Reference: Famine
American
Scripture records several famines in Palestine, and the neighboring countries, Ge 12:10; 26:1; Ru 1:1; 2Ki 6:25; Ac 11:27. The most remarkable one was that of seven years in Egypt, while Joseph was governor, Ge 41. It was distinguished for its duration, extent, and severity; particularly as Egypt is one of the countries least subject to such a calamity, by reason of its general fertility. Famine is sometimes a natural effect, as when the Nile does not overflow in Egypt, or rains do not fall in Judea, at the customary season; or when caterpillars, locusts, or other insects, destroy the fruits. But all natural causes are under the control of God; and he often so directs them as to chastise the rebellious with want, 2Ki 8:1-2; Eze 6:1; Mt 24:7. The worst famine is a spiritual one, Am 8:11.
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And there shall be a famine in the land; and Abram will go down to Egypt to sojourn there; for the famine was strong in the land.
And a famine shall be iu the land, besides the first famine which was in the days of Abraham. And Isaak will go to Abimelech king of the Philistines to Gerar.
And it will be in the days of the judging of the judges, and there will be a famine in the land. And a man from the house of bread of Judah will go to sojourn in the field of Moab, he and his wife and his two sons.
And Elisha spake to the woman whom he restored to life her son, saying, Arise, and go thou, and thy house, and sojourn where thou wilt sojourn; for Jehovah called for a famine; and also coming to the land seven And the woman will rise and will do according to the word of the man of God: and will go, she and her house, and she will sojourn in the land of the rovers seven years.
Behold, the days coming, says the Lord Jehovah, and I sent famine into the land; not a faniine for bread, and not a thirst for water, but for hearing the words of Jehovah.
For nation shall be raised up against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; and there shall be famines, and plagues, and shakings in places.
Easton
The first mentioned in Scripture was so grievous as to compel Abraham to go down to the land of Egypt (Ge 26:1). Another is mentioned as having occurred in the days of Isaac, causing him to go to Gerar (Ge 26:1,17). But the most remarkable of all was that which arose in Egypt in the days of Joseph, which lasted for seven years (Genesis 41-45).
Famines were sent as an effect of God's anger against a guilty people (2Ki 8:1-2; Am 8:11; De 28:22-42; 2Sa 21:1; 2Ki 6:25-28; 25:3; Jer 14:15; 19:9; 42:17, etc.). A famine was predicted by Agabus (Ac 11:28). Josephus makes mention of the famine which occurred A.D. 45. Helena, queen of Adiabene, being at Jerusalem at that time, procured corn from Alexandria and figs from Cyprus for its poor inhabitants.
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And a famine shall be iu the land, besides the first famine which was in the days of Abraham. And Isaak will go to Abimelech king of the Philistines to Gerar.
And a famine shall be iu the land, besides the first famine which was in the days of Abraham. And Isaak will go to Abimelech king of the Philistines to Gerar.
And Isaak will go from thence, and will sit down in the valley of Gerar, and will dwell there.
