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Genesis 47:24
ESV 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.”
NIV But when the crop comes in, give a fifth of it to Pharaoh. The other four-fifths you may keep as seed for the fields and as food for yourselves and your households and your children.'
NASB At the harvest you shall give a fifth to Pharaoh, and four-fifths shall be your own for seed of the field and for your food, and for those of your households and as food for your little ones.'
CSB At harvest, you are to give a fifth of it to Pharaoh, and four-fifths will be yours as seed for the field and as food for yourselves, your households, and your dependents."
NLT Then when you harvest it, one-fifth of your crop will belong to Pharaoh. You may keep the remaining four-fifths as seed for your fields and as food for you, your households, and your little ones.'
KJV And it shall come to pass in the increase, that ye shall give the fifth part unto Pharaoh, and four parts shall be your own, for seed of the field, and for your food, and for them of your households, and for food for your little ones.

What does Genesis 47:24 mean?

Joseph is continuing to make his announcement to the people of Egypt, who have sold themselves and their land to Pharaoh in exchange for enough food to keep them alive. Now that Pharaoh, ruler of Egypt, owns them and their land, they will freely be given food to eat and seed to plant in their fields. In a practical sense, everything they own—even their own lives—are mortgaged to Pharaoh. They will continue as they did before the famine with that understanding in place.

Legally, the land, animals, and all labor now belong to Pharaoh. The people are using borrowed property to survive. Their annual payment for the use of those things, Joseph now explains, will be one-fifth of each year's harvest. The people will be allowed to keep four-fifths for themselves for food and seed for the next year's planting. This begins what amounts to a twenty percent income tax in Egypt; this would remain in effect through the time Genesis was written (Genesis 47:26).
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