Genesis 47

Joseph acquainteth Pharao with his fathers arrival, and presenteth five of his brethren before him, v. 1, etc. who, after some enquiry, enstateth them in the land of Gosen, 3. Joseph brings his father likewise before Pharao, who asketh him concerning his age, and is all his house in Gosen, 11. The Egyptians having spent all their money for Corn, they sell away their cattle, by reason of the famine, and after that both body and land to Pharao, for Corn, 13. (the Priests excepted, 22, 26.) the land is left to the people to till and husband the same, giving Pharao the fifth part of the Crop, 23. Jacobs life in Egypt, and full age, 27. He takes an oath of Joseph, touching his burial, 29.

1. Then came Joseph, and related unto Pharao and said; My father, and my brethren, and their sheep, and their oxen, with all that they have, are come out of the land of Canaan: and behold, they are in the land of Gosen.

2. And he took some of his brethren; [Heb. the end, or, the extremity, or, the uttermost; that is, as some do understand it, some of the youngest, and some of the eldest. Oth. Of the most presentable, those of the best presence; Compare Judges 18:2. 1 Kings 12:31. Isaiah 56:11. Ezekiel 33:2.] (to wit,) five men, and he put them before Pharao’s face.

3. Then said Pharao to his [viz. Josephs] brethren; what is your employment? And they said to Pharao; Thy Servants are Shepherds, both we, and our fathers. [Heb. Shepherd, or, Herdsman, (for the Hebrew word is sometimes taken in a larger sense; see Amos 7. Verse 15.) in the singular number, implying thus much: we are every one of us a Shepherd.]

4. Further said they unto Pharao: We are come to dwell as strangers [or, to sojourn] in this land: [as if they should have said, They were come there, not to desire or enjoy the right of the Citizens, or Native inhabitants of the Country; but only as strangers, to procure some harbour and shelter there for a time, in regard of the grievous famine in their own country, until they should have opportunity to return thither again.] for there is no pasture for the sheep, which thy servants have, because the famine is grievous in the land of Canaan; and now let thy servants (we pray) dwell in the land of Gosen.

5. Then Pharao spoke to Joseph, saying; Thy father and thy brethren are come unto thee.

6. The land of Egypt is before thy face [See above 13. On verse 9.] cause thy father, and thy brethren, to dwell in the best of the land: let them dwell in the land of Gosen: and if thou know that there be able men among them, [Heb. men of strength, or, valour. The Hebrew word generally signifies power or ability; and it is used of temporal means, Psalms 49:7. Ezech. 28. 5. Of strength of body, Ezra 4:23. Of understanding, faithfulness, and steadfastness in any Government, Exodus 18:21, and 25. Of valour and experience in war, Deuteronomy 3:18. Judges 11:3. And 1 Samuel 18:17. Item, of care, diligence, and expert readiness in household affairs, Ruth 3:11. Proverbs 31:10.] Set them to (be) Cattle-masters, over that which I have.

7. And Joseph brought his father Jacob along, and put him before Pharao’s face: and Jacob blessed Pharao. [After a peculiar manner, as a Patriarch, giving thanks to the King in his greatness, for all the honour and friendship showed to himself and his, and wishing him all prosperity from God. Compare 1 Samuel 13:10. And 2 Sam. 8. 10. As also below verse 10.]

8. And Pharao said to Jacob; How many are the days of the years of thy life? [i.e. how old art thou? See above chapter 25. 7.]

9. And Jacob said to Pharao; The days of the years of my strangerships, [i.e. wherein I have often been constrained to travel and wander to and fro like a stranger: See above chapter 17. On verse 8.] are, an hundred and thirty years: few and evil have been the days of my life, [i.e. it hath been full of labour and toil, trouble and vexation, more than my fore-fathers had in theirs.] et they have not reached to the days of the years of the lives of my fathers in the days of their strangerships. [for his father Isaac had lived an hundred and eighty years, above chapter 35. 28. His grand-father Abraham an hundred seventy five, above chapter 25. 7. His great grand-father Thara two hundred and five years, above chapter 11. 32. Jacob died at the age of an hundred fourty seven.]

10. And Jacob blessed Pharao: and went forth from Pharao’s face.

11. And Joseph appointed Jacob and his brethren habitations, and he gave them a possession in the land of Egypt, in the best (part) of the land, in the land of Rameses; [being a part of the land of Gosen, wherein, as some do hold, the City of Rameses was situated. Compare Exodus 1:11. See also Exodus 12:37.] so as Pharao had commanded.

12. And Joseph entertained his father, and his brethren, and all the house of his father’s, [according to his promise made, above chapter 45. 11. And repeated below, ch. 50. Verse 21.] with bread, unto the mouth of the little (ones?) [or, according to the mouth of the little ones, or, the little child, i.e. according to the necessity of the number of their children. Oth. According to the condition or manner of little children; i.e. even as children are used to be fed, who must have bread and meat put in their mouths, without any labour or desert of theirs.]

13. And there was no bread in all the land; [i.e. There was an excessive want all manner of sustenance. This great necessity was most among the common people, there being no bread to be had for money. Of the Word Bread, see above chapter 3. 19.] for the famine was grievous; so that the land of Egypt, and the land of Canaan raged, because of that famine. [Understand this of the Inhabitants of those Countries, who were so opprest by that famine, that they became very troublesome, and distracted as it were, ready to make general uproars. See below verse 18, 19.]