Jehovah shall strike thee with consumption, and with burning fever, and with inflammation, and with sword and with burning, and with blasting, and with yellowness: and they shall pursue thee till he have destroyed thee. And the heavens which over thy head were brass, and the earth which is under thee, iron. read more. Jehovah will give the rain of thy land dust and clay: from the heavens shall it come down upon thee, till he destroyed thee. And Jehovah will give thee smitten before thine enemies: in one way thou shalt go forth against him, and in seven ways shalt thou flee before his face; and thou wert for a shaking to all the kingdoms of the earth. And thy carcass was for food to all the birds of the heavens and to the cattle of the earth, and none terrifying. Jehovah shall strike thee with the burning sore of Egypt, and with tumors, and with scratching, and with the itch of which thou shalt not be able to be healed. Jehovah will strike thee with madness and with blindness and with astonishment of heart; And thou wert groping at noon as the blind shall grope in darkness, and thou shalt not succeed with thy ways: and thou wert only oppressed and stripped all the days, and none saving. Thou shalt betroth a wife, and another man shall lie with her: thou shalt build a house and shall not dwell in it; thou shalt plant a vineyard and thou shalt not lay it open. Thine ox slaughtered before thine eyes and thou shalt not eat from it: thine ass stripped from before thee and shall not turn back to thee; thy sheep, given to thine enemies, and none to thee saving. Thy sons and thy daughters given to another people, and thine eyes seeing and failing for them all the day: and nothing for the strength of thy hand. The fruit of thy land and all thy labors, a people which thou knewest not shall eat: and thou wert only oppressed and broken all the days. And thou wert mad from the sight of thine eyes which thou shalt see. Jehovah shall strike thee with an evil burning sore upon thy knees and upon thy legs, which thou shalt not be able to heal from the sole of thy foot to thy crown. Jehovah shall lead thee, and thy king which thou shalt set up over thee, to a nation which thou knewest not thou and thy fathers; and thou servedst there other gods, wood and stone. And thou wert for an astonishment, for a parable, for a sharp saying in all the peoples where Jehovah shall lead thee there. Thou shalt bring out much seed to thy field, and shalt gather little, for the locust shall devour it Thou shalt plant vineyards and thou shalt work; and thou shalt not drink the wine, and thou shalt not gather, for the worm shall eat it Olive trees shall be to thee in all thy boundaries, and thou shalt not be anointed with oil, for thine olive shall slip away. And thou shalt beget sons and daughters, and they shall not be to thee, for they shall go into captivity. All thy wood and the fruit of thy land shall the grasshopper seize.
And Elisha spake to the woman whom he restored to life her son, saying, Arise, and go thou, and thy house, and sojourn where thou wilt sojourn; for Jehovah called for a famine; and also coming to the land seven And the woman will rise and will do according to the word of the man of God: and will go, she and her house, and she will sojourn in the land of the rovers seven years.
For this, thus said Jehovah concerning the prophets prophesying in my name, and I sent them not, and they saying, The sword and famine shall not be in this land; by the sword and by famine shall these prophets die.
And I caused them to eat the flesh of their sons and the flesh of their daughters, and each the flesh of his neighbor shall they eat in the straitness and in the distress which their enemies, and they seeking their souls, shall press upon them.
And it shall be all the men who set their faces to go to Egypt to sojourn there shall die with the sword, and with famine, and with death: and there shall not be to them fleeing or escaping from the face of the evil which I bring upon them.
Behold, the days coming, says the Lord Jehovah, and I sent famine into the land; not a faniine for bread, and not a thirst for water, but for hearing the words of Jehovah.
Fausets
Often sent as visitations from God for sin. 2Ki 8:1; "the Lord hath called for a famine" (Ps 105:16), as a master calls for a servant ready to do his bidding. Compare Mt 8:8-9; contrast Eze 36:29. So associated with pestilence and the sword (1/type/juliasmith'>2 Samuel 21; 1 Kings 17). The famine in Ru 1:1 was probably owing to the Midianite devastation of the land (Judges 6), so severe in the Holy Land that Elimelech had to emigrate to Moab, and Naomi his widow returned not until ten years had elapsed. Isa 51:19; Jer 14:15; 15:2; Eze 5:12. Defects in agriculture, in means of transit, and in freedom of commerce through despotism, were among the natural causes of frequent famines anciently.
Failure of the heavy rains in November and December in Palestine (Ge 12:10; 26:1-2), and of the due overflow of the Nile, along with E. and S. winds (the N. wind on the contrary brings rains, and retards the too rapid current) in Egypt, the ancient granary of the world, often brought famines (Ge 41:25-36,42). Abraham's faith was tried by the famine which visited the land promised as his inheritance immediately after his entering it; yet though going down to Egypt for food, it was only "to sojourn," not to live there, for his faith in the promise remained unshaken. A record of famine for seven years in the 18th century B.C. has been found in China, which agrees with the time of Joseph's seven years of famine in Egypt.
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And there shall be a famine in the land; and Abram will go down to Egypt to sojourn there; for the famine was strong in the land.
