| Back to Home Page | Back to Book Index
|
Genesis Chapter
Forty-seven
Genesis 47 Outlines
New King James Version
(NKJV)
INTRODUCTION TO
GENESIS 47
This chapter gives an
account of the presentation of five of Joseph's brethren
and then of his
father
to Pharaoh
and of what passed between them
Genesis 47:1; of
Joseph's settlement of them
according to the direction of Pharaoh
in the land
of Rameses in Goshen
and of his provision for them there
Genesis 47:11; of
his getting into his hands
for Pharaoh
the money
cattle
and lands
of the
Egyptians
excepting the lands belonging to the priests
for corn he had
supplied them with
Genesis 47:13; of
his giving them seed to sow with
on condition of Pharaoh's having a fifth part
of the produce
Genesis 47:23
of
the increase of Jacob's substance in Egypt
and that of his children; of the
time of his living there
and his approaching death
when he called Joseph to
him
and obliged him by an oath to bury him in the burying place of his
fathers
Genesis 47:27.
Genesis 47:1. Then Joseph
went and told Pharaoh
and said
“My father and my brothers
their flocks and
their herds and all that they possess
have come from the land of Canaan; and
indeed they are in the land of Goshen.”
YLT 1And Joseph cometh
and
declareth to Pharaoh
and saith
`My father
and my brethren
and their flock
and their herd
and all they have
have come from the land of Canaan
and lo
they [are] in the land of Goshen.'
Then Joseph
came and told Pharaoh
....
After he had been with his
father
had had an interview with him
and had took his leave of him for a
time
he came to Pharaoh's court:
and said
my
father
and my brethren
and their flocks
and their herds
and all that they
have
are come out of the land of Canaan;
Pharaoh had desired they
might come
and Joseph now acquaints him they were come; not being willing it
should be said that they were come in a private manner
and without his
knowledge; nor to dispose of them himself without the direction and approbation
of Pharaoh
who was superior to him; and he makes mention of their flocks and
herds
and other substance
partly to show that they were not a mean beggarly
family that came to live upon him
and partly that a proper place of pasturage
for their cattle might be appointed to them:
and behold
they are in the land of Goshen;
they are stopped at
present
until they should have further directions and orders where to settle;
and this is the rather mentioned
because it was the place Joseph proposed with
himself to fix them in
if Pharaoh approved of it.
Genesis 47:2. 2 And
he took five men from among his brothers and presented them to Pharaoh.
YLT 2And out of his brethren he
hath taken five men
and setteth them before Pharaoh;
And he took
some of his brethren
....
Along with him
when he
left his father in Goshen; the word for "some" signifies the
extremity of a thing: hence some have fancied that he took some of the meanest
and most abject
so Jarchi
lest if they had appeared to Pharaoh strong and
robust
he should have made soldiers of them; others on the contrary think he
took those that excelled most in strength of body
and endowments of mind
to
make the better figure; others
that he took of both sorts
or some at both
ends
the first and last
elder and younger; but it may be
he made no choice
at all
but took some that offered next:
even five men:
whom the Targum of
Jonathan names as follow
Zebulun
Dan and Naphtali
Gad and Asher; but Jarchi
will have them to be Reuben
Simeon and Levi
Issachar and Benjamin; but on
these accounts no dependence is to be had:
and presented
them
unto Pharaoh;
introduced them into his
presence
that he might converse with them
and ask them what questions he
thought fit.
Genesis 47:3. 3 Then
Pharaoh said to his brothers
“What is your occupation?”
And they said
to Pharaoh
“Your servants are shepherds
both we and also our
fathers.”
YLT 3and Pharaoh saith unto his
brethren
`What [are] your works?' and they say unto Pharaoh
`Thy servants
[are] feeders of a flock
both we and our fathers;'
And Pharaoh
said unto his brethren
what is your occupation?....
Which is the question he
had told his brethren beforehand would be asked them
and prepared them to give
an answer to it
Genesis 46:33;
which was perhaps an usual question Pharaoh asked of persons that came to
settle in his dominions
that he might have no idle vagrants there
and that he
might know of what advantage they were like to be of in his kingdom
and might
dispose of them accordingly:
and they said
unto Pharaoh
thy servants are shepherds
both we and also our
fathers;
see Genesis 46:34.
Genesis 47:4. 4 And
they said to Pharaoh
“We have come to dwell in the land
because your servants
have no pasture for their flocks
for the famine is severe in the land
of Canaan. Now therefore
please let your servants dwell in the land of
Goshen.”
YLT 4and they say unto Pharaoh
`To sojourn in the land we have come
for there is no pasture for the flock
which thy servants have
for grievous [is] the famine in the land of Canaan;
and now
let thy servants
we pray thee
dwell in the land of Goshen.'
They said
moreover unto Pharaoh
for to sojourn in the land are we come
....
Not to obtain possessions
and inheritances
as if natives
and to abide there always
but to continue for
a little time; for they kept in mind that the land of Canaan was given to them
as an inheritance
and would be possessed by then
in due time
and therefore
had no thought for the present of continuing here long:
for thy
servants have no pasture for their flocks
for the famine is sore in the
land of Canaan:
they say nothing of the
want of corn for themselves
because they could have it from Egypt
fetching
it
and paying a price for it
but of pasture for their cattle; for the land of
Canaan lying higher
was so scorched with the heat of the sun
and parched with
drought
that scarce any grass grew upon it; whereas Egypt
and especially the
land of Goshen
lying lower
and being marshy and fenny places
near the Nile
had some grass growing on it
even when the Nile did not overflow to make it so
fruitful as it sometimes was:
now therefore
we pray thee
let thy servants dwell in the land of Goshen:
which request Joseph
no
doubt
directed them to make
it being the spot he had chosen for them in his
own mind
and even had promised it to his father; and which his brethren
by
their short stay in it as they came along
saw would be very convenient for
them
and was the true reason why Joseph instructed them to be particular in
the account of their trade and business
that Pharaoh might be inclined of
himself to propose it to them or however to grant it when requested.
