the reeds and sedge by the river’s brink.
Pharaoh — The official title borne by the Egyptian kings down to the time when that country was conquered by the Greeks. (See EGYPT.) The name is a compound, as some think, of the words Ra, the “sun” or…
Economics · POLITI — POLITI
Egypt · History of Israel in: Joseph’s successful provision against the years of famine — History of Israel in: Joseph’s successful provision against the years of famine
Famine · .In Egypt — .In Egypt
Government · Paternal functions of — Paternal functions of
Joseph · .Provi — .Provi
Prudence · .Joseph, in the affairs of Egypt — .Joseph, in the affairs of Egypt

Dictionary: Easton's (1897) and Smith's (1863), public domain. Topics: Nave's Topical Bible (1896) and Torrey's Topical Textbook (1897), public domain. Both as parsed by NEUU (CC BY 4.0).

Genesis 41:55

Word by word — the Hebrew

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Genesis 41:46–end

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Genesis 41:53

Adam Clarke on Genesis 41:55

John Gill on Genesis 41:55

The Church Fathers

Dictionary and topics

Genesis 41:55

Word by word — the Hebrew

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Genesis 41:46–end

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Genesis 41:53

Adam Clarke on Genesis 41:55

John Gill on Genesis 41:55

The Church Fathers

Dictionary and topics

John Calvin on Genesis 41:55–end

Keil & Delitzsch on Genesis 41:53–end

Tyndale Open Study Notes on Genesis 41:53-57

Rashi on Genesis 41:45