Genesis 47:19 New English Translation
19 Why should we die before your very eyes, both we and our land? Buy us and our land in exchange for food, and we, with our land, will become[a] Pharaoh’s slaves.[b] Give us seed that we may live[c] and not die. Then the land will not become desolate.”[d]
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- Genesis 47:19 tn After the imperative, the prefixed verbal form with vav here indicates consequence.
- Genesis 47:19 sn Pharaoh’s slaves. The idea of slavery is not attractive to the modern mind, but in the ancient world it was the primary way of dealing with the poor and destitute. If the people became slaves of Pharaoh, it was Pharaoh’s responsibility to feed them and care for them. It was the best way for them to survive the famine.
- Genesis 47:19 tn After the imperative, the prefixed verbal form with vav here indicates purpose or result.
- Genesis 47:19 tn The disjunctive clause structure (vav plus subject plus negated verb) highlights the statement and brings their argument to a conclusion.
New English Translation (NET)
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