Why did Joseph buy all the land of Egypt for Pharaoh?

Joseph bought the land because the famine was so severe that the Egyptians had nothing left to trade for food. First they spent their money, then their livestock, and finally they offered their land and even themselves so they would not starve. Joseph was serving Pharaoh, so he bought the land for the king, not for himself. This move placed the whole country under Pharaoh’s ownership, but it also meant the people could go on living, working the same land and being supplied with seed. It shows God using Joseph’s position to preserve many lives.

What was the purpose of the one fifth tax on the harvest in this passage?

After buying the land, Joseph gave the people seed and told them to farm as before, but with a new rule. When the crops came in, they were to give one fifth of the increase to Pharaoh and keep four fifths for themselves, their families, and seed for the next year. In a time when Pharaoh owned the land and had kept them alive through the famine, this amount was not heavy or unfair. It created a lasting system where the king was supported and the people still had enough to live, showing careful and humane leadership under hard conditions.

Why were the priests’ lands in Egypt not bought by Joseph?

The priests’ land was treated differently because they already received a portion from Pharaoh. They were fed from what the king gave them, so they did not have to sell their land to survive. Their fields therefore did not become Pharaoh’s property like the rest. This special treatment shows how highly their religious role was regarded in that society. It also hints at a pattern seen elsewhere in Scripture, where those who serve in holy things are supported so they can keep up their service without being crushed by the same burdens as others.

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

Joseph moved the people to cities after their land became Pharaoh’s. By being gathered into settled places, they were no longer tied to their old family fields as personal property. This showed that the land now clearly belonged to the king, and it likely helped with organizing food, work, and the new tax system. Though it sounds harsh, it also made it clear that what they now had came from the king’s generosity in keeping them alive. It marked a new start for the nation’s life under Pharaoh’s rule.

How did the Egyptians feel about becoming Pharaoh’s servants in this passage?

The Egyptians in this passage do not complain. Instead, they tell Joseph, “Thou hast saved our lives,” and ask to find favor in his sight. They are thankful because, without this arrangement, they and their families would have died in the famine. By serving Pharaoh and giving a fifth of their produce, they gain the chance to live and work the land again. Their response shows that, in their eyes, the trade was worth it. Life was more precious than property, and they saw Joseph’s plan as a rescue, not as simple loss.

What does this passage teach about God’s providence in hard times?

This passage shows God guiding events in quiet ways. A terrible famine could have wiped out whole nations, yet God had already placed Joseph in authority, with wisdom to manage grain, land, and people. Through Joseph’s planning, the Egyptians live, Pharaoh’s rule is strengthened, and Israel’s family is sheltered and able to grow in Goshen. At the same time, Jacob looks beyond Egypt to God’s promise of the land of his fathers. So even while people struggle, trade, and make laws, God is at work, both feeding bodies and keeping His long-term promises.

Why did Jacob insist on not being buried in Egypt?

Jacob knew he would die in Egypt, but he did not want Egypt to be seen as his real home. He asked Joseph to swear that he would carry his body back and bury him where Abraham and Isaac were buried. This was about more than family custom. Jacob was clinging to God’s promise that his descendants would have the land of Canaan. By choosing burial there, he was saying, even in death, that his hope was tied to God’s word, not to the comfort he had found in Egypt. It was a quiet act of faith in God’s future for his family.

What is the meaning of Jacob making Joseph swear with his hand under his thigh?

That way of swearing was a solemn and serious form of making an oath in those days. Jacob was not unsure of Joseph’s love, but he wanted this promise about his burial to be firmly fixed and remembered. The oath showed how important it was to him to be laid with his fathers in the promised land. By binding Joseph in this formal way, Jacob was also teaching his family to treat God’s promises with great weight, not as something casual. The act underlines how strongly he held to what God had said about their future home.

Why did Jacob bow himself upon the bed’s head at the end of this passage?

After Joseph swore to carry him back to his fathers’ burial place, Jacob bowed on the head of his bed. This simple action is a quiet act of worship and thanks. He is old and weak, but he lifts himself enough to bow, showing his heart is turned toward God. He is thankful that his burial wish will be kept and that God’s promise about the land still stands. Bowing on the bed’s head shows a man at peace with God, accepting that his life is ending and honoring the Lord who has led him all the way.

How can Joseph’s leadership in this passage guide people in authority today?

Joseph shows that real authority should care for both duty and mercy. He does not ignore Pharaoh’s rights, but he also does not crush the people. In a desperate famine, he arranges things so that the king is supported and the people survive and can work again. He gives clear structure, a fixed share to Pharaoh, and leaves most of the harvest with the farmers. Those who lead today can see here an example of using power to protect life, set fair terms, and think long-term, instead of taking advantage when others are weak or afraid.

Gen.47.20

Genesis 47:20

KJV

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.

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.

Result of the Famine

20 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.

¶ And Israel dwelt in the land of Egypt, in the country of Goshen; and they had possessions therein, and grew, and multiplied exceedingly.

And Jacob lived in the land of Egypt seventeen years: so the whole age of Jacob was an hundred forty and seven years.

And the time drew nigh that Israel must die: and he called his son Joseph, and said unto him, If now I have found grace in thy sight, put, I pray thee, thy hand under my thigh, and deal kindly and truly with me; bury me not, I pray thee, in Egypt:

But I will lie with my fathers, and thou shalt carry me out of Egypt, and bury me in their buryingplace. And he said, I will do as thou hast said.

And he said, Swear unto me. And he sware unto him. And Israel bowed himself upon the bed’s head.

Cross References

No cross references available for this verse.