1Joseph presenteth five of his brethren and his father before Pharaoh. 11He giveth them habitation and maintenance. 13He getteth all the money, cattle, and lands of the Egyptians, the land of the priests only excepted, for Pharaoh. 23He letteth them the land again for the fifth of the increase. 27Israel multiplieth in Goshen. 28Jacob's age: he sweareth Joseph to bury him with his fathers.
1THEN Joseph came and told Pharaoh, 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; and, behold,a they are in the land of Goshen.
a Gen. 45:10.
2And he took 1some of his brethren, even five men, and presented them unto Pharaoh.
1 Hebr. the end, or, the uttermost; that is, as some do understand it, some of the youngest, and some of the oldest. Other, of the most respectable, or, who excelled above others. Compare Judges 18:2; 1 Kings 12:31; Isa. 56:11; Ezek. 33:2.
3And Pharaoh said unto 2his brethren, What is your occupation? And they said unto Pharaoh, Thyb servants are 3shepherds, both we, and also our fathers.
2 Namely, of Joseph.
b Gen. 46:34.
3 Hebr. shepherd, (or herdsman, for the Hebrew word is sometimes taken in a larger sense; see Amos 7:15) in the singular number, implying thus much: every one of us is a shepherd.
4They said moreover unto Pharaoh, 4For to sojourn in the land are we come; for thy servants have no pasture for their flocks; for the famine is sore in the land of Canaan: now therefore, we pray thee, let thy servants dwell in the land of Goshen.
4 As if they would say: They were come there not to desire or enjoy the right of citizens, or native inhabitants of the country, but only as strangers, to procure some harbor and shelter there for a time, in regard of the grievous famine in their own country; until they would have opportunity to return thither again.
5And Pharaoh spake unto Joseph, saying, Thy father and thy brethren are come unto thee:
6The land of Egypt is 5before thee; in the best of the land make thy father and brethren to dwell; in the land of Goshen let them dwell: and if thou knowest any men of 6activity among them, then make them rulers over my cattle.
5 See Gen. 13 on verse 9.
6 Hebr. men of strength, or, valor. The Hebrew word generally signifies power or ability, and it is used of temporal means, Psalm 49:6; Ezek. 28:5; of strength of body, Ezra 4:23; of understanding, faithfulness, and steadfastness in any government, Exod. 18:21, 25; of valor and experience in war, Deut. 3:18; Judges 11:1, and 1 Sam. 18:17, likewise, of diligence and expertise in household affairs, Ruth 3:11; Prov. 31:10.
7And Joseph brought in Jacob his father, and set him before Pharaoh: and Jacob 7blessed Pharaoh.
7 After a peculiar manner, as a patriarch, giving thanks to the king in his greeting, for all the honor and friendship shown to him and his own, and wishing him all prosperity from God. Compare 1 Sam. 13:10, and 2 Sam. 8:10, as also below verse 10.
8And Pharaoh said unto Jacob, 8How old art thou?
8 Or, How many are the days of the years of thy life? See Gen. 25:7.
9And Jacob said unto Pharaoh, 9The days of the years of myc pilgrimage are an hundred and thirty years: few and 10evil have the days of the years of my life been, 11and have not attained unto the days of the years of the life of my fathers in the days of their pilgrimage.
9 That is, wherein I have often been constrained to travel and wander to and fro like a stranger. See Gen. 17 on verse 8.
c Psalm 119:19; Heb. 11:9, 13.
10 Jacob wants to say, that his life has been full of labor and toil, trouble and vexation, more than my forefathers had in theirs.
11 For, his father Isaac had lived an hundred and eighty years, Gen. 35:28; his grandfather Abraham an hundred seventy-five, Gen. 25:7; his great-grandfather Terah two hundred and five years, Gen. 11:32. Jacob died at the age of an hundred forty-seven.
10And Jacob blessed Pharaoh, and went out from before Pharaoh.
11¶And Joseph placed his father and his brethren, and gave them a possession in the land of Egypt, in the best of the land, 12in the land of Rameses, as Pharaoh had commanded.
12 Being a part of the land of Goshen, wherein, as some do hold, the city of Raamses was situated. Compare Exod. 1:11. See also Exod. 12:37.
12And Joseph 13nourished his father, and his brethren, and all his father's household, with bread, 14according to their families.
13 According to his promise made, Gen. 45:11, and repeated Gen. 50:21.
14 Or, according to the mouth of the little ones, or, the little child, that is, according to the necessity of the number of their children. Other, according to the condition or manner of little children, that is, as children are used to be fed, who must have bread and meat put in their mouths, without any labor or merit of theirs.
13¶And there was 15no bread in all the land; for the famine was very sore, so that the land of Egypt and all the land of Canaan 16fainted by reason of the famine.
15 That is, there was an excessive want of all manner of sustenance. This great necessity was most among the common people, because there was no bread for sale. See of the word bread Gen. 3:19.
16 Understand this of the inhabitants of those countries, who were so oppressed by that famine, that they became very troublesome, and distracted as it were, ready to make general uproars. See verses 18, 19.
14And Joseph gathered up all the money that was found in the land of Egypt, and in the land of Canaan, for the corn which they bought: and Joseph brought the money into Pharaoh's house.
15And when money failed in the land of Egypt, and in the land of Canaan, all the Egyptians came unto Joseph, and said, Give us bread: for 17why should we die in thy presence? for the money faileth.
17 That is, why wilt thou suffer us to be famished, and perish before thine eyes, now we have no money left us? Thou art still able to help us.
