Because a famine was grievous in the land of Canaan, so Abram went down into Egypt to sojourn there.
Genesis 12:10 says plainly that the famine caused the move; Abram left the land where God had placed him and went to Egypt to sojourn. Les Feldick's clips about the later patriarchs show that famines were part of God's sovereign dealings with His people, and he identifies Egypt as a pagan, godless land in contrast to the land of promise.
Genesis 12:10 — This verse is the Bible's answer to why Abram went down to Egypt—the famine was grievous in the land.
Genesis 12:1 — God's earlier call shows that Canaan was the place Abram was to go, setting up the significance of his leaving it because of the famine.
Genesis 12:10 (KJV) says, "And there was a famine in the land: and Abram went down into Egypt to sojourn there; for the famine was grievous in the land." The verse directly attributes Abram's journey to Egypt to the severity of the famine in Canaan. Earlier in the same chapter, God called Abram out of Ur with the promise of a land, and Abram had arrived in Canaan with Sarai and Lot (Genesis 12:1, 5). The biblical text does not show God commanding Abram to leave for Egypt; instead, it presents the famine as the occasion for his temporary move.
Les approaches the patriarchal famines by focusing on God's sovereign purposes, especially in the later Joseph-Jacob account. He teaches that "that whole famine was set up in order to bring the whole tribe of Jacob down into Egypt" (Clip 2), and he highlights the change in God's instruction from "Go not down into Egypt" to Isaac to "Fear not to go down into Egypt" to Jacob (Clips 2 and 5). Les also describes Egypt as "that pagan, godless land" (Clip 6) and notes that the promise to Abraham was associated with staying in the land of promise (Clip 3). These themes frame the biblical record of Abram leaving Canaan for Egypt during the famine.
The Bible says the famine in Abram's day was "grievous in the land" (Genesis 12:10) and led Abram to Egypt. Les later teaches that the great famine in Joseph's day "was set up in order to bring the whole tribe of Jacob down into Egypt" (Clip 2). In both cases, famine is the circumstance that pushed the patriarchs toward Egypt.
In Genesis 26:2, God said to Isaac, "Go not down into Egypt; dwell in the land which I shall tell thee of" (Clips 2, 5). Later, in Genesis 46:3, God said to Jacob, "Fear not to go down into Egypt" (Clips 2, 5). Les calls this "quite a change" (Clip 5), showing that God's instruction about Egypt changed as His plan unfolded.
Les refers to Egypt as "that pagan, godless land" (Clip 6). He also says the promise to Abraham was tied to staying in the land of promise (Clip 3). Therefore, when the family went to Egypt, they were removed from the place of promise and placed among a pagan people.
Abram's Journey into Canaan
Les shows that Abram left Haran at age seventy-five and came into Canaan with Sarai, Lot, and all their substance, placing him in the land where the famine later struck.
8 Privileges God Gave Only to Israel — Romans 9:4 Explained
And so out of this whole then known world, saturated with pagan worship, God puts the finger on one man, appears to him, the Scripture in the Old Testament, as well as the New, make so plain, spoke to him, I think, face to face, and gave him these instructions. Leave your idolatrous family, make the break from paganism, and go to a land that I will show you.
God's Use of Famine to Move Jacob's Family
Les teaches that the whole famine in Joseph's day was set up to bring the whole tribe of Jacob down into Egypt, and he contrasts God's command to Isaac not to go down with God's command to Jacob not to fear the move.
Promise Tied to Staying in the Land
Les explains that the promise to Abraham was connected with staying in the land of promise, making Egypt a departure from that place.
God’s Covenant with Abraham: Genesis 12 Bible Study Explained
Now, the Lord had said to Terah, or to Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy father's house, and unto a land that I will show thee. But from the verses we just read in chapter 11, Abram didn't just say, Sarah, the Lord God has told me to leave. Let's just say goodbye to the father and our relatives, and let's move out.
God's Change of Instruction from Isaac to Jacob
Les repeats the contrast between "Don't go to Egypt" and "Fear not to go down into Egypt," showing that God sovereignly used the move to Egypt at the right time.
Egypt as a Pagan, Godless Land
Les describes Egypt as a pagan, godless land, showing why the patriarchs' presence there was spiritually significant.
God’s Covenant with Abraham: Genesis 12 Bible Study Explained
They didn't really set their roots down like we think of it in Western culture. And they would move from place to place with their flocks and their herds. So I like to think that after God, however He did it, I don't know, but when God spoke to Abram and said, Now get thee away from your father's house. And Abram, the obedient son, went in and said, Father, we're going to leave.
Genesis 12:10: And there was a famine in the land: and Abram went down into Egypt to sojourn there; for the famine was grievous in the land.
This verse directly answers why Abram went down to Egypt: the famine was grievous in the land of Canaan.
Genesis 12:1: Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will shew thee:
This verse records God's original call that brought Abram into the land of promise, where the famine then occurred.
Genesis 12:5: And Abram took Sarai his wife, and Lot his brother's son, and all their substance that they had gathered, and the souls that they had gotten in Haran; and they went forth to go into the land of Canaan; and into the land of Canaan they came.
This verse shows that Abram was in Canaan with his family when the famine came.
Genesis 26:2: And the LORD appeared unto him, and said, Go not down into Egypt; dwell in the land which I shall tell thee of:
This verse records God's later instruction to Isaac not to go to Egypt, providing a contrast to the later command to Jacob.
Genesis 46:3: And he said, I am God, the God of thy father: fear not to go down into Egypt; for I will there make of thee a great nation:
This verse records God telling Jacob not to fear going down to Egypt, which Les emphasizes as a change from the earlier instruction.
Genesis 12:10 states that there was a famine in the land and the famine was grievous. Abram went down into Egypt to sojourn there because of that famine.
The biblical text in Genesis 12 does not record God commanding Abram to go down to Egypt. It simply records the famine and Abram's journey there. By contrast, years later God told Isaac not to go down to Egypt and still later told Jacob not to fear going down to Egypt.
Les teaches that the later great famine was set up in order to bring the whole tribe of Jacob down into Egypt (Clip 2). He also highlights that God gave Isaac a different instruction about Egypt than He later gave Jacob, because God's sovereign plan had changed.
Watch the Teaching: Why Abram Failed in Egypt & God Restored Him | Genesis 12-14