NIV Biblical Theology Study Bible NIV Biblical Theology Study Bible | Page 93
Genesis 47:31 | 97
47:13 a Ge 41:30;
Ac 7:11
47:14 b Ge 41:56
47:15 c ver 19; Ex 16:3
47:17 d Ex 14:9
47:22 e Dt 14:28-29;
Ezr 7:24
47:24 f Ge 41:34
47:25 g Ge 32:5
47:26 h ver 22
47:27 i Ge 17:6; 46:3;
Ex 1:7
47:28 j Ps 105:23
47:29 k Dt 31:14
l Ge 24:2 m Ge 24:49
47:30 n Ge 49:29-32;
50:5, 13; Ac 7:15‑16
47:31 o Ge 21:23
p Ge 24:3
q Heb 11:21 fn; 1Ki 1:47
Joseph and the Famine
13 There was no food, however, in the whole region because the famine was severe; both
gypt and Canaan wasted away because of the famine. a 14 Joseph collected all the money
E
that was to be found in Egypt and Canaan in payment for the grain they were buying, and
he b
rought it to Pharaoh’s palace. b 15 When the money of the people of Egypt and Canaan
was gone, all Egypt came to Joseph and said, “Give us food. Why should we die before your
eyes? c Our money is all gone.”
16 “Then bring your livestock,” said Joseph. “I will sell you food in exchange for your
livestock, s ince your money is gone.” 17 So they b
rought t heir livestock to Joseph, and
he gave them food in exchange for t heir horses, d their sheep and g
oats, their cattle and
donkeys. And he brought them through that year with food in exchange for all t heir
livestock.
18 When that year was over, they came to him the following year and said, “We cannot
hide from our lord the fact that since our money is gone and our livestock belongs to you,
there is nothing left for our lord except our bodies and our land. 19 Why should we perish
before your eyes — we and our land as well? Buy us and our land in exchange for food, and
we with our land will be in bondage to Pharaoh. Give us seed so that we may live and not
die, and that the land may not become desolate.”
20 So Joseph bought all the land in E
gypt for Pharaoh. The Egyptians, one and all, sold
their fields, because the famine was too severe for them. The land became Pharaoh’s, 21 and
Joseph reduced the people to servitude, a from one end of Egypt to the other. 22 However,
he did not buy the land of the priests, because they received a regu l ar allotment from
Pharaoh and had food e
nough from the allotment e Pharaoh gave them. That is why they
did not sell their land.
23 Joseph said to the people, “Now that I have bought you and your land today for Phar
aoh, here is seed for you so you can p
lant the g
round. 24 But when the crop c omes in, give a
fifth f of it to Pharaoh. The other four-fifths you may keep as seed for the f ields and as food
for yourselves and your households and your children.”
25 “You have saved our lives,” they said. “May we find favor in the eyes of our lord; g we
will be in bondage to Pharaoh.”
26 So Joseph established it as a law concerning land in E
gypt — still in f orce today — that
a fifth of the produce belongs to Pharaoh. It was only the land of the priests that did not
become Pharaoh’s. h
27 Now the Israelites settled in E
gypt in the region of Goshen. They acquired property
there and were fruitful and increased greatly in number. i
28 Jacob lived in Egypt j seventeen years, and the years of his life were a hundred and
forty-seven. 29 When the time drew near for Israel to die, k he called for his son Joseph
and said to him, “If I have found favor in your eyes, put your hand under my thigh l and
promise that you will show me kindness and faithfulness. m Do not bury me in Egypt,
30 but when I rest with my fathers, carry me out of Egypt and bury me where they are
buried.” n
“I will do as you say,” he said.
31 “Swear to me,” o he said. Then Joseph swore to him, p and Israel worshiped as he leaned
on the top of his staff. b q
a 21
Samaritan Pentateuch and Septuagint (see also Vulgate); Masoretic Text and he moved the people into the cities
Israel bowed down at the head of his bed
b 31 Or
(v. 6). While the name Rameses may have
been in use in Joseph’s time, it is more often
associated with the famous Egyptian king
Rameses II, who lived in the thirteenth cen-
tury BC. Rameses was possibly the name of
this region in the time of the author.
47:13 – 31 Joseph and the Famine. This sec-
tion emphasizes Joseph’s role in keeping the
Egyptians alive during the years of famine.
After exhausting all other options to pay for
their food, the Egyptians sell their land to
Phar
aoh. Subsequently, Phar
aoh receives
from the people one-fifth of their produce.
A similar pattern exists when the Israelites
settle in the land of Canaan. There, however,
they must give God only one-tenth of their
harvest to recognize that he owns the land.
47:15 – 17 Joseph plays a central role in keep-
ing the population of Egypt alive. His admin-
istrative skills are God-given (41:38).
47:18 – 26 Although the Egyptians are pre-
pared to sell themselves into slavery in order
to survive the famine, Joseph introduces a
scheme whereby the people remain largely
independent and self-sufficient. While they
must give one-fifth of their harvest to Phar
aoh, they readily acknowledge that Joseph
has saved their lives (v. 25). This portrays
Joseph as a fair and just administrator who
does not exploit a tragic situation for his own
benefit.
47:27 were fruitful and increased greatly
in number. The numerical growth of the Is-
raelites in Egypt echoes a motif that runs
throughout Genesis, first introduced when
God blesses humanity (1:28). Associating
population growth with divine blessing is
common (e.g., 9:1,7; 17:20; 28:3; 35:11; 48:4).
The motif of being fruitful and multiplying
plays an important role at the start of the
book of Exodus (Exod 1:7); the large popula-
tion of Israelites prompts a new pharaoh to
oppress the Israelites (Exod 1:8 – 10).
47:28 – 30 As he nears death, Jacob’s desire
to be buried in Canaan recalls God’s promises
to Abraham and Isaac that their descendants
will eventually possess the land of Canaan.
Joseph later fulfills his commitment to Jacob
(49:29 — 50:14).
47:29 put your hand under my thigh. A for-
mal means of swearing an oath (see also 24:9
and note).
47:31 worshiped as he leaned on the top
of his staff. Either Israel bowed down out
of respect for Joseph, a motif that would
be in keeping with Joseph’s earlier dream
(37:9 – 10), or Israel worshiped God in thank-
fulness for Joseph’s response to his request
to be buried in Canaan.