Genesis 47:26

26 And Ioseph made it a lawe ouer the lade of Egipte vnto this daye: that men must geue Pharao the fyfte parte excepte the londe of the preastes only which was not bond vnto Pharao.

Genesis 47:26 Meaning and Commentary

Genesis 47:26

And Joseph made it a law over the land of Egypt unto this
day
With the consent of Pharaoh, his nobles, and all the people of the land, who readily came into it; and so it became, a fundamental law of their constitution, and which continued to the times of Moses, the writer of this history:

[that] Pharaoh should have the fifth [part];
that is, of the increase the whole land of Egypt produced:

except the land of the priests only, [which] became not Pharaoh's;
it not being bought by him; so Diodorus Siculus ^F13, as he assigns the first part of the land to the priests, so he says they were free from all taxes and tribute, and next to the king were possessed of honour and authority.

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FOOTNOTES:

F13 Ut supra. (Bibliothec. l. 1. p. 47.)

Genesis 47:26 In-Context

24 And of the encrease ye shall geue the fyfte parte vnto Pharao and .iiij. partes shalbe youre awne for seed to sowe the feld: and for you and them of youre housholdes and for youre childern to eate.

25 And they answered: Thou haste saued oure lyves Let vs fynde grace in the syghte of my lorde and let us be Pharaos servautes.

26 And Ioseph made it a lawe ouer the lade of Egipte vnto this daye: that men must geue Pharao the fyfte parte excepte the londe of the preastes only which was not bond vnto Pharao.

27 And Israel dwelt in Egipte: euen in the countre of Gosan. And they had their possessions therein and they grewe and multiplyed exceadingly.

28 Moreouer Iacob lyued in the lande of Egipte .xvij. yeres so that the hole age of Iacob was an hundred and .xlvij. yere.