Genesis 47:21
New International Version
and Joseph reduced the people to servitude, from one end of Egypt to the other.

New Living Translation
As for the people, he made them all slaves, from one end of Egypt to the other.

English Standard Version
As for the people, he made servants of them from one end of Egypt to the other.

Berean Standard Bible
and Joseph reduced the people to servitude from one end of Egypt to the other.

King James Bible
And as for the people, he removed them to cities from one end of the borders of Egypt even to the other end thereof.

New King James Version
And as for the people, he moved them into the cities, from one end of the borders of Egypt to the other end.

New American Standard Bible
As for the people, he relocated them to the cities from one end of Egypt’s border to the other.

NASB 1995
As for the people, he removed them to the cities from one end of Egypt’s border to the other.

NASB 1977
And as for the people, he removed them to the cities from one end of Egypt’s border to the other.

Legacy Standard Bible
As for the people, he moved them to the cities from one end of Egypt’s border to the other end.

Amplified Bible
And as for the people, he relocated them [temporarily] to cities from one end of Egypt’s border to the other.

Christian Standard Bible
and Joseph made the people servants from one end of Egypt to the other.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
and Joseph moved the people to the cities from one end of Egypt to the other.

American Standard Version
And as for the people, he removed them to the cities from one end of the border of Egypt even to the other end thereof.

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
And he moved the people from town to town from one end of the border of Egypt and unto the other.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
And he brought the people into bondage to him, for servants, from one extremity of Egypt to the other,

Contemporary English Version
and made everyone the king's slaves,

Douay-Rheims Bible
And all its people from one end of the borders of Egypt, even to the other end thereof,

English Revised Version
And as for the people, he removed them to the cities from one end of the border of Egypt even to the other end thereof.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
All over Egypt Joseph moved the people to the cities.

Good News Translation
Joseph made slaves of the people from one end of Egypt to the other.

International Standard Version
Then Joseph transported the people to cities from one end of Egypt to the other.

JPS Tanakh 1917
And as for the people, he removed them city by city, from one end of the border of Egypt even to the other end thereof.

Literal Standard Version
as for the people, he has removed them to cities from the [one] end of the border of Egypt even to its [other] end.

Majority Standard Bible
and Joseph reduced the people to servitude from one end of Egypt to the other.

New American Bible
and the people were reduced to slavery, from one end of Egypt’s territory to the other.

NET Bible
Joseph made all the people slaves from one end of Egypt's border to the other end of it.

New Revised Standard Version
As for the people, he made slaves of them from one end of Egypt to the other.

New Heart English Bible
And as for the people, he subjugated them as slaves from one end of the border of Egypt to the other end of it.

Webster's Bible Translation
And as for the people, he removed them to cities from one end of the borders of Egypt even to the other end thereof.

World English Bible
As for the people, he moved them to the cities from one end of the border of Egypt even to the other end of it.

Young's Literal Translation
as to the people he hath removed them to cities from the one end of the border of Egypt even unto its other end.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Joseph's Leadership During the Famine
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, 21 and Joseph reduced the people to servitude from one end of Egypt to the other. 22However, he did not acquire the priests’ portion of the land, for it had been given to them by Pharaoh. They ate the rations that Pharaoh supplied; so they did not sell their land.…

Cross References
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,

Genesis 47:22
However, he did not acquire the priests' portion of the land, for it had been given to them by Pharaoh. They ate the rations that Pharaoh supplied; so they did not sell their land.


Treasury of Scripture

And as for the people, he removed them to cities from one end of the borders of Egypt even to the other end thereof.

A.

to cities.

Genesis 41:48
And he gathered up all the food of the seven years, which were in the land of Egypt, and laid up the food in the cities: the food of the field, which was round about every city, laid he up in the same.

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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.














(21) He removed them to cities.--Joseph's object in this measure was most merciful. As the corn was stored up in the cities, the people would be sure of nourishment only if they were in the immediate neighbourhood of the food. As a consequence, possibly, of Joseph's policy, the number of cities in the Valley of the Nile became so enormous that Herodotus computes them at 20,000. Thus the people would not dwell at any distance from their lands, while it would be impossible for them to reside actually on their plots of ground, as these every year are overflowed by the Nile.

Verse 21. - And as for the people, he removed them - not enslaved them, converted them into serfs and bondmen to Pharaoh (LXX., Vulgate), but simply transferred them, caused them to pass over - to cities - not from cities to cities, as if changing their populations (Onkelos, Rosenmüller, Kalisch), but either from the country districts to the towns (Targums Jonathan and Jerusalem, Lange, Schumann, Gerlach, Murphy), or according to the cities, i.e. in which the grain had been previously collected (Keil) - from one end of the borders of Egypt even to the other end thereof. Not that the people were transported from one side of the country to the other as a high stroke of policy to complete their subjugation (Jarchi, Grotius, Rosenmüller, Kalisch, and others), but that throughout the land they were moved into the nearest cities, as a considerate and even merciful arrangement for the more efficiently supplying them with food (Calvin, Keil, Lange, Wordsworth, Speaker's Commentary).

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
and Joseph reduced
הֶעֱבִ֥יר (he·‘ĕ·ḇîr)
Verb - Hifil - Perfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 5674: To pass over, through, or by, pass on

the people
הָעָ֔ם (hā·‘ām)
Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 5971: A people, a tribe, troops, attendants, a flock

to servitude
לֶעָרִ֑ים (le·‘ā·rîm)
Preposition-l, Article | Noun - feminine plural
Strong's 5892: Excitement

from one end
מִקְצֵ֥ה (miq·ṣêh)
Preposition-m | Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 7097: End, extremity

of Egypt
מִצְרַ֖יִם (miṣ·ra·yim)
Noun - proper - feminine singular
Strong's 4714: Egypt -- a son of Ham, also his descendants and their country in Northwest Africa

to
וְעַד־ (wə·‘aḏ-)
Conjunctive waw | Preposition
Strong's 5704: As far as, even to, up to, until, while

the other.
קָצֵֽהוּ׃ (qā·ṣê·hū)
Noun - masculine singular construct | third person masculine singular
Strong's 7097: End, extremity


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OT Law: Genesis 47:21 As for the people he moved them (Gen. Ge Gn)
Genesis 47:20
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