Bible/Genesis/42

Genesis 42:2

42:1 Now when Jacob saw that there was corn in Egypt, Jacob said unto his sons, Why do ye look one upon another?
And he said, Behold, I have heard that there is corn in Egypt: get you down thither, and buy for us from thence; that we may live, and not die.

KJV

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He said, “Behold, I have heard that there is grain in Egypt. Go down there, and buy for us from there, so that we may live, and not die.”

And he said, Behold, I have heard that there is corn in Egypt: get you down thither, and buy for us from thence; that we may live, and not die.

And he said, Behold, I have heard that there is corn in Egypt: get you down thither, and buy for us from there; that we may live, and not die. ¶

42:3 And Joseph's ten brethren went down to buy corn in Egypt.

What does Genesis 42:2 mean?

Genesis 42:2 is a verse in the book of Genesis, in the Old Testament. In the original Hebrew, key words include אָמַר (ʼâmar), שָׁמַע (shâmaʻ), יֵשׁ (yêsh). It connects to 6 cross-referenced passages elsewhere in Scripture.

Hebrew interlinear

Full chapter interlinear →
And
he
said,אָמַרʼâmar/aw-mar'/H559to say (used with great latitude)
Behold,
I
have
heardשָׁמַעshâmaʻ/shaw-mah'/H8085to hear intelligently (often with implication of attention, obedience, etc.; causatively, to tell, etc.)
that
there
isיֵשׁyêsh/yaysh/H3426there is or are (or any other form of the verb to be, as may suit the connection)
cornשֶׁבֶרsheber/sheh'-ber/H7668grain (as if broken into kernels)
in
Egypt:מִצְרַיִםMitsrayim/mits-rah'-yim/H4714Mitsrajim, i.e. Upper and Lower Egypt
get
you
downיָרַדyârad/yaw-rad'/H3381to descend (literally, to go downwards; or conventionally to a lower region, as the shore, a boundary, the enemy, etc.; or figuratively, to fall); causatively, to bring down (in all the above applications)
thither,
and
buyשָׁבַרshâbar/shaw-bar'/H7666to deal in grain
for
us
from
thence;
that
we
may
live,חָיָהchâyâh/khaw-yaw'/H2421to live, whether literally or figuratively; causatively, to revive
and
not
die.מוּתmûwth/mooth/H4191to die (literally or figuratively); causatively, to kill

Commentary on Genesis 42:2

HENRY_FULL · Genesis 42:2
e story is very largely and particularly related of what passed between Joseph and his brethren, not only because it is an entertaining story, and probably was much talked of, both among the Israelites and among the Egyptians, but because it is very instructive, and it gave occasion for the removal of Jacob's family into Egypt, on which so many great events afterwards depended. We have, in this chapter, I. The humble application of Jacob's sons to Joseph to buy corn, ver. 1-6 . II. The fright Joseph put them into, for their trial, ver. 7-20 . III. The conviction they were now under of their sin concerning Joseph long before, ver. 21-24 . IV. Their return to Canaan with corn, and the great distress their good father was in upon hearing the account of their expedition, ver. 25 , &c. Jacob Sends to Egypt to Buy Corn. ( b. c. 1706.) 1 Now when Jacob saw that there was corn in Egypt, Jacob said unto his sons, Why do ye look one upon another? 2 And he said, Behold, I have heard that there is corn in Egypt: get you down thither, and buy f

Cross-references

Related passages from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge.

Genesis 43:2

And it came to pass, when they had eaten up the corn which they had brought out of Egypt, their father said unto them, Go again, buy us a little food.

Genesis 43:4

If thou wilt send our brother with us, we will go down and buy thee food:

Genesis 43:8

And Judah said unto Israel his father, Send the lad with me, and we will arise and go; that we may live, and not die, both we, and thou, and also our little ones.

Genesis 45:9

Haste ye, and go up to my father, and say unto him, Thus saith thy son Joseph, God hath made me lord of all Egypt: come down unto me, tarry not:

Isaiah 38:1

In those days was Hezekiah sick unto death. And Isaiah the prophet the son of Amoz came unto him, and said unto him, Thus saith the LORD, Set thine house in order: for thou shalt die, and not live. Set: Heb. Give charge concerning thy house

Matthew 4:4

But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.

Topics

CommerceEgyptJacob

Verses like this

Other verses that share key original-language words with Genesis 42:2.

Genesis 42:1

Now when Jacob saw that there was corn in Egypt, Jacob said unto his sons, Why do ye look one upon another?

Genesis 42:3

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

Genesis 43:2

And it came to pass, when they had eaten up the corn which they had brought out of Egypt, their father said unto them, Go again, buy us a little food.

Genesis 43:4

If thou wilt send our brother with us, we will go down and buy thee food:

Amos 8:5

Saying, When will the new moon be gone, that we may sell corn? and the sabbath, that we may set forth wheat, making the ephah small, and the shekel great, and falsifying the balances by deceit? new: or, month set: Heb. open falsifying: Heb. perverting the balances of deceit

Genesis 11:7

Go to, let us go down, and there confound their language, that they may not understand one another's speech.

Genesis 12:10

And there was a famine in the land: and Abram went down into Egypt to sojourn there; for the famine was grievous in the land.

Genesis 23:8

And he communed with them, saying, If it be your mind that I should bury my dead out of my sight; hear me, and intreat for me to Ephron the son of Zohar,

Frequently asked questions

What does Genesis 42:2 say?

Genesis 42:2 (King James Version) reads: "And he said, Behold, I have heard that there is corn in Egypt: get you down thither, and buy for us from thence; that we may live, and not die."

Is Genesis 42:2 in the Old or New Testament?

Genesis 42:2 is in the Old Testament of the Bible, in the book of Genesis.

Who wrote the book of Genesis?

The book of Genesis is traditionally attributed to Moses.

Reflect

As you read Genesis 42:2, what is one truth here you can carry into today?

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