Verse Lens · Context pointer
Genesis 43:1 Explained in Context
Use this verse as a doorway into the larger passage—not as an isolated saying.
Verse 1. 1And the famine was sore in the land.
King James Version — public domain in the United States · Bible text and permissions
Role in This Section
The severe famine continues in Canaan and reopens the family stalemate over Benjamin.
Read It With
- Genesis 43:1–14
Read 42:38–43:5. Jacob's refusal closes chapter 42; the exhausted grain in verse 2 shows why the household cannot preserve that decision indefinitely.
Why It Needs Context
The verse names the regional danger but not yet the family's depleted food or Joseph's condition, so it cannot explain the renewed journey by itself.
Read Genesis 43:1–5 together
Why these verses belong together: Severe famine and exhausted grain require a return, while Judah states the two alternatives created by the ruler's demand for Benjamin.
Verse 1. 1 And the famine was sore in the land.
Verse 2. 2 And it came to pass, when they had eaten up the corn which they had brought out of Egypt, their father said unto them, Go again, buy us a little food.
Verse 3. 3 And Judah spake unto him, saying, The man did solemnly protest unto us, saying, Ye shall not see my face, except your brother be with you.
Verse 4. 4 If thou wilt send our brother with us, we will go down and buy thee food:
Verse 5. 5 But if thou wilt not send him, we will not go down: for the man said unto us, Ye shall not see my face, except your brother be with you.
Continue in Context
The full thought-unit study remains the final contextual authority for this Verse Lens.
Read Genesis 43:1–14 — Judah Persuades Jacob to Send BenjaminSources used for this context pointer
How certain is this explanation? strong
These are the sources used directly for this lens. Language, grammar, disagreements, and the complete source shelf remain attached to the full thought-unit research record.
Biblical text
King James (Authorized) Version — eng-kjv2006
eBible.org and CrossWire Bible Society
USFM archive eng-kjv2006_usfm.zip; source files dated 2026-08-19; downloaded 2026-08-24; archive SHA-256 aec1b3b26c622fd3d963d2bbac963016b9513246ffbfa20da00bb100372ea007; normalized corpus SHA-256 09aef51d90488aa7b9722b3fd9a93f4b25f6bf2064c5fd798fb39673c300ddf2.
Supports: Displayed text, famine, dialogue, surety, gift, money, El Shaddai, bereavement, and narrative connections.
Exact location: Genesis 43:1–14 with 42:2, 42:29–38, 43:15–34, 44:18–34, 28:3, 35:11, and 37:25 in the pinned standardized 1769 KJV
Open source ↗hebrew text morphology and lemma data
Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible — Genesis
Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible Project
Open Scriptures, Version 2.2 released 2021; repository inspected 2026
Supports: Infinitive absolutes, survival sequence, surety, guilt, mercy, El Shaddai, and repeated bereavement wording.
Exact location: WLC Genesis 43:1–14, especially vv. 3, 7–10, and 14
Open source ↗