Genesis 47:5. 5 Then
Pharaoh spoke to Joseph
saying
“Your father and your brothers have come to
you.
YLT 5And Pharaoh speaketh unto
Joseph
saying
`Thy father and thy brethren have come unto thee:
And Pharaoh
spake unto Joseph
....
Who was present at the
conversation that passed between him and his brethren:
saying
thy
father and thy brethren are come unto thee;
which is observed
not for
Joseph's information
but to lead on to what he had to say further.
Genesis 47:6. 6 The
land of Egypt is before you. Have your father and brothers dwell in the
best of the land; let them dwell in the land of Goshen. And if you know any
competent men among them
then make them chief herdsmen over my livestock.”
YLT 6the land of Egypt is before
thee; in the best of the land cause thy father and thy brethren to dwell --
they dwell in the land of Goshen
and if thou hast known
and there are among
them men of ability
then thou hast set them heads over the cattle I have.'
The land of
Egypt is before thee
....
To choose what part of it
he should judge most suitable and agreeable to his father and brethren:
in the best of
the land make thy father and brethren to dwell
in the land of Goshen let them
dwell;
as is requested; and which
was
as Pharaoh here suggests
the best part of the land
the most fertile and
fruitful
and the fittest for cattle
being full of pastures through the river
Nile and the canals of it
and Goshen being the most fertile portion in the
land of Rameses
as in Genesis 47:11;
this
Dr. Shaw observesF11Travels
p. 306.
could be no other than
what lay within two or three leagues at the most from the Nile
because the
rest of the Egyptian Arabia
which reaches beyond the influence of this river
to the eastward
is a barren inhospitable wilderness:
and if thou
knowest any man of activity among them;
strong in body
and of
great parts
and endowments of mind
and of great skill
and diligence
and
industry in the management of flocks and herds:
then make them
rulers over my cattle;
or "rulers of cattle
over those that are mine"F12שרי מקנה על אשר
לי "magistros pecuariae super illos
qui sunt
mihi"
Junius & Tremellius
Piscator; so Schmidt and Answorth. : that
is
over his shepherds
to take care that they do their work well and
faithfully: from whence it appears that Pharaoh had flocks and herds and
shepherds; and therefore it cannot be thought that the Egyptians in those times
abstained from eating of animals
or that all shepherds
without exception
were an abomination to them
only foreign ones that lived on spoil and plunder
and made excursions into their country for such purposes: the office he
assigned to men of skill and industry was like that which Doeg the Edomite was
in
who was the chief of the herdsmen of Saul
1 Samuel 21:7.
Genesis 47:7. 7 Then
Joseph brought in his father Jacob and set him before Pharaoh; and Jacob
blessed Pharaoh.
YLT 7And Joseph bringeth in
Jacob his father
and causeth him to stand before Pharaoh; and Jacob blesseth
Pharaoh.
And Joseph
brought in Jacob his father
....
That is
some time after
he had introduced his five brethren
and had gotten the grant of Goshen for
them
when he sent
for his father from thence
or he came quickly after to
Tanis or Memphis
where Pharaoh's court was:
and set him
before Pharaoh;
presented Jacob to him
and placed his father right before Pharaoh
perhaps in a chair
or on a seat
by Pharaoh's order
because of his age
and in honour to him:
and Jacob
blessed Pharaoh;
wished him health and
happiness
prayed for his welfare
and gave him thanks for all his kindness to
him and his; and he blessed him not only in a way of civility
as was usual
when men came into the presence of princes
but in an authoritative way
as a
prophet and patriarch
a man divinely inspired of God
and who had great power
in prayer with him: the Targum of Jonathan gives us his prayer thus
"may
it be the pleasure (i.e. of God) that the waters of the Nile may be filled
and
that the famine may remove from the world in thy days.'
Genesis 47:8. 8 Pharaoh
said to Jacob
“How old are you?”
YLT 8And Pharaoh saith unto
Jacob
`How many [are] the days of the years of thy life?'
And Pharaoh
said unto Jacob
how old art thou?
Or
"how many are the
days of the years of thy life?" which way of speaking Jacob takes up
and
very pertinently makes use of in his answer that follows: Dr. LightfootF13Works
vol. 1. p. 667. thinks Pharaoh had never seen so old a man before
so grave a
head
and so grey a beard
and in admiration asked this question.
Genesis 47:9. 9 And
Jacob said to Pharaoh
“The days of the years of my pilgrimage are one
hundred and thirty years; few and evil have been the days of the years of my
life
and they have not attained to the days of the years of the life of my
fathers in the days of their pilgrimage.”
YLT 9And Jacob saith unto
Pharaoh
`The days of the years of my sojournings [are] an hundred and thirty
years; few and evil have been the days of the years of my life
and they have
not reached the days of the years of the life of my fathers
in the days of
their sojournings.'