And a famine shall be iu the land, besides the first famine which was in the days of Abraham. And Isaak will go to Abimelech king of the Philistines to Gerar. And Jehovah will be seen to him, and will say, Thou. shalt not go down to Egypt: dwell in the land which I shall say to thee.
And Joseph will say to Pharaoh, The dream of Pharaoh, one: this which he did; God announces to Pharaoh. The seven good heifers, they are seven years; and the seven good ears, they are seven years: this dream one. read more. And the seven heifers, thin and evil, coming up after them, they are seven years; and the seven ears, thin, blasted by the east, shall be seven years of famine. This the word which I spake to Pharaoh: what God did, he showed Pharaoh. Behold, seven years coming of great plenty, in all the land of Egypt And seven years of famine arose after them, and all the plenty was forgotten in the land of Egypt; and the famine consumed the land. And the plenty shall not be known in the land on account of the famine after this; for it shall be exceedingly heavy. And because of the repeating of Pharaoh's dream twice, that the word was prepared from God; and God is hastening to do it And now will Pharaoh look out a man discerning and wise, and set him over the land of Egypt And will Pharaoh make and appoint overseers over the land, exacting a fifth part of the land of Egypt, in the seven years of plenty. And they shall gather all the food of these good years coming, and they shall heap up the grain under the hand of Pharaoh, and they shall watch food in the cities. And the food was for a deposit to the land, for the seven years of famine, which shall be in the land of Egypt; and the land shall not be cut off in the famine.
And Pharaoh will remove his signet ring from his hand, and will give it upon Joseph's hand; and will put upon him a white garment, and will put a gold collar about his neck.
And it will be in the days of the judging of the judges, and there will be a famine in the land. And a man from the house of bread of Judah will go to sojourn in the field of Moab, he and his wife and his two sons.
And Elisha spake to the woman whom he restored to life her son, saying, Arise, and go thou, and thy house, and sojourn where thou wilt sojourn; for Jehovah called for a famine; and also coming to the land seven
These two encountering thee; who shall be moved for thee? desolation and breaking, and famine, and the sword: by whom shall I comfort thee?
For this, thus said Jehovah concerning the prophets prophesying in my name, and I sent them not, and they saying, The sword and famine shall not be in this land; by the sword and by famine shall these prophets die.
And it was if they shall say to thee, Whither shall we go forth? And say to them, Thus said Jehovah, Whom for death to death; and whom for the sword to the sword; and whom for famine to famine; and whom for captivity to captivity.
A third of thee in death shall die, and with famine shall they be consumed in the midst of thee: and a third shall fall by the sword round about thee; and the third I will scatter to every wind, and I will draw out the sword after them.
And I saved you from all your uncleannesses: and I called for the grain and I multiplied it, and I will not give famine upon you.
And the captain of a hundred having answered said, Lord, I am not fit that thou shouldest enter in under my roof: but only say the word, and my servant shall be healed. For I also am a man under power, having soldiers under me: and I say to this, Go, and he goes; and to another, Come, and he comes; and to my servant, Do this, and he does.
Hastings
In Palestine, famine is usually due to failure of the rainfall (Le 26:19; Am 4:6-7). Both crops and pasturage depend on the proper amount falling at the right time, the 'early rain' in Oct.
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And there shall be a famine in the land; and Abram will go down to Egypt to sojourn there; for the famine was strong in the land.
And a famine shall be iu the land, besides the first famine which was in the days of Abraham. And Isaak will go to Abimelech king of the Philistines to Gerar.
And the flax and the barley were struck: for the barley was ripe, and the flax high.
And it will cover the eye of all the earth, and the land will be dark; and it will eat every green herb of the land, and all the fruit of the tree which the hail left: and not a green thing was left in the tree, and in the green herb of the field, in all the land of Egypt
And I broke the pride of your strength: and I gave your heaven as iron, and your earth as brass:
And the land where ye are passing over there to possess it, a land of mountains and valleys; according to the rain of the heavens it will drink water.
