What is the meaning of Genesis 47:20? So Joseph acquired for Pharaoh all the land in Egypt; Joseph had already gathered the people’s money and livestock (Genesis 47:14–17), acting under the authority Pharaoh had granted him back in Genesis 41:41. By purchasing the land, Joseph: • fulfilled the administrative responsibility God had arranged through his earlier dreams (Genesis 45:7–8). • demonstrated good stewardship, turning a national crisis into ordered provision, echoing Proverbs 22:29 about diligence bringing promotion. • set up a centralized system that would later support Israel’s migration and growth in Goshen (Genesis 47:27). the Egyptians, one and all, sold their fields Every private landholder surrendered ownership, an action that: • showed how deeply personal resources can be exhausted in prolonged hardship (Genesis 47:18–19). • mirrored the warning in 1 Samuel 8:14–17, where a king’s authority can claim fields and vineyards. • affirmed that in the end, land truly belongs to the Lord, not individuals (Leviticus 25:23). because the famine was so severe upon them. The severity had been divinely foretold (Genesis 41:30–31). Now, two years into the famine (Genesis 45:6), desperation pushed citizens to trade the last of their assets simply to survive. The scene recalls later famines like the one during Israel’s siege in 2 Kings 6:25, underscoring how unchecked scarcity drives extreme decisions. The land became Pharaoh’s With ownership transferred, Pharaoh gained unprecedented economic and political power. Joseph then instituted a nationwide policy: farmers would work the land but return a fifth of produce to Pharaoh (Genesis 47:26). This arrangement: • secured food distribution for the remaining five years of famine. • foreshadowed the growing dominance of the Egyptian monarchy that eventually oppressed Israel (Exodus 1:8–11). • illustrated that governmental authority, while God-ordained (Romans 13:1), can expand rapidly in crisis. summary Genesis 47:20 records a pivotal moment in Egypt’s history, showing Joseph faithfully managing a dire famine by lawfully purchasing all land for Pharaoh. The people relinquished ownership because survival mattered more than property. God’s providential plan placed Joseph in authority, protected Israel in Goshen, and demonstrated how crises reveal true ownership: everything ultimately belongs to the Lord, who guides events for His redemptive purposes. |
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