Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Genesis 47:15
And when money failed in the land of Egypt, and in the land of Canaan, all the Egyptians came unto Joseph, and said, Give us bread: for why should we die in thy presence? for the money faileth.
15. And when the money ] The inhabitants of Egypt, finding that their money was expended, voluntarily proposed the surrender, firstly, of their cattle, and secondly, in the following year ( Gen 47:18-19), of their persons and their land. There is no mention of murmuring or uprising among the people. Private ownership, except in the case of the priests ( Gen 47:22), was surrendered. The whole people became Pharaoh’s servants, practically serfs, paying him a land tax of 20 per cent. annually ( Gen 47:26).
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
1702
Why shouldst thou see and suffer us to perish for our want of money, when thou canst relieve us?
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
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 said, give us bread; freely, for nothing, since they had no money to buy any with: no mention is made of the Canaanites, who could not presume to come and ask for corn on such a footing:
for why should we die in thy presence? before his eyes, he not relieving them when it was in his power to do it; they knew such an argument as this would work upon a mind so humane, tender, and generous as was Joseph’s:
for the money faileth; all was gone, they had none left to purchase corn with; or they suggest they should not have desired to have had it at free cost.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
15. And when money failed. Moses does not mean that all the money in Egypt had been brought into the royal treasury; for there were many of the nobles of the court free from the effects of the famine; but the simple meaning of the expression is that nearly all had been exhausted; that now the common people had not money enough to buy corn; and that, at length, extreme necessity had driven the Egyptians to the second remedy of which he is about to speak. Moreover, although, like persons driven to desperation, they might seem arrogantly to rise up against Joseph; yet the context shows that nothing was farther from their minds than to terrify, by their boldness, the man whose compassion they suppliantly implore. Wherefore the question, Why should we die in thy presence? has no other signification than that they felt themselves ruined, unless his clemency should afford them relief. But it may be asked how the Canaanites supported their lives. There is indeed no doubt that a grievous pestilence, the attendant on famine, would carry off many, unless they received assistance from other regions, or were miserally fed on herbs and roots. And perhaps the barrenness was not there so great, but that they might gather half, or a third part of their food, from the fields,
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
15. All the Egyptians came Came by their representatives . Observe the three stages of impoverishment through which they passed in becoming the dependents of Pharaoh . First they used up all their money; then they delivered up all their cattle for bread; and finally they surrendered all title and claim to their lands, and thus became serfs unto Pharaoh .
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Gen 47:15 And when money failed in the land of Egypt, and in the land of Canaan, all the Egyptians came unto Joseph, and said, Give us bread: for why should we die in thy presence? for the money faileth.
Ver. 15. Why should we die in thy presence? ] When it is in thy power to save us alive in this our extreme indigency? Qui non cum potest, iuvat, occidit, saith the proverb. And, “Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good, or to do evil? to save, or to destroy a life?” Mar 3:4 – intimating that not to save when we may, is to destroy. The Egyptians, therefore, put Joseph to it. Money they had none, but must have answered, if now it had been required of them, as those inhabitants of Andros did Themistocles. He being sent by the Athenians for tribute money, told them that he came on that errand accompanied with two goddesses; eloquence to persuade, and violence to enforce them. Whereunto the Andraeans made this answer; that they had on their side, also, two goddesses as strong; necessity, a they had it not, and impossibility, whereby they could not part with that which they possessed not. b
a Ingens telum, necessitas.
b Plutarch.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
all the Egyptians. Hebrew all Egypt. Figure of speech Metonymy (of Subject). App-6.
why should we die? Figure of speech Erotesis.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
am 2301, bc 1703
Give us bread: Gen 47:18, Gen 47:19, Gen 47:24, Jdg 8:5, Jdg 8:8, 1Sa 21:3, 1Sa 25:8, Psa 37:3, Isa 33:16, Mat 6:11
Reciprocal: Neh 5:3 – mortgaged