Bible Strands
Genesis 47:23
Then Joseph said to the people, “Now that I have acquired you and your land for Pharaoh this day, here is seed for you to sow in the land.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Joseph addresses the Egyptian populace during the ongoing famine, declaring the transfer of their ownership to Pharaoh. This announcement follows the exhaustion of their livestock and the completion of their land transactions for grain.
The words — The verb קָנִיתִי (ka.Ni.ti) literally means "I have bought" or "I have acquired," denoting a formal purchase. Joseph uses this term to state that he has acquired both the people and their territory for Pharaoh on that specific day.
The thread — The text's focus on famine duration and land redistribution directly continues the timeline established in Genesis 45:6 and Genesis 41:27. The administrative restructuring of ownership also mirrors the broader biblical pattern of state consolidation during national crises.
Why it lands — The passage requires the reader to observe how emergency governance transfers property rights from individuals to a central authority. It presents the structural reality of survival without offering moral commentary on the transaction itself.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
Then Joseph said unto the people, Behold, I have bought you this day and your land for Pharaoh: lo, here is seed for you, and ye shall sow the land.
Cross-references
- Genesis 41:27 Moreover, the seven thin, ugly cows that came up after them are seven years, and so are the seven worthless heads of grain scorched by the east wind—they are seven years of famine.
- Genesis 45:6 For the famine has covered the land these two years, and there will be five more years without plowing or harvesting.
- Psalms 41:1 For the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. Blessed is the one who cares for the poor; the LORD will deliver him in the day of trouble.
- Psalms 107:36 He causes the hungry to settle there, that they may establish a city in which to dwell.
- Psalms 112:5 It is well with the man who is generous and lends freely, whose affairs are guided by justice.
- Proverbs 11:26 The people will curse the hoarder of grain, but blessing will crown the one who sells it.
- Proverbs 12:11 The one who works his land will have plenty of food, but whoever chases fantasies lacks judgment.
- Proverbs 13:23 Abundant food is in the fallow ground of the poor, but without justice it is swept away.
- Ecclesiastes 11:6 Sow your seed in the morning, and do not rest your hands in the evening, for you do not know which will succeed, whether this or that, or if both will equally prosper.
- Isaiah 28:24 Does the plowman plow for planting every day? Does he continuously loosen and harrow the soil?