Genesis 47:20 — meaning, Hebrew and Greek word study, commentary
Genesis 47:20
And Joseph bought all the land of Egypt for Pharaoh; for the Egyptians sold every man his field, because the famine prevailed over them: so the land became Pharaoh’s.
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).
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…
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 47:20
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 Siculus (h) 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…
The Church Fathers
When therefore you see an observance of this kind kept entire in almost all the places of the holy Scripture, turn these things to the tropological and allegorical sense, which we are taught nonetheless by the words of the prophets themselves. For one of the twelve prophets openly and evidently declares in bare speech that a spiritual famine is meant, saying: "behold, the days come, says the Lord, and I will send forth a famine upon the earth, not a famine of bread nor a thirst of water, but a famine of hearing the word of the Lord." You see what the famine is that prevails over sinners? You see what the famine is that grows strong upon the earth? For those who are of the earth and "are wise in earthly things" and cannot "perceive the things that are of the Spirit of God" suffer "a famine of the word of God," they do not hear the commandments of the law, they know nothing of the reproofs of the prophets, they are ignorant of the Apostolic consolations, they do not feel the medicine of the Gospel. And therefore it is rightly said of these that: "the famine grew strong upon the earth." But for the just and for those "meditating on the law" of the Lord "day and night," "wisdom prepares her table, slays her victims, mixes her wine in the bowl, and cries out with the loudest voice" — not that all should come, not the abounding, not the rich, nor that the wise of this world should turn aside to her, but "if any are," she says, "lacking in sense, let them come to me"; that is, if any are "humble of heart," who have learned from Christ "to be meek and humble of heart" (which elsewhere is called "poor in spirit"), but rich in faith, these come together to the banquet of wisdom, and refreshed by her feasts they drive away the famine which "grows strong upon the earth." See therefore, you too, lest perchance you be found an Egyptian and the famine prevail over you, lest perchance, occupied by the deeds of the world, or bound tight by the chains of avarice, or dissolved by the effusion of luxury, you become a stranger to the foods of wisdom which are always displayed in the churches of God. For if you turn your hearing away from those things which are either read in the church or debated, without doubt you will suffer "a famine of the word of God." But if you descend from the stock of Abraham and keep the nobility of the Israelite race, the law always feeds you, the…
After these things follows: "the Egyptians," it says, "sold their land to Pharaoh, for the famine prevailed over them." It seems to me that in this too a reproach of the Egyptians is contained. For you would not easily find it written of the Hebrews that "the famine prevailed over them." For although it is written that "the famine grew strong upon the earth," yet it is not written that the famine prevailed over Jacob or his sons, as it is said of the Egyptians that "the famine prevailed over them." For although famine comes even to the just, yet it does not prevail over them; on account of which they even glory in it, just as Paul is found gladly to rejoice in sufferings of this kind, when he says: "in hunger and thirst, in cold and nakedness." What therefore is for the just an exercise of virtue, this is for the unjust the punishment of sin. Finally in the times of Abraham too it is written that: "there was a famine upon the earth, and Abraham went down into Egypt to dwell there, because the famine had grown strong upon the earth." And certainly, if, as some think, the word of the divine Scripture were composed incautiously and unskillfully, it could have said that Abraham went down into Egypt to dwell there, because the famine had grown strong upon him. But observe with how great a distinction the divine word makes use, with how great caution. When it reports of the saints, it says the famine grew strong "upon the earth"; when of the unjust, it says they themselves were prevailed over by the famine. Neither Abraham, then, nor Jacob, nor their sons does the famine prevail over. But even if it grows strong, it is said to grow strong "upon the earth." And in the times of Isaac likewise it is written that: "there was a famine upon the earth, besides that former famine which occurred in the times of Abraham." And so far is the famine unable to prevail over Isaac that the Lord says to him: "do not go down into Egypt, but dwell in the land whatsoever I shall show you, and dwell in it, and I will be with you." According to this observance, as I judge, the prophet long after those times was saying: "I have been young and now am old, and I have not seen the just man forsaken, nor his seed seeking bread." And elsewhere: "the Lord will not slay the just soul with famine." From all of which it is declared that the earth indeed can suffer famine, and those "who are…
Dictionary and topics
Egypt · .The king acquires title to land of — .The king acquires title to land of
Extortion · (grain) — (grain)
Land · Monopoly of — Monopoly of
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).
And Joseph bought all the land. Any one might suppose it to be the height of cruel and inexplicable avarice, that Joseph should take away from the miserable husband men, the very fields, by the produce of which they nourished the kingdom. But I have before showed, that unless every kind of purchase is to be condemned, there is no reason why Joseph should be blamed. If any one should say that he abused their penury; this alone would suffice for his excuse, that no wiles of his, no circumvention, no force, no threats, had reduced the Egyptians to this necessity. He transacted the king's business with equal fidelity and industry; and fulfilled the duties of his office, without resorting to viol…
To make the extent of the benefit conferred by Joseph upon his family, in providing them with the necessary supplies during the years of famine, all the more apparent, a description is given of the distress into which the inhabitants of Egypt and Canaan were plunged by the continuance of the famine.
Gen 47:13
The land of Egypt and the land of Canaan were exhausted with hunger. - ותּלהּ: from להה = לאה, to languish, to be exhausted, only occurring again in Pro 26:18, Hithp. in a secondary sense.
Gen 47:14
All the money in both countries was paid in to Joseph for the purchase of corn, and deposited by him in Pharaoh's house, i.e., the royal treasury.
Gen 47:15-17
When the money was exhausted,…
The Lord blessed Pharaoh because Pharaoh was blessing Abraham’s descendants (12:3). Through Joseph’s wise administration in Egypt, the Lord saved the people from starvation and prospered Pharaoh. In selling food to the Egyptians during the years of famine, Joseph accepted money, livestock, and finally land as payment, until almost all of Egypt belonged to Pharaoh. Meanwhile, God provided Israel with some of the best land in Egypt where they could live, work, and multiply.
Rashi on Genesis 47:20
ותהי הארץ לפרעה SO THE LAND BECAME PHARAOH’S — possessed by him.
