Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Genesis 41:47
And in the seven plenteous years the earth brought forth by handfuls.
Verse 47. The earth brought forth by handfuls.] This probably refers principally to rice, as it grows in tufts, a great number of stalks proceeding from the same seed. In those years the Nile probably rose sixteen cubits; See Clarke on Ge 41:31.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
Or, unto handfuls, to wit, growing upon one stalk; or, unto heaps; or, as the ancients render it, for the barns or storehouses; i.e. in such plenty, that all their storehouses were filled with heaps of corn.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
47. the earth brought forth byhandfulsa singular expression, alluding not only to theluxuriance of the crop, but the practice of the reapers grasping theears, which alone were cut.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
And in the seven plenteous years the earth brought forth by handfuls. Such as the gatherers take up in their hands when reaped, in order to bind up in sheaves: now such was the fruitfulness of the land during the seven years of plenty, that either one stalk produced as many ears as a man could hold in his hand; or one grain produced an handful, as Ben Melech observes; though Onkelos paraphrases the words,
“the inhabitants of the earth in the seven years of plenty gathered even into their treasuries:”
and this they did by the order and direction of Joseph as he passed through the land; what he bought of them they brought, and put into the granaries, as he directed them.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
For the seven years of superabundance the land bore , in full hands or bundles; and Joseph gathered all the provisional store of these years (i.e., the fifth part of the produce, which was levied) into the cities. “The food of the field of the city, which was round about it, he brought into the midst of it;” i.e., he provided granaries in the towns, in which the corn of the whole surrounding country was stored. In this manner he collected as much corn “as the sand of the sea,” until he left off reckoning the quantity, or calculating the number of bushels, which the monuments prove to have been the usual mode adopted (vid., Hengst. p. 36).
Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament
‘And in the seven plenteous years the earth brought forth by handfuls, and he gathered up all the food of the seven years which was in the land of Egypt and laid up the food in the cities, the food of the field which was round about every city laid he up in the same. And Joseph laid up corn as the sand of the sea, very much, until he left numbering for it was without number.’
What he had dreamed began to happen. There were seven years when the corn flourished, and he began to lay up food in each city from round about that city, and of this one fifth would be stored away permanently to prepare for the seven bad years to come. And so flourishing was the harvest that after a time they began to stop keeping records because there was too much to record.
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
Sweet thought suggested here, in the view of the perishing Egyptians going unto Joseph; to teach perishing sinners how to go unto JESUS. Heb 12:2 .
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Gen 41:47 And in the seven plenteous years the earth brought forth by handfuls.
Ver. 47. By handfuls. ] Manipulatim. Every grain of corn yields a handful of increase. a Thus God “filled their hearts with food and gladness”; Act 14:17 and so “left not himself without witness” amongst those infidels.
a Ex uno grano integer manipulus colligebatur.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
From am 2289, bc 1715, to am 2296, bc 1708, handfuls. Gen 26:12, Psa 72:16
Reciprocal: Gen 41:26 – are Lev 25:21 – I will Isa 30:23 – thy cattle Luk 12:16 – The ground
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
When Joseph Ruled In Egypt Joseph immediately caused storehouses to be built in the cities. A twenty percent tax was collected from the abundant harvest. The grain collected was so bountiful, they ceased to number the amount. During that time, Joseph’s first son was born. He named him Manasseh, which means, “causing to forget.” God had helped Joseph forget the years of painful service and the hurt inflicted on him by his brothers. A second son was named Ephraim, meaning, “double fruitfulness.” Joseph said God had caused him to be fruitful in the land of his affliction.
At the end of seven years of plenty, the famine came just as God, through Joseph, had said it would. The famine encompassed all the surrounding lands as well, but only Egypt had bread. This was because Egypt was the only nation with grain. Pharaoh directed the complaining people to go to Joseph. Joseph then began to sell them the grain they had been storing up. When other people in other lands heard it, they naturally came to Egypt to buy from Joseph ( Gen 41:47-57 ).