Genesis 12:10 (YLT)

Passage

And there is a famine in the land, and Abram goeth down towards Egypt to sojourn there, for the famine <FI>is<Fi> grievous in the land;

Nearby Context

Genesis 12:8 And he removeth from thence towards a mountain at the east of Beth-El, and stretcheth out the tent (Beth-El at the west, and Hai at the east), and he buildeth there an altar to Jehovah, and preacheth in the name of Jehovah.

Genesis 12:9 And Abram journeyeth, going on and journeying towards the south.

Genesis 12:10 And there is a famine in the land, and Abram goeth down towards Egypt to sojourn there, for the famine <FI>is<Fi> grievous in the land;

Genesis 12:11 and it cometh to pass as he hath drawn near to enter Egypt, that he saith unto Sarai his wife, `Lo, I pray thee, I have known that thou <FI>art<Fi> a woman of beautiful appearance;

Genesis 12:12 and it hath come to pass that the Egyptians see thee, and they have said, `This <FI>is<Fi> his wife,' and they have slain me, and thee they keep alive:

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "famine", "land", "abram", "goeth", "down", "towards", "egypt", and "sojourn". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "famine" and "land", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 9's "And Abram journeyeth going on and journeying..." into verse 11's "and it cometh to pass as he...", so "famine" and "land" belong inside that flow. In Genesis context, the local focus is creation, human rebellion, covenant promise, and God's providence.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "famine" and "land" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.