Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Genesis 41:48
And he gathered up all the food of the seven years, which were 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.
47 49 (J, E). The seven Good Years
48. of the seven years ] Probably we should add here, with LXX and Sam., “of plenty,” which seems to have dropped out of the Hebrew text.
laid up the food ] On the state granaries of Egypt and the duties of the official who supervised them, the student is referred to Erman’s Life in Ancient Egypt (E.T.), p. 108. The chief “cities” of the districts, or , into which Egypt was divided, seem here to be referred to.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
All the food; that is, either all sorts of grain which was proper for food; or all which he intended to gather, to wit, the fifth part, Gen 41:34.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
48. he gathered up all the food ofthe seven yearsIt gives a striking idea of the exuberantfertility of this land, that, from the superabundance of the sevenplenteous years, corn enough was laid up for the subsistence, notonly of its home population, but of the neighboring countries, duringthe seven years of dearth.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
And he gathered up all the food of the seven years,…. That is, of plenty; not all the fruits of the earth, or all that was eatable, but the corn, as in Ge 41:49; and not all of that the earth produced, but the fifth part of it, as he proposed, which he bought with Pharaoh’s money, and therefore: had a right to sell it again as he did:
which were in the land of Egypt; in which only he had a concern, and where only was this plenty:
and laid up the food in the cities; in places built for that purpose, and whither the people round about could easily bring it, and fetch it, when it was wanted:
the food of the field, which [was] round about every city, laid he up in the same; which was very wisely done, for present carriage, and for the convenience of the people in time of famine. At this day, at old Cairo, is an edifice the most considerable in it, called Joseph’s granary; it occupies a square, surrounded by a wall, and has divers partitions contrived within it, where is deposited the corn, that is paid as a tax to the Gram Seignior, brought from different parts of Egypt o.
o Norden’s Travels in Egypt, &c. vol. 1. p. 72.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
(48) All the food.Probably besides the fifth paid as tax to the king, and out of which all the current expenses of the realm would have to be provided, Joseph bought corn largely during these years when it was at its cheapest.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
Gen 41:48 And he gathered up all the food of the seven years, which were 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.
Ver. 48. And laid up the food in the cities. ] He provided storehouses for every city; so they needed not to travel far. It is our happiness that we have the Word, that bread of life, brought homo to us. Yet some are so wretched, that unless God will set up a pulpit at the ale house door, they will not come to hear him. They will run to hell as fast as they can; and if God cannot catch them they care not, they will not return.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
all the food. Figure of speech Synecdoche (of the Whole), food put for corn.
Which were. Samaritan Pentateuch and Septuagint read “in which there was plenty”.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
Gen 41:34-36, Gen 47:21
Reciprocal: Gen 41:35 – gather 1Ch 27:25 – the storehouses