Jacob said unto
Pharaoh
the days of the years of my pilgrimage are an hundred and
thirty years
....
He calls his life a
"pilgrimage"; as every good man's is; they are not at home in their
own country
they are seeking a better
even an heavenly one: Jacob's life was
very emphatically and literally a pilgrimage; he first dwelt in Canaan
from
thence he removed to Padanaram
and sojourned there awhile
and then came to
Canaan again; for some time he dwelt at Succoth
and then at Shechem
and after
that at Hebron
and now he was come down to Egypt
and he had spent one hundred
and thirty years of his life in this way: and with this perfectly agrees the
account of Polyhistor from DemetriusF14Apud Euseb. Praepar. Evangel.
l. 9. c. p. 21. p. 425.
an Heathen writer
who makes the age of Jacob when he
came into Egypt one hundred and thirty
and that year to be the third year of
the famine
agreeably to Genesis 45:6
few and evil
have the days of the years of my life been;
see Job 14:1; he calls
his days but "few"
in comparison of the long lives of the patriarchs
in former times
and especially in comparison of the days of eternity: and
"evil"
because of the many afflictions he had met with; as from
Esau
from whose face he was obliged to flee lest he should kill him
Genesis 27:41; and
in Laban's house
where he served for a wife fourteen years
and endured great
hardships
Genesis 31:41; and
at Shechem
where his daughter was ravished
Genesis 34:2
and
his sons made that slaughter of the Shechemites
Genesis 34:25
which he feared would cause his name to stink
Genesis 34:30; and
at Ephrath
where he buried his beloved Rachel
Genesis 35:16; and
at Hebron
where his sons brought him such an account as if they believed his
beloved son Joseph was destroyed by a wild beast
Genesis 37:32
and have not
attained unto the days of the years of the life of my fathers in the days of
their pilgrimage;
his grandfather Abraham
lived to be one hundred amnd seventy five years of age
Genesis 25:7
and
his father Isaac lived to the age of one hundred and eighty
Genesis 35:28.
Genesis 47:10. 10 So
Jacob blessed Pharaoh
and went out from before Pharaoh.
YLT 10And Jacob blesseth Pharaoh
and goeth out from before Pharaoh.
And Jacob
blessed Pharaoh
and went out from before Pharaoh.
When he took his leave of
him
he blessed him
in like manner as when he came into his presence
by wishing
all happiness to him
and giving him thanks for the honour he had done him
and
the favours he had conferred on him and his.
Genesis 47:11. 11 And Joseph situated his
father and his brothers
and gave them a possession in the land of Egypt
in
the best of the land
in the land of Rameses
as Pharaoh had commanded.
YLT 11And Joseph settleth his
father and his brethren
and giveth to them a possession in the land of Egypt
in the best of the land
in the land of Rameses
as Pharaoh commanded;
And Joseph
placed his father and his brethren
and gave them a possession in the land of
Egypt
....
Houses to dwell in
lands
to till
and pastures to feed their flocks and herds in:
in the best of
the land
in the land of Rameses
as Pharaoh commanded;
according to Jarchi and
Aben Ezra
the land of Rameses was a part of the land of Goshen: JeromF15De
locis Heb. fol. 94. A. says
that Rameses was a city the children of Israel
built in Egypt
and that the province was formerly so called in which Jacob and
his sons dwelt; but if it is the same with the city which was built by them
it
is here called so by anticipation: but Aben Ezra is of opinion that it is not
the same
and indeed the names are differently pointed and pronounced; that
built by the Israelites is Raamses
and was one of the treasure cities of
Pharaoh
and never inhabited by the Israelites; the Targums of Jonathan and
Jerusalem call this land the land of Pelusium; but this part of the country lay
not in the Pelusiac
but rather in the Heliopolitan home: Sir John Marsham is
of opinionF16Canon. Chron. Aegypt
&c. p. 90. that Rameses is
the name of Pharaoh
the then present king of Egypt
as there were several of
the kings of Egypt of that name; and therefore he thinks this land was the
king's land
the land of King Rameses
which Joseph placed his father and
brethren in by the order of Pharaoh: but it seems rather to be the name of a
place
and is thought by Dr. ShawF17Travels
p. 307. Ed. 2. to be
the same with Cairo: a very learned manF18Jablonski de Terra Goshen
Dissert. 4. sect. 7. takes this to be the name of the land of Goshen
after the
coming of the Israelites into it
and observes
that
in the Egyptian language
"Remsosch" signifies men that live a pastoral life
and so this
country was called Ramses or Remsosch
as being the country of the shepherds;
and the same learned writerF19Ib. Dissert. 3. sect. 2. is of
opinion
that the land of Goshen is the same with the Heracleotic nome
or
district
which lies in the great island the Nile makes above Memphis
and
which is now called by the Arabs Fioum
it being the best and most fruitful
part of all Egypt; which is confirmed by the testimony of Strabo
who saysF20Geograph.
l. 17. p. 556. it excels all the rest of the nomes
or districts; that it is
the only one that produces olives
large and perfect
with fine fruit
which
if well gathered
make good oil
but all the rest of Egypt is without oil;
moreover it produces wine not a little (whereas Herodotus saysF21Euterpe
sive
l. 2. c. 77. vines were wanting in Egypt
i.e. in other parts of it)
also corn and pulse
and other seeds: and that Fioum
as it is now called
is
the most fruitful
and is the most pleasant part of all Egypt
having vines
olives
figs
and fruits of all sorts
the most excellent
and some of which
are not to be found in other parts of the country
the same
writer proves from
various travellers and historiansF23Paulus Lucas
Wilhelm. Tyrius
&c. apud Jablonski
ibid. sect. 7. ; particularly Leo Africanus saysF24Descriptio
Africae
l. 8. p. 666
669.
