The Pulpit Commentary — Genesis — Section 563

nnd in the le.nd of Ce.na&n, for the corn them into serfs aud bondmen to Pharaoh -vhich they bought: and .Joseph (wl10 in (LXX., Vulgate), but simply transferred them, this matter was simply Pharaoh's steward) caused them to passover-to cities-not from brought the money into Pharaoh's house cities to cities, as if changing their popula- ( i. c. deposited it in the royal treasury). tions (Onkelos, Rosenmiiller, Knlisch), but 1e1-. 15.-And when money failed (liter- either from the country districts to the towns ally, and the silver was consumed, or spent) (Targums Jonathan and Jerusalem, Lange, in the land of Egypt, and i.n the land of Schumann, Gerlach, Murphy), or nccording Canaan, all (literally, and all) the Egyptians to the cities, i. e. in which the grain had came unto .Joseph, and said, Give us bree.d: been previously collected (Keil)-from one for why should we die in thy presence! for end of the borders of Egypt even to the the money faileth. (literally, and why shoiiU other end thereof. Not that the people were we die in thy presence because silver failcth? transported from one side of the country to i. e. seeing that thou art able to support us). the other as a high stroke of policy to com- Vers. 16, 17.-And .Joseph said, Give plete their subjugation (Jarchi, Grotius, (literally, bring) your cattle; and I will give Rosenmilller, Kalisch, and others), but that you (sc. bread) for your cattle, if money fail. throughout the fand they were moved into And they brought their cattle unto .Joseph: the nearest cities, as a considerate and even and .Joseph gave them bread in exchange for merciful arrangement for the more efficiently horses, and for the flocks (literally, and for supplying them with food (Calvin, Keil, cattle of the flocks), and for the cattle of the Lange, Wordsworth, Speaker's Commentary). herds, and for the asses (the severity of these Ver. 22.-0nly the land of the priests terms of sale and purchase was not so great as at (so the LXX., Vulgate, and Chaldee render first sight appears, since to a famishing people cohen, which, however, sometimes signifies a. under-fed cattle and starving horses must have prince) bought he not; for the priests had been comparati.ely worthless): a.nd he fed a portion-not of land (Lange, Kalisch), but them-literally, led, in the sense of eared for of food (Keil, Murphy)-assigned them ot and maintained, them (cf. Ps. xxiii. 2; Isa. Pharaoh (not of Joseph, who must not, there- xl. 11)-for all their cattle for that yenr- fore, be charged with the sin of extending a this ,rns the sixth year of the famine (mde State allowance to au idolatrous priesthood), ver. 23). and did eat their portion which Pho.re.oh Yers. 18, 19.-When that year was ended, gave them: wherefore they sold not their they came unto him the second year (not lands,-that is, in consequence of the State the second from the commencement of the aliment which they enjoyed (during the period dearth, but the second from the consumption of the famine) they did not require to alienate of their money), and said unto him, We will their lands; not hide it from my lord, how that-literally, Vern. 23, 24.-Then Joseph so.id unto the for if (sc. we should speak openly), hence people, Behold, I have bought you this day equivalent to an intensified but-our money and your land for Pharaoh : lo, here is seed (literally, the silver) i.s spent; my lord also for you, and ye shall sow the land. This hath our herds of cattle ;-literally, our herds proves the time to have been the last year of of cattle also (sc. have come) to my lord-- the famine; and since the people obtained there is not ought left in the sight ofmy lord, seed from the viceroy, it is reasonable to sup- but our bodies, and our lands: wherefore pose that they would also have their cattle shall we die before thine eyes, both we and restored to them to enable them to till the our land 1 buy us and our land for bread, ground. And it shall come to pe.ss in the and we and our land will be servants unto increase, that ye shall give the fifth part Pharaoh: and give us seed, that we may Ullto Pharaoh, and four parts she.11 be your (literally, and we shall) live, and not die, own, for seed of the field, and for your food, that the land be not desolate (literally, and and for them of your households, and for food the land shall not /Jc desolate). for your little ones. 'l'his verse is a sufficient Ver. 20.-And .Joseph bought all the land refutation of the oft-preferred charge that of Egypt fer Pharaoh; for the Egyptians sold Joseph had despoiled the Egyptians of their every man his field, because the famine pre- liberties, and converted a, free people into a vailed over them: so (literally, and) tbe land horde of abject slaves. Slave-owners are not became Pharaoh's. From this it may be con- usually content with a tax of only twenty per cluded that originally Pharaoh had no legal cent. on the gross revenues of their estates. claim to the eoil, but that the people had Nor does it seem reasonable to allege that a valid title to its absolute possession, each this wa~ an exorbitant demand on the part man being regarded as the legitimate pro- either of Joseph or of Pharaoh. If in the seven prietor of the portion on which he had ex- years of plenty the people could alford to pended the labour of cultivation. part with a fifth part of their produce, might Ver. 21.-And as for the people, he re- not an improved system of agriculture enable moved them-not enslaved them, converted them, under the new r~gulations, to pay as en. XLVII. 11-27.] THE BOOK OF GENESIS. 513