Famines in the Bible
Occasion (or Result) of Famine* | Cause of Famine | Reference |
Abram and Sarai travel to Egypt | (not given) | |
Isaac (and Family) settle in Gerar | (not given) | |
Joseph brought to power in Egypt | (not given) | |
Elimelech, Naomi and Sons settle in Moab | (not given) | |
Three-year famine in the time of David | Judgment for Saul’s bloodguilt regarding the Gibeonites | |
Famine in Northern Kingdom in the time of Elijah and Ahab | Judgment against Ahab’s idolatry (1 Kgs 16:29–33) | |
Famine in the time of Elisha | (not given) | |
Ben-hadad’s seige of Samaria in the time of Elisha | Siege | |
Famine in the time of Isaiah† | Siege (poetic description) | |
Famine in the time of Jeremiah | Siege of Jerusalem by the Babylonians | |
Famine in the time of Ezekiel (predictive utterance) | Siege brought by God’s judgment (Ezek 14:13) | |
Famine in the time of Joel‡ | Drought or locusts (Joel 1:4) | |
Famine in the time of Amos‡ | God’s judgment for Israel’s unfaithfulness | |
Hunger in the time of Nehemiah | Heavy taxation and interest | |
Famine in the time of Claudius (Paul visits Jerusalem) | (not given) |
* The Bible records numerous threats of famine as a judgment of God (especially in the Prophets). This table only lists famines that happened.
† Descriptions and threats of famine in the Major Prophets are too numerous to list. These examples depict famine in the past tense or as an established fact.
‡ The Minor Prophets contain descriptions of famine that are not identifiable as major events, and sometimes may indicate a process over a long period of time.
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