that the Sahidic nome
in which he places Fium
excels all the other parts of Egypt in plenty of pulse
as peas
beans
&c.
and of animals and linen
though all Egypt is very fruitful: and VanslebF25Relation
of a Voyage to Egypt
p. 148
154
155. says
the province of Fium has been
always esteemed one of the most excellent in all Egypt
because of its fruitful
fields
its great riches
and pleasant gardens
--all that grows here is of a
better taste than in other provinces: here are fields full of rose trees
and
woods of fig trees
which are not in other parts of Egypt; the gardens are full
of all manner of trees
pears
oranges
lemons
peaches
plums
and
apricots:--in Fium only
says he
of all the provinces of Egypt
are
vineyards--nor is any province so much cut into channels as this: they all
proceed from Joseph's river
and have bridges over them
made with burnt bricks
very strong; and tradition says they were built in the days of the Pharaohs;
and it is the opinion of the Coptics
that these kings employed the Israelites
in making: bricks for those bridges
which is very probable
from the infinite
number of men needful to make such a prodigious quantity: this part of Egypt
where Israel dwelt
by all relations
being so excellent
the impudence of
CelsusF26Apud Origen. contr. Cels. l. 4. p. 195. the Heathen is very
surprising
when he affirms that the nation of the Jews
becoming numerous in
Egypt
were ordered to dwell apart as sojourners
and to feed their flocks in
places vile and despicable.
Genesis 47:12. 12 Then
Joseph provided his father
his brothers
and all his father’s household with
bread
according to the number in their families.
YLT 12and Joseph nourisheth his
father
and his brethren
and all the house of his father [with] bread
according to the mouth of the infants.
And. Joseph
nourished his father
and his brethren
and his father's household
with bread
....
For though there might be
in Rameses pasture sufficient for their cattle
yet not corn for their
families
the famine still continuing; during which time Joseph
as a dutiful
and affectionate son
and as a kind brother
supplied them with all necessary
provision
signified by bread:
according to their
families;
according to the number of
them
some of his brethren having more and others less in their families; and
in proportion to their number he distributed food unto them
so that there was
no want: or "according to the mouth of an infant"F1לפי הטף "ad os
parvuli"
Montanus
Schmidt. ; he nourished them like infants
he put as
it were the bread into their mouths
and fed them with as much care and
tenderness as infants are fed; and they had no more care to provide food for
themselves than children have
such a full and constant supply was handed forth
to them: in this Joseph was an eminent type of Christ
who supplies the wants
of his people.
Genesis 47:13. 13 Now
there was no bread in all the land; for the famine was very
severe
so that the land of Egypt and the land of Canaan languished because of
the famine.
YLT 13And there is no bread in
all the land
for the famine [is] very grievous
and the land of Egypt and the
land of Canaan are feeble because of the famine;
And there
was no bread in all the land
....
The land of Egypt and the
parts adjacent
but in Pharaoh's storehouses
all being consumed that were in
private hands the first two years of the famine:
for the famine was
very sore;
severe
pressed very hard:
so that the
land of Egypt
and all the land of Canaan
fainted by reason of the
famine;
that is
the inhabitants
of both countries
their spirits sunk
as well as their flesh failed for want
of food: or "raged"F2תלה
"insanivit vel acta fuit in rahiem"
Vatablus; "furebat"
Junius & Tremellius
Piscator. ; became furious
and were like madmen
as
the word signifies; according to KimchiF3In Sepher Shorash rad להה; so Ben Melech in loc.
they were at their wits' end
knew not what to do
as Aben Ezra interprets it
and became tumultuous; it is
much they had not in a violent manner broke open the storehouses of corn
and
took it away by force; that they did not must be owing to the providence of
God
which restrained them
and to the care and prudence of Joseph as a means
who
doubtless
had well fortified the granaries; and very probably there were
a body of soldiers placed everywhere
who were one of the three parts or states
of the kingdom of Egypt
as Diodorus SiculusF4Bibliothec. l. 1. p.
67. relates; to which may be added
the mild and gentle address of Joseph to
the people
speaking kindly to them
giving them hopes of a supply during the
famine
and readily relieving them upon terms they could not object to.
Genesis 47:14. 14 And
Joseph gathered up all the money that was found in the land of Egypt and in the
land of Canaan
for the grain which they bought; and Joseph brought the money
into Pharaoh’s house.
YLT 14and Joseph gathereth all
the silver that is found in the land of Egypt
and in the land of Canaan
for
the corn that they are buying
and Joseph bringeth the silver into the house of
Pharaoh.
And Joseph
gathered up all the money
....
Not that he went about to
collect it
or employed men to do it
but he gathered it
being brought to him
for corn as follows: even all
that was found
in the land of Egypt
and in the land of Canaan
for the corn which they bought:
by which means those
countries became as bare of money as of provisions:
and Joseph
brought the money into Pharaoh's house:
into his repository
as
the Targum of Jonathan
into his treasury
not into his own house or coffers
in which he acted the faithful part to Pharaoh; for it was with his money he
bought the corn
built storehouses
kept men to look after them to sell the
corn; wherefore the money arising from thence belonged to him; nor did he do
any injury to the people: they sold their corn in the time of plenty freely; he
gave them a price for it
it then bore
and he sold it out again to them
at a
price according to the season; nor was it ever complained of
that it was an
exorbitant one; it was highly just and necessary it should be at a greater
price than when it was bought in
considering the great expense in the
collection
preservation
and distribution of it: it must be a vast sum of
money he amassed together
and Dr. HammondF5Annotat. on Acts vii.
