Welcome to my Hebrew reading & language series.
Genesis 47:20-25
We find ourselves in the next phase of the story where Joseph is looking out for his family but still managing Pharaoh's affairs. The peoples from all nations coming to him for food and now the people of Mitsraim (Egypt) are also running out of food.
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The word for "Servant is *abadim" in Hebrew though they don't use that word for thier status in the first part of our passage, "As for the people, he made servants of them" but that is the accepted word for what we are reading today. The second to last word in the Hebrew reading is abadim.
They needed food and had no money. The people saw this deal as salvation from certain death if they did not get some food, so they sold their land to Pharaoh and they became his servants. The only ones who did not sell their property were the priests of the day. Pharaoh was already providing sustenance to them.
The final paragraph talks about how they are supposed to use the land, they got seed and planted then gave one fifth to the ruler. The rest would be for them to eat and to reseed the crops.
My only question about what is written is...
How are they able to grow food as servants, when they could not do that before asking. After all, the famine was still at its peak and was not letting up. I don't want to speculate on that. Maybe another book will have some insights on that topic.
Today's reading
English
So Joseph bought all the land of Egypt for Pharaoh, for all the Egyptians sold their fields, because the famine was severe on them. The land became Pharaoh's. As for the people, he made servants of them' from one end of Egypt to the other. Only the land of the priests he did not buy, for the priests had a fixed allowance from Pharaoh and lived on the allowance that Pharaoh gave them; therefore they did not sell their land.
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. 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." And they said, "You have saved our lives; may it please my lord, we will be servants to Pharaoh."
Hebrew
The story continues next week as laws are drafted...
Info on each letter starting at the beginning
If you are just starting, my lessons are all here starting at Alef, adding vowels (the dots and lines) as we go. I explain the meaning of each letter and its numerical value. Just go to my blog and scroll to the bottom or click here
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Thanks for reading.
Sorry I missed a post last week. There was no power in my zone all week last week and I do not have my Hebrew texts on my phone.