King James Bible

Back to Reader

Genesis

45

:

11

And there will I nourish thee; for yet there are five years of famine; lest thou, and thy household, and all that thou hast, come to poverty.

Lexicon

Verse part Definition: Part of speech: Strong's: Hebrew: Transliteration:
There in it Adverb H8033 שָׁ֔ם sham,
And there will I nourish can Verb H3557 וְכִלְכַּלְתִּ֤י ve·chil·kal·ti
are still again sub H5750 עֹ֛וד o·vd
thee for yet [there are] five fif Noun H2568 חָמֵ֥שׁ cha·mesh
Analysis:

Five: Incompletion or lacking

For a person to understand the meaning of the number “five”, one must first realize that the meaning of the number ten is completion or wholeness. Since five is half of ten, the idea is that the number five represents incompletion or that which is lacking. A Scripture that expresses this idea is found in the book of John. At a place called Beit Chesed (Bethesda), there was a pool whose waters healed the sick. The reader is told that around the pool there were five porches. It is stated that on these five porches laid individuals who were not whole. Some were paralyzed and the rest of them had a variety of health problems. It is not a chance happening that these people who were lacking their health were on five porches. Another well-known passage that contains the number five is found in I Samuel 17. In the account of David and Goliath, David picks up five stones (see I Samuel 17:40). Why is the reader told the specific number and not simply that David had gathered a few stones? The answer is to assist the reader in understanding that the stone, which David hurled at Goliath, was not the source of victory. Rather, this was only the means that God used to accomplish His victory. In other words, the stone and even David, who hurled this stone at Goliath, were insufficient to bring about this victory.

One of the first places where the idea of "lacking" or "incompleteness" is seen regarding the number five is in the book of Genesis. In chapter 18, two angels are sent to Sodom to destroy the city. God tells Abraham that if 50 righteous people are found in the city, then the city will be free of this punishment (We will learn that the number 50 is related to freedom when this number is studied). This is revealed to Abraham and he responds saying, perhaps the city will lack 50 righteous people by five. It is significant that Abraham uses the number five when referring to the city lacking enough righteous people. 

Loveisrael.org - Baruch Korman, Ph.D. - All Rights Reserved - Used with Permission 2016

years whole age Noun H8141 שָׁנִ֖ים sha·nim
of famine dearth Noun H7458 רָעָ֑ב ra·'av;
lest thou and thy household court Noun H1004 וּבֵֽיתְךָ֖ u·vei·te·cha
and all all manner Noun H3605 וְכָל־ ve·chol-
and all that thou hast come to poverty cast out Verb H3423 תִּוָּרֵ֛שׁ tiv·va·resh

Parallel Verses

Removed text
Added text
King James Bible And there will I nourish thee; for yet there are five years of famine; lest thou, and thy household, and all that thou hast, come to poverty.
Hebrew Greek English And there "There I will I nourish thee; also provide for yet you, for there are still five years of famine; lest thou, famine to come, and thy household, you and your household and all that thou hast, come to poverty.you have would be impoverished."'
New American Standard Bible 1995 And there "There I will I nourish thee; also provide for yet you, for there are still five years of famine; lest thou, famine to come, and thy household, you and your household and all that thou hast, come to poverty.you have would be impoverished."'