What was happening during the famine when Joseph bought the land?

The land was going through a very hard famine. There was no bread in all the land, and both Egypt and Canaan were worn out by hunger. At first people used their money to buy grain from Joseph. When the money was gone, they still needed food, so they brought their animals to trade for bread. After that, when even their livestock was gone, they came again and said that only their bodies and their land were left. They asked Joseph to buy them and their land for bread and to give them seed so they could live and the land would not be empty.

Why did the Egyptians offer themselves and their land to Pharaoh for bread?

The Egyptians were at the point of death from hunger. They had already spent all their money and traded away their cattle just to stay alive. When they came back to Joseph, they admitted they had nothing left except their land and their own lives. They asked, “Why should we die before your eyes?” For them, keeping life was more important than keeping property or freedom. So they chose to become Pharaoh’s servants and give up their land in return for bread and seed. In their eyes this was better than dying and letting the land become empty and useless.

What does it mean that Joseph bought all the land of Egypt for Pharaoh?

When the passage says Joseph bought all the land of Egypt for Pharaoh, it means the people willingly sold their fields to the king in exchange for food during the famine. Each person gave up his own field because the famine was so strong that they could not live otherwise. As a result, private ownership of land largely ended and the land became Pharaoh’s. The people themselves became his servants, but they were not left helpless. Joseph later gave them seed, let them work the land, and set a clear rule about how much they would return to Pharaoh from the harvest.

Why did Joseph move the people to cities from one end of Egypt to the other?

The passage says Joseph removed the people to cities from one end of Egypt to the other. This seems to show that, now that the land belonged to Pharaoh, the people’s place and work were under Pharaoh’s order as well. Moving them made clear that their old claim to private land was gone and that what they had now came from the king’s generosity. It also likely helped organize food and seed distribution during and after the famine, since people could be grouped and supplied more easily. It was a sign that things had changed and that they lived by Pharaoh’s provision.

What is the meaning of giving the fifth part of the harvest to Pharaoh?

After buying the land, Joseph gave the people seed and told them to sow the land. He set a lasting rule that when the crops increased, they would give a fifth part, or twenty percent, to Pharaoh. The other four parts would be theirs for seed, for food, and for their households and children. This was like a tax or rent for using Pharaoh’s land and for the help they had received during the famine. The people did not complain about the amount. Instead they said, “You have saved our lives,” and agreed to be Pharaoh’s servants, which shows they saw this share as fair and even generous in light of their rescue.

Why were the priests’ lands not bought by Joseph like the rest?

The passage explains that Joseph did not buy the land of the priests. The priests had a portion given to them by Pharaoh, and they ate from what Pharaoh provided, so they did not have to sell their land for bread. This shows that the priests held a special place in the nation. They were supported directly by the king and were not drawn into the same arrangement as the rest of the people. Their exemption also points to the idea that those who serve in spiritual duties are to be cared for so they can continue in their work, even in hard times.

How do the Egyptians respond to Joseph’s plan of servitude and tax?

The Egyptians respond with gratitude, not anger. After Joseph tells them he has bought them and their land for Pharaoh and gives them seed with the rule of the fifth part, they say, “You have saved our lives.” They ask to find favor in his sight and openly accept being Pharaoh’s servants. They see Joseph not as someone who has taken advantage of them, but as the one God used to keep them alive in the famine. Their thankful words show that, in their view, this arrangement was far better than dying of hunger or having their land lie empty and wasted.

What does this passage teach about God’s providence and human dependence?

The famine shows how quickly human strength and wealth can fail. People with fields, flocks, and money end up with nothing and are ready to give all just to stay alive. At the same time, God had already raised up Joseph and used him to store grain before the famine came. Through Joseph’s planning, God kept many people from starving. The story reminds us that food, land, and even our freedom are not guaranteed, and that every good thing really depends on God’s hidden blessing. It also shows that God can work through wise leaders and fair systems to care for people in deep need.

How can Joseph’s handling of the famine speak to how we view leadership today?

Joseph’s example shows a leader who is honest, careful with wealth, and focused on saving lives, not enriching himself. He brings all the money into Pharaoh’s house, makes lawful and open trades, and gives seed back to the people so they can work and eat. Even when the people become servants, he sets a clear, limited share for Pharaoh and leaves most of the harvest in their hands. This can shape how we think about leadership and authority. Good leadership guards resources, plans ahead, protects the weak in crisis, and remembers that all power and provision finally come from God, not from human skill alone.

Gen.47.13

Genesis 47:13

KJV

¶ And there was no bread in all the land; for the famine was very sore, so that the land of Egypt and all the land of Canaan fainted by reason of the famine.

The Famine Continues

¶ And there was no bread in all the land; for the famine was very sore, so that the land of Egypt and all the land of Canaan fainted by reason of the famine.

And 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.

And 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 why should we die in thy presence? for the money faileth.

And Joseph said, Give your cattle; and I will give you for your cattle, if money fail.

And they brought their cattle unto Joseph: and Joseph gave them bread in exchange for horses, and for the flocks, and for the cattle of the herds, and for the asses: and he fed them with bread for all their cattle for that year.

When that year was ended, they came unto him the second year, and said unto him, We will not hide it from my lord, how that our money is spent; my lord also hath our herds of cattle; there is not ought left in the sight of my lord, but our bodies, and our lands:

Wherefore shall we die before thine eyes, both we and our land? buy us and our land for bread, and we and our land will be servants unto Pharaoh: and give us seed, that we may live, and not die, that the land be not desolate.

And Joseph bought all the land of Egypt for Pharaoh; for the Egyptians sold every man his field, because the famine prevailed over them: so the land became Pharaoh’s.

And as for the people, he removed them to cities from one end of the borders of Egypt even to the other end thereof.

Only the land of 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.

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.

And it shall come to pass in the increase, that ye shall give the fifth part unto Pharaoh, and four parts 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.

And they said, Thou hast saved our lives: let us find grace in the sight of my lord, and we will be Pharaoh’s servants.

And Joseph made it a law over the land of Egypt unto this day, that Pharaoh should have the fifth part; except the land of the priests only, which became not Pharaoh’s.

Cross References

No cross references available for this verse.