In the biblical narrative, famine is often depicted as a divine instrument of judgment, a means by which God disciplines His people and nations for their disobedience and sin. The concept of famine as a judgment is woven throughout the Scriptures, serving as a reminder of God's sovereignty and the consequences of turning away from His commandments.

Old Testament Instances

1. The Famine in Egypt (Genesis 41-47): One of the most notable instances of famine as a divine judgment is found in the account of Joseph. Pharaoh's dreams, interpreted by Joseph, foretold seven years of abundance followed by seven years of severe famine. This famine was not only a test for Egypt but also a means by which God preserved the lineage of Israel, as Joseph's brothers came to Egypt seeking food. Genesis 41:30 states, "But seven years of famine will deplete the land."

2. The Famine in the Time of David (2 Samuel 21:1): During King David's reign, a three-year famine occurred as a result of Saul's bloodshed against the Gibeonites. David sought the Lord, and it was revealed that the famine was a judgment for Saul's breach of Israel's covenant with the Gibeonites. "During the reign of David there was a famine for three successive years, and David sought the face of the LORD. The LORD said, 'It is on account of Saul and his bloodstained house; it is because he put the Gibeonites to death.'"

3. The Famine in the Time of Elijah (1 Kings 17-18): The prophet Elijah announced a drought and subsequent famine as a judgment against Israel for the idolatry led by King Ahab and Queen Jezebel. This famine lasted three and a half years, as recorded in 1 Kings 17:1, "Now Elijah the Tishbite, from Tishbe in Gilead, said to Ahab, 'As the LORD, the God of Israel, lives, whom I serve, there will be neither dew nor rain in the next few years except at my word.'"

Prophetic Warnings

The prophets frequently warned of famine as a consequence of Israel's unfaithfulness. In Leviticus 26:19-20, God warns, "I will break the pride of your power, and I will make your heavens like iron and your earth like bronze. Your strength will be spent in vain, for your land will not yield its produce, and the trees of the land will not bear their fruit." Similarly, in Deuteronomy 28:23-24, the curses for disobedience include, "The sky over your head will be bronze, and the earth beneath you iron. The LORD will turn the rain of your land into dust and powder; it will descend on you from the sky until you are destroyed."

New Testament Context

While the New Testament does not emphasize famine as a direct judgment in the same manner as the Old Testament, it acknowledges famine as part of the trials and tribulations faced by the early church. In Acts 11:28, a prophet named Agabus predicts a severe famine, "One of them, named Agabus, stood up and through the Spirit predicted that a severe famine would spread over the entire Roman world. (This happened during the reign of Claudius.)" This famine prompted the early Christians to provide aid to their brethren in Judea, demonstrating the church's response to such crises.

Theological Implications

Famine as a judgment underscores the biblical theme of divine retribution and the call to repentance. It serves as a tangible manifestation of God's displeasure with sin and a catalyst for spiritual renewal. The recurring motif of famine in the Bible highlights the importance of obedience to God's laws and the need for humility and dependence on His provision. Through these narratives, believers are reminded of the seriousness of sin and the mercy available through repentance and faith in God's promises.Leviticus 26:19-29
And I will break the pride of your power; and I will make your heaven as iron, and your earth as brass:
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Deuteronomy 28:23,24,38-42
And your heaven that is over your head shall be brass, and the earth that is under you shall be iron.
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1 Kings 17:1
And Elijah the Tishbite, who was of the inhabitants of Gilead, said to Ahab, As the LORD God of Israel lives, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, but according to my word.
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2 Kings 8:1
Then spoke Elisha to the woman, whose son he had restored to life, saying, Arise, and go you and your household, and sojourn wherever you can sojourn: for the LORD has called for a famine; and it shall also come on the land seven years.
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1 Chronicles 21:12
Either three years' famine; or three months to be destroyed before your foes, while that the sword of your enemies overtakes you; or else three days the sword of the LORD, even the pestilence, in the land, and the angel of the LORD destroying throughout all the coasts of Israel. Now therefore advise yourself what word I shall bring again to him that sent me.
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Psalm 105:16
Moreover he called for a famine on the land: he broke the whole staff of bread.
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Psalm 107:33,34
He turns rivers into a wilderness, and the springs into dry ground;
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Isaiah 3:1-8
For, behold, the Lord, the LORD of hosts, does take away from Jerusalem and from Judah the stay and the staff, the whole stay of bread, and the whole stay of water.
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Isaiah 14:30
And the firstborn of the poor shall feed, and the needy shall lie down in safety: and I will kill your root with famine, and he shall slay your remnant.
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Jeremiah 19:9
And I will cause them to eat the flesh of their sons and the flesh of their daughters, and they shall eat every one the flesh of his friend in the siege and narrow place, with which their enemies, and they that seek their lives, shall straiten them.
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Jeremiah 14:15-22
Therefore thus said the LORD concerning the prophets that prophesy in my name, and I sent them not, yet they say, Sword and famine shall not be in this land; By sword and famine shall those prophets be consumed.
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Jeremiah 29:17,19
Thus said the LORD of hosts; Behold, I will send on them the sword, the famine, and the pestilence, and will make them like vile figs, that cannot be eaten, they are so evil.
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Lamentations 5:4,5,10
We have drunken our water for money; our wood is sold to us.
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Ezekiel 4:16,17
Moreover he said to me, Son of man, behold, I will break the staff of bread in Jerusalem: and they shall eat bread by weight, and with care; and they shall drink water by measure, and with astonishment:
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Ezekiel 5:16,17
When I shall send on them the evil arrows of famine, which shall be for their destruction, and which I will send to destroy you: and I will increase the famine on you, and will break your staff of bread:
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Ezekiel 14:13
Son of man, when the land sins against me by trespassing grievously, then will I stretch out my hand on it, and will break the staff of the bread thereof, and will send famine on it, and will cut off man and beast from it:
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Joel 1:15,16
Alas for the day! for the day of the LORD is at hand, and as a destruction from the Almighty shall it come.
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Amos 4:6-9
And I also have given you cleanness of teeth in all your cities, and want of bread in all your places: yet have you not returned to me, said the LORD.
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Amos 5:16,17
Therefore the LORD, the God of hosts, the LORD, said thus; Wailing shall be in all streets; and they shall say in all the highways, Alas! alas! and they shall call the farmer to mourning, and such as are skillful of lamentation to wailing.
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Haggai 1:10,11
Therefore the heaven over you is stayed from dew, and the earth is stayed from her fruit.
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Matthew 24:7
For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.
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Luke 21:11
And great earthquakes shall be in divers places, and famines, and pestilences; and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven.
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Revelation 6:5-8
And when he had opened the third seal, I heard the third beast say, Come and see. And I beheld, and see a black horse; and he that sat on him had a pair of balances in his hand.
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increased among the Egyptians, and this heavy judgment grew more ...
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The Apostle of the Gentiles.
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//christianbookshelf.org/yonge/the chosen people/lesson xxii the apostle of.htm

The Last Judgment. By the Rev. John Welch, AD 1570-1622.
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and come to judgment," the Bridegroom ... judge you; and I am here sent of God ...
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Elijah the Tishbite
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to Israel, with appeals ... living God, Elijah's message of judgment would never ...
/.../white/the story of prophets and kings/chapter 9 elijah the tishbite.htm

An Exposition of the Chapters of the Acts of the Apostles.
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/.../pamphilus/the writings of pamphilus/an exposition of the chapters.htm

Elisha's Closing Ministry
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drunk, he sent them away ... The horrors of prolonged famine were driving the king ...
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That when David had Numbered the People, they were Punished; and ...
... that in case he should ask for famine, he would ... hand over Jerusalem, as sending this
terrible judgment upon it ... caused the pestilence to cease, and sent Gad the ...
/.../josephus/the antiquities of the jews/chapter 13 that when david.htm

Acts xi. 19
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famine, a famine not of ... that they are naked: speak to them of judgment to come ...
/.../chrysostom/homilies on acts and romans/homily xxv acts xi 19.htm

The Last Agony
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judgment of the world ... at the middle gate of Jerusalem that sent the German ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture h/the last agony.htm

What does the Bible say about famine? | GotQuestions.org

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Famine: Dictionary and Thesaurus | Clyx.com

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