Genesis 47:19
New International Version
Why should we perish before your eyes—we and our land as well? Buy us and our land in exchange for food, and we with our land will be in bondage to Pharaoh. Give us seed so that we may live and not die, and that the land may not become desolate.”

New Living Translation
Why should we die before your very eyes? Buy us and our land in exchange for food; we offer our land and ourselves as slaves for Pharaoh. Just give us grain so we may live and not die, and so the land does not become empty and desolate.”

English Standard Version
Why should we die before your eyes, both we and our land? Buy us and our land for food, and we with our land will be servants to Pharaoh. And give us seed that we may live and not die, and that the land may not be desolate.”

Berean Standard Bible
Why should we perish before your eyes—we and our land as well? Purchase us and our land in exchange for food. Then we, along with our land, will be slaves to Pharaoh. Give us seed that we may live and not die, and that the land may not become desolate.”

King James Bible
Wherefore shall we die before thine eyes, both we and our land? buy us and our land for bread, and we and our land will be servants unto Pharaoh: and give us seed, that we may live, and not die, that the land be not desolate.

New King James Version
Why should we die before your eyes, both we and our land? Buy us and our land for bread, and we and our land will be servants of Pharaoh; give us seed, that we may live and not die, that the land may not be desolate.”

New American Standard Bible
Why should we die before your eyes, both we and our land? Buy us and our land for food, and we and our land will be slaves to Pharaoh. So give us seed, so that we may live and not die, and that the land may not be desolate.”

NASB 1995
“Why should we die before your eyes, both we and our land? Buy us and our land for food, and we and our land will be slaves to Pharaoh. So give us seed, that we may live and not die, and that the land may not be desolate.”

NASB 1977
“Why should we die before your eyes, both we and our land? Buy us and our land for food, and we and our land will be slaves to Pharaoh. So give us seed, that we may live and not die, and that the land may not be desolate.”

Legacy Standard Bible
Why should we die before your eyes, both we and our land? Buy us and our land for food, and we and our land will be slaves to Pharaoh. So give us seed, that we may live and not die, and that the land may not be desolate.”

Amplified Bible
Why should we die before your eyes, both we and our land? Buy us and our land in exchange for food, and we and our land will be servants to Pharaoh. And give us seed [to plant], that we may live and not die, and that the land may not be desolate.”

Christian Standard Bible
Why should we die here in front of you—both us and our land? Buy us and our land in exchange for food. Then we with our land will become Pharaoh’s slaves. Give us seed so that we can live and not die, and so that the land won’t become desolate.”

Holman Christian Standard Bible
Why should we die here in front of you—both us and our land? Buy us and our land in exchange for food. Then we with our land will become Pharaoh’s slaves. Give us seed so that we can live and not die, and so that the land won’t become desolate.”

American Standard Version
wherefore should we die before thine eyes, both we and our land? buy us and our land for bread, and we and our land will be servants unto Pharaoh: and give us seed, that we may live, and not die, and that the land be not desolate.

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
Why should we die before you, even we and our lands? Buy us and our lands for bread and we and our lands will be Servants for Pharaoh; and give us seed and we will live and we will not die, and the land will not be destroyed.”

Brenton Septuagint Translation
In order, then, that we die not before thee, and the land be made desolate, buy us and our land for bread, and we and our land will be servants to Pharao: give seed that we may sow, and live and not die, so our land shall not be made desolate.

Contemporary English Version
Don't let us starve and our land be ruined. If you'll give us grain to eat and seed to plant, we'll sell ourselves and our land to the king. We'll become his slaves.

Douay-Rheims Bible
Why therefore shall we die before thy eyes? we will be thins, both we and our lands: buy us to be the king's servants, and give us seed, lest for want of tillers the land be turned into a wilderness.

English Revised Version
wherefore should we die before thine eyes, both we and our land? buy us and our land for bread, and we and our land will be servants unto Pharaoh: and give us seed, that we may live, and not die, and that the land be not desolate.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
Do you want us to die right in front of you? Do you want the land to be ruined? Take us and our land in exchange for food. Then we will be Pharaoh's slaves and our land will be his property. But give us seed so that we won't starve to death and the ground won't become a desert."

Good News Translation
Don't let us die. Do something! Don't let our fields be deserted. Buy us and our land in exchange for food. We will be the king's slaves, and he will own our land. Give us grain to keep us alive and seed so that we can plant our fields."

