Joseph gathered up all the money that was found in the land of Egypt, and in the land of Canaan, for the grain which they bought: and Joseph brought the money into Pharaoh’s house. 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 bread, for why should we die in your presence? For our money fails.”
Joseph said, “Give me your livestock; and I will give you food for your livestock, if your money is gone.”
They brought their livestock to Joseph, and Joseph gave them bread in exchange for the horses, and for the flocks, and for the herds, and for the donkeys: and he fed them with bread in exchange for all their livestock for that year. When that year was ended, they came to him the second year, and said to him, “We will not hide from my lord how our money is all spent, and the herds of livestock are my lord’s. There is nothing left in the sight of my lord, but our bodies, and our lands.
John Calvin 1540 · Public Domain On vv14, 15, 16, 18 14. And Joseph gathered up all the money. Moses…
14. And Joseph gathered up all the money. Moses first declares that the Egyptian king had acted well and wisely, in committing the work of providing corn to the sole care and authority of Joseph. He then commends the sincere and faithful administration of Joseph himself. We know how few persons can touch the money of kings without defiling themselves by peculation. Amid such vast heaps of money, the opportunity of plundering was not less than the difficulty of self-restraint. But Moses says, that whatever money Joseph collected, he brought into the house of the king. It was a rare and unparalleled integrity, to keep the hands pure amidst such heaps of gold. And he would not have been able to conduct himself with such moderation, unless his divine calling had proved as a bridle to hold him in; for they who are restrained from thefts and rapaciousness by worldly motives alone, would immediately put forth their hand to the prey, unless they feared the eyes and the judgments of men. But inasmuch as Joseph might have sinned without a witness of his fault; it follows that the true fear of God flourished in his breast. Plausible and well coloured pretexts, in excuse of the theft, would doubtless present themselves. “When you are serving a tyrant, why may it not be lawful for you to apply some part of the gain to your own advantage?” So much the more does it appear that he was fortified by downright honesty; since he repelled all temptations, lest he should desire fraudulently to enrich himself at the expense of another.
John Calvin's Commentaries (1540-1563) — public domain. Text from the Calvin Translation Society English edition (1840s-50s) via the Christian Classics Ethereal Library (ccel.org). Calvin's coverage is partial (roughly two-thirds of the Bible); uncommented books and verses are honest gaps, never fabricated. The 19th-century editor's footnotes and remarks are omitted so the notes are faithfully Calvin's own voice.
Geneva Bible translators 1599 · Public Domain On v14 Wherein he both declareth his fidelity toward the King,…
Wherein he both declareth his fidelity toward the King, and his mind free from covetousness.
Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain.
John Trapp 1656 · Public Domain On vv14–18 Gen 47:14 And Joseph gathered up all the money…
Gen 47:14 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 into Pharaoh’s house.
Ver. 14. And Joseph gathered up all the money.] There is something, then, besides grace, that is better than money: though misers will as easily part with their blood, {a} as with their good. Constantinople was lost through the citizens’ covetousness. The like is reported of Heidelberg. Worthy they were, in this name, to have been served as the great Caliph of Babylon was by the great Cham of Tartary. He was set in the midst of those infinite treasures which he and his predecessors had most covetously amassed; and bidden to eat of that gold, silver, and precious stones, what he pleased, and make no spare. In which order, the covetous catiff kept for certain days, miserably died for hunger. {b} Money is a baser thing than "food and raiment": these if we have, "let us be content." {1Ti 6:8}
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{a} Chaldaei nummum דמ, id est, Sanguinem, appellant.
{b} Turk. Hist., fol. 113.
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 On vv14, 15, 18 Wherein he did no more than any of the…
Wherein he did no more than any of the subjects might have done; he bought great store of corn in the plentiful years with the king’s money, and kept it till a time of famine, and sold it at a rate which was agreeable to the Season.
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 On vv14–18 And when money failed in the land of Egypt,…
And when money failed in the land of Egypt, and in the land of Canaan,.... It had been all spent in the third, fourth, and fifth years of the famine; for it seems to be at the end of the fifth, or beginning of the sixth year of the famine, that this was the case, since we after read of a second or following year, which was very plainly the last, since seed was given them to sow the land with, which shows the time of drought to be near at an end:
all the Egyptians came unto Joseph, and said, give us bread; freely, for nothing, since they had no money to buy any with: no mention is made of the Canaanites, who could not presume to come and ask for corn on such a footing:
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for why should we die in thy presence? before his eyes, he not relieving them when it was in his power to do it; they knew such an argument as this would work upon a mind so humane, tender, and generous as was Joseph's:
for the money faileth; all was gone, they had none left to purchase corn with; or they suggest they should not have desired to have had it at free cost.
