Bible Strands
Genesis 42:3
So ten of Joseph’s brothers went down to buy grain from Egypt.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Ten of Jacob's sons depart Canaan for Egypt immediately after their father commands them to purchase food during the famine. This action occurs at the moment the brothers execute their father's directive to secure survival supplies.
The words — The Hebrew verb וַיֵּרְדוּ (va.yereḏû) literally means "they went down," highlighting the geographical descent from Canaan to the Nile region. The phrase לִשְׁבֹּר בָּר (lišbōr bār) translates to "to buy grain," specifying the exact commercial objective of their journey.
The thread — Genesis 42:5 records the sons of Israel joining other buyers as the famine spreads through Canaan. Genesis 42:13 follows with the brothers identifying themselves as twelve brothers with one absent, clarifying the group's composition before Joseph.
Why it lands — The text states a factual movement of ten travelers toward a food source, requiring the reader to track the exact number and destination. It establishes the logistical baseline of the famine response before any relational or theological developments occur.
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 Joseph’s ten brethren went down to buy corn in Egypt.
Cross-references
- Genesis 42:5 So the sons of Israel were among those who came to buy grain, since the famine had also spread to the land of Canaan.
- Genesis 42:13 But they answered, “Your servants are twelve brothers, the sons of one man in the land of Canaan. The youngest is now with our father, and one is no more.”