International Standard Version
So why should we and our land die right in front of you? Buy us and our land in exchange for food, and we and our land will be slaves to Pharaoh. Give us seed, so we can survive and not die, and so the land won't stay desolate."

JPS Tanakh 1917
Wherefore should we die before thine eyes, both we and our land? buy us and our land for bread, and we and our land will be bondmen unto Pharaoh; and give us seed, that we may live, and not die, and that the land be not desolate.'

Literal Standard Version
why do we die before your eyes, both we and our ground? Buy us and our ground for bread, and we and our ground are servants to Pharaoh; and give seed, and we live, and do not die, and the ground is not desolate.”

Majority Standard Bible
Why should we perish before your eyes—we and our land as well? Purchase us and our land in exchange for food. Then we, along with our land, will be slaves to Pharaoh. Give us seed that we may live and not die, and that the land may not become desolate.”

New American Bible
Why should we and our land perish before your very eyes? Take us and our land in exchange for food, and we will become Pharaoh’s slaves and our land his property; only give us seed, that we may survive and not perish, and that our land may not turn into a waste.”

NET Bible
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 Pharaoh's slaves. Give us seed that we may live and not die. Then the land will not become desolate."

New Revised Standard Version
Shall we die before your eyes, both we and our land? Buy us and our land in exchange for food. We with our land will become slaves to Pharaoh; just give us seed, so that we may live and not die, and that the land may not become desolate.”

New Heart English Bible
Why should we die before your eyes, both we and our land? Buy us and our land in exchange for food, and we and our land will be servants to Pharaoh. Give us seed so that we may live and not die, and that the land won�t become desolate."

Webster's Bible Translation
Why shall we die before thy eyes, both we and our land? buy us and our land for bread, and we and our land will be servants to Pharaoh: and give us seed, that we may live, and not die, that the land be not desolate.

World English Bible
Why should we die before your eyes, both we and our land? Buy us and our land for bread, and we and our land will be servants to Pharaoh. Give us seed, that we may live, and not die, and that the land won’t be desolate.”

Young's Literal Translation
why do we die before thine eyes, both we and our ground? buy us and our ground for bread, and we and our ground are servants to Pharaoh; and give seed, and we live, and die not, and the ground is not desolate.'

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Joseph's Leadership During the Famine
18When that year was over, they came to him the second year and said, “We cannot hide from our lord that our money is gone and all our livestock belongs to you. There is nothing left for our lord except our bodies and our land. 19Why should we perish before your eyes— we and our land as well? Purchase us and our land in exchange for food. Then we, along with our land, will be slaves to Pharaoh. Give us seed that we may live and not die, and that the land may not become desolate.” 20So Joseph acquired for Pharaoh all the land in Egypt; the Egyptians, one and all, sold their fields because the famine was so severe upon them. The land became Pharaoh’s,…

Cross References
Genesis 47:15
When the money from the lands of Egypt and Canaan was gone, all the Egyptians came to Joseph and said, "Give us food. Why should we die before your eyes? For our funds have run out!"

Genesis 47:18
When that year was over, they came to him the second year and said, "We cannot hide from our lord that our money is gone and all our livestock belongs to you. There is nothing left for our lord except our bodies and our land.

Genesis 47:20
So Joseph acquired for Pharaoh all the land in Egypt; the Egyptians, one and all, sold their fields because the famine was so severe upon them. The land became Pharaoh's,


Treasury of Scripture

Why shall we die before your eyes, both we and our land? buy us and our land for bread, and we and our land will be servants to Pharaoh: and give us seed, that we may live, and not die, that the land be not desolate.

buy us.

Nehemiah 5:2,3
For there were that said, We, our sons, and our daughters, are many: therefore we take up corn for them, that we may eat, and live…

Job 2:4
And Satan answered the LORD, and said, Skin for skin, yea, all that a man hath will he give for his life.

Lamentations 1:11
All her people sigh, they seek bread; they have given their pleasant things for meat to relieve the soul: see, O LORD, and consider; for I am become vile.

and give.

Genesis 47:23
Then Joseph said unto the people, Behold, I have bought you this day and your land for Pharaoh: lo, here is seed for you, and ye shall sow the land.

