Year of the Bible

Monday, July 12, 2021

Genesis 47

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Commentary on the Book of Genesis, Chapter 47:

Now that Joseph’s family has arrived in Egypt, Pharaoh repeats his permission for them to settle there. Our narrative shifts to Joseph’s work to save those outside of his immediate family. As second in the Kingdom, Joseph has the responsibility to share the grain that was stored before the famine. Initially he trades it for herds, but when people run out of animals, he sets up a type of feudal system where the people sell their land to the nation. They then work the land as servants to Pharaoh and pay a portion of their harvests to him. In contrast to the desperate situation of the Egyptians is the thriving family of Jacob, here named Israel.

The Book of Genesis, Chapter 47:

1 So Joseph went in and told Pharaoh, “My father and my brothers, with their ﬂocks and herds and all that they possess, have come from the land of Canaan; they are now in the land of Goshen.” 2 And from among his brothers he took ﬁve men and presented them to Pharaoh. 3 Pharaoh said to his brothers, “What is your occupation?” And they said to Pharaoh, “Your servants are shepherds, as our fathers were.” 4 They said to Pharaoh, “We have come to sojourn in the land; for there is no pasture for your servants’ ﬂocks, for the famine is severe in the land of Canaan; and now, we pray you, let your servants dwell in the land of Goshen.” 5 Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Your father and your brothers have come to you. 6 The land of Egypt is before you; settle your father and your brothers in the best of the land; let them dwell in the land of Goshen; and if you know any able men among them, put them in charge of my cattle.”
7 Then Joseph brought in Jacob his father, and set him before Pharaoh, and Jacob blessed Pharaoh. 8 And Pharaoh said to Jacob, “How many are the days of the years of your life?” 9 And Jacob said to Pharaoh, “The days of the years of my sojourning are a hundred and thirty years; few and evil have been the days of the years of my life, and they have not attained to the days of the years of the life of my fathers in the days of their sojourning.” 10 And Jacob blessed Pharaoh, and went out from the presence of Pharaoh. 11 Then Joseph settled 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. 12 And Joseph provided his father, his brothers, and all his father’s household with food, according to the number of their dependents.

The Famine in Egypt and Canaan

13 Now there was no food in all the land; for the famine was very severe, so that the land of Egypt and the land of Canaan languished by reason of the famine. 14 And 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. 15 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.” 16 And Joseph answered, “Give your cattle, and I will give you food in exchange for your cattle, if your money is gone.” 17 So they brought their cattle to Joseph; and Joseph gave them food in exchange for the horses, the ﬂocks, the herds, and the donkeys: and he supplied them with food in exchange for all their cattle that year. 18 And when that year was ended, they came to him the following year, and said to him, “We will not hide from my lord that our money is all spent; and the herds of cattle are my lord’s; there is nothing left in the sight of my lord but our bodies and our lands. 19 Why should we die before your eyes, both we and our land? Buy us and our land for food, and we with our land will be slaves to Pharaoh; and give us seed, that we may live, and not die, and that the land may not be desolate.”
20 So Joseph bought all the land of Egypt for Pharaoh; for all the Egyptians sold their ﬁelds, because the famine was severe upon them. The land became Pharaoh’s; 21 and as for the people, he made slaves of them from one end of Egypt to the other. 22 Only the land of the priests he did not buy; for the priests had a ﬁxed allowance from Pharaoh, and lived on the allowance which Pharaoh gave them; therefore they did not sell their land. 23 Then Joseph said to the people, “Behold, I have this day bought you and your land for Pharaoh. Now here is seed for you, and you shall sow the land. 24 And at the harvests you shall give a ﬁfth to Pharaoh, and four ﬁfths shall be your own, as seed for the ﬁeld and as food for yourselves and your households, and as food for your little ones.” 25 And they said, “You have saved our lives; may it please my lord, we will be slaves to Pharaoh.” 26 So Joseph made it a statute concerning the land of Egypt, and it stands to this day, that Pharaoh should have the ﬁfth; the land of the priests alone did not become Pharaoh’s.

The Last Days of Jacob

27 Thus Israel dwelt in the land of Egypt, in the land of Goshen; and they gained possessions in it, and were fruitful and multiplied exceedingly. 28 And Jacob lived in the land of Egypt seventeen years; so the days of Jacob, the years of his life, were a hundred and forty-seven years.
29 And when the time drew near that Israel must die, he called his son Joseph and said to him, “If now I have found favor in your sight, put your hand under my thigh, and promise to deal loyally and truly with me. Do not bury me in Egypt, 30 but let me lie with my fathers; carry me out of Egypt and bury me in their burying place.” He answered, “I will do as you have said.” 31 And he said, “Swear to me”; and he swore to him. Then Israel bowed himself upon the head of his bed.

*Daily Lectio Divina Question:

Jacob blesses Pharoah! How aware am I that the power and presence of the Holy Spirit can work in and through me? Lord, how are you calling me to bless others and minister in your name?

Biblical Commentary provided by the Catholic Biblical School of Michigan. Join a Catholic Biblical School of Michigan class this September at Holy Family in Grand Blanc or online.

Revised Standard Version; Second Catholic Edition. (San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 2006).
Permission to use the RSV-2CE given for Bishop's Year of the Bible by Ignatius Press. Many thanks to Ignatius for this.
If you're looking for a good Catholic edition of the Bible, look no further.

