Genesis 45:6 kjv
For these two years hath the famine been in the land: and yet there are five years, in the which there shall neither be earing nor harvest.
Genesis 45:6 nkjv
For these two years the famine has been in the land, and there are still five years in which there will be neither plowing nor harvesting.
Genesis 45:6 niv
For two years now there has been famine in the land, and for the next five years there will be no plowing and reaping.
Genesis 45:6 esv
For the famine has been in the land these two years, and there are yet five years in which there will be neither plowing nor harvest.
Genesis 45:6 nlt
This famine that has ravaged the land for two years will last five more years, and there will be neither plowing nor harvesting.
Genesis 45 6 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Gen 41:25-36 | Then Joseph said to Pharaoh, "The dreams of Pharaoh are one... After them will arise seven years of famine..." | Joseph's original prophecy to Pharaoh detailing the famine. |
| Gen 41:54 | and the seven years of famine began to come, as Joseph had said. | The commencement of the famine validating Joseph's prophecy. |
| Gen 42:1-2 | When Jacob learned that there was grain for sale in Egypt, he said to his sons, "Why do you stare at one another?" And he said, "Behold, I have heard that there is grain in Egypt. Go down there and buy for us, so that we may live and not die." | The famine's severe impact necessitating Jacob's sons' journey. |
| Gen 45:5 | "And now do not be distressed or angry with yourselves because you sold me here, for God sent me before you to preserve life." | Joseph directly attributes his suffering and position to God's preserving plan. |
| Gen 45:7 | "God sent me before you to preserve for you a remnant on earth, and to keep alive for you many survivors." | Further clarification by Joseph of God's overarching purpose of salvation. |
| Gen 50:20 | "As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today." | Joseph's final testament to God's redemptive purpose through human evil. |
| Ps 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..." | Divine orchestration of both the famine and Joseph's preeminence. |
| Isa 46:10 | "Declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things not yet done, saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all my purpose...’" | God's absolute foreknowledge and control over all events. |
| Jer 14:1-6 | Describes severe drought, land mourning, no grass for cattle, and failed harvests. | Famine and drought as instruments of divine action and judgment. |
| Joel 1:17-18 | "The seed shrivels under the clods; the storehouses are desolate... How the beasts groan!" | Vivid description of the severity of a famine's impact on land and livestock. |
| Amos 4:6 | "I gave you cleanness of teeth in all your cities, and lack of bread in all your places, yet you did not return to me,’ declares the Lord." | Famine as a divine tool to call people to repentance. |
| Deut 28:23-24 | "And your heavens over your head shall be bronze, and the earth under you shall be iron. The Lord will make the rain of your land powder and dust..." | God's power to cause drought and famine as a consequence for disobedience. |
| 1 Kgs 17:1 | Elijah's declaration of no dew or rain for years, showcasing divine control over weather. | God's specific control over nature causing famine conditions. |
| Job 5:19-20 | "He will deliver you from six troubles... In famine he will redeem you from death..." | God's protective and saving power during times of famine. |
| Ps 33:18-19 | "Behold, the eye of the Lord is on those who fear him, on those who hope in his steadfast love, that he may deliver their soul from death and keep them alive in famine." | God's constant care and preservation of His faithful during famine. |
| Acts 7:9-10 | "And the patriarchs, jealous of Joseph, sold him into Egypt; but God was with him and rescued him out of all his afflictions..." | Stephen's summary highlights God's continuous presence and work with Joseph. |
| Heb 11:22 | "By faith Joseph, at the end of his life, made mention of the exodus of the Israelites and gave directions concerning his bones." | Joseph's unwavering faith and prophetic insight even concerning Israel's future. |
| Psa 78:44-48 | God turned their rivers to blood... He sent among them swarms of flies... locusts devoured their crops. | God demonstrating power over nature and using plagues/calamities. |
| Isa 3:1 | "For behold, the Lord GOD of hosts is taking away from Jerusalem and from Judah staff and supply, all supply of bread and all supply of water..." | Famine as a specific instrument of divine judgment, cutting off sustenance. |
| Hag 1:10-11 | "Therefore the heavens above you have withheld the dew, and the earth has withheld its produce. And I have called for a drought on the land and the mountains..." | God explicitly declaring His causation of drought and lack of produce. |
| Eze 14:13 | "Son of man, if a land sins against me by acting faithlessly, and I stretch out my hand against it and break its supply of bread..." | God's role in breaking the 'staff of bread' (causing famine). |
| Mic 6:15 | "You will sow, but not reap; you will tread olives, but not anoint yourself with oil..." | Emphasizes agricultural futility and lack of harvest. |
Genesis 45 verses
Genesis 45 6 Meaning
Joseph explains to his brothers that the severe famine has already persisted for two years across the land, and it is prophesied to continue for another five years, during which time there will be no opportunity for plowing the ground or harvesting any crops. This detailed knowledge of the famine's past and future duration and intensity underscores God's precise control over natural events and His divine plan for the preservation of Jacob's family.