16And Joseph said, Give your cattle; and I will give you for your cattle, if money fail.
17And they brought their cattle unto Joseph: and Joseph gave them bread in exchange for horses, and for 18the flocks, and for the cattle of the herds, and for the asses: and he 19fed them with bread for all their cattle for that year.
18 Hence it appears, as also by verse 6, that though the shepherds were an abomination to the Egyptians, they nevertheless kept cattle for their uses.
19 Hebr. gently led them.
18When that year was ended, they came unto him 20the second year, and said unto him, We will not hide it from my lord, how that our money is spent; 21my lord also hath our herds of cattle; there is not ought left 22in the sight of my lord, but our bodies, and our lands:
20 Not of the famine, but the second year after the preceding one wherein they had exchanged their beasts for corn. This second year was the seventh and last of the famine.
21 Namely, being passed over to him for corn.
22 That is, that my lord can see about us, and that he can require or receive at our hands; or, that we would be able to produce, to buy corn withal.
19Wherefore shall we die before thine eyes, both we and 23our land? buy us and our land for bread, and we and our land will be 24servants unto Pharaoh: and give us 25seed, that we may live, and not die, that the land be not desolate.
23 Understand here by the dying of the land, the desolation of it, as is declared in the latter end of the verse. Other, we and our land are yet, namely, remaining, buy us, etc.
24 Hebr. be servants, or, slaves.
25 Namely, to sow.
20And Joseph bought all the land of Egypt for Pharaoh; for the Egyptians sold every man his field, because the famine prevailed over them: 26so the land became Pharaoh's.
26 The land indeed did formerly appertain to Pharaoh, by right of the supreme command or government, but now he was made the proprietor of it.
21And as for the people, 27he removed them to cities 28from one end of the borders of Egypt even to the other end thereof.
27 Hebr. he made them pass over. The meaning is, he made the people throughout all the land to change the places of their abode and habitations, out of the one city and quarter of the land, where their goods and estates were located, into another, where Pharaoh was pleased to appoint and assign them; that so it might effectually appear, they had no claim left to any propriety, but that the entire land was become the king’s own.
28 That is, from one extreme end to the other.
22Only the land 29of the priests bought he not; for the priests had a portion assigned them of Pharaoh, and did eat their portion which Pharaoh gave them: wherefore they sold not their lands.
29 By the priests understand such persons as were employed about the public (heathen) worship, and the wisdom of the Egyptians, who, forasmuch as they had their maintenance by the king, needed not to sell their land. Some render the word, rendered priests here, civil officers, since the Hebrew word signifies the same, though but seldom. See Gen. 41:45.
23Then Joseph said unto the people, Behold, I have bought you this day and your land for Pharaoh: lo, here is seed for you, 30and ye shall sow the land.
30 Hence it appears that this happened in the last year of the famine. Compare the annotation Gen. 47 on verse 18.
24And it shall come to pass in the increase, that ye shall give the fifth part unto Pharaoh, and four 31parts shall be your own, for seed of the field, and for your food, and for them of your households, and for food for your little ones.
31 Hebr. hands, that is, parts, as Gen. 43:34.
25And they said, Thou hast saved 32our lives: let us find 33grace in the sight of my lord, and we will be Pharaoh’s 34servants.
32 Hebr. made us alive, that is, kept us alive. So Gen. 6:19; 45:7. The Egyptians declare that they are very well contented with the condition of tilling Pharaoh’s grounds, and they held themselves much graced and favored by it, besides.
33 See of this manner of speaking, Gen. 18 on verse 3.
34 That is, his bondsmen.
26And Joseph made it 35a law over the land of Egypt 36unto this day, 37that Pharaoh should have the fifth part; except the land of the priests only, which became not Pharaoh's.
35 Or, commandment, ordinance, right, custom, usage.
36 That is, this is kept in use and practice among them to this day.
37 That is, that the land should be the king’s own with the fifth part of the revenue.
27¶And Israel dwelt in the land of Egypt, in the country of Goshen; and they had possessions therein, and grew, and multiplied exceedingly.
28And Jacob lived in the land of Egypt seventeen years: so the whole age of Jacob was an hundred forty and seven years.
29And the time drew nigh that Israel must die: and he called his son Joseph, and said unto him, If now I have found grace in thy sight, 38put,d I pray thee, thy hand under my thigh, and deal kindly and truly with me; 39bury me not, I pray thee, in Egypt:
38 See Gen. 24 on verse 2.
d Gen. 24:2.
39 Hereby he strengthens himself in his faith in God’s promise, and by his example exhorts all his (own) to constancy and steadfastness in the same. The same did Joseph, Gen. 50:24, 25.
30But I will lie with my fathers, and thou shalt carry me out of Egypt, and bury me in 40their buryingplace. And he said, I will do as thou hast said.
40 To wit, in the grave of Abraham, and Isaac, in the land of Canaan, in the cave of Machpelah, in Hebron. See Gen. 23:19; 25:9; 35:29.
31And 41he said, Swear unto me. And 42he sware unto him. Ande Israel 43bowed himself upon the bed’s 44head.
41 Namely, Jacob.
42 Namely, Joseph.
e Heb. 11:21.
43 Namely, before the Lord; that is, he called upon God, giving Him thanks for the strengthening of his faith, which he had obtained out of Joseph’s promise and oath.
44 Sitting up in his bed, by reason of his infirmity, which disabled him to rise and to pray kneeling or standing.