John Calvin Commentary Genesis 43:1

"And the famine was sore in the land." — Genesis 43:1 (ASV)

And the famine was sore in the land. This chapter records the second journey of Jacob's sons into Egypt, after their former supply of provisions had been exhausted. However, it may be asked how Jacob could have supported his family, even for a few days, with such a small quantity of grain. For, even if we grant that each of the brothers led several donkeys, what was this to sustain three hundred people? Since Abraham had a much larger number of servants, and Isaac's servants have been mentioned before, it is incredible that Jacob was so entirely destitute as to have no servants left.

If we say that he, being a stranger, had been compelled to sell all his servants, this is only an uncertain guess. It seems more probable to me that they lived on acorns, herbs, and roots. For we know that people of the East, especially when necessity urges, are content with meager and dry food, and we will see shortly that, in this scarcity of wheat, there was a supply of other food.

I suppose, therefore, that no more grain had been bought than would be enough to provide a frugal and restricted measure of food for Jacob himself, his children, and his grandchildren, and that the servants' food was provided for in other ways. Indeed, there is no doubt that the whole region had been compelled to resort to acorns and similar types of food for the servants, and that wheaten bread was a luxury belonging to the rich.

This was indeed a severe trial: that holy Jacob, whom God had promised to take care of, should almost perish from hunger with his family; and that the land of which he was appointed lord, so that he might happily enjoy the abundance of all things there, should even deny him bread as a stranger.

For he might seriously doubt the meaning of that remarkable promise, I am God Almighty, grow and multiply: I will bless thee. It is profitable for us to know these conflicts of the holy patriarchs, so that, fighting with the same weapons with which they conquered, we also may stand invincible, even if God should withhold present help.