Joseph placed his father and his brothers, and gave them a possession in the land of Egypt, in the best of the land, in the land of Rameses, as Pharaoh had commanded.
Parallel Translations
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Joseph placed his father and his brothers, and gave them a possession in the land of Egypt, in the best of the land, in the land of Rameses, as Pharaoh had commanded.
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And Joseph placed his father and his brethren, and gave them a possession in the land of Egypt, in the best of the land, in the land of Rameses, as Pharaoh had commanded.
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And Joseph placed his father and his brethren, and gave them a possession in the land of Egypt, in the best of the land, in the land of Rameses, as Pharaoh had commanded.
Cross-references (9)
Passages linked to Genesis 47:11 in the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge, ordered by reader-vote popularity; verse text shown in World English Bible.
- Genesis 47:6 The land of Egypt is before you. Make your father and your brothers dwell in the best of the land. Let them dwell in the land of Goshen. If you know any able men among them, then put them in charge of my livestock.”
- Exodus 1:11 Therefore they set taskmasters over them to afflict them with their burdens. They built storage cities for Pharaoh: Pithom and Raamses.
- Exodus 12:37 The children of Israel traveled from Rameses to Succoth, about six hundred thousand on foot who were men, in addition to children.
- John 10:10 The thief only comes to steal, kill, and destroy. I came that they may have life, and may have it abundantly.
- John 10:28 I give eternal life to them. They will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand.
- John 14:2 In my Father’s house are many homes. If it weren’t so, I would have told you. I am going to prepare a place for you.
- John 14:23 Jesus answered him, “If a man loves me, he will keep my word. My Father will love him, and we will come to him, and make our home with him.
- John 17:2 even as you gave him authority over all flesh, so he will give eternal life to all whom you have given him.
- John 17:24 Father, I desire that they also whom you have given me be with me where I am, that they may see my glory, which you have given me, for you loved me before the foundation of the world.
Cross-references from openbible.info (CC BY 4.0)
Explain this verse (10 sources)
Historical commentary, presented as a primary source — not an endorsement.
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Geneva Bible translators 1599 · Public Domain Which was a city in the country of Goshen,…
Which was a city in the country of Goshen, Exod. 1:11.
Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain.
John Trapp 1656 · Public Domain Gen 47:11 And Joseph placed his father and his…
Gen 47:11 And Joseph placed his father and his brethren, and gave them a possession in the land of Egypt, in the best of the land, in the land of Rameses, as Pharaoh had commanded.
Ver. 11. In the land of Rameses.] That is, in the whole territory where Rameses was afterwards built. {Exo 1:11}
John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Matthew Poole 1685 · Public Domain The land of Rameses; a part of the land…
The land of Rameses; a part of the land of Goshen, possibly that part where afterwards the city Rameses was built by the Israelites, Exo 1:11; 12:37, whence it is so called here by anticipation; for the Israelites were not now numerous enough to possess the whole land of Goshen, which was given to them, but contented themselves with a part of it, leaving the rest to the management of the Egyptians; and therefore when they increased greatly, they were forced to spread their habitations amongst the Egyptians. See Exo 12:7,23,35,37.
Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
John Gill 1763 · Public Domain And. Joseph nourished his father, and his brethren, and…
And. Joseph nourished his father, and his brethren, and his father's household, with bread,.... For though there might be in Rameses pasture sufficient for their cattle, yet not corn for their families, the famine still continuing; during which time Joseph, as a dutiful and affectionate son, and as a kind brother, supplied them with all necessary provision, signified by bread:
according to their families; according to the number of them, some of his brethren having more and others less in their families; and in proportion to their number he distributed food unto them, so that there was no want: or "according to the mouth of an infant" (a); he nourished them like infants, he put as it were the bread into their mouths, and fed them with as much care and tenderness as infants are fed; and they had no more care to provide food for themselves than children have, such a full and constant supply was handed forth to them: in this Joseph was an eminent type of Christ, who supplies the wants of his people.
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(a) "ad os parvuli", Montanus, Schmidt.
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown 1871 · Public Domain Joseph placed his father and his brethren . .…
Joseph placed his father and his brethren . . . in the best of the land--best pasture land in lower Egypt. Goshen, "the land of verdure," lay along the Pelusiac or eastern branch of the Nile. It included a part of the district of Heliopolis, or "On," the capital, and on the east stretched out a considerable length into the desert. The ground included within these boundaries was a rich and fertile extent of natural meadow, and admirably adapted for the purposes of the Hebrew shepherds (compare Gen 49:24; Psa 34:10; Psa 78:72).
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
Daniel D. Whedon 1874 · Public Domain 11. Rameses — See notes on Gen_47:6, and Exo_1:11.