Génesis 47

Fue José y dio al faraón la noticia:
–Mi padre y mis hermanos, con sus
ovejas, vacas y todo lo que poseen han
llegado del país de Canaán y están ahora
en la región de Gosen.
2 Y de entre todos sus hermanos eligió
cinco hombres y se los presentó al
faraón. 3 El faraón les preguntó:
–¿Cuál es vuestra ocupación?
Ellos respondieron al faraón:
–Nosotros tus siervos somos pastores
de ovejas, lo mismo que nuestros padres.
4 Y añadieron:
–Hemos venido a habitar en el país,
porque no hay pasto para las ovejas de
tus siervos, ya que es rigurosa el hambre
en el país de Canaán. Ahora, permite
que tus siervos se instalen en la región
de Gosen.
5 Habló el faraón a José diciéndole:
–Tu padre y tus hermanos han venido
a ti; 6 el país de Egipto está a tu disposición;
instala en lo mejor del país a
tu padre y a tus hermanos. Que se establezcan
en la región de Gosen; y si sabes
que hay entre ellos hombres expertos,
ponlos de mayorales al frente de mi
ganado.
7 José hizo venir a su padre Jacob y lo
presentó al faraón. Jacob bendijo al faraón,
8 y el faraón preguntó a Jacob:
–¿Cuantos son los años de tu vida?
9 Respondió Jacob al faraón:
–Ciento treinta son los años de mi
peregrinar. Pocos y malos han sido los
años de mi vida, y no llegan a los años
de vida de mis padres en su peregrinar.
10 Jacob bendijo al faraón y salió de
su presencia.
11 José instaló a su padre y a sus hermanos,
y les otorgó propiedades en el
país de Egipto, en lo mejor del país, en la
región de Ramsés, como había ordenado
el faraón. 12 Además, él mismo proveyó
de alimento a su padre, a sus hermanos
y a toda la familia de su padre,
según el número de descendientes.
13 No había pan en toda la tierra porque
el hambre era rigurosa y tanto el
país de Egipto como el país de Canaán
estaban asolados por el hambre. 14 José
se hizo con todo el dinero que había en
el país de Egipto y en el país de Canaán
a cambio del grano que le compraban,
y reunió todo el dinero en casa del faraón.
15 Pero se agotó el dinero en el país
de Egipto y en el país de Canaán, y acudieron
todos los egipcios a José diciéndole:
–Danos pan, ¿o es que vamos a morir
delante de ti porque falte el dinero?
16 Les respondió José:
–Entregad vuestro ganado, y os daré
pan a cambio de vuestro ganado si os
falta dinero.
17 Traían su ganado a José y éste les
daba pan a cambio de caballos, de rebaños
de ganado mayor y menor, y de asnos;
y durante aquel año les proveyó de
pan a cambio de todo su ganado. 18 Pasó
aquel año, y al año siguiente acudieron
a él los egipcios y le dijeron:
–No vamos a ocultar a mi señor que
se acabó el dinero, y los rebaños de animales
han pasado a ser de mi señor; no
queda ante mi señor sino nuestras personas
y nuestros campos. 19 ¿Es que vamos
a morir ante tus ojos, nosotros y
nuestros campos? Compra nuestras
personas y nuestros campos a cambio
de pan, y seremos nosotros y nuestros
campos esclavos del faraón; danos semilla
y podremos vivir; así no moriremos
y nuestros campos no quedarán
yermos.
20 Así compró José para el faraón
toda la tierra de Egipto, pues cada uno
de los egipcios vendió su campo porque
arreciaba el hambre sobre ellos. El país
vino a ser propiedad del faraón, 21 y el
pueblo le quedó sometido a esclavitud,
desde un extremo a otro de las fronteras
de Egipto. 22 Solamente dejó de comprar
las tierras de los sacerdotes, porque
tenían una renta del faraón y comían de
la renta que les pasaba el faraón; por eso
no vendieron sus campos.
23 José dijo a la gente:
–Hoy os he adquirido a vosotros y a
vuestras tierras para el faraón; ahí tenéis
simiente para sembrar la tierra. 24 Cuando
lleguen las cosechas, entregaréis la
quinta parte al faraón, y tendréis cuatro
partes para simiente de los campos,
para alimento vuestro y de quienes haya
en vuestras casas, y para comida de los
niños.
25 Ellos respondieron:
–Nos has salvado la vida; que encontremos
favor ante mi señor; seremos
esclavos del faraón.
26 Entonces José estableció la ley sobre
el campo de Egipto, vigente hasta el
día de hoy, de que la quinta parte es para
el faraón, a excepción únicamente de las
tierras de los sacerdotes, que no pasaron
a ser propiedad del faraón.
27 Israel se estableció en el país de
Egipto, en la región de Gosen. Allí arraigaron,
crecieron y se multiplicaron mucho.
28 Jacob vivió en el país de Egipto
diecisiete años, y el total de los años de
vida de Jacob fue ciento cuarenta y siete
años. 29 Cuando los días de Israel tocaban
a su fin, llamó a su hijo José y le
dijo:
–Si he hallado gracia ante ti, por favor,
pon la mano bajo mi muslo, y jura
que actuarás conmigo con misericordia
y fidelidad; no me entierres en Egipto
30 cuando descanse con mis padres, sino
sácame de Egipto y entiérrame en el sepulcro.
José respondió:
–Lo haré según tu palabra.
31 Jacob insistió:
–Júramelo.
Y se lo juró. Entonces Israel se dejó
caer sobre la cabecera de la cama.

Pregunta de Lectio Divina del día de hoy

La Biblia de Navarra

Permiso para usar esta versión de la primera edición de la Biblia de Navarra

para el Año de la Biblia del Obispo

dado por Ediciones Universidad de Navarra, S.A. (EUNSA).