Bible Strands
Genesis 41:55
When extreme hunger came to all the land of Egypt and the people cried out to Pharaoh for food, he told all the Egyptians, “Go to Joseph and do whatever he tells you.”
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Pharaoh addresses all the Egyptians at the moment extreme hunger grips the entire land, immediately after the famine begins. He commands the people to go to Joseph and obey his instructions for food.
The words — The Hebrew verb וַ/תִּרְעַב (va/tir'Av) marks the onset of severe hunger, while וַ/יִּצְעַ֥ק (va/i.yitz.'Ak) describes the people’s desperate outcry to Pharaoh for sustenance.
The thread — This famine narrative aligns with later biblical droughts that test national reliance on God, such as the drought in Jeremiah 14:1. The transfer of royal authority to Joseph establishes a pattern of God elevating a servant to preserve life during crisis.
Why it lands — The text records that political power must yield to divine wisdom when survival is at stake. It requires the reader to respond to overwhelming scarcity by submitting to God-ordained authority rather than relying on human status.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
And when all the land of Egypt was famished, the people cried to Pharaoh for bread: and Pharaoh said unto all the Egyptians, Go unto Joseph; what he saith to you, do.
Cross-references
- Jeremiah 14:1 This is the word of the LORD that came to Jeremiah concerning the drought:
- Matthew 3:17 And a voice from heaven said, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased!”
- Matthew 17:5 While Peter was still speaking, a bright cloud enveloped them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Listen to Him!”
- Genesis 41:40 You shall be in charge of my house, and all my people are to obey your commands. Only with regard to the throne will I be greater than you.”
- 2 Kings 6:25 So there was a great famine in Samaria. Indeed, they besieged the city so long that a donkey’s head sold for eighty shekels of silver, and a quarter cab of dove’s dung sold for five shekels of silver.
- Psalms 105:20 The king sent and released him; the ruler of peoples set him free.
- Lamentations 4:3 Even jackals offer their breasts to nurse their young, but the daughter of my people has become cruel, like an ostrich in the wilderness.
- John 1:14 The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us. We have seen His glory, the glory of the one and only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.
- Philippians 4:19 And my God will supply all your needs according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus.
- Colossians 1:19 For God was pleased to have all His fullness dwell in Him,