14. Then Joseph gathered 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 that money into Pharao’s house.

15. Now when all the money out of the land of Egypt, and out of the land of Canaan was spent, all the Egyptians came to Joseph, saying; Give us bread; for why should we die in thy presence? [i.e. why wilt thou suffer us to be famished, and perish before thy eyes, now we have no money left us? Thou mightiest help us yet, if thou wouldest.]

16. And Joseph said; Give your cattle, and I shall give it you for your Cattle, if the money fail.

17. Then brought they their Cattle to Joseph; and Joseph gave them bread for horse, and for the Cattle of the Sheep, [hence it appears, as also by verse 6. Above, that through the Shepherd’s were an abomination to the Egyptians, they nevertheless kept cattle, for other uses.] and for the cattle of the oxen, and for asses: and he fed them [Heb. gently led them] with bread that year, for all their cattle.

18. When that year was ended, then they came to him in the second year [not, of the famine, but the second after the precedent, wherein they had trucked their beasts for corn: this second year was the seventh and last of the famine.] and said to him: We shall not hide it before my Lord, the money being spent, and the possession of beasts (come) to my Lord, [viz. being passed over to thee for corn] that there is nothing left over, before the face of my Lord, [i.e. that my Lord can see about us, and that he can require or receive at our hands: or, that we should be able to produce, for to buy corn withal.] but our body and our land.

19. Wherefore shall we die before thy eyes, both we, and our land? [understand here by the dying of the land, the lying waste and desolate of it, as is declared in the later end of the verse. Oth. We and our land are (yet) viz. remaining, buy us, etc.] buy us and our land for bread: so shall we and our land be subject to Pharao’s service, [Heb. be Pharao’s servants, or slaves, bond-men] and give seed [viz. to sow] that we may live andnot die, and that the land become not desolate.

20. So Joseph bought the whole land of Egypt for Pharao, for the Egyptrians sold every one his field, because the famine was grown strong upon them: thus the land became Pharao’s own. [The land indeed did formerly appertain to Pharao, by right of the Supreme command or Government, but now he was made the Proprietor of it.]

21. And as for the people, he transported the same [Heb. he made them pass over] in the Cities, [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 lay, into another, where Pharao was pleased to appoint and assign them; that it might effectually appear, they had no claim left to any propriety, but that whole land, from one end to the other, was become the Kings own.] from the uttermost of the borders of Egypt, to the other uttermost of it. [i.e. from the one uttermost border, to the other.]

22. Only the land of the Priests he bought not: [By the Priests understand such persons as were employed about the public (Heathen) worship, and the wisdom (or philosophy) 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, or, commanders. The Hebrew word signifying the same likewise, though but seldom, see above chapter 41. 45.] for the Priests had an appointed part from Pharaoh; and they did eat their appointed part, which Pharaoh had given them; therefore they did not sell their land.

23. Then said Joseph to the people; Behold, I have bought you and your land this day for Pharaoh: loe, there is seed for you, to sow the land withal. [Hence it appears, that this happened in the last year of the famine. Compare Annot. Above on verse 19.]

24. Yet with the revenue it shall be, that ye shall give Pharaoh the fifth part: and the four parts [Heb. hands, i.e. parts, as above chapter 43. 34.] shall be for you, for the sowing of the ground, and for your food, and of those that are in your houses, and for to eat for your little ones.

25. And they said; Thou hast preserved our lives, [Heb. made us live, i.e. kept us alive; so above chapter 6. Verse 19. And chapter 45. 7. The Egyptians declare, that they are very well contented with the condition of tilling Pharaoh’s grounds, now agreed on; and they held themselves much graced and favored by it, besides] let us but find grace in my Lord’s eyes, [See of this manner of speaking, above chapter 18. On verse 3.] and we shall be Pharaoh’s servants. [i.e. his bond-men.]

26. Then Joseph set (or, settled) this for a law [or, ordinance, statue, right, usance, custom,] until this day, [i.e. which is kept in ure and practice still among them hitherto] over the land of Egypt that Pharaoh should have the fifth part [that is the land should be all the kings own with the fifth part of revenue or crop thereof]save that not only the priest become Pharaoh’s.

27. So Israel dwelt in the land of Egypt in the land of Gosen and they put them to be possessors therein and they became fruitful and multiplied much .

28. And Jacob lived in the land of Egypt seventeen years so that the days of jacob the years of his life were an hundred forty and seven years.

29. Now when the days of Israel drew near that he should die he called his son Joseph and said to him if I have found grace now in thy eyes then I pray lay thy hand under my thigh [see above chapter 24.] and shew kindness and faithfulness unto me an d bury me not in Egypt I pray [hereby he strengthened himself in his faith in Gods promises and his example exhorts all his constancy and steadfastness in the same the like did Joseph below chapter 50 verse 21,25.]

30. But let me lie by my fathers for thou shalt carry me out of Egypt and bury me in their grave [to wit in the grave of Abraham and Isaac in the land of Canaan in the cave of Machpela in Hebron see above chapter 23.19 and 25.8 and 35.29] and he said I will do according to thy word.

31. And he said [Jacob namely] swear unto me and he [Joseph] and Israel bowed himself [viz. before the LORD that is he called upon God giving him thanks for the strengthening of his faith which he had obtained by Joseph his promise and oath] at the beds heads [sitting up in the bed by reason of his infirmity which disabled him to rise and to pray kneeling or standing.]