Genesis 45 6 Context
This verse is uttered by Joseph in the climactic moment of his reunion with his brothers in Egypt. Having dramatically revealed his identity to them (Gen 45:1-3), he perceives their stunned silence and fear (Gen 45:3-4). His words in verse 6 are a critical part of his extended explanation (Gen 45:5-8) to calm their anxieties and shift their focus from guilt to God's sovereign plan. By stating the precise duration of the past famine and, crucially, the remaining five years, he substantiates the divine origin of his wisdom, validates the necessity of their family's urgent relocation to Egypt, and clarifies the profound severity of the famine – it's not a temporary setback but a long-term catastrophe. In the ancient Near East, an agrarian society where sustained crop failure meant starvation, this foreknowledge, and the Egyptian relief efforts, served as undeniable proof of God's hand, far beyond the capabilities of human wisdom or pagan deities.
Genesis 45 6 Word analysis
- "For these two years" (כִּי-זֶה שְׁנָתַיִם, ki-zeh sh'nataim): The Hebrew "ki" functions here to emphasize the preceding statement or introduce an explanation, here for the profound nature of the situation. "Sh'nataim" is a dual form indicating "two years," specifying the precise past duration. This specific factual detail validates Joseph's divinely given insight and reassures his brothers of the immediate, unfolding reality.
- "has the famine been" (הָרָעָב, ha-ra'av): "Ha-ra'av" translates to "the famine," referring to the distinct, well-known, and supernaturally foretold famine that Pharaoh had dreamt about. The definite article emphasizes its widespread and unique character as an instrument of God's will.
- "in the land" (בְּקֶרֶב הָאָרֶץ, b'qerev ha-aretz): Literally "in the midst of the land" or "within the land," denoting its pervasive impact across Egypt and beyond, encompassing Canaan where Joseph's family lived. This clarifies that fleeing to another part of the same general region would not offer refuge.
- "and yet there are five years" (וְעוֹד חָמֵשׁ שָׁנִים, v'od chamesh shanim): "V'od" signifies "and still" or "and yet," conveying continuation. "Chamesh shanim" means "five years." This reveals the future duration, cementing the divine source of Joseph's knowledge and emphasizing the urgency of God's rescue plan for his family. This prediction aligns perfectly with the total seven years of famine foretold in Gen 41.
- "in the which there shall neither be earing" (אֲשֶׁר לֹא-חָרִישׁ, asher lo-charish): "Asher lo" translates to "that not." "Charish" specifically refers to "plowing" or tilling the ground in preparation for sowing. Its absence implies the ground is too hard, too barren, or conditions are otherwise impossible for agriculture, demonstrating the comprehensive nature of the famine, extending even to preparatory agricultural steps.
- "nor harvest" (וְלֹא-קָצִיר, v'lo-qatzir): "V'lo" is "and not." "Qatzir" means "harvest," the gathering of crops. The explicit statement that there will be no plowing and no harvest underscores a complete and utter agricultural collapse, far beyond a simple scarcity of rainfall. It highlights the absolute futility of human effort in the face of this divinely ordained disaster.
Words-group analysis:
- "For these two years has the famine been in the land: and yet there are five years": This phrase succinctly quantifies the famine’s complete duration of seven years, both past and future. This precise timeline highlights Joseph’s exceptional, divinely inspired foresight, differentiating his understanding from mere observation and validating his previous prophecy to Pharaoh (Gen 41:28, 32). It also serves to impress upon his brothers the gravity and sustained nature of their predicament.
- "in the which there shall neither be earing nor harvest": This phrase emphasizes the famine's unprecedented severity. It signifies a complete cessation of agricultural activity, implying such profound drought or pestilence that planting is pointless and no produce will mature. This total inability to provide for themselves underlines humanity's absolute dependence on divine provision, in this case, through Joseph. This detail confirms the comprehensive judgment God orchestrated.
Genesis 45 6 Bonus section
- This verse starkly contrasts God's meticulous planning and control over creation (including natural phenomena like famine) with the often-capricious and impotent nature attributed to pagan deities concerning such matters in the ancient world. Joseph's prophetic accuracy would have stood out.
- The famine served as a divine mechanism not only for preservation but also for drawing Joseph's entire family to Egypt, setting the stage for Israel's growth and later exodus, foundational events in their national identity.
- Joseph's specific details concerning "no plowing nor harvest" suggest an extreme environmental condition, perhaps a total lack of ground moisture rendering tilling impossible and subsequent planting futile. It implies a deeper, more pervasive natural disaster than simply low yields.
Genesis 45 6 Commentary
Genesis 45:6 serves as the factual anchor in Joseph's emotional reunion and theological explanation to his brothers. His specific statement about the famine's two past and five future years, coupled with the detailed prediction of no plowing or harvest, is not incidental; it powerfully corroborates the divine source of his foresight, validating that God truly "sent him" for a preserving purpose (Gen 45:5). This comprehensive and prolonged famine, unparalleled in its detail and precise duration, was a strategic act of divine providence to humble Jacob's household and strategically move them to Egypt under Joseph's protection. Here, God ensures the survival and future growth of Abraham's descendants into a nation, illustrating His unwavering faithfulness to His covenant promises even through hardship. The absolute lack of "earing or harvest" underscores human powerlessness against natural disasters, compelling total reliance on God’s foreknowledge and Joseph’s God-given administrative skill for survival, showcasing that human despair often serves as a pathway for divine demonstration.