Genesis 41:56
New International Version
When the famine had spread over the whole country, Joseph opened all the storehouses and sold grain to the Egyptians, for the famine was severe throughout Egypt.

New Living Translation
So with severe famine everywhere, Joseph opened up the storehouses and distributed grain to the Egyptians, for the famine was severe throughout the land of Egypt.

English Standard Version
So when the famine had spread over all the land, Joseph opened all the storehouses and sold to the Egyptians, for the famine was severe in the land of Egypt.

Berean Standard Bible
When the famine had spread over all the land, Joseph opened up all the storehouses and sold grain to the Egyptians; for the famine was severe in the land of Egypt.

King James Bible
And the famine was over all the face of the earth: And Joseph opened all the storehouses, and sold unto the Egyptians; and the famine waxed sore in the land of Egypt.

New King James Version
The famine was over all the face of the earth, and Joseph opened all the storehouses and sold to the Egyptians. And the famine became severe in the land of Egypt.

New American Standard Bible
When the famine was spread over the entire face of the earth, then Joseph opened all the storehouses and sold grain to the Egyptians; and the famine was severe in the land of Egypt.

NASB 1995
When the famine was spread over all the face of the earth, then Joseph opened all the storehouses, and sold to the Egyptians; and the famine was severe in the land of Egypt.

NASB 1977
When the famine was spread over all the face of the earth, then Joseph opened all the storehouses, and sold to the Egyptians; and the famine was severe in the land of Egypt.

Legacy Standard Bible
Now the famine was over all the face of the land. And Joseph opened all the storehouses and sold to the Egyptians; and the famine was severe in the land of Egypt.

Amplified Bible
When the famine was spread over all the land, Joseph opened all the storehouses, and sold [surplus grain] to the Egyptians; and the famine grew [extremely] severe in the land of Egypt.

Christian Standard Bible
Now the famine had spread across the whole region, so Joseph opened all the storehouses and sold grain to the Egyptians, for the famine was severe in the land of Egypt.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
Because the famine had spread across the whole country, Joseph opened up all the storehouses and sold grain to the Egyptians, for the famine was severe in the land of Egypt.

American Standard Version
And the famine was over all the face of the earth: and Joseph opened all the store-houses, and sold unto the Egyptians; and the famine was sore in the land of Egypt.

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
And famine was on the face of all the Earth, and Yoseph opened the granaries and he sold to the Egyptians, and the famine prevailed in the land of Egypt.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
And the famine was on the face of all the earth; and Joseph opened all the granaries, and sold to all the Egyptians.

Contemporary English Version
The famine became bad everywhere in Egypt, so Joseph opened the storehouses and sold the grain to the Egyptians.

Douay-Rheims Bible
And the famine increased daily in all the land: and Joseph opened all the barns, and sold to the Egyptians: for the famine had oppressed them also.

English Revised Version
And the famine was over all the face of the earth: and Joseph opened all the storehouses, and sold unto the Egyptians; and the famine was sore in the land of Egypt.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
When the famine had spread all over the country, Joseph opened all the storehouses and sold grain to the Egyptians. He did this because the famine was severe in Egypt.

Good News Translation
The famine grew worse and spread over the whole country, so Joseph opened all the storehouses and sold grain to the Egyptians.

International Standard Version
Joseph opened all of the storehouses and sold grain to the Egyptians, because the famine was beginning to be severe throughout the land of Egypt.

JPS Tanakh 1917
And the famine was over all the face of the earth; and Joseph opened all the storehouses, and sold unto the Egyptians; and the famine was sore in the land of Egypt.

Literal Standard Version
And the famine has been over all the face of the land, and Joseph opens all [places] which have [grain] in them, and sells to the Egyptians; and the famine is severe in the land of Egypt,

Majority Standard Bible
When the famine had spread over all the land, Joseph opened up all the storehouses and sold grain to the Egyptians; for the famine was severe in the land of Egypt.

