Psalms 105:16

16 Then he called for a famine upon the land; he broke every {supply} of bread.

Psalms 105:16 Meaning and Commentary

Psalms 105:16

Moreover, he called for a famine upon the land
On the land of Egypt; or rather on the land of Canaan, where Jacob and his sons sojourned; and which reached to all lands, ( Genesis 41:56 Genesis 41:57 ) ( 42:5 ) and calling for it, it came, being a servant at the command of the Lord; see ( 2 Kings 8:1 ) ( Haggai 1:11 ) .

He brake the whole staff of bread;
so called, because it is the support of man's life, the principal of his sustenance: as a staff is a support to a feeble person, and which, when broke, ceases to be so. The staff of bread is broken, when either the virtue and efficacy of it for nourishment is taken away or denied; or when there is a scarcity of bread corn; which latter seems to be intended here; see ( Isaiah 3:1 ) ( Leviticus 26:26 ) .

Psalms 105:16 In-Context

14 he allowed no one to oppress them, and he rebuked kings on account of them,

15 "Do not touch my anointed ones, nor harm my prophets."

16 Then he called for a famine upon the land; he broke every {supply} of bread.

17 He sent a man on ahead of them; Joseph was sold as a slave.

18 They clamped his feet in fetters. His neck went into irons.

Footnotes

• [a]. Literally "staff"