Psalms 105:16-17
When he summoned a famine on the land and broke all supply of bread, he had sent a man ahead of them, Joseph, who was sold as a slave.
English Standard Version (ESV)
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The phrase "called for a famine" is striking; it presents famine not as a random event, but as something God summons, like a servant ready to obey His command. This highlights that even devastating scarcity is ultimately under God's sovereign control, not just a natural disaster.
This passage recounts God's sovereign hand in bringing a severe famine upon the land, specifically Canaan, effectively breaking the primary support of life. This devastating event is presented not as random misfortune, but as a direct consequence of God's command, setting the stage for the subsequent unfolding of His providential plan for Joseph and his family.
Famine feels like a random disaster, a cruel twist of fate. But this psalm paints a different picture, revealing a hidden power at work.
The verse states that God "called for a famine." This isn't just poetic language; it points to God's absolute sovereignty. Famine isn't a rogue event; it's an instrument that can be summoned by God. He doesn't just allow it to happen; He can actively bring it about.
Think about it: just as we can call a servant to do our bidding, God can "call" natural forces, including famine, to carry out His purposes. This doesn't mean God is malicious, but it underscores that He is in control, even over devastating events. He can use these difficult circumstances for His ultimate good, as we see later in the story of Joseph.
Why does the Bible call bread a "staff"? It’s a simple metaphor, but it reveals a profound truth about our fundamental needs.
The phrase "broke all supply of bread" highlights the critical role of bread as the "staff of life." A staff provides essential support, stability, and strength. For ancient people, bread was their primary source of sustenance and energy; it was what kept them going.
When God "breaks the staff of bread," He is essentially removing the very foundation of people's ability to survive. It signifies a complete disruption of their life support system. This imagery powerfully conveys the devastating totality of a famine – not just a shortage, but the dismantling of life's essential support.
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.
'ish · Hebrew Noun
In the biblical context, an individual is often chosen by God to fulfill a specific role in His redemptive history, functioning as a bridge between God's promise and its fulfillment.
This verse highlights God's sovereign hand even in severe hardship, using a devastating famine in Canaan not as a random disaster, but as a divinely orchestrated event to preserve His chosen people through Joseph's foresight in Egypt.
~1730 BC
Joseph sold into slavery
Joseph's envious brothers sell him to Ishmaelite traders, initiating a chain of events that leads him to Egypt.
c. 1720 BC
Joseph imprisoned
Falsely accused by Potiphar's wife, Joseph is thrown into prison, enduring hardship and suffering.
c. 1715 BC
Joseph interprets Pharaoh's dreams
God gives Joseph the ability to interpret Pharaoh's dreams, revealing a coming seven-year famine.
c. 1715 BC
Joseph appointed ruler of Egypt
Pharaoh places Joseph in charge of Egypt to prepare for and manage the prophesied famine.
c. 1708 BC— this verse
This passage directly follows the narrative of the famine God brought upon Egypt and Canaan, directly illustrating the 'calling for' and 'breaking the staff of bread' mentioned in Psalms 105:16.
Leviticus 26:26This verse describes God's judgment upon disobedience as breaking the staff of bread, aligning with the consequence of 'breaking the whole supply' of sustenance in Psalms 105:16.
Ezekiel 4:16Ezekiel's prophecy of bread being eaten by weight and water by measure vividly depicts the 'breaking of the staff of bread,' showing the severe and controlled scarcity that results from God's judgment.
2 Kings 8:1This passage speaks of God sending a famine upon the land, similar to how Psalms 105:16 describes God 'calling for' a famine as a divine decree.
Genesis 45:5-8This passage reveals God's hand in sending Joseph to Egypt before the famine, showing how even severe hardship and injustice served God's purpose to preserve life, as implied by the context following Psalms 105:16.
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.)
The phrase "called for a famine" is striking; it presents famine not as a random event, but as something God summons, like a servant ready to obey His command. This highlights that even devastating scarcity is ultimately under God's sovereign control, not just a natural disaster.
This passage recounts God's sovereign hand in bringing a severe famine upon the land, specifically Canaan, effectively breaking the primary support of life. This devastating event is presented not as random misfortune, but as a direct consequence of God's command, setting the stage for the subsequent unfolding of His providential plan for Joseph and his family.
This passage recounts God's sovereign hand in bringing a severe famine upon the land, specifically Canaan, effectively breaking the primary support of life. This devastating event is presented not as random misfortune, but as a direct consequence of God's command, setting the stage for the subsequent unfolding of His providential plan for Joseph and his family.
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'ebed · Hebrew Noun
A condition of being owned by another, used in Scripture to describe social bondage, but also metaphorically to describe the state of being owned by God (servitude) or by sin.
Famine grips the land
A severe famine strikes Canaan and surrounding lands, fulfilling Joseph's interpretation and depleting food supplies.
c. 1707 BC
Jacob sends sons to Egypt for grain
Jacob's sons travel to Egypt to buy food, unaware that their brother Joseph is now in a position of power.
"When he summoned a famine on the land and broke all supply of bread, he had sent a man ahead of them, Joseph, who was sold as a slave." — The phrase "called for a famine" is striking; it presents famine not as a random event, but as something God summons, like a servant ready to obey His command. This highlights that even devastating s…