New American Bible
When the famine had spread throughout the land, Joseph opened all the cities that had grain and rationed it to the Egyptians, since the famine had gripped the land of Egypt.

NET Bible
While the famine was over all the earth, Joseph opened the storehouses and sold grain to the Egyptians. The famine was severe throughout the land of Egypt.

New Revised Standard Version
And since the famine had spread over all the land, Joseph opened all the storehouses, and sold to the Egyptians, for the famine was severe in the land of Egypt.

New Heart English Bible
So the famine was over all the surface of the land. Then Joseph opened all the storehouses of grain and sold to the Egyptians. And the famine was severe in the land of Egypt.

Webster's Bible Translation
And the famine was over all the face of the earth; and Joseph opened all the store-houses, and sold to the Egyptians; and the famine became severe in the land of Egypt.

World English Bible
The famine was over all the surface of the earth. Joseph opened all the store houses, and sold to the Egyptians. The famine was severe in the land of Egypt.

Young's Literal Translation
And the famine has been over all the face of the land, and Joseph openeth all places which have corn in them, and selleth to the Egyptians; and the famine is severe in the land of Egypt,

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
The Famine Begins
55When 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.” 56When the famine had spread over all the land, Joseph opened up all the storehouses and sold grain to the Egyptians; for the famine was severe in the land of Egypt. 57And every nation came to Joseph in Egypt to buy grain, because the famine was severe over all the earth.…

Cross References
Genesis 41:30
but seven years of famine will follow them. Then all the abundance in the land of Egypt will be forgotten, and the famine will devastate the land.

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."

Genesis 41:57
And every nation came to Joseph in Egypt to buy grain, because the famine was severe over all the earth.

Genesis 43:1
Now the famine was still severe in the land.

Genesis 47:14
Joseph collected all the money to be found in the land of Egypt and the land of Canaan in exchange for the grain they were buying, and he brought it into Pharaoh's palace.


Treasury of Scripture

And the famine was over all the face of the earth: and Joseph opened all the storehouses, and sold to the Egyptians; and the famine waxed sore in the land of Egypt.

the face.

Isaiah 23:17
And it shall come to pass after the end of seventy years, that the LORD will visit Tyre, and she shall turn to her hire, and shall commit fornication with all the kingdoms of the world upon the face of the earth.

Zechariah 5:3
Then said he unto me, This is the curse that goeth forth over the face of the whole earth: for every one that stealeth shall be cut off as on this side according to it; and every one that sweareth shall be cut off as on that side according to it.

Luke 21:35
For as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth.

all the storehouses.

Genesis 42:6
And Joseph was the governor over the land, and he it was that sold to all the people of the land: and Joseph's brethren came, and bowed down themselves before him with their faces to the earth.

Genesis 47:14-24
And Joseph gathered up all the money that was found in the land of Egypt, and in the land of Canaan, for the corn which they bought: and Joseph brought the money into Pharaoh's house…

Jump to Previous
Corn Country Earth Egypt Egyptians Everywhere Face Famine Food Grain Great Grievous Houses Joseph Money Need Opened Openeth Opening Places Provision Selleth Severe Short Sold Sore Spread Store Storehouses Store-Houses Surface Waxed Whole
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Corn Country Earth Egypt Egyptians Everywhere Face Famine Food Grain Great Grievous Houses Joseph Money Need Opened Openeth Opening Places Provision Selleth Severe Short Sold Sore Spread Store Storehouses Store-Houses Surface Waxed Whole
Genesis 41
1. Pharaoh has two dreams.
9. Joseph interprets them.
33. He gives Pharaoh counsel, and is highly advanced, and married.
46. The seven years of plenty.
50. He begets children.
53. The famine begins.














