Psalms 105:16
When he summoned a famine on the land and broke all supply of bread,
English Standard Version (ESV)
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Psalms 105:16
When he summoned a famine on the land and broke all supply of bread,
English Standard Version (ESV)
This page isn't yet indexed by search engines.
What's easily missed is that God didn't just allow the famine, but He "summoned" it, as if calling a servant ready to act at His command. This shows that even devastating events like widespread hunger are under God's sovereign control, not mere accidents of chance.
This passage describes God's providential hand at work, even during times of extreme hardship for his people. It follows the story of Joseph being sold into slavery and imprisoned, setting the stage for a divine intervention that would ultimately save his family. The text emphasizes that the famine wasn't random but a direct act of God, meant to fulfill His purposes and ultimately lead Jacob's family to Egypt.
Have you ever felt like a crisis just 'happened'? This verse reveals a deeper truth: even devastating events like famine are not random occurrences.
The verse states, 'he summoned a famine.' This isn't passive language; it's active. God doesn't just allow famine; He calls for it. Think of it like a commander calling forth his troops. Famine, like other difficult circumstances—war, sickness, loss—is presented as an emissary, a messenger ready to obey God's directive.
This doesn't mean God enjoys our suffering. Instead, it points to His ultimate authority over all creation and all events. He can withdraw the 'staff of bread'—the very sustenance that supports life—when He has a purpose to fulfill. This perspective shifts our understanding from chaotic misfortune to a divinely orchestrated, albeit often painful, reality.
We often take our daily bread for granted. But in ancient times, bread wasn't just food; it was the very foundation of survival.
The phrase 'staff of bread' is a profound metaphor. A staff is a support, something you lean on, something essential for stability and movement. Bread, in the ancient world, was precisely that for human life. It was the primary source of nourishment, the fundamental sustenance that allowed people to live, work, and function.
When God 'broke' the staff of bread, He wasn't just causing a shortage of food. He was fundamentally undermining the basis of life for the people. It signifies a complete disruption, a removal of the essential support system. This imagery underscores the severity of the famine and the extent of God's power to remove even the most basic necessities.
Understand the original words
qara' · Hebrew Verb
The act of calling someone into service or presence; in Scripture, it often implies divine authority or providence directing the course of events.
ra'ab · Hebrew Noun
An extreme scarcity of food, often used in Scripture as a means of divine judgment, testing, or the impetus for movement toward God's providential plan.
matteh lechem · Hebrew Noun phrase
Basic sustenance; in a spiritual sense, it often represents the life-sustaining provision that comes from God, and the cessation of it highlights total dependence on Him.
This verse points to a specific, devastating famine in the land of Canaan that drove Jacob's family to Egypt. It wasn't just a natural disaster; the psalm emphasizes God's direct command and purposeful action, highlighting His sovereign hand even in hardship and His intricate plan through the life of Joseph.
c. 1805 BC
Joseph Sold into Slavery
Joseph's jealous brothers sell him into slavery, setting in motion a series of events that eventually lead him to Egypt.
c. 1790 BC
Joseph Imprisoned
Falsely accused by Potiphar's wife, Joseph is thrown into prison, enduring hardship and suffering.
c. 1770 BC
Pharaoh's Dream and Joseph's Release
After interpreting Pharaoh's dreams, Joseph is elevated to a position of power in Egypt to manage the impending famine.
c. 1770-1763 BC— this verse
Seven Years of Famine
A severe famine grips Canaan and surrounding lands, depleting food supplies as predicted by Joseph.
This passage directly describes the famine in Egypt and surrounding lands that God brought about, showing how God's decree of famine directly impacted the people and their food supply.
Leviticus 26:26This verse speaks of God breaking the 'staff of bread' as a consequence of disobedience, highlighting the symbolic meaning of bread as life's support and God's power to remove it.
Ezekiel 4:16Similar to the Psalmist, Ezekiel describes God breaking the staff of bread in Jerusalem, illustrating the concept of famine as a divine judgment executed through His command.
Matthew 8:8-9The centurion's words, 'Speak only a word, and my servant will be healed,' parallel the Psalmist's imagery of God 'calling for' a famine, portraying God's absolute authority over natural forces as a command.
pulpitPsalms 105:16: "Moreover he called for a famine upon the land: he brake the whole staff of bread."
Verse 16. - Moreover he called for a famine upon the land. To "call for a famine" is the same thing as to create a famine. What God "calls for" immediately exists (see Genesis 1:3). "The land" intended is the land of Canaan. He brake the whole staff of bread (comp. Leviticus 26:26; Isaiah lit. 1). Bread is called a "staff," as the great support of life. (For the severity of the famine in Canaan, s…
ellicottPsalms 105:16: "Moreover he called for a famine upon the land: he brake the whole staff of bread."
(16) Called for a famine. —Comp. 2Kings 8:1 ; and in Ezekiel 14 we see how famine, with war and pestilence and noisome beasts, were regarded as Divine emissaries to be summoned and sent on His missions. Staff of bread.—Leviticus 26:26. (See, too, Note on Psalm 104:15.)
What's easily missed is that God didn't just allow the famine, but He "summoned" it, as if calling a servant ready to act at His command. This shows that even devastating events like widespread hunger are under God's sovereign control, not mere accidents of chance.
This passage describes God's providential hand at work, even during times of extreme hardship for his people. It follows the story of Joseph being sold into slavery and imprisoned, setting the stage for a divine intervention that would ultimately save his family. The text emphasizes that the famine wasn't random but a direct act of God, meant to fulfill His purposes and ultimately lead Jacob's family to Egypt.
This passage describes God's providential hand at work, even during times of extreme hardship for his people. It follows the story of Joseph being sold into slavery and imprisoned, setting the stage for a divine intervention that would ultimately save his family. The text emphasizes that the famine wasn't random but a direct act of God, meant to fulfill His purposes and ultimately lead Jacob's family to Egypt.
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c. 1763 BC
Jacob's Family Travels to Egypt
Jacob and his entire family migrate to Egypt to escape the famine, settling in the land of Goshen.
"When he summoned a famine on the land and broke all supply of bread," — What's easily missed is that God didn't just allow the famine, but He "summoned" it, as if calling a servant ready to act at His command. This shows that even devastating events like widespread hun…