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.” 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.
Comment: Somewhere during the time of this short paragraph the seven year famine was over. At the end the priests seem to have a good deal – they hadn’t needed to sell their land (which possibly already belonged to the Pharaoh) and had a royal handout. The majority stayed on what had been their own land but now was the Pharaoh’s, who demanded a fifth of all they produced. The people were in servitude to Pharaoh. The Hebrews had never owned the land of Goshen and as shepherds we aren’t told what was demanded from them as a suitable tax. I expect that there was one and eventually we know (by having read the book of Exodus) they became harshly treated slaves!
Prayer: We would ask that our governments stop warring and rule with equity and compassion. On the other hand help us to be socially conscious and very moral in the broadest meaning of the word.
As I read it! 