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
Adam Clarke 1810 · Public Domain On vv14, 16, 18 Verse 14. Gathered up all the money] i. e.,…
Verse 14. Gathered up all the money] i. e., by selling corn out of the public stores to the people; and this he did till the money failed, Ge 47:15, till all the money was exchanged for corn, and brought into Pharaoh's treasury. Be sides the fifth part of the produce of the seven plentiful years, Joseph had bought additional corn with Pharaoh's money to lay up against the famine that was to prevail in the seven years of dearth; and it is very likely that this was sold out at the price for which it was bought, and the fifth part, which belonged to Pharaoh, sold out at the same price. And as money at that time could not be plentiful, the cash of the whole nation was thus exhausted as far as that had circulated among the common people.
Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary 1859 · Public Domain On vv14, 15, 18 Treasure, reserving nothing for himself. (Philo)
Treasure, reserving nothing for himself. (Philo)
George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown 1871 · Public Domain On v16 And Joseph said, Give your cattle--"This was the wisest…
And Joseph said, Give your cattle--"This was the wisest course that could be adopted for the preservation both of the people and the cattle, which, being bought by Joseph, was supported at the royal expense, and very likely returned to the people at the end of the famine, to enable them to resume their agricultural labors."
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 On vv15, 18 15. All the Egyptians came — Came by their…
15. All the Egyptians came — Came by their representatives. Observe the three stages of impoverishment through which they passed in becoming the dependents of Pharaoh. First they used up all their money; then they delivered up all their cattle for bread; and finally they surrendered all title and claim to their lands, and thus became serfs unto Pharaoh.
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 On vv14–18 14. gathered up] Joseph’s policy of State granaries was…
14. gathered up] Joseph’s policy of State granaries was completely successful. He accumulated vast wealth for his master, the King of Egypt.
Pharaoh’s house] i.e. the royal treasury, “the White House,” as it was known in Egypt. Cf. Gen_41:40.
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.
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers 1878 · Public Domain On vv16–18 (16) Give your cattle.—As the people were in want…
JOSEPH’S POLICY IN EGYPT.
(16) Give your cattle.—As the people were in want of food, and their land incapable of cultivation as long as the Nile ceased to overflow, this was a merciful arrangement, by which the owners were delivered from a burden, and also a portion of the cattle saved for the time when they would be needed again for agricultural purposes. As the charge of so many cattle in time of dearth would be a very serious matter (1Ki_18:5-6), we now see the reason why Pharaoh wished the ablest of Joseph’s brethren to be employed in the task; and probably while there was no food for them in the Nile Valley, there would still be grass in the alluvial soil of the delta, which men used to move about with cattle would be able to find.
A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Pulpit Commentary 1880 · Public Domain On vv14, 15, 16, 18 And Joseph gathered up the verb, used only here…
And Joseph gathered up the verb, used only here of collecting money, usually signifies to gather things lying on the ground, as, e.g., ears of corn, (Rth_2:3) stones, (Gen_31:46) manna, (Exo_16:14) flowers (Son_6:2) all the money (literally, silver) that was found in the land of Egypt, and in the land of Canaan, for the corn which they bought: and Joseph (who in this matter was simply Pharaoh"s steward) brought the money into Pharaoh"s house (i.e. deposited it in the royal treasury).
The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
unfoldingWord translationNotes 2017 · CC BY-SA 4.0 On vv15, 18 When all the money of the lands of Egypt…
When all the money of the lands of Egypt and Canaan was spent
Here "lands" stands for the people who live in the lands. This can be stated in active form. AT: "When the people of Egypt and Canaan used up all their money" (See: Metonymy and Active or Passive)
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of the lands of Egypt and Canaan
"from the land of Egypt and from the land of Canaan"
Why should we die in your presence because our money is gone?
The people used a question to emphasize how desperate they are to buy food. This question can be translated as a statement. AT: "Please, do not let us die because we have used up all of our money!" (See: Rhetorical Question)
He fed them with bread
Here "bread" stands for food in general. AT: "He gave them food" or "He provided them with food" (See: Synecdoche)
translationWords
Egypt
Canaan
livestock
horse
flocks
donkey
bread
year
unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.