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25 They replied, “You have saved our lives! You are showing us favor,[a] and we will be Pharaoh’s slaves.”[b]

26 So Joseph made it a statute,[c] which is in effect[d] to this day throughout the land of Egypt: One-fifth belongs to Pharaoh. Only the land of the priests did not become Pharaoh’s.

27 Israel settled in the land of Egypt, in the land of Goshen, and they owned land there. They were fruitful and increased rapidly in number.

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Footnotes

  1. Genesis 47:25 tn Heb “we find favor in the eyes of my lord.” Some interpret this as a request, “may we find favor in the eyes of my lord.”
  2. Genesis 47:25 sn Slaves. See the note on this word in v. 21.
  3. Genesis 47:26 tn On the term translated “statute” see P. Victor, “A Note on Hoq in the Old Testament,” VT 16 (1966): 358-61.
  4. Genesis 47:26 tn The words “which is in effect” have been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

25 “You have saved our lives,” they said. “May we find favor in the eyes of our lord;(A) we will be in bondage to Pharaoh.”(B)

26 So Joseph established it as a law concerning land in Egypt—still in force today—that a fifth(C) of the produce belongs to Pharaoh. It was only the land of the priests that did not become Pharaoh’s.(D)

27 Now the Israelites settled in Egypt in the region of Goshen.(E) They acquired property there(F) and were fruitful and increased greatly in number.(G)

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