Meaning
1. Natural Causes
2. Famines Mentioned
3. Divine Relations
4. Figurative Uses
The common Old Testament word for "famine" is ra`abh; re`abhon also occurs (Gen 42:19, Gen 42:33, Psa 37:19), and kaphan (Job 5:22, Job 30:3), all meaning "hunger" and "famine"; in the New Testament the word is limos, meaning primarily "failure," "want of food."
1. Natural Causes:
In early times, especially in lands dependent on their own productions, famines were not infrequent. They were generally caused by local irregularities of the rainfall, by destructive hail storms (Exo 9:23, Exo 9:11, Exo 9:32), by ravages of insects (Exo 10:15, Joe 1:4) and by enemies (De 28:51); in a city a famine might be caused by a siege (2Ki 6:25); pestilence often followed in its wake, and the suffering was great.
2. Famines Mentioned:
Famines are recorded in the time of Abraham (Ge 12:10, etc.), of Isaac (Ge 26:1), of Jacob, when Joseph was in Egypt-seven years of famine even in Egypt after seven of plenty (Ge 41:54), which also affected Canaan (Ge 42:1), and, indeed, "was over all the face of the earth" (Ge 41:56); in the time of the Judges (Ru 1:1), of David, for three years (2Sa 21:1), of Ahab and Elijah (1Ki 17:1, 1Ki 18:2, Eccl 48:2,3), of Elisha (2Ki 4:38), during the siege of Samaria (2Ki 6:25), the seven years foretold by Elisha (2Ki 8:1), in the reign of Zedekiah in Jerusalem when besieged by Nebuchadnezzar (2Ki 25:3, Jer 52:6; compare 14:1), its great severity is referred to (La 5:10, Baruch 2:25); a "dearth" is also mentioned after the return from Captivity (Ne 5:3); when the city was besieged by Antiochus Eupator (Macc 6:54), after the death of Judas (Macc 9:24), when Jerusalem was besieged by Simon (Macc 13:49), in the time of Claudius (Ac 11:28, in his reign there were frequent famines, one of which in 45 AD severely affected Palestine; Josephus, Ant, XX, v); Christ predicted "famines .... in divers places" as characterizing the end of the age (Mat 24:7, Mar 13:8, Luk 21:11); in the siege of Jerusalem by Titus a terrible famine raged, the consequences of which to the people have never been surpassed.
3. Divine Relations:
Famines are frequently said to be sent as punishments sometimes threatened as such (Lev 26:19, Deu 28:49-51, 2Ki 8:1, Psa 105:16, Isa 14:30, Isa 51:19, Jer 14:12, Jer 14:15, Jer 18:21, etc.; Eze 5:16, etc.; Am 8:11, Esdras 15:5,49, 16:19, Tobit 4:13, Eccl 39:29, 40:9;).
The righteous or godly should be preserved by God in time of famine (Job 5:20, "In famine he will redeem thee from death"; Ps 33:19, "to keep them alive in famine"; 37:19, "In the days of famine they shall be satisfied"); this was a special mark of the Divine favor and power.
4. Figurative Uses:
A famine is used by Amos to indicate the absence of Divine communications as a punishment that should come on the people, a "famine .... of hearing the words of Yahweh" (8:11; compare 1Sa 3:1, 1Sa 28:6, 2Ch 15:3, Eze 7:26, Mic 3:6); by Zephaniah of the destruction of heathen deities (2:11).
The Revised Version (British and American) has "dearth" for "famine" (Job 5:22); "famine" for "dearth" (Gen 41:54, 2Ch 6:28, Act 7:11, Act 11:28); for "hunger" (Jer 38:9, Eze 34:29, Rev 6:8); "famines" for "famines and pestilences" (Mt 24:7), "famines and troubles" (Mr 13:8), revised texts.
W. L. Walker
