Kejadian 12:10

The Promised Blessing Jeopardized

12:10 There was a famine in the land, so Abram went down to Egypt ¹  to stay for a while ²  because the famine was severe. ³ 

Imamat 26:26

26:26 When I break off your supply of bread, ⁴  ten women will bake your bread in one oven; they will ration your bread by weight, ⁵  and you will eat and not be satisfied.

Yesaya 3:1

A Coming Leadership Crisis

3:1 Look, the sovereign Lord who commands armies ⁶ 

is about to remove from Jerusalem ⁷  and Judah

every source of security, including ⁸ 

all the food and water, ⁹ 

Yehezkiel 4:16

4:16 Then he said to me, “Son of man, I am about to remove the bread supply ¹⁰  in Jerusalem. ¹¹  They will eat their bread ration anxiously, and they will drink their water ration in terror

[12:10]  ¹ sn Abram went down to Egypt. The Abrahamic narrative foreshadows some of the events in the life of the nation of Israel. This sojourn in Egypt is typological of Israel’s bondage there. In both stories there is a famine that forces the family to Egypt, death is a danger to the males while the females are preserved alive, great plagues bring about their departure, there is a summons to stand before Pharaoh, and there is a return to the land of Canaan with great wealth.

[12:10]  ² tn The Hebrew verb גּוּר (gur), traditionally rendered “to sojourn,” means “to stay for a while.” The “stranger” (traditionally “sojourner”) is one who is a temporary resident, a visitor, one who is passing through. Abram had no intention of settling down in Egypt or owning property. He was only there to wait out the famine.

[12:10]  ³ tn Heb “heavy in the land.” The words “in the land,” which also occur at the beginning of the verse in the Hebrew text, have not been repeated here in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[26:26]  ⁴ tn Heb “When I break to you staff of bread” (KJV, ASV, and NASB all similar).

[26:26]  ⁵ tn Heb “they will return your bread in weight.”

[3:1]  ⁶ tn Heb “the master, the Lord who commands armies [traditionally, the Lord of hosts].” On the title “the Lord who commands armies,” see the note at 1:9.

[3:1]  ⁷ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[3:1]  ⁸ tn Heb “support and support.” The masculine and feminine forms of the noun are placed side-by-side to emphasize completeness. See GKC 394 §122.v.

[3:1]  ⁹ tn Heb “all the support of food, and all the support of water.”

[4:16]  ¹⁰ tn Heb, “break the staff of bread.” The bread supply is compared to a staff that one uses for support.

[4:16]  ¹¹ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.