Genesis 45:6 Meaning: God's Timing in the Famine
For these two years the famine has been in the land, and there are yet five years, in which there will be no plowing and no harvest.
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.
For these two years hath the famine been in the land: and there are yet five years, in which there shall be neither plowing nor harvest.
`Because these two years the famine is in the heart of the land, and yet are five years, in which there is neither ploughing nor harvest;
For the famine has been these two years in the land; and yet there are five years in which there will be neither ploughing nor harvest.
Meaning in one sentence
How Joseph's precise description of the remaining famine years shows God's sovereign timing and why the family must move to Egypt.
Context
This verse comes at the emotional peak of the Joseph story. After years of separation, Joseph has just revealed his identity to the brothers who sold him into slavery. The room is thick with terror and tears. Joseph speaks not to accuse but to reframe everything they have lived through. He gives them a timeline: two years of famine are already behind them, and five more are coming, years without plowing or harvest. That detail matters. It is not just bad news. It is the reason his family cannot wait out the famine in Canaan. The drought has made the ground too hard for seed, and the Nile has not risen. Staying where they are would mean slow death. Joseph is gently showing them that God’s provision in Egypt is not a luxury but a lifeline.
Key Words
Two Hebrew words anchor this verse. The first is charish, often translated “plowing.” It means breaking open the soil with a plow, the first step that makes a harvest possible. In this verse, God is not just saying there will be nothing to gather. He is saying the land itself will refuse to be worked. No seed. No growth. Nothing. The second word is ayin, a tiny word meaning “nothing” or “there is not.” It appears in the phrase “there will be no.” It is absolute. Joseph is not softening the news. He wants his brothers to see the severity clearly so they understand that Egypt is not an escape from hardship, it is the very place God prepared to sustain them through it. The famine is real, and God’s rescue is just as real.
How Christians Read This Verse
Christians across traditions have seen this verse as a window into providence. Reformed readers often point to Joseph’s repeated phrase “God sent me” (verses 5, 7, 8) as a clear case of God’s sovereign plan working through human sin. Catholic and Orthodox readers likewise see God’s hand guiding history toward the preservation of the covenant family, the line through whom Christ would come. Some Wesleyan interpreters highlight Joseph’s own growth: he does not minimize the brothers’ guilt, but he has learned to trust that God can write straight with crooked lines. All traditions agree that Joseph’s precise knowledge of the famine’s length, two years past, five to come, is not magic. It is the fruit of God’s revelation through Pharaoh’s dreams, which Joseph received and held onto through long years of waiting.
A common misunderstanding
Living This Out
Main takeaway: God’s timing is not random; He sends hardship and rescue in the same plan, and neither is wasted.
For Families
For ages 5, 8
Joseph told his brothers that there would be no food in the fields for five more years. But God had already saved up lots of food in Egypt! God always knows what we need before we need it.
For ages 9, 12
Joseph could have pretended the famine was almost over so his brothers would feel better. Instead, he told them the truth: five more hard years. But he also showed them that God had already prepared a way through those years. Sometimes telling the whole truth about how long something will be hard is the kindest thing you can do, because then everyone can get ready.
Questions People Ask
Why does Joseph mention there will be no plowing or harvest?
Joseph wants his brothers to understand the famine is not just a food shortage, the land itself is unusable. No plowing means no seed can go in the ground. No harvest means nothing will grow. This makes it clear that staying in Canaan is not an option; they must come to Egypt to survive.
Did the famine really last seven years?
Yes, the seven-year famine was predicted in Pharaoh’s dreams (Genesis 41) and confirmed by Joseph. This verse tells us that two years had already passed when Joseph revealed himself to his brothers, with five more to come. The total is seven years, the same number of years of plenty that came before.
How does this verse show God’s sovereignty?
Joseph knows the exact duration of the famine because God revealed it through Pharaoh’s dreams. He does not panic or despair; he states the facts calmly. This shows that God is in control of both the plenty and the famine, and He has a purpose for every year, even the hard ones.
Does this mean God caused the famine?
The Bible presents the famine as a natural event, but it also shows God using it for His purposes. Joseph says repeatedly that God sent him to Egypt to preserve life (Genesis 45:5, 7). Christians understand that God can work through difficult circumstances, even ones caused by creation’s brokenness, to accomplish His good plans.
What does the word 'earing' in the KJV mean?
In the King James Version, 'earing' is an old English word for plowing. It comes from the Anglo-Saxon word erian, meaning to plow. It has nothing to do with ears of corn. It simply means working the soil to prepare it for planting.
For pastors & researchers
Hebrew interlinear, 8 commentaries & word study