Texts in Conversation
The Hebrew version of Genesis says Joseph moved the people of Egypt into the cities during the famine, while the Greek Septuagint says he enslaved them. The two readings are based on a Hebrew word that differs by a single, similar-looking letter.
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2500 BCE
1000+ CE
Genesis 47:21
Hebrew Bible
20 So Joseph bought all the land of Egypt for Pharaoh. Each of the Egyptians sold his field, for the famine was severe. So the land became Pharaoh’s. 21 Joseph moved the people to the cities36, from one end of Egypt’s border to the other end of it. 22 But he did not purchase the land of the priests because the priests had an allotment from Pharaoh and they ate from their allotment that Pharaoh gave them. That is why they did not sell their land.
LXX Genesis 47:21
Septuagint
20 And Ioseph acquired all the land of the Egyptians for Pharao. For the Egyptians sold their land to Pharao, because the famine gained mastery over them. And the land became Pharao’s— 21 and the people he subjugated to him as slaves from the furthest boundaries of Egypt to the furthest— 22 except for the land of the priests alone. Ioseph did not acquire it, for by a grant Pharao gave a gift to the priests, and they would eat the grant that Pharao gave them; therefore they did not sell their land.
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Notes and References
... Examples of interchanged letters in common nouns follow: Graphic similarity ד/ר ... Genesis 47:21 the Masoