Why did the Hebrews flee to Egypt?

Answer 1

They might have been taken as slaves to Egypt.

• Answer 2:

Joseph relocated his father Jacob's house to the land of Goshen in Egypt during a time of great famine. The account is found in Genesis 45.

Answer 2

Jacob and his children left the Land of Israel because of a famine. They settled in Egypt where food had been stored before the arrival of the famine (on the advice of Joseph, Jacob's second-to-youngest-son, who had been sold into slavery in Egypt and rose to power in Pharaoh's kingdom).

The children of Jacob flourished in Egypt until a new Pharaoh began to fear their power and decided to enslave them. According to The Bible, the Jews were enslaved for 210 years in Egypt.

The immediate reason the Hebrews were in Egypt because of famine:-

Act 7:11 Then there was a famine all over Egypt and Canaan, which caused much suffering. Our ancestors could not find any food,

Act 7:12 and when Jacob heard that there was grain in Egypt, he sent his sons, our ancestors, on their first visit there. (GNB Good News Bible)

The mention in Acts (in the New Testament) is only a brief summary of what happened and why - it does not give the context or details; the full account is recorded in the Old Testament in Genesis from Chapter 41:1 to 42:5 :-

Gen 41:1 And it happened at the end of two years of days, Pharaoh dreamed. And behold, he stood by the river.

Gen 41:2 And behold! There came up out of the river seven cows beautiful of form, and fat of flesh. And they fed in the reeds!

Gen 41:3 And behold! Seven other cows came up after them out of the river, evil in appearance, and lean of flesh! And they stood by the other cows on the river bank.

Gen 41:4 And the evil-appearing and lean-fleshed cows ate up the seven beautifully formed and fat cows. So Pharaoh awoke.

Gen 41:5 And he slept and dreamed the second time. And behold! Seven ears of grain came up on one stock, fat and good!

Gen 41:6 And behold! Seven thin ears, and blasted with the east wind, sprang up after them!

Gen 41:7 And the seven thin ears devoured the seven fat and full ears. And Pharaoh awoke, and behold, it was a dream.

Gen 41:8 And it happened in the morning that his spirit was troubled, and he sent and called for all the magicians of Egypt, and all the wise men of it. And Pharaoh told them his dream, but there was none who could interpret them to Pharaoh.

Gen 41:9 Then the chief cupbearer spoke to Pharaoh, saying, I remember my sin this day.

Gen 41:10 Pharaoh was angry with his servants, and put me under guard in the chief of the executioner's house, me and the chief baker.

Gen 41:11 And we dreamed a dream one night, he and I. We dreamed each man according to the interpretation of his dream.

Gen 41:12 And there was there with us a young man, a Hebrew, a slave to the chief of the executioners. And we told him, and he interpreted our dreams to us. He interpreted to each man according to his dream.

Gen 41:13 And it happened, as he interpreted to us, so it was. He restored me to my office, and he hanged him.

Gen 41:14 Then Pharaoh sent and called Joseph. And they hurried him out of the dungeon. And he shaved and changed his clothing, and came in to Pharaoh.

Gen 41:15 And Pharaoh said to Joseph, I have dreamed a dream, and none can interpret it. And I have heard it about you, saying, you can understand a dream to interpret it.

Gen 41:16 And Joseph answered Pharaoh, saying, Not I. God shall answer the welfare of Pharaoh.

Gen 41:17 And Pharaoh said to Joseph, In my dream, behold! I stood upon the bank of the river.

Gen 41:18 And behold, there came up out of the river seven cows, beautiful in appearance and fat of flesh. And they fed in the reeds.

Gen 41:19 And behold, seven other cows came up after them, poor and evil of appearance, and lean of flesh, such as I never saw in all the land of Egypt for badness.

Gen 41:20 And the lean and the evil-appearing cows ate up the first seven fat cows.

Gen 41:21 And when they had eaten them up, it could not be seen that they had eaten them; but they were still evil of appearance, as at the beginning. And I awoke.

Gen 41:22 And I saw in my dream, and behold, seven ears came up in one stock, full and good.

Gen 41:23 And behold, seven ears, withered, thin, blasted by the east wind, sprang up after them.

Gen 41:24 And the thin ears devoured the seven good ears. And I spoke to the magicians, but there was none that could open it to me.

Gen 41:25 And Joseph said to Pharaoh, The dream of Pharaoh is one. God has shown Pharaoh what He is about to do.

Gen 41:26 The seven good cows are seven years. And the seven good ears are seven years. The dream is one.

Gen 41:27 And the seven thin and evil-appearing cows that came up after them are seven years. And the seven empty ears blasted with the east wind shall be seven years of famine.

Gen 41:28 This is the thing which God has spoken to Pharaoh; what God is about to do, He shows to Pharaoh.

Gen 41:29 Behold, there are coming seven years of great plenty throughout all the land of Egypt.

Gen 41:30 And there shall arise after them seven years of famine. And all the plenty shall be forgotten in the land of Egypt, and the famine shall consume the land.

Gen 41:31 And the plenty shall not be known in the land because of the famine following; for it shall be very grievous.

Gen 41:32 And since the dream was repeated to Pharaoh twice, it is because the thing is established by God, and God will shortly bring it to pass.

Gen 41:33 Now therefore let Pharaoh look for a man who is discreet and wise, and set him over the land of Egypt.

Gen 41:34 Let Pharaoh act, and let him appoint officers over the land, and take up the fifth part of the land of Egypt in the seven plenteous years.

Gen 41:35 And let them gather all the food of those good years that come, and lay up grain under the hand of Pharaoh, and let them keep food in the cities.