43. thinks it probable that this Pharaoh
who
by Joseph's advice
got all this
wealth
is the same with Remphis
of whom Diodorus SiculusF6Bibliothec.
l. 1. p. 56. says
that he spent his time in minding the taxes and heaping up
riches from all quarters
and left more behind him than any of the kings that
reigned before
even in silver and gold four million talents
the same that
HerodotusF7Euterpe
sive
l. 2. c. 121. calls Rhampsinitus
who
he
says
had the greatest quantity of money of any of the kings of Egypt.
Genesis 47:15. 15 So
when the money failed in the land of Egypt and in the land of Canaan
all the
Egyptians came to Joseph and said
“Give us bread
for why should we die in
your presence? For the money has failed.”
YLT 15And the silver is consumed
out of the land of Egypt
and out of the land of Canaan
and all the Egyptians
come in unto Joseph
saying
`Give to us bread -- why do we die before thee
though the money hath ceased?'
And when money
failed in the land of Egypt
and in the land of Canaan
....
It had been all spent in
the third
fourth
and fifth years of the famine; for it seems to be at the end
of the fifth
or beginning of the sixth year of the famine
that this was the
case
since we after read of a second or following year
which was very plainly
the last
since seed was given them to sow the land with
which shows the time
of drought to be near at an end:
all the
Egyptians came unto Joseph
and said
give us bread;
freely
for nothing
since
they had no money to buy any with: no mention is made of the Canaanites
who
could not presume to come and ask for corn on such a footing:
for why should
we die in thy presence?
before his eyes
he not
relieving them when it was in his power to do it; they knew such an argument as
this would work upon a mind so humane
tender
and generous as was Joseph's:
for the money
faileth;
all was gone
they had
none left to purchase corn with; or they suggest they should not have desired
to have had it at free cost.
Genesis 47:16. 16 Then
Joseph said
“Give your livestock
and I will give you bread for your
livestock
if the money is gone.”
YLT 16and Joseph saith
`Give
your cattle; and I give to you for your cattle
if the money hath ceased.'
And Joseph
said
give your cattle
....
Oxen
sheep
horses
asses
as follows:
and I will give
you for your cattle
if money fail;
that is
corn for cattle
if they had no money to give.
Genesis 47:17. 17 So
they brought their livestock to Joseph
and Joseph gave them bread in
exchange for the horses
the flocks
the cattle of the herds
and for the
donkeys. Thus he fed them with bread in exchange for all their livestock
that year.
YLT 17And they bring in their
cattle unto Joseph
and Joseph giveth to them bread
for the horses
and for
the cattle of the flock
and for the cattle of the herd
and for the asses; and
he tendeth them with bread
for all their cattle
during that year.
And they
brought their cattle unto Joseph
....
Which they might the more
readily do
since there was scarce any grass to feed them with; and though some
of them were creatures used for food
yet might be so lean and poor for want of
grass
as not to be fit to eat; and besides
they could do better without flesh
than without bread:
and Joseph gave
them bread in exchange for horses;
with which Egypt abounded
to which many places of Scripture have respect
Deuteronomy 17:16
and for the
flocks
and for the cattle of the herds;
the sheep and the oxen;
which shows that these creatures were bred and fed by them
and were
no doubt
slain
and used for food:
and for the
asses;
which were used for
carrying burdens:
and he fed them
with bread for all their cattle
for that year;
which seems to be the
sixth year of the famine: one would wonder what Joseph should do with all their
cattle
where put them
and feed them
in such a time of drought; though it is
probable the number was not exceeding large
since they only fetched one year's
provision of bread.
Genesis 47:18. 18 When
that year had ended
they came to him the next year and said to him
“We will
not hide from my lord that our money is gone; my lord also has our herds of
livestock. There is nothing left in the sight of my lord but our bodies and our
lands.
YLT 18And that year is finished
and they come in unto him on the second year
and say to him
`We do not hide
from my lord
that since the money hath been finished
and possession of the
cattle [is] unto my lord
there hath not been left before my lord save our
bodies
and our ground;
When the year
was ended
they came unto him the second year
....
Which seems to be the
seventh and last year of the years of famine; not the second year of the
famine
as Jarchi
but the second year of their great distress
when having
spent all their money they parted with their cattle; for it cannot be thought
that they should be drained of their money and cattle too in one year:
and said unto
him
we will not hide it from my lord
how that our money is spent; my
lord also hath our herds of cattle;
both these were well known
to Joseph
and therefore cannot be the things which they say they would not
hide: Musculus thinks it should be rendered in the past tense
"we have
not hid"; this they told him the last year
that their money was gone
and
he knew he had their cattle for their last year's provision: the sense seems to
be this
that seeing their money was spent
and their cattle were in the hands
of Joseph
they would not
and could not conceal from him what follows:
there is not
enough left in the sight of my lord
but our bodies and our lands;
and the one were starving
and the other desolate.
Genesis 47:19. 19 Why
should we die before your eyes
both we and our land? Buy us and our land for
bread
and we and our land will be servants of Pharaoh; give us seed
that we may live and not die
that the land may not be desolate.”