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Bondmen Bread Buy Desolate Die Eyes Food Live Pharaoh Seed Servants Wherefore Won't
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Bondmen Bread Buy Desolate Die Eyes Food Live Pharaoh Seed Servants Wherefore Won't
Genesis 47
1. Joseph presents his father, and five of his brothers before Pharaoh.
11. He gives them habitation and maintenance.
13. He gets the Egyptian's money;
16. their cattle;
18. and their lands, except the priests', to Pharaoh.
23. He restores the land for a fifth.
28. Jacob's age.
29. He swears Joseph to bury him with his fathers.
















Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
Why
לָ֧מָּה (lām·māh)
Interrogative
Strong's 4100: What?, what!, indefinitely what

should we perish
נָמ֣וּת (nā·mūṯ)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - first person common plural
Strong's 4191: To die, to kill

before your eyes—
לְעֵינֶ֗יךָ (lə·‘ê·ne·ḵā)
Preposition-l | Noun - cdc | second person masculine singular
Strong's 5869: An eye, a fountain

we
אֲנַ֙חְנוּ֙ (’ă·naḥ·nū)
Pronoun - first person common plural
Strong's 587: We

and
גַּ֣ם (gam)
Conjunction
Strong's 1571: Assemblage, also, even, yea, though, both, and

our land
אַדְמָתֵ֔נוּ (’aḏ·mā·ṯê·nū)
Noun - feminine singular construct | first person common plural
Strong's 127: Ground, land

as well?
גַּם־ (gam-)
Conjunction
Strong's 1571: Assemblage, also, even, yea, though, both, and

Purchase
קְנֵֽה־ (qə·nêh-)
Verb - Qal - Imperative - masculine singular
Strong's 7069: To erect, create, to procure, by purchase, to own

us
אֹתָ֥נוּ (’ō·ṯā·nū)
Direct object marker | first person common plural
Strong's 853: Untranslatable mark of the accusative case

and
וְאֶת־ (wə·’eṯ-)
Conjunctive waw | Direct object marker
Strong's 853: Untranslatable mark of the accusative case

our land
אַדְמָתֵ֖נוּ (’aḏ·mā·ṯê·nū)
Noun - feminine singular construct | first person common plural
Strong's 127: Ground, land

in exchange for food.
בַּלָּ֑חֶם (bal·lā·ḥem)
Preposition-b, Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 3899: Food, bread, grain

Then we,
אֲנַ֤חְנוּ (’ă·naḥ·nū)
Pronoun - first person common plural
Strong's 587: We

along with our land,
וְאַדְמָתֵ֙נוּ֙ (wə·’aḏ·mā·ṯê·nū)
Conjunctive waw | Noun - feminine singular construct | first person common plural
Strong's 127: Ground, land

will be
וְנִֽהְיֶ֞ה (wə·nih·yeh)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Conjunctive imperfect Cohortative if contextual - first person common plural
Strong's 1961: To fall out, come to pass, become, be

slaves
עֲבָדִ֣ים (‘ă·ḇā·ḏîm)
Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 5650: Slave, servant

to Pharaoh.
לְפַרְעֹ֔ה (lə·p̄ar·‘ōh)
Preposition-l | Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 6547: Pharaoh -- a title of Egypt kings

Give
וְתֶן־ (wə·ṯen-)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Imperative - masculine singular
Strong's 5414: To give, put, set

us seed
זֶ֗רַע (ze·ra‘)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 2233: Seed, fruit, plant, sowing-time, posterity

that we may live
וְנִֽחְיֶה֙ (wə·niḥ·yeh)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Conjunctive imperfect Cohortative if contextual - first person common plural
Strong's 2421: To live, to revive

and not
וְלֹ֣א (wə·lō)
Conjunctive waw | Adverb - Negative particle
Strong's 3808: Not, no

die,
נָמ֔וּת (nā·mūṯ)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - first person common plural
Strong's 4191: To die, to kill

and that the land
וְהָאֲדָמָ֖ה (wə·hā·’ă·ḏā·māh)
Conjunctive waw, Article | Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 127: Ground, land

may not
לֹ֥א (lō)
Adverb - Negative particle
Strong's 3808: Not, no

become desolate.�
תֵשָֽׁם׃ (ṯê·šām)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person feminine singular
Strong's 3456: To be desolate


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OT Law: Genesis 47:19 Why should we die before your eyes (Gen. Ge Gn)
Genesis 47:18
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