Genesis 47:21-26

47:21 Joseph ¹  made all the people slaves ²  from one end of Egypt’s border to the other end of it. 47:22 But he did not purchase the land of the priests because the priests had an allotment from Pharaoh and they ate from their allotment that Pharaoh gave them. That is why they did not sell their land.

47:23 Joseph said to the people, “Since I have bought you and your land today for Pharaoh, here is seed for you. Cultivate ³  the land. 47:24 When you gather in the crop, ⁴  give ⁵  one-fifth of it to Pharaoh, and the rest ⁶  will be yours for seed for the fields and for you to eat, including those in your households and your little children.” 47:25 They replied, “You have saved our lives! You are showing us favor, ⁷  and we will be Pharaoh’s slaves.” ⁸ 

47:26 So Joseph made it a statute, ⁹  which is in effect ¹⁰  to this day throughout the land of Egypt: One-fifth belongs to Pharaoh. Only the land of the priests did not become Pharaoh’s.

¹ tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Joseph) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

² tc The MT reads “and the people he removed to the cities,” which does not make a lot of sense in this context. The Samaritan Pentateuch and the LXX read “he enslaved them as slaves.”

³ tn The perfect verbal form with the vav consecutive is equivalent to a command here.

⁵ tn The words “the crop” have been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

⁶ tn The perfect form with the vav (ו) consecutive is equivalent to an imperfect of instruction here.

⁷ tn Heb “four parts.”

⁷ tn Heb “we find favor in the eyes of my lord.” Some interpret this as a request, “may we find favor in the eyes of my lord.”

⁸ sn Slaves. See the note on this word in v. 21.

⁹ tn On the term translated “statute” see P. Victor, “A Note on Hoq in the Old Testament,” VT 16 (1966): 358-61.

¹⁰ tn The words “which is in effect” have been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.