Verses 56, 57. - And the famine was over all the face of the earth (vide supra, ver. 54): And Joseph opened all the storehouses, - literally, all wherein was, i.e. all the magazines that had grain in them. The granaries of Egypt are represented on the monuments. "In the tomb of Amenemha at Beni-hassan there is the painting of a great storehouse, before whose door lies a great heap of grain already winnowed. Near by stands the bushel with which it is measured, and the registrar who takes the account" (Hengstenberg's 'Egypt and the Books of Moses,' p. 36) - and sold unto the Egyptians (cf. Proverbs 2:26); - and the famine waxed sore (literally, became strong) in the land of Egypt. A remarkable inscription from the tomb at Eileythia of Barn, which Brugsch ('Histoire d'Egypte,' second ed., p. 174, seqq.) assigns to the latter part of the seventeenth dynasty, mentions a dearth of several years in Egypt ("A famine having broken out during many years, I gave corn to the town during each famine"), which that distinguished Egyptologer identifies with the famine of Joseph under Apophis, the shepherd king (vide ' Encyclopedia Britannica,' ninth edition, art. Egypt); but, this, according to Bunsen ('Egypt's Place, 3:334), is rather to be detected in a dearth of several years which occurred in the time of Osirtasen I., and which is mentioned in an inscription at Beni-hassan, recording the fact that during its prevalence food was supplied by Amenee, the governor of a district of Upper Egypt (Smith's' Dict.,' art. Joseph). The character of Chnumhotep (a near relative and favorite of Osirtasen I., and his immediate successor), and the recorded events of his government, as described in the Beni-hassan monuments, also remind one of Joseph: - "he (i.e. Chnumhotep) injured no little child; he oppressed no widow; he detained for his own purpose no fisherman; took from his work no shepherd; no overseer's men were taken. There was no beggar in his days; no one starved in his time. When years of famine occurred he ploughed all the lands of the district, producing abundant food; no one starved in it; he treated the widow as a woman with a husband to protect her" (vide 'Speaker's Commentary,' vol. 1. p. 450). And all countries (i.e. people from all the adjoining lands) came into Egypt to Joseph for to buy corn; because the famine was so sore in all lands.



Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
When the famine
וְהָרָעָ֣ב (wə·hā·rā·‘āḇ)
Conjunctive waw, Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 7458: Famine, hunger

had spread
הָיָ֔ה (hā·yāh)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 1961: To fall out, come to pass, become, be

over
עַ֖ל (‘al)
Preposition
Strong's 5921: Above, over, upon, against

all
כָּל־ (kāl-)
Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 3605: The whole, all, any, every

the
פְּנֵ֣י (pə·nê)
Noun - common plural construct
Strong's 6440: The face

land,
הָאָ֑רֶץ (hā·’ā·reṣ)
Article | Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 776: Earth, land

Joseph
יוֹסֵ֜ף (yō·w·sêp̄)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 3130: Joseph -- 'he increases', a son of Jacob, also the name of several Israelites

opened up
וַיִּפְתַּ֨ח (way·yip̄·taḥ)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 6605: To open wide, to loosen, begin, plough, carve

all
כָּל־ (kāl-)
Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 3605: The whole, all, any, every

the storehouses and sold grain
וַיִּשְׁבֹּ֣ר (way·yiš·bōr)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 7666: To deal in grain

to the Egyptians;
לְמִצְרַ֔יִם (lə·miṣ·ra·yim)
Preposition-l | Noun - proper - feminine singular
Strong's 4713: Egyptian -- inhabitant of Egypt

for the famine
הָֽרָעָ֖ב (hā·rā·‘āḇ)
Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 7458: Famine, hunger

was severe
וַיֶּחֱזַ֥ק (way·ye·ḥĕ·zaq)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 2388: To fasten upon, to seize, be strong, obstinate, to bind, restrain, conquer

in the land
בְּאֶ֥רֶץ (bə·’e·reṣ)
Preposition-b | Noun - feminine singular construct
Strong's 776: Earth, land

of Egypt.
מִצְרָֽיִם׃ (miṣ·rā·yim)
Noun - proper - feminine singular
Strong's 4714: Egypt -- a son of Ham, also his descendants and their country in Northwest Africa


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OT Law: Genesis 41:56 The famine was over all the surface (Gen. Ge Gn)
Genesis 41:55
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