And I gave the rain of your land in its time, the early and the latter rain; and gather thy grain and thy new wine and thy new oil.
Jehovah shall raise up against thee a nation from far off, from the extremity of the earth, as the eagle shall fly, whose tongue thou shalt not hear; A nation strong of face who shall not lift up the face to the old man, and shall not compassionate the young. read more. And it shall eat the fruit of thy cattle, and the fruit of thy land till he destroyed thee: which shall not leave to thee grain, new wine or new oil, the offspring of thine oxen and the flocks of thy sheep, till his destroying thee. And he passed upon thee in all thy gates until the coming down of thy high and inaccessible fortresses which thou trustest in them in all thy land: and he passed upon thee in all thy gates in all thy land which Jehovah thy God gave to thee. And thou atest the fruit of thy belly, the flesh of thy sons and thy daughters, which Jehovah thy God gave to thee, in the distress and in the straitness which thine enemy shall press upon thee: The man tender in thee, and very delicate, his eye shall be evil upon his brother, and upon the wife of his bosom, and upon the remainder of his sons which he shall leave: The gift to one of them of the flesh of his sons which he shall eat from: nothing remaining to him of all things in the distress and in the straitness which his enemy shall press upon thee in all thy gates. She tender and delicate in thee, who tried not to set the sole of her foot upon the earth from delicateness and tenderness, her eye shall be evil upon the husband of her bosom, and upon her son, and upon her daughter, And upon her afterbirth coming forth from between her feet, and upon her sons which she shall bear: for she will eat them in want of all things, in secret, in the distress and in the straitness which thine enemy shall press upon thee in thy gates.
And it will be in the days of the judging of the judges, and there will be a famine in the land. And a man from the house of bread of Judah will go to sojourn in the field of Moab, he and his wife and his two sons.
If famine shall be in the land, if there shall be death, blasting, yellowness, the locust devouring; if his enemy shall press upon him in the land of his gates, every blow, every sickness;
And Elijah the Tishbite from the Tishbites of Gilead, will say to Ahab, Jehovah the God of Israel lives whom I stood before him if there shall be dew and rain but according to the mouth of my word.
And Ahab will say to Obadiaha, Go into the land to all the fountains of waters, and to all the torrents; perhaps we shall find grass and preserve alive the horse and the mule, and we shall not be cut off from the cattle.
And a great famine will be in Shomeron: and behold them pressing upon it till the head of an ass was for eighty of silver, and the fourth of a cup of doves dung, for five of silver.
In the ninth to the month and the famine will be strong in the city, and there was not bread for the people of the land.
He dwelling in this city shall die. by the sword, and by the famine, and by death: and he going forth and falling to the Chaldeans pressing upon you, shall live, and his soul was to him for booty.
He dwelling in this city shall die. by the sword, and by the famine, and by death: and he going forth and falling to the Chaldeans pressing upon you, shall live, and his soul was to him for booty.
The hands of compassionate women boiled their children: they were for food to them in the breaking of the daughter of my people.
The residue of the creeping locust the common locust ate; and the residue of the common locust the feeder ate; and the residue of the feeder the devourer ate.
And also I gave to you cleanness of teeth in all your cities, and want of bread in all your places: and ye turned not back even to me, says Jehovah. And I withheld from you the rain in yet three months to harvest: and I caused to rain upon one city, and upon one city I will not cause to rain: and one portion shall be rained upon, and the portion which shall not be rained upon, it shall dry up.
I struck you with blasting and with yellowness: the multitudes of your gardens and your vineyards and your fig-trees and your olives the creeping locust shall eat: and ye turned not back even to me, says Jehovah.
Behold, the days coming, says the Lord Jehovah, and I sent famine into the land; not a faniine for bread, and not a thirst for water, but for hearing the words of Jehovah.
For nation shall be raised up against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; and there shall be famines, and plagues, and shakings in places.
For nation shall be raised against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there shall be earthquakes in places, and there shall be famines, and commotions: these the beginnings of anguish.
And great earthquakes in places, and famines, and scourges shall be; and terrific objects and great signs shall be from heaven.