Gen 41:36 That food shall be for a store to the land against the seven years of famine, which shall be in the land of Egypt, so that the land does not perish through the famine.

Gen 41:37 And the thing was good in the eyes of Pharaoh, and in the eyes of all his servants.

Gen 41:38 And Pharaoh said to his servants, Can we find any man like this, in whom the Spirit of God is?

Gen 41:39 And Pharaoh said to Joseph, Since God has shown you all this, no one is as discreet and wise as you.

Gen 41:40 You shall be over my house, and all my people shall kiss the hand at your word. Only in the throne will I be greater than you.

Gen 41:41 And Pharaoh said to Joseph, See, I have set you over all the land of Egypt. Gen 41:42 And Pharaoh took off his ring from his hand, and put it upon Joseph's hand. And he dressed him with fine linen robes, and put a gold chain around his neck.

Gen 41:43 And he made him to ride in the second chariot which he had, and they cried before him, Bow the knee! And he made him ruler over all the land of Egypt.

Gen 41:44 And Pharaoh said to Joseph, I am Pharaoh, and without a word from you, no man shall lift up his hand or foot in all the land of Egypt.

Gen 41:45 And Pharaoh called Joseph's name Zaphnath-paaneah. And he gave him Asenath, the daughter of Potipherah, priest of On, for his wife. And Joseph went out over the land of Egypt.

Gen 41:46 And Joseph was thirty years old when he stood before Pharaoh king of Egypt. And Joseph went out from before Pharaoh, and went throughout all the land of Egypt.

Gen 41:47 And in the seven years of plenty, the earth brought forth by handfuls.

Gen 41:48 And he gathered up all the food of the seven years which were in the land of Egypt, and he put food in the cities. He put the food of the field which was around every city; he put it in among it.

Gen 41:49 And Joseph gathered grain like the sand of the sea, very much, until he quit numbering it; for it was without number.

Gen 41:50 And two sons were born to Joseph before the years of famine came, whom Asenath the daughter of Potipherah priest of On bore to him.

Gen 41:51 And Joseph called the name of the first-born Manasseh, saying, For God has made me forget all my toil and all my father's house.

Gen 41:52 And the name of the second he called Ephraim, saying, For God has caused me to be fruitful in the land of my affliction.

Gen 41:53 And the seven years of plenty that was in the land of Egypt ended.

Gen 41:54 And the seven years of famine began to come, according as Joseph had said. And the famine was in all lands, but in all the land of Egypt there was bread.

Gen 41:55 And when all the land of Egypt was famished, the people cried to Pharaoh for bread. And Pharaoh said to all the Egyptians, Go to Joseph. What he says to you, do.

Gen 41:56 And the famine was over all the face of the earth. And Joseph opened all the storehouses, and sold to the Egyptians. And the famine was severe on the land of Egypt.

Gen 41:57 And all the earth came into Egypt to buy, to Joseph, because the famine was severe in all the earth.

Gen 42:1 And when Jacob saw that there was grain in Egypt, Jacob said to his sons, Why do you look upon one another?

Gen 42:2 And he said, Behold, I have heard that there is grain in Egypt. Go down there and buy for us from there, so that we may live and not die.

Gen 42:3 And Joseph's ten brothers went down to buy grain in Egypt.

Gen 42:4 But Benjamin, Joseph's brother, Jacob did not send with his brothers. For he said, Lest perhaps mischief happen to him.

Gen 42:5 And the sons of Israel came to buy among those that came, for the famine was in the land of Canaan.

The famine was widespread : it was not localized. Joseph couldn't move to a different area because the famine was everywhere. This famine was not happenstance: it was all planned by God:-

Gen 45:4 And Joseph said to his brothers, Please come near me. And they came near. And he said, I am Joseph your brother, whom you sold into Egypt.

Gen 45:5 And now do not be grieved, nor angry with yourselves that you sold me here. For God sent me [Joseph] before you to preserve life.

Gen 45:6 For these two years the famine has been in the land, and there are still five years in which there will be no plowing nor harvest.

Gen 45:7 And God sent me before you to preserve for you a remnant in the earth, and to save your lives by a great deliverance.

Gen 45:8 And now you did not send me here, but God. And He has made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house, and a ruler over all the land of Egypt.

God used famine to send 75 individual Hebrews to Egypt, where over the next 430 years they would grow to become a nation of a couple of million to be known as 'Israel'. So, the realreason the Hebrews were in Egypt was because of God: that was where God wanted them , and He used a famine to do it.
The Egyptians were forcing them to work, and would not let them leave.

Answer 3

They did not flee. They emigrated to Egypt in an orderly fashion, at the invitation of Joseph (who had ended up there before them) and of the Pharaoh at that time (Genesis ch.45). They did so in order to be reunited with Joseph, and because of the famine in Canaan.

Answer 4

Hebrews left for Egypt because there was famine in the land of Canaan.

[Genesis 41:54] "The seven years of famine began, just as Joseph had said. There was famine in all the other lands, but in the whole land of Egypt there was food."

First Joseph was sold into slavery and then made ruler of Egypt [Genesis 41:40]. Joseph requested his father Jacob and his family relocate to Egypt [Genesis 47].

Answer 5

Because of famine (Genesis ch.46).It was part of God's plan, since Egypt would be the "iron furnace" (Deuteronomy 4:20) in which the Israelites would be smelted, removing the dross, and would grow into a nation ready to receive God's Torah.

See also the Related Links.

Link: Timeline

Link: The Exodus

Answer 6

Wow were the Hebrews in in Egypt in the first place