Genesis 45:6 - Printer Friendly

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.

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.

NASB: For the famine has been in the land these two years, and there are still five years in which there will be neither plowing nor harvesting.

CSB: For the famine has been in the land these two years, and there will be five more years without plowing or harvesting.

NLT: This famine that has ravaged the land for two years will last five more years, and there will be neither plowing nor harvesting.

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.

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.

Joseph's comment in the prior verse is profound (Genesis 45:5). He told the brothers who cruelly sold him into slavery, twenty years earlier, not to be distressed or angry with themselves. His point was not that they were innocent. Rather, Joseph has come to understand their actions as part of God's master plan. Without Joseph's suffering, he would not have been in his current position. Without Joseph in this position of power, his family likely would have starved. In the end, Joseph's enslavement was crucial to Israel's survival.

As Joseph goes on to express in this passage, God used his brothers' crime to save their family, the children of Israel. He reveals that the famine will last another five years (Genesis 41:28–30). With his authority, he can provide for his family even in these difficult times (Genesis 45:7–8).

Genesis 45:1–15 records Joseph's emotional revelation of his identity. Still unrecognized by his estranged brothers, Joseph had tested them, leading to Judah's passionate, sacrificial offer (Genesis 44:18–34). Overcome with emotion, Joseph identifies himself to his dumbfounded brothers. He states with confidence that all this has happened as part of God's plan to preserve the people of Israel.

Genesis 45 is a series of revelations. Following an emotional breakdown, Joseph finally reveals his identity to his baffled brothers. After they realize the governor of Egypt is the one they sold into slavery two decades earlier, he rushes to tell them he does not hold them responsible. In His own way, God had arranged for Joseph's enslavement, for the purpose of saving many people from famine. With Pharaoh's enthusiastic support, Joseph arranged for his brothers to return to Canaan, pack up Jacob and all they own, and come back to resettle in Egypt. Jacob, finally convinced all this is true, agrees to the move.

Genesis 44 concluded with an impassioned speech from Judah, offering to sacrifice himself for his younger brother. Overwhelmed with emotion, Joseph breaks down and finally reveals his identity to his brothers. He urges them to move Jacob's entire family to Egypt to survive the famine. Jacob agrees, leading to the migration and resettlement depicted in Genesis 46. The remainder of Genesis describes the happy results of this relocation.

The book of Genesis establishes fundamental truths about God. Among these are His role as the Creator, His holiness, His hatred of sin, His love for mankind, and His willingness to provide for our redemption. We learn not only where mankind has come from, but why the world is in its present form. The book also presents the establishment of Israel, God's chosen people. Many of the principles given in other parts of Scripture depend on the basic ideas presented here in the book of Genesis. Within the framework of the Bible, Genesis explains the bare-bones history of the universe leading up to the captivity of Israel in Egypt, setting the stage for the book of Exodus.

Accessed 4/28/2024 12:03:18 AM