And one of them having risen, Agabus by name, signified by the Holy Spirit a great famine was about to be upon the whole habitable globe: which was during Claudius Caesar.
Elias was a man having similar feelings with us, and in prayer he prayed for it not to rain: and it rained not upon the earth for three years and six months.
And when he opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature saying, Come and see. And I saw, and behold a black horse, and he sitting upon him having a balance in his hand.
Therefore in one day shall her blows come, death, and grief, and famine; and she shall be burned down in fire: for strong the Lord God judging her.
Morish
One of God's 'four sore judgements' which He in past times brought upon the earth, and which He has foretold will again be sent as a punishment. The most severe famines recorded in scripture are the two of seven years' duration, one in the time of Joseph, and the other in the days of Elisha. Ge 41:27-57; 2Ki 8:1-2: cf. Eze 14:21; Mt 24:7; Lu 21:11; Re 18:8. In speaking of the tribulations that will come upon Israel before the remnant of them are brought into blessing, Amos prophesies that there will be a famine of the 'words of Jehovah.' When judgements are falling on them, they will seek for some word from God for guidance and comfort; but will not find it: God will for a time leave them in darkness and perplexity. Am 8:11-12.
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And the seven heifers, thin and evil, coming up after them, they are seven years; and the seven ears, thin, blasted by the east, shall be seven years of famine. This the word which I spake to Pharaoh: what God did, he showed Pharaoh. read more. Behold, seven years coming of great plenty, in all the land of Egypt And seven years of famine arose after them, and all the plenty was forgotten in the land of Egypt; and the famine consumed the land. And the plenty shall not be known in the land on account of the famine after this; for it shall be exceedingly heavy. And because of the repeating of Pharaoh's dream twice, that the word was prepared from God; and God is hastening to do it And now will Pharaoh look out a man discerning and wise, and set him over the land of Egypt And will Pharaoh make and appoint overseers over the land, exacting a fifth part of the land of Egypt, in the seven years of plenty. And they shall gather all the food of these good years coming, and they shall heap up the grain under the hand of Pharaoh, and they shall watch food in the cities. And the food was for a deposit to the land, for the seven years of famine, which shall be in the land of Egypt; and the land shall not be cut off in the famine. And the word will be good in the eyes of Pharaoh, and in the eyes of all his servants. And Pharaoh will say to his servants, Shall we find such as this man which has the spirit of God in him? And Pharaoh will say to Joseph, After that God showed thee all this, none discerning and wise as thou. Thou shalt be over my house, and to thy mouth all my people shall bend: only upon the throne I shall be great above thee. And Pharaoh will say to Joseph, See, I gave thee over all the land of Egypt And Pharaoh will remove his signet ring from his hand, and will give it upon Joseph's hand; and will put upon him a white garment, and will put a gold collar about his neck. And he will cause him to ride in the second chariot which is to him. And they will cry out before him, Aback. And he gave him over all the land of Egypt. And Pharaoh will say to Joseph, I am Pharaoh; and without thee, a man shall not lift up his hand and his foot in all the land of Egypt And Pharaoh will call Joseph's name Zaphnath-paaneah; and he will give to him Asenath, daughter of PotiPherah, priest of Ain, for a wife; and Joseph will go forth over the land of Egypt And Joseph the son of thirty years in his standing before Pharaoh, king of Egypt; and Joseph will go forth from the face of Pharaoh, and will pass over all the land of Egypt And the earth will make in the seven years of plenty by handfuls. And he will gather all the food of the seven years which were in the land of Egypt, and he will give the food in the cities: the food of the field of the city which round about her, he gave in the midst of her. And Joseph will gather grain as the sand of the sea, exceedingly much that he ceased to number; for there was no numbering. And to Joseph will be born two sons before the years of the famine will come: which Asenath, daughter of Poti-Pherah, priest of Ain, bare to him. And Joseph will call the name of the first-born, Manasseh; for God made me forget all my toils and all my father's house. And the name of the second, he called Ephraim; for God caused me to flourish in the land of my affliction. And the seven years of plenty will be completed, which was in the land of Egypt And the seven years of famine will begin to come, according to that Joseph said: and the famine will be in all the lands; and in all the land of Egypt was bread. And all the land of Egypt shall hunger, and the people will cry out to Pharaoh for bread; and Pharaoh will say to all Egypt, Go to Joseph; what he shall say to you, ye shall do. And the famine was upon all the face of the earth: and Joseph will open all which in them, and he will sell to Egypt; and the famine was strong in the land of Egypt And all the earth came to Egypt to Joseph to buy, for the famine was strong in all the earth.
