Genesis 45:6

Genesis 45:6 in other versions

• King James Version (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.
• New International Version (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.
• English Standard Version (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.
• New King James Version (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.

Context of Genesis 45:6

4Then Joseph said to his brothers, “Please come near me.” So they came near. “I’m Joseph, your brother—the one you sold to Egypt,” he said. 5“So now, don’t be grieved and don’t be angry in your own eyes that you sold me here—since it was for preserving life that God sent me here before you. For there has been two years of famine in the land, and there will be five more years yet with no plowing or harvesting. 7But God sent me ahead of you to ensure a remnant in the land and to keep you alive for a great escape. 8So now, it wasn’t you, you didn’t send me here, but God! And He made me as a father to Pharaoh, lord over his whole house and ruler over the entire land of Egypt.

Genesis 45:6 word by word

כִּי־זֶ֛ה שְׁנָתַ֥יִם הָרָעָ֖ב בְּקֶ֣רֶב הָאָ֑רֶץ וְעוֹד֙ חָמֵ֣שׁ שָׁנִ֔ים אֲשֶׁ֥ר אֵין־חָרִ֖ישׁ וְקָצִּֽיר׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• For these two yearsשָׁנָהshâneh shânâh · yearH8141
• the famineרָעָבrâ‛âb · famineH7458
• inקֶ֫רֶבqereb · entrails: amongH7130
• the landאֶ֫רֶץ'erets · land: country/planetH776
• fiveחָמֵשׁchâmêsh chămishshâh · fiveH2568
• neitherאַ֫יִן'ayin · nothingH369
• earingחָרִישׁchârîysh · plowingH2758
• nor harvestקָצִירqâtsîyr · harvestH7105

Cross-references for Genesis 45:6

• Genesis 41:29Seven years of abundance are about to come in the whole land of Egypt.
• Genesis 47:18When that year came to an end, they came to him in the second year and said to him, “We won’t hide from my lord that the money has run out and the livestock and the domestic animals are my lord’s. There is nothing left in my lord’s sight except our bodies and our land.
• Genesis 47:23Then Joseph said to the people, “Behold, I have bought you and your land today for Pharaoh. Here is seed for you, so that you can sow the land.
• Exodus 34:21“For six days you will work, but on the seventh day you will rest. During plowing time and harvest you must rest.
• Deuteronomy 21:4Then the elders of that city are to bring the heifer down to a flowing wadi that has not been plowed or sown, and break the heifer’s neck there in the wadi.
• 1 Samuel 8:12He will appoint them as commanders of thousands and captains of fifties, also some to plow his fields, reap his harvest, make his weapons of war and the equipment for his chariots.
• Isaiah 30:24The oxen and the young donkeys that till the ground will eat seasoned fodder, which has been winnowed with shovel and pitchfork.

Commentaries on Genesis 45:6

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 6There shall neither be earing nor harvest - Earing has been supposed to mean collecting the ears of corn, which would confound it with harvest: the word, however, means ploughing or seed-time, from the Anglo-Saxon erian, probably borrowed from the Latin aro, to plough, and plainly means that there should be no seed-time, and consequently no harvest; and why? Because there should be a total want of rain in other countries, and the Nile should not rise…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 1-28Verses 1-28 - Joseph Made Himself Known to His Brethren 10. גשׁן gôshen Goshen, Gesem (Arabias related perhaps to גשׁם geshem “rain, shower”), a region on the borders of Egypt and Arabia, near the gulf of Suez. The appeal of Judah is to Joseph irresistible. The repentance of his brothers, and their attachment to Benjamin, have been demonstrated in the most satisfactory manner. This is all that Joseph sought. It is evident, throughout the whole narrative…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 5-8it was not you who sent me here, but God: This is the main message of Jacob's family story (37:2). As the Lord had told Abraham, he was bringing the Israelites into Egypt (15:13). God sent Joseph ahead to prepare a way to save his family during the famine. This is a clear statement about God’s sovereignty (his complete rule and control over all things). Joseph explained that God was at work through all events and human actions to carry out his plan…Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 66. and yet there are five years, in the which there shall neither be earing nor harvest--"Ear" is an old English word, meaning "to plough" (compare 1Sa 8:12; Is 30:24). This seems to confirm the view given (Ge 41:57) that the famine was caused by an extraordinary drought, which prevented the annual overflowing of the Nile; and of course made the land unfit to receive the seed of Egypt.Read the comment

Topics related to Genesis 45:6

• Forgiveness
• Joseph
• Readings, Select

In the dictionaries

• Earing
• Famine
• Joseph
• Live
• Plough
• Preserve
• Refrain
• Revive
• Save
• Tarry

Commentaries on Genesis 45

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Rashi on Tanakh
• Calvin’s Commentaries
• Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
• John Wesley’s Notes
• Darby Translation Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
• Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings