Genesis 12:10
Now there was a famine in the land. So Abram went down to Egypt to sojourn there, for the famine was severe in the land.
English Standard Version (ESV)
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This verse subtly highlights Abram’s faith, not by his immediate obedience, but by his temporary departure from the promised land. While a famine might seem like a reason to question God's promise, Abram’s decision to go to Egypt rather than back home shows he still trusted God's plan, even when faced with hardship.
Abram had just arrived in Canaan, the land God promised him, and had begun to establish his presence by building altars. Suddenly, a severe famine struck the land, forcing him to seek sustenance elsewhere. This hardship led Abram to travel down into Egypt, a land known for its fertile Nile valley, to temporarily reside there until the famine passed.
Abram's promised land faces a severe famine, forcing him to seek sustenance elsewhere. Why would God lead someone to a land only to let it become barren?
The famine in Canaan wasn't an oversight by God; it was a deliberate part of His plan.
Why a Famine?
Abram, the man of faith, makes a choice that seems less than courageous when he enters Egypt. What does this reveal about him and about God's grace?
Abram's decision to tell Sarai to say she is his sister, while motivated by fear for his life, reveals his human frailty even in his faith journey.
A Fearful Expedient
Understand the original words
ra'av · Hebrew Noun
A severe shortage of food, often used in Scripture as a means of divine testing, judgment, or an instrument to move people to new locations according to God’s sovereign plan. It frequently prompts a crisis of faith and dependence.
gur · Hebrew Verb
To reside temporarily in a foreign land without the rights of citizenship or permanent ownership; it characterizes the status of God’s people on earth as aliens and pilgrims waiting for the eternal city.
This event highlights how immediate survival needs, like famine, can test faith and lead even patriarchs to make desperate choices, revealing that God's protection and promises extend even into difficult human failings.
c. 2090 BC
Abram leaves Ur
Abram, a nomadic herdsman and patriarch, departs from Ur in Mesopotamia following God's call to journey to an unknown land.
c. 2090-2080 BC
Sojourn in Haran
Abram and his family settle in Haran for a period before continuing their journey. During this time, Abram gathers wealth and followers.
c. 2080 BC
Abram enters Canaan
Abram arrives in the land of Canaan, where God appears to him and promises the land to his descendants. He journeys through the land, encountering the Canaanites.
c. 2080 BC— this verse
Famine strikes Canaan
A severe famine grips the land of Canaan, impacting the agricultural communities and nomadic peoples alike. This scarcity forces difficult decisions for survival.
This passage shows a similar situation where a famine prompts the patriarch (Isaac, in this case) to go to Egypt, highlighting a recurring theme of seeking sustenance in Egypt during times of scarcity in the land of promise.
Genesis 42:1-2Here, famine drives Jacob's sons to Egypt to buy food, demonstrating how Egypt's reliable agricultural system often served as a lifeline for the people of Canaan during difficult times.
Exodus 1:7This verse speaks of the Israelites multiplying greatly in Egypt, illustrating the land's capacity to sustain large populations, a stark contrast to the famine experienced in Canaan by Abram.
Deuteronomy 8:7-9This passage describes the promised land as a land of abundance with plentiful resources, offering a vision of the land God intended for His people, which contrasts with the temporary scarcity Abram encountered.
Hebrews 11:8-10This New Testament passage reflects on Abram's faith, mentioning his sojourning in a foreign land (Egypt) and his waiting for the promised land, directly referencing this event as an act of faith.
calvinGenesis 12:1-20: "Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will shew thee:"
And Abram took Sarai his wife, and Lot his brother's son, and all their substance that they had gathered, and the souls that they had gotten in Haran; and they went forth to go into the land of Canaan; and into the land of Canaan they came.
Et cepit Abram Sarai uxorem suam, et Lot filium fratris sui, et omnem substantiam q…
gillGenesis 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."
And there was a famine in the land,.... The land of Canaan, which was a very fruitful country, abounding with all kind of provisions usually; but now there was a scarcity of all; and which was both for the sins of the inhabitants of the land, and for the trial of Abram's faith, who was brought out of his own country, where was bread enough and to spare,…
This verse subtly highlights Abram’s faith, not by his immediate obedience, but by his temporary departure from the promised land. While a famine might seem like a reason to question God's promise, Abram’s decision to go to Egypt rather than back home shows he still trusted God's plan, even when faced with hardship.
Abram had just arrived in Canaan, the land God promised him, and had begun to establish his presence by building altars. Suddenly, a severe famine struck the land, forcing him to seek sustenance elsewhere. This hardship led Abram to travel down into Egypt, a land known for its fertile Nile valley, to temporarily reside there until the famine passed.
Abram had just arrived in Canaan, the land God promised him, and had begun to establish his presence by building altars. Suddenly, a severe famine struck the land, forcing him to seek sustenance elsewhere. This hardship led Abram to travel down into Egypt, a land known for its fertile Nile valley, to temporarily reside there until the famine passed.
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c. 2080 BC
Abram travels to Egypt
To escape the devastating famine, Abram leads his household and livestock down into Egypt, a land known for its fertile Nile valley which was likely unaffected.
c. 2080 BC
Abram in Egypt
While in Egypt, Abram fears for his life due to his wife Sarai's beauty, leading him to conceal their marital relationship. God intervenes, protecting Sarai and Pharaoh's household.
c. 2080 BC
Return to Canaan
After the famine subsides and the incident in Egypt is resolved, Abram, now enriched, leaves Egypt and returns to Canaan, continuing his journey of faith.
"Now there was a famine in the land. So Abram went down to Egypt to sojourn there, for the famine was severe in the land." — This verse subtly highlights Abram’s faith, not by his immediate obedience, but by his temporary departure from the promised land. While a famine might seem like a reason to question God's promise,…