YLT 19why do we die before thine
eyes
both we and our ground? buy us and our ground for bread
and we and our
ground are servants to Pharaoh; and give seed
and we live
and die not
and
the ground is not desolate.'
Wherefore shall
we die before thine eyes
both we and our land?....
Beholding their miserable
condition
and not helping them; die they must unless they had bread to eat
and
their land die also if they had not seed to sow; that is
would become
desolate
as the Septuagint version renders it; so Ben Melech observes
that
land which is desolate is as if it was dead
because it produces neither grass
nor fruit
whereas when it does it looks lively and cheerful:
buy us and our
land for bread;
they were willing to sell
themselves and their land too for bread to support their lives
nothing being
dearer to a man than life:
and we and our
land will be servants unto Pharaoh;
both should be his; they
would hold their land of him
and be tenants to him:
and give us
seed
that we may live
and not die
that the land may not be desolate;
entirely so; some parts of
it they could sow a little upon
as on the banks of the Nile
or perhaps that
river might begin to overflow
or they had some hopes of it
especially from
Joseph's prediction they knew this was the last year of famine
and therefore
it was proper to sow the ground some time in this
that they might have a crop
for the provision of the next year; and they had no seed to sow
and if they
were not furnished with it
the famine must unavoidably continue
notwithstanding the flow of the Nile.
Genesis 47:20. 20 Then
Joseph bought all the land of Egypt for Pharaoh; for every man of the Egyptians
sold his field
because the famine was severe upon them. So the land became
Pharaoh’s.
YLT 20And Joseph buyeth all the
ground of Egypt for Pharaoh
for the Egyptians have sold each his field
for
the famine hath been severe upon them
and the land becometh Pharaoh's;
And Joseph
bought all the land of Egypt for Pharaoh
....
Not for himself
nor did
he entail it on his posterity
but for Pharaoh
who became sole proprietor of
it:
for the
Egyptians sold every man his field
because the famine prevailed over them;
everyone that had a field
sold it to buy bread for his family
so great was the famine; no mention is
made of their houses
either because these went with their lands
or they were
so mean that they were of little account
and would scarce bear any price; for
as Diodorus SiculusF8Bibliothec. l. 1. p. 47. reports of the
Egyptians
they were less careful of the structure of their houses
and
exceeded all bounds in the magnificence of their sepulchres:
so the land
became Pharaoh's;
not only with respect to
dominion and government
so it was before
but with respect to property;
before
every man's field
and garden
and vineyard were his own
and he was in
possession thereof for his own use
but now being sold
were Pharaoh's; and
they held them of him
and paid a rent for them in a manner hereafter directed
by a law.
Genesis 47:21. 21 And as for the people
he
moved them into the cities
[a] from one
end of the borders of Egypt to the other end.
YLT 21as to the people he hath
removed them to cities from the [one] end of the border of Egypt even unto its
[other] end.
And as for the
people
he removed them
....
From the places where they
dwelt
that it might appear they had no more property there
and might forget
it
and be more willing to pay rent elsewhere; and their posterity hereafter
could have no notion of its being theirs
or plead prescription; and besides
by such a removal and separation of the inhabitants of cities
some to one
place
and some to another
sedition and mutiny might be prevented: he had them
to cities
from
one end of the borders of Egypt
even unto the other end thereof;
according to the Targums
of Jonathan and Jerusalem
those that dwelt in provinces
or in country towns
and villages
he removed to cities
and those that dwelt in cities he removed
into provinces
and placed them at the utmost distance from their former
habitations
for the reasons before given; and the above Targums suggest another
reason
to teach the Egyptians not to reproach the Israelites with being exiles
and strangers
when they were all of them removed from their native places
and
were strangers
where they were.
Genesis 47:22. 22 Only
the land of the priests he did not buy; for the priests had rations allotted
to them by Pharaoh
and they ate their rations which Pharaoh gave them;
therefore they did not sell their lands.
YLT 22Only the ground of the
priests he hath not bought
for the priests have a portion from Pharaoh
and
they have eaten their portion which Pharaoh hath given to them
therefore they
have not sold their ground.
Only the land
of the priests bought he not
....
Not from any special
affection for them
or any superstitious veneration of them
which can never be
thought of so good a man
but for a reason following
which shows they had no
need to sell them:
for the priests
had a portion assigned them
by Pharaoh
and did eat their portion which
Pharaoh gave them;
they had a certain
allowance by the day of provision granted them
on which they lived; so
Herodotus saysF9Euterpe
sive
l. 2. c. 37. of the priests of Egypt
that they spend nothing of their own
but sacred food is provided for them
and
great plenty of the flesh of geese and oxen is given daily to everyone of them.
And this was a delicate affair
which Joseph could not intermeddle with
but in
prudence must leave it as he found it
and do as had been used to be done; this
depending on the will and pleasure of Pharaoh
if not upon the constitution of
the land
as it seems to be from Diodorus SiculusF11Ut supra
(Bibliothec. l. 1.) p. 66.
who divides Egypt into three parts; and the first
part he assigns to the priests
who
according to him
were maintained out of
their own revenues. Some understand this of "princes"F12אדמת הכהנים "agros
praesidum"
Junius & Tremellius
Piscator.
the word sometimes being
used of them
and interpret it of the officers and courtiers of Pharaoh
his
nobles
that dwelt in his palace
and had their portion of food from him; but
the former sense seems best:
wherefore they
sold not their lands;
they were not obliged to
it
having provision from the king's table
or by his appointment.
