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.
Why should we die right in front of you—both us and our land? Buy us and our land in exchange for food, and we and our land will serve Pharaoh. Give us seed to plant so we can live instead of dying, and so the land won't become empty and ruined.
The people are so desperate during the famine that they're willing to sell themselves and their land to Pharaoh just to survive.
📚 Historical Context
This occurs during the severe seven-year famine that Joseph had predicted while serving as Pharaoh's administrator in Egypt. The Egyptian people had already sold their livestock to buy grain, and now in desperation they're offering to become slaves to Pharaoh in exchange for food and seed to plant. This was part of Joseph's economic policy that ultimately centralized all land ownership under Pharaoh's control.
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