Genesis 47:13-27

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Genesis 47:13-26

Care being taken of Jacob and his family, the preservation of which was especially designed by Providence in Joseph's advancement, an account is now given of the saving of the kingdom of Egypt too from ruin; for God is King of nations as well as King of saints, and provideth food for all flesh. Joseph now returns to the management of that great trust which Pharaoh had lodged in his hand. It would have been pleasing enough to him to have gone and lived with his father and brethren in Goshen;... read more

Matthew Henry

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Genesis 47:27-31

Observe, 1. The comfort Jacob lived in (Gen. 47:27, 28); while the Egyptians were impoverished in their own land, Jacob was replenished in a strange land. He lived seventeen years after he came into Egypt, far beyond his own expectation. Seventeen years he had nourished Joseph (for so old he was when he was sold from him, Gen. 37:2), and now, by way of requital, seventeen years Joseph nourished him. Observe how kindly Providence ordered Jacob's affairs, that when he was old, and least able to... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Genesis 47:13

And there was no bread in all the land ,.... The land of Egypt and the parts adjacent, but in Pharaoh's storehouses, all being consumed that were in private hands the first two years of the famine: for the famine was very sore ; severe, pressed very hard: so that the land of Egypt, and all the land of Canaan, fainted by reason of the famine ; that is, the inhabitants of both countries, their spirits sunk, as well as their flesh failed for want of food: or "raged" F2 תלה ... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Genesis 47:14

And Joseph gathered up all the money ,.... Not that he went about to collect it, or employed men to do it, but he gathered it, being brought to him for corn as follows: even all that was found in the land of Egypt, and in the land of Canaan, for the corn which they bought : by which means those countries became as bare of money as of provisions: and Joseph brought the money into Pharaoh's house : into his repository, as the Targum of Jonathan, into his treasury, not into his own... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Genesis 47:15

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... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Genesis 47:16

And Joseph said, give your cattle ,.... Oxen, sheep, horses, asses, as follows: and I will give you for your cattle, if money fail ; that is, corn for cattle, if they had no money to give. read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Genesis 47:17

And they brought their cattle unto Joseph ,.... Which they might the more readily do, since there was scarce any grass to feed them with; and though some of them were creatures used for food, yet might be so lean and poor for want of grass, as not to be fit to eat; and besides, they could do better without flesh than without bread: and Joseph gave them bread in exchange for horses ; with which Egypt abounded, to which many places of Scripture have respect, Deuteronomy 17:16 , and... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Genesis 47:18

When the year was ended, they came unto him the second year ,.... Which seems to be the seventh and last year of the years of famine; not the second year of the famine, as Jarchi, but the second year of their great distress, when having spent all their money they parted with their cattle; for it cannot be thought that they should be drained of their money and cattle too in one year: and said unto him, we will not hide it from my lord, how that our money is spent; my lord also hath our... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Genesis 47:19

Wherefore shall we die before thine eyes, both we and our land ?.... Beholding their miserable condition, and not helping them; die they must unless they had bread to eat, and their land die also if they had not seed to sow; that is, would become desolate, as the Septuagint version renders it; so Ben Melech observes, that land which is desolate is as if it was dead, because it produces neither grass nor fruit, whereas when it does it looks lively and cheerful: buy us and our land for... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Genesis 47:20

And Joseph bought all the land of Egypt for Pharaoh ,.... Not for himself, nor did he entail it on his posterity, but for Pharaoh, who became sole proprietor of it: for the Egyptians sold every man his field, because the famine prevailed over them ; everyone that had a field sold it to buy bread for his family, so great was the famine; no mention is made of their houses, either because these went with their lands, or they were so mean that they were of little account, and would scarce... read more

Group of Brands