For thus said the Lord Jehovah: Also if I sent my four evil judgments, sword and famine, and the evil beast, and death to Jerusalem, to cut off from it man and cattle?
Behold, the days coming, says the Lord Jehovah, and I sent famine into the land; not a faniine for bread, and not a thirst for water, but for hearing the words of Jehovah. And they wandered from sea even to sea, and from the north and even to the sunrising, they shall run up and down to seek the word of Jehovah and they shall not find.
For nation shall be raised up against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; and there shall be famines, and plagues, and shakings in places.
And great earthquakes in places, and famines, and scourges shall be; and terrific objects and great signs shall be from heaven.
Therefore in one day shall her blows come, death, and grief, and famine; and she shall be burned down in fire: for strong the Lord God judging her.
Smith
Famine.
In the whole of Syria and Arabia, the fruits of the earth must ever be dependent on rain; the watersheds having few large springs, and the small rivers not being sufficient for the irrigation of even the level lands. If therefore the heavy rains of November and December fail, the sustenance of the people is cut off in the parching drought of harvest-time, when the country is almost devoid of moisture. Egypt, again, owes all its fertility to its mighty river, whose annual rise inundates nearly the whole land. The causes of dearth and famine in Egypt are defective inundation, preceded, accompanied and followed by prevalent easterly and southerly winds. Famine is likewise a natural result in the East when caterpillars, locusts or other insects destroy the products of the earth. The first famine recorded in the Bible is that of Abraham after he had pitched his tent on the east of Bethel,
the second in the days of Isaac,
seq. We hear no more of times of scarcity until the great famine of Egypt, which "was over all the face of the earth."
The modern history of Egypt throws some curious light on these ancient records of famines; and instances of their recurrence may be cited to assist us in understanding their course and extent. The most remarkable famine was that of the reign of the Fatimee Khaleefeh, El-Mustansir billah, which is the only instance on record of one of seven years duration in Egypt since the time of Joseph (A.H. 457-464, A.D. 1064-1071). Vehement drought and pestilence continued for seven consecutive years, so that the people ate corpses, and animals that died of themselves. The famine of Samaria resembled it in many particulars; and that very briefly recorded in
affords another instance of one of seven years. In Arabia famines are of frequent occurrence.
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And there shall be a famine in the land; and Abram will go down to Egypt to sojourn there; for the famine was strong in the land.
And a famine shall be iu the land, besides the first famine which was in the days of Abraham. And Isaak will go to Abimelech king of the Philistines to Gerar.
And the seven years of plenty will be completed, which was in the land of Egypt And the seven years of famine will begin to come, according to that Joseph said: and the famine will be in all the lands; and in all the land of Egypt was bread. read more. And all the land of Egypt shall hunger, and the people will cry out to Pharaoh for bread; and Pharaoh will say to all Egypt, Go to Joseph; what he shall say to you, ye shall do. And the famine was upon all the face of the earth: and Joseph will open all which in them, and he will sell to Egypt; and the famine was strong in the land of Egypt And all the earth came to Egypt to Joseph to buy, for the famine was strong in all the earth.
And Elisha spake to the woman whom he restored to life her son, saying, Arise, and go thou, and thy house, and sojourn where thou wilt sojourn; for Jehovah called for a famine; and also coming to the land seven And the woman will rise and will do according to the word of the man of God: and will go, she and her house, and she will sojourn in the land of the rovers seven years.