11. Rameses — See notes on Gen_47:6, and Exo_1:11.
Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges 1878 · Public Domain 11. placed] Lit. “caused to dwell”; as we should…
11. placed] Lit. “caused to dwell”; as we should say, “settled.”
the land of Rameses] This description of the land of Goshen appears only here, and in the LXX of ch. Gen_46:28. A town named Rameses is mentioned in Exo_1:11; Exo_12:37; Num_33:3; Num_33:5. In Exo_1:11 Rameses is the name of one of the two store cities built by the children of Israel on the east of the Delta, according to Petrie = Tel er-Reṭabeh. The name given to it was probably that of the Pharaoh of the oppression, Rameses II. If so, the description of this region, where Joseph’s brethren are settled, by the name of “the land of Rameses,” is, strictly speaking, an anachronism, i.e. a chronological anticipation of facts, the country being denoted by a name which it came to bear two centuries later. It is a very natural thing for the Israelite writer to do; and can hardly be regarded in the light of a literary error.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Pulpit Commentary 1880 · Public Domain And Joseph placed his father and his brethren (i.e.…
CHAPTER 47:11:27
And Joseph placed his father and his brethren (i.e. gave them a settlement, the import of which the next clause explains), and gave them a possession (i.e. allowed them to acquire property) in the land of Egypt, in the best of the land, in the land of Rameses, either that district of Goshen in which Jacob and his family first settled (Michaelis, Rosenm or, what seems more probable, the land of Goshen itself (LXX, Keil, Hengstenberg, Kalisch, et alii), being so named proleptically from the town Rameses, which was subsequently built, (Exo_1:11) or, if the town existed in the time of Joseph, and was only afterwards fortified by the Israelites, deriving its designation from the name of its chief cityas Pharaoh had commanded.
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Vers. 11-27.
Joseph"s policy in Egypt.
I TOWARDS THE ISRAELITES.
1. He gave them a settlement in Goshen. Though in one sense the land of Goshen was Pharaoh"s grant, it is apparent from the story that they owed it chiefly to the wise and prudent management of Joseph that they found themselves located in the fattest corner of the land. In thus providing for them Joseph had without doubt an eye to their enrichment, to their separation as a people from the Egyptian inhabitants of the land, and to their convenience when the day came for their return. Thus we see an evidence of Joseph"s fervent piety.
2. He supplied them with food while the famine lasted. That he did so without charges to them the narrative explicitly asserts. Nor can Joseph"s right so to provide for his own household be legitimately challenged, the more especially that it was owing purely to his wise administration that the king"s granaries were filled with corn. That Joseph did so was a proof of his natural affection.
3. He allowed them to acquire possessions. That is to say, he secured them in their rights of property while they resided among strangers. He cast around them the protection of the law all the same as if they had been Egyptians. This was a testimony to Joseph"s political equity.
II TOWARDS THE EGYPTIANS.
1. Joseph"s policy described.
(1) Before the coming of the famine. Joseph gathered up a fifth part of the produce of the land and stored it up in granaries against the succeeding years of famine, paying doubtless for what he took, and affording the inhabitants of the country an example of economy and foresight.
(2) During the continuance of the famine he resold the grain which he had previously collected; in the first instance, for money; in the second instance, when the money failed, for horses and cattle; and in the third instance) when nothing remained between the people and starvation, for their lands and their persons.
(3) At the close of the famine Joseph returned to the people their lands, along with seed, and of necessity also cattle for its cultivation, exacting from them in return as rent a fifth part of the produce, the same proportion that he had lifted from them during the seven prosperous years.
2. Josephs policy challenged. It has been vigorously assailed,
(1) for its severity; eloquent writers dilating with much indignation on its arbitrary, oppressive, tyrannical, and ferocious character, representing Joseph as little other than a semi-royal despot who little wrecked of the lives and liberties of his groveling subjects so long as he could aggrandize himself and his royal patron;
(2) for its injustice, being very different treatment from that which had been measured out to the Israelites, who were strangers and foreigners in the land, while they (the Egyptians) were the native population; and
(3) for its impiety, Joseph having sinfully taken advantage of the necessities of the people to reduce them by one bold stroke to a condition of abject and helpless slavery.
3. Josephs policy defended.
(1) The alleged severity is greater in appearance than reality, since it is certain that Joseph did nothing harsh in selling corn for money so long as people had it, or horses and cattle when money failed, and it cannot be fairly proved that Joseph did not give them full value for their lands.
(2) The imputation of partiality will disappear if it be remembered that Joseph"s brethren were only expected to be temporary settlers in Egypt, and besides were few in number, so that a gratuitous distribution of corn amongst them was not at all an unwarrantable exercise of philanthropy, whereas to have pauperized a whole nation would have been to inflict upon them the greatest possible injury.
