Verse

Genesis 47:14

ESV And Joseph gathered up all the money that was found in the land of Egypt and in the land of Canaan, in exchange for the grain that they bought. And Joseph brought the money into Pharaoh’s house.
NIV Joseph collected all the money that was to be found in Egypt and Canaan in payment for the grain they were buying, and he brought it to Pharaoh's palace.
NASB And Joseph collected all the money that was found in the land of Egypt and in the land of Canaan in payment for the grain which they bought, and Joseph brought the money into Pharaoh’s house.
CSB Joseph collected all the silver to be found in the land of Egypt and the land of Canaan in exchange for the grain they were purchasing, and he brought the silver to Pharaoh's palace.
NLT By selling grain to the people, Joseph eventually collected all the money in Egypt and Canaan, and he put the money in Pharaoh’s treasury.
KJV And Joseph gathered up all the money that was found in the land of Egypt, and in the land of Canaan, for the corn which they bought: and Joseph brought the money into Pharaoh's house.

What does Genesis 47:14 mean?

To this point, Joseph's plan to save Egypt on Pharaoh's behalf seemed humanitarian and altruistic. Pharaoh empowered Joseph to demand surplus crops from the people during the seven years of plenty before the famine. In doing so, he stored away enough grain to help every Egyptian survive the seven years that followed. There is no question that this stockpile of food is what saved countless lives (Genesis 45:5). And yet, we now see that Joseph's plan is not merely charity. It's also part of a consistent pattern of Joseph doing what is best for his employer (Genesis 39:5; 22–23). The strategy he employs in this famine certainly preserves lives, but it also drastically increases the wealth and power of Egypt's monarch.

Though the grain was taken as a tax (Genesis 41:34), it is not redistributed without cost. Instead, it is sold back to the people (Genesis 41:56–57), including those from other lands. The Egyptian government did not distribute stored grain for free. As the famine continued, one family after another spent every last bit of money they had to obtain food from the storehouses of Egypt. The effect of this was a massive shift in Egypt's wealth. In his role, Joseph effectively collected all the money of the people of Egypt and the people of Canaan.

The text is clear that Joseph was not corrupt; he dutifully brought all the money to Pharaoh. This famine would end up making the Pharaoh the wealthiest and most powerful man in the region for years to come.
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