And Joseph made it a law over the land of Egypt unto this day, that Pharaoh should have the fifth part; except the land of the priests only, which became not Pharaoh’s.
So Joseph made it a law in Egypt that continues to this day: Pharaoh gets one-fifth of all the harvest from the land. The only exception was the priests' land, which didn't become Pharaoh's property.
This verse explains how Joseph established a permanent tax system in Egypt where the king received 20% of all crops, except from religious leaders' land.
📚 Historical Context
This law was created during the seven years of severe famine when people sold their land to Pharaoh in exchange for food. Joseph, as Pharaoh's administrator, managed this crisis by essentially nationalizing Egypt's farmland. The phrase 'unto this day' suggests this tax system was still in place when Moses wrote Genesis centuries later.
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