(3) The charge of having enslaved a free people may be answered by stating first that the narrative when fairly construed implies nothing more than that Joseph changed the land tenure from that of freehold to a rent charge, and that for the convenience of supporting the people while the famine lasted he distributed them (i.e. the country folks) among the cities where the grain was stored; and secondly, that instead of complaining against Joseph as the destroyer of their liberties, the people applauded him as the savior of their lives.
HOMILIES BY R.A. REDFORD
Vers. 11, 12.
The settlement of the children of Israel in Goshen.
I A CONSUMMATION. Distinctly the act of Joseph, under the command of Pharaoh.
1. The fruit of righteousness reaped.
2. The fulfillment of God"s word.
II A NEW LIFE BASED UPON THE TESTIMONY OF DIVINE GRACE. The weak things have been proved mighty, the elect of God has been exalted. The best of the land" is for the seed of the righteous: "The meek shall inherit the earth." Goshen the type of the Divine kingdom.
The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Paul E. Kretzmann 1924 · Public Domain The Consequences of the Severe Famine.
The Consequences of the Severe Famine.
v. 11. And Joseph placed his father and his brethren, he assigned them land where they might live, and gave them a possession in the land of Egypt, in the best of the land, in the land of Rameses, another name for Goshen, probably from its capital or chief city, as Pharaoh had commanded. Thus Joseph fulfilled all the obligations which his love for his father and for his brothers demanded of him, a shining example for our selfish age.
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v. 12. And Joseph nourished his father and his brethren and all his father’s household with bread, according to their families, literally, after the mouth of the little ones, in accordance with the needs of each family, depending upon the number of children. He provided well for them.
v. 13. 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, they were wasting away for loss of strength. This fact is recorded to emphasize the greatness of the benefit which Joseph conferred upon his relatives.
v. 14. 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 in to Pharaoh’s house. The actual cash in the hands of the people of both countries was consumed in the first years of the famine, finding its way into the treasury of the king of Egypt through the hands of Joseph.
v. 15. 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. He surely could not bear to see them die before him, while he had the means to preserve their lives. There was simply no more money to pay out; their last bit of silver had been spent for food.
v. 16. And Joseph said, Give your cattle; and I will give you for your cattle, if money fail.
v. 17. 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. He guided them according to his proposal, he provided for their needs, taking their entire possessions in herds and flocks in payment.
v. 18. When that year was ended, they came unto him the second year, that is, the second year after they had spent their last money for food, 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 aught left in the sight of my lord but our bodies and our lands, they had been stripped bare of all their movable possessions, they had given up all their personal property.
v. 19. Wherefore shall we die before thine eyes, both we and our land? They had stated their plight frankly, and now looked to Joseph for relief. Buy us and our land for bread, and we and our land will be servants unto Pharaoh, they were willing to sell themselves into slavery or peonage; and give us seed that we may live and not die, that the land be not desolate. It was a last, but also the only, desperate resort.
v. 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. Joseph bought it in exchange for the food which he gave to the people to keep them alive.
v. 21. And as for the people, he removed them to cities from one end of the borders of Egypt even to the other end thereof. Their lands being in possession of the crown, the people were ordered to settle in and near the cities, where the storehouses were located. This measure simplified the matter of feeding the great masses during the remaining years of famine.
v. 22. 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. They were provided for at royal expense, and therefore were not placed before the alternative of selling their land or starving.
v. 23. Then Joseph said unto the people, Behold, I have bought you this day and your land for Pharaoh, they were now in servitude or serfdom to the crown; lo, here is seed for you, and ye shall sow the land.
v. 24. 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. Considering the fact that all the land had now been transferred to the king’s name, this tax, or rental, was really remarkably low, even if it included serfdom.
v. 25. 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. The people declared themselves fully satisfied with this arrangement, since they felt the wisdom of Joseph’s rule. He had prevented wasteful squandering and had averted a universal famine. He had had their welfare in mind at all times and had introduced an economic system which was to the advantage of the entire nation.
v. 26. And Joseph made it a law over the land of Egypt unto this day that Pharaoh should have the fifth part, twenty percent of the income going into the royal treasury as revenue; except the land of the priests only, which became not Pharaoh’s. It was a great blessing for Egypt that a man was ruler in those days who combined a high degree of wisdom with the fear of God, a combination for which any country has reasons to be thankful.
Paul E. Kretzmann, Popular Commentary of the Bible (1921–1924) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
unfoldingWord translationNotes 2017 · CC BY-SA 4.0 Then Joseph settled his father and his brothers
Then Joseph settled his father and his brothers
"Then Joseph took care of his father and his brothers and helped them establish where they would live"
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the land of Rameses
This is another name for the land of Goshen. (See: How to Translate Names)
according the number of their dependents
Here, the word "dependents" means the small children in the family. AT: "according to how many small children were in their families"
translationWords
Joseph (OT)
Egypt
Pharaoh
command
household
unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.