Genesis 47:15 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And when the money was all spent in the land of Egypt and in the land of Canaan, all the Egyptians came to Joseph and said, "Give us food. Why should we die before your eyes? For our money is gone."

NIV: When the money of the people of Egypt and Canaan was gone, all Egypt came to Joseph and said, "Give us food. Why should we die before your eyes? Our money is all gone."

NASB: When the money was all spent in the land of Egypt and in the land of Canaan, all the Egyptians came to Joseph saying, 'Give us food, for why should we die in your presence? For our money is gone.'

CSB: When the silver from the land of Egypt and the land of Canaan was gone, all the Egyptians came to Joseph and said, "Give us food. Why should we die here in front of you? The silver is gone!"

NLT: When the people of Egypt and Canaan ran out of money, all the Egyptians came to Joseph. 'Our money is gone!' they cried. 'But please give us food, or we will die before your very eyes!'

KJV: 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.

NKJV: So when the money failed in the land of Egypt and in the land of Canaan, all the Egyptians came to Joseph and said, “Give us bread, for why should we die in your presence? For the money has failed.”

When a resource is scarce, it becomes more valuable. The more important the resource is, the more power it bestows. During a famine, those with food become the most powerful of all. Joseph, under the blessing of God, made Pharaoh very powerful and wealthy, indeed.

Pharaoh had empowered Joseph to store away enough grain before the famine to provide food for all the people in the land during the seven years of barren lands (Genesis 41:39–44). Joseph collected surplus grain through taxes (Genesis 41:34) as Pharaoh's representative. When hard times came, though, he did not give the food back for free. Instead, he sold it to the people for the first two to three years of the seven-year famine (Genesis 41:55–57). In fact, as the famine wore on, the people of Egypt and Canaan exchanged all their wealth for food (Genesis 47:13–14). Pharaoh now had all the money in the region.

As the people continued coming to Joseph looking for more food, they had no coins or other money to offer. Yet they came, both Egyptians and Canaanites, in desperation, demanding food they could not pay for. "Why should we die before your eyes?" they said. Joseph's answer reveals that he was ready for that question (Genesis 47:16).

Genesis 47:13–26 describes how Joseph's plan for the famine made Egypt's king even more powerful and wealthy. In essence, Joseph sells grain taxed from the people back to them. When the people run out of money to pay for food from the storehouses, Joseph trades for their livestock, land, and even their freedom. Pharaoh comes to own nearly everything and everyone in Egypt, resulting in a standing 20 percent income tax on the people.

Genesis 47 begins with Pharaoh interviewing Joseph's brothers and father before granting their request to settle in the region of Goshen in Egypt. Just as Joseph had hoped, his family is secure. The rest of the people of Egypt and Canaan are not. Most run out of money and can no longer buy food from Joseph. On Pharaoh's behalf, Joseph trades food for their livestock and then their land and even their freedom. Nearly all people will be required to pay to Pharaoh 20 percent of their harvest each year from this time forward. After several years, Jacob asks Joseph to swear that he will bury Jacob's body with his fathers in Canaan.

After describing the family's journey from Canaan and their arrival in Egypt in chapter 46, this passage opens on a formal conversation between Pharaoh and Joseph's family. He officially grants their request to settle in Egypt. As the famine continues, citizens of Egypt and Canaan turn over their money, land, and livestock to Joseph in exchange for food. The final three chapters of Genesis explain Jacob's dying blessings, and the passing of both Jacob and Joseph.

The book of Genesis establishes fundamental truths about God. Among these are His role as the Creator, His holiness, His hatred of sin, His love for mankind, and His willingness to provide for our redemption. We learn not only where mankind has come from, but why the world is in its present form. The book also presents the establishment of Israel, God's chosen people. Many of the principles given in other parts of Scripture depend on the basic ideas presented here in the book of Genesis. Within the framework of the Bible, Genesis explains the bare-bones history of the universe leading up to the captivity of Israel in Egypt, setting the stage for the book of Exodus.