Genesis 47:19

Wherefore shall we die before thine eyes, both we and our land? buy us and our land for bread, and we and our land will be servants unto Pharaoh: and give us seed, that we may live, and not die, that the land be not desolate.

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Word by word — the Hebrew

Word	Hebrew	Strong’s	Meaning
die	נָמ֣וּת na.Mut	H4191	to die (literally or figuratively) · verb, qal imperfect, 1st person common plural
eyes	לְעֵינֶ֗יךָ le.'ei.Nei.kha	H5869	an eye (literally or figuratively) · preposition + noun, common feminine dual construct + pronominal suffix, 2nd person masculine singular
land	אַדְמָתֵ֔נוּ 'ad.ma.Te.nu	H127	soil (from its general redness) · noun, common feminine singular construct + pronominal suffix
buy	קְנֵֽה ke.neh-	H7069	to erect · verb, qal imperative, 2nd person masculine singular
land	אַדְמָתֵ֖נוּ 'ad.ma.Te.nu	H127	soil (from its general redness) · noun, common feminine singular construct + pronominal suffix
bread	בַּלָּ֑חֶם ba.La.chem	H3899	food (for man or beast) · preposition with the article + noun, common masculine singular absolute
land	וְאַדְמָתֵ֙נוּ֙ ve.'ad.ma.Te.nu	H127	soil (from its general redness) · conjunction + noun, common feminine singular construct + pronominal suffix
servants	עֲבָדִ֣ים 'a.va.Dim	H5650	a servant · noun, common masculine plural absolute
Pharaoh	לְפַרְעֹ֔ה le.far.'Oh	H6547	Paroh · preposition + noun, masculine singular absolute
give	וְתֶן ve.ten-	H5414	to give · conjunction + verb, qal imperative, 2nd person masculine singular
seed	זֶ֗רַע Ze.ra'	H2233	seed · noun, common masculine singular absolute
live	וְנִֽחְיֶה֙ ve.nich.Yeh	H2421	to live · conjunction + verb, qal, 1st person common plural
die	נָמ֔וּת na.Mut	H4191	to die (literally or figuratively) · verb, qal imperfect, 1st person common plural
land	וְהָאֲדָמָ֖ה ve.ha.'a.da.Mah	H127	soil (from its general redness) · conjunction + definite article + noun, common feminine singular absolute
desolate	תֵשָֽׁם te.Sham	H3456	to lie waste · verb, qal imperfect, 3rd person feminine singular

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (James Strong, 1890/1894), public domain; digitized by Open Scriptures (CC BY-SA). KJV word tagging: eBible.org (public domain). Original-language text, parsing and brief lexicon: STEPBible.org data from Tyndale House, Cambridge (CC BY 4.0).

Cross-references

Nehemiah 5:2-3 For there were that said, We, our sons, and our daughters, are many: therefore we take up corn for them, that we may eat, and live.
Job 2:4 And Satan answered the LORD, and said, Skin for skin, yea, all that a man hath will he give for his life.
Lamentations 1:11 All her people sigh, they seek bread; they have given their pleasant things for meat to relieve the soul: see, O LORD, and consider; for I a…
Lamentations 5:6 We have given the hand to the Egyptians, and to the Assyrians, to be satisfied with bread.
Lamentations 5:9 We gat our bread with the peril of our lives because of the sword of the wilderness.
Matthew 16:26 For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?
Philippians 3:8-9 Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the los…

Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Genesis 47:13-26

Care being taken of Jacob and his family, the preservation of which was especially designed by Providence in Joseph's advancement, an account is now given of the saving of the kingdom of Egypt too from ruin; for God is King of nations as well as King of saints, and provideth food for all flesh. Joseph now returns to the management of that great trust which Pharaoh had lodged in his hand. It would have been pleasing enough to him to have gone and lived with his father and brethren in Goshen; but his employment would not permit it. When he had seen his father, and seen him well settled, he applied himself as closely as ever to the execution of his office. Note, Even natural affection must give…

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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Genesis 47:16

And Joseph said, Give your cattle--"This was the wisest course that could be adopted for the preservation both of the people and the cattle, which, being bought by Joseph, was supported at the royal expense, and very likely returned to the people at the end of the famine, to enable them to resume their agricultural labors."

Adam Clarke on Genesis 47:19

Buy us and our land for bread - In times of famine in Hindostan, thousands of children have been sold to prevent their perishing. In the Burman empire the sale of whole families to discharge debts is very common - Ward's Customs.

John Gill on Genesis 47:19

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; t…

Dictionary and topics

Egypt · .The king acquires title to land of — .The king acquires title to land of
Extortion · (grain) — (grain)
Monopoly · By Pharaoh — By Pharaoh
Statecraft · .Joseph — .Joseph
Usurpation · and per — and per

Dictionary: Easton's (1897) and Smith's (1863), public domain. Topics: Nave's Topical Bible (1896) and Torrey's Topical Textbook (1897), public domain. Both as parsed by NEUU (CC BY 4.0).

Genesis 47:19

Word by word — the Hebrew

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Genesis 47:13-26

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Genesis 47:16

Adam Clarke on Genesis 47:19

John Gill on Genesis 47:19

Dictionary and topics

Genesis 47:19

Word by word — the Hebrew

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Genesis 47:13-26

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Genesis 47:16

Adam Clarke on Genesis 47:19

John Gill on Genesis 47:19

Dictionary and topics

John Calvin on Genesis 47:18-19

Keil & Delitzsch on Genesis 47:13-27

Tyndale Open Study Notes on Genesis 47:13-26

Rashi on Genesis 47:19