Genesis 47:23. 23 Then
Joseph said to the people
“Indeed I have bought you and your land this day for
Pharaoh. Look
here is seed for you
and you shall sow the land.
YLT 23And Joseph saith unto the
people
`Lo
I have bought you to-day and your ground for Pharaoh; lo
seed for
you
and ye have sown the ground
Then Joseph
said unto the people
....
After he had bought their
land
and before the removal of them to distant parts:
behold
I have
bought you this day
and your land
for Pharaoh:
which he observes to them
that they might take notice of it
and confirm it
or object if they had
anything to say to the contrary:
lo
here is
seed for you
and ye shall sow the land:
by which it should seem
that they were not removed from the spot where they lived
but retained their
own land under Pharaoh
and had seed given them to sow it with
which may seem
contrary to Genesis 47:21;
wherefore that must be understood of a purpose and proposal to remove them
and
not that it was actually done; or
as Musculus gives the sense
Joseph by a
public edict called all the people from the extreme parts of Egypt to the
cities nearest to them
and there proclaimed the subjection of them
and their
lands to Pharaoh
but continued them to them as tenants of his; unless it
should be said
that in those distant parts to which they were sent
land was
put into their hands to till and manure for the king
and have seed given them
to sow it with; but this seems to be said to them at the same time the bargain
was made.
Genesis 47:24. 24 And
it shall come to pass in the harvest that you shall give one-fifth to Pharaoh.
Four-fifths shall be your own
as seed for the field and for your food
for
those of your households and as food for your little ones.”
YLT 24and it hath come to pass in
the increases
that ye have given a fifth to Pharaoh
and four of the parts are
for yourselves
for seed of the field
and for your food
and for those who
[are] in your houses
and for food for your infants.'
And it shall
come to pass
in the increase
....
When the land shall
produce an increase
and it shall be gathered in:
that you shall
give the fifth part unto Pharaoh;
a fifth part of the
increase:
and four parts
shall be your own;
for the following uses
one part
for seed of the
field:
to sow again with for the
next year: a second part
for your food;
for food for themselves: a
third part
for them of
your household;
their servants and maids:
and the fourth part
for food for
your little ones;
for their children
be
they young or old; or however four parts of five he proposed they should have
for their own use
and for the maintenance of their families
which was a kind
and generous proposal
when all might have been demanded
and they and theirs
treated as slaves.
Genesis 47:25. 25 So
they said
“You have saved our lives; let us find favor in the sight of my
lord
and we will be Pharaoh’s servants.”
YLT 25And they say
`Thou hast
revived us; we find grace in the eyes of my lord
and have been servants to
Pharaoh;'
And they said
thou hast saved our lives
....
Preserved them from death
through famine
by laying up stores of corn
which he had sold out to them for
their money
cattle
and land
or otherwise they must have perished
they and
theirs
and this favour they thankfully acknowledge:
let us find
grace in the sight of my lord
and we will be Pharaoh's servants;
signifying
that they
esteemed it a great favour to be so on the foot of the bargain made with them
and they desired a continuance in it.
Genesis 47:26. 26 And
Joseph made it a law over the land of Egypt to this day
that Pharaoh
should have one-fifth
except for the land of the priests only
which
did not become Pharaoh’s.
YLT 26and Joseph setteth it for a
statute unto this day
concerning the ground of Egypt
[that] Pharaoh hath a
fifth; only the ground of the priests alone hath not become Pharaoh's.
And Joseph made
it a law over the land of Egypt unto this day
....
With the consent of
Pharaoh
his nobles
and all the people of the land
who readily came into it;
and so it became
a fundamental law of their constitution
and which continued
to the times of Moses
the writer of this history:
that Pharaoh should have the fifth part;
that is
of the increase
the whole land of Egypt produced:
except the land
of the priests only
which became not Pharaoh's;
it not being bought by
him; so Diodorus SiculusF13Ut supra. (Bibliothec. l. 1. p. 47.)
as
he assigns the first part of the land to the priests
so he says they were free
from all taxes and tribute
and next to the king were possessed of honour and
authority.
Genesis 47:27. 27 So
Israel dwelt in the land of Egypt
in the country of Goshen; and they had
possessions there and grew and multiplied exceedingly.
YLT 27And Israel dwelleth in the
land of Egypt
in the land of Goshen
and they have possession in it
and are
fruitful
and multiply exceedingly;
And Israel
dwelt in the land of Egypt
in the country of Goshen
....
The historian returns to
the account of the Israelites
having before observed the placing of them in
Goshen by Joseph
at the direction of Pharaoh
in compliance with their own
request; and here they continued until they were grown more numerous
when they
were obliged to spread themselves further in this same country:
and they had
possessions therein;
fields and vineyards
as
the Targum of Jonathan; all the land was Pharaoh's
and they rented of him as
his people did
it may be supposed:
and grew
and
multiplied exceedingly;
even in Jacob's lifetime
they grew rich and numerous.
Genesis 47:28. 28 And
Jacob lived in the land of Egypt seventeen years. So the length of Jacob’s life
was one hundred and forty-seven years.
YLT 28and Jacob liveth in the
land of Egypt seventeen years
and the days of Jacob
the years of his life
are an hundred and forty and seven years.
And Jacob lived
in the land of Egypt seventeen years
....
He lived just the same
term of years with Joseph in Egypt as he had lived with him in Syria and
Canaan
Genesis 37:2; about
two hours' walk from Fium are now to be seen the ruins of an ancient town
which the Coptics say was inhabited by the patriarch Jacob
and for this cause
they name it
yet
Modsellet Jacub
or the tabernacle of JacobF14Vansleb's
Relation of a Voyage to Egypt
p. 167.
which place is supposed to be in the
land of Goshen
see Genesis 47:11
so the whole
age of Jacob was an hundred forty and seven years;
he was one hundred and
thirty when he stood before Pharaoh
Genesis 47:9; and
now had lived in Egypt seventeen years
as in the above clause
which together
make up the sum; and this exact time of the years of his life is given by
Polyhistor from Demetrius
an Heathen writerF15Apud Euseb. Praepar.
Evangel. l. 9. c. 21. p. 425. .
Genesis 47:29. 29 When
the time drew near that Israel must die
he called his son Joseph and said to
him
“Now if I have found favor in your sight
please put your hand under my
thigh
and deal kindly and truly with me. Please do not bury me in Egypt
YLT 29And the days of Israel are
near to die
and he calleth for his son
for Joseph
and saith to him
`If
I
pray thee
I have found grace in thine eyes
put
I pray thee
thy hand under
my thigh
and thou hast done with me kindness and truth; bury me not
I pray
thee
in Egypt
And the time
drew nigh that Israel must die
....
As all men must
by the
appointment of God
even good men
the Israel of God; though they shall not die
a spiritual death
nor an eternal one
yet a corporeal one
which is for their
good
and is a blessing to them; the sting being removed
and so not a penal
evil
which is owing to Christ's dying for them
who has abolished death as
such; and there is a time fixed for their death
beyond which they must not
live
and before which they must not die
but when the time comes there is no
avoiding it; the time of Jacob's death was drawing on
as he perceived by the
great decline of his natural strength
and perhaps by a divine impulse on his
mind:
and he called
his son Joseph;
sent for him
by a
messenger
to come to him:
and said unto
him; when he was come:
if now I have
found grace in thy sight;
which is not spoken in a
way of submission
as from an inferior to a superior
as the phrase is
sometimes used; or as signifying what would be esteemed as a favour should it
be granted
but it is as if he should say
if thou hast any filial affection
for me as a parent
and art willing to show love and respect to me
do as
follows:
put
I pray
thee
thy hand under my thigh:
a gesture in swearing
as
Jarchi observes
Genesis 24:2;
adding
for explanation's sake:
and deal kindly
and truly with me;
"kindly"
by
promising and swearing to do what he after desires; and "truly"
by
observing his oath
and fulfilling his promise:
bury me not
I
pray thee
in Egypt;
not choosing to lie among
idolaters at death
with whom he cared not to have any fellowship in life.
Genesis 47:30. 30 but
let me lie with my fathers; you shall carry me out of Egypt and bury me in
their burial place.” And he said
“I will do as you have said.”
YLT 30and I have lain with my
fathers
and thou hast borne me out of Egypt
and buried me in their
burying-place.' And he saith
`I -- I do according to thy word;'
But I will lie
with my fathers
....
Abraham and Isaac
whose
bodies lay in the land of Canaan
where Jacob desired to be buried; partly to
express his faith in the promised land
that it should be the inheritance of
his posterity; and partly to draw off their minds from a continuance in Egypt
and to incline them to think of removing thither at a proper time
and to
confirm them in the belief of their enjoyment of it; as well as to intimate his
desire after
and faith in the heavenly glory he was going to
of which Canaan
was a type:
and thou shalt
carry me out of Egypt;
into the land of Canaan:
and bury me in
their burying place;
in the burying place of
his fathers
in the cave of Machpelah
near Hebron; see Genesis 49:30
and he said
I
will do as thou hast said;
Joseph promised his father
to fulfil his request
and do as he had desired of him.
Genesis 47:31. 31 Then he said
“Swear to
me.” And he swore to him. So Israel bowed himself on the head of the bed.
YLT 31and he saith
`Swear to
me;' and he sweareth to him
and Israel boweth himself on the head of the bed.
And he said
swear unto me
....
This he required
not from
any distrust of Joseph
but to show his own eagerness
and the intenseness of his
mind about this thing
how much he was set upon it
and what an important thing
it was with him; as also
that if he should have any objections made to it
or
arguments used with him to divert him from it
by Pharaoh or his court
he
would be able to say his father had bound him by an oath to do it
which would
at once stop their mouths
and be judged a sufficient reason for what he did
see Genesis 50:5
and he sware
unto him;
not only gave his promise
but confirmed it with an oath:
and Israel
bowed himself upon the bed's head:
not in a way of civil
respect to Joseph
giving him thanks for the assurance he had given him
that
he would bury him
not in Egypt
but in Canaan; but in a religious way to God
giving thanks to him that he had lived to see his son Joseph
who
according to
the promise
would close his eyes
and that he had inclined his heart to fulfil
his request; though some think that no more is meant
than that after Jacob had
spent himself in discoursing with Joseph
he sunk down and reclined on his
pillow at his bed's head
to take some rest; for as for what the apostle says
in Hebrews 11:21; that
refers to another thing at another time; See Gill on Hebrews 11:21.
──《John Gill’s
Exposition of the Bible》
New
King James Version (NKJV)
a.
Genesis 47:21
Following Masoretic Text and Targum; Samaritan Pentateuch
Septuagint
and
Vulgate read made the people virtual slaves.