King James Version

Genesis 12:10

And there was a famine in the land: and Abram went down into Egypt to sojourn there; for the famine was grievous in the land.

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Hebrew

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וַיְהִ֥יvayhiand beהָיָהconjunction, verb, qal, sequential imperfect, 3rd person, masculine, singular — “and be”, the next action in the storyH1961to exist, i.e. be or become, come to pass (always emphatic, and not a mere copula or auxiliary)beacon, [idiom] altogether, be(-come), accomplished, committed, like), break, cause, come (to pass), do, faint, fall, [phrase] follow, happen, [idiom] have, last, pertain, quit (one-) self, require, [idiom] use.רָעָ֖בraavhungerרָעָבnoun, common, masculine, singular, absolute — “hunger”, the ordinary formH7458hunger (more or less extensive)dearth, famine, [phrase] famished, hunger.בָּאָ֑רֶץbaaretsin earthאֶרֶץpreposition, with the article, noun, common, both genders, singular, absolute — “in earth”, the ordinary formH776the earth (at large, or partitively a land)[idiom] common, country, earth, field, ground, land, [idiom] natins, way, [phrase] wilderness, world.וַיֵּ֨רֶדvayeredand bring downיָרַדconjunction, verb, qal, sequential imperfect, 3rd person, masculine, singular — “and bring down”, the next action in the storyH3381to descend (literally, to go downwards; or conventionally to a lower region, as the shore, a boundary, the enemy, etc.; or figuratively, to fall); causatively, to bring down (in all the above applications)[idiom] abundantly, bring down, carry down, cast down, (cause to) come(-ing) down, fall (down), get down, go(-ing) down(-ward), hang down, [idiom] indeed, let down, light (down), put down (off), (cause to, let) run down, sink, subdue, take…אַבְרָ֤םavramAbramאַבְרָםnoun, proper name — “Abram”H87Abram, the original name of AbrahamAbram.מִצְרַ֨יְמָה֙mitsraymahEgyptמִצְרַיִםnoun, proper name, directional ending — “Egypt”H4714Mitsrajim, i.e. Upper and Lower EgyptEgypt, Egyptians, Mizraim.לָג֣וּרlagurto fearגּוּרpreposition, verb, qal, infinitive construct — “to fear”, the to-form of the verbH1481properly, to turn aside from the road (for a lodging or any other purpose), i.e. sojourn (as a guest); also to shrink, fear (as in a strange place); also to gather forhostility (as afraid)abide, assemble, be afraid, dwell, fear, gather (together), inhabitant, remain, sojourn, stand in awe, (be) stranger, [idiom] surely.שָׁ֔םshamthereשָׁםadverb — “there”H8033there (transferring to time) then; often thither, or thencein it, [phrase] thence, there (-in, [phrase] of, [phrase] out), [phrase] thither, [phrase] whither.כִּֽיkiassuredכִּיconjunction — “assured”H3588(by implication) very widely used as a relative conjunction or adverb (as below); often largely modified by other particles annexedand, + (forasmuch, inasmuch, where-) as, assured(-ly), + but, certainly, doubtless, + else, even, + except, for, how, (because, in, so, than) that, + nevertheless, now, rightly, seeing, since, surely, then, therefore, + (al-) though, + til…כָבֵ֥דkhavedheavyכָּבֵדadjective, adjective, masculine, singular, absolute — “heavy”, the ordinary formH3515heavy; figuratively in a good sense (numerous) or in a bad sense (severe, difficult, stupid)(so) great, grievous, hard(-ened), (too) heavy(-ier), laden, much, slow, sore, thick.הָרָעָ֖בharaavthe hungerרָעָבdefinite article, noun, common, masculine, singular, absolute — “the hunger”, the ordinary formH7458hunger (more or less extensive)dearth, famine, [phrase] famished, hunger.בָּאָֽרֶץbaaretsin earthאֶרֶץpreposition, with the article, noun, common, both genders, singular, absolute — “in earth”, the ordinary formH776the earth (at large, or partitively a land)[idiom] common, country, earth, field, ground, land, [idiom] natins, way, [phrase] wilderness, world.

Jewish translation (JPS 1917)

And there was a famine in the land; and Abram went down into Egypt to sojourn there; for the famine was sore in the land.

Compare Public-Domain Translations

The King James Version remains the text of this page and the canonical URL.

American Standard Version (1901)

And there was a famine in the land: and Abram went down into Egypt to sojourn there; for the famine was sore in the land.

Young’s Literal Translation

And there is a famine in the land, and Abram goeth down towards Egypt to sojourn there, for the famine [is] grievous in the land;

World English Bible

There was a famine in the land. Abram went down into Egypt to live as a foreigner there, for the famine was severe in the land.

Darby Translation

And there was a famine in the land. And Abram went down to Egypt to sojourn there, for the famine was grievous in the land.

Douay-Rheims

And there came a famine in the country; and Abram went down into Egypt, to sojourn there: for the famine was very grievous in the land.

Jewish Publication Society (1917)

And there was a famine in the land; and Abram went down into Egypt to sojourn there; for the famine was sore in the land.

Brenton’s Septuagint (1851), English

And there was a famine in the land, and Abram went down to Egypt to sojourn there, because the famine prevailed in the land.

Septuagint (Brenton’s Greek, 1851)

Καὶ ἐγένετο λιμὸς ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς· καὶ κατέβη Ἅβραμ εἰς Αἴγυπτον παροικῆσαι ἐκεῖ, ὅτι ἐνίσχυσεν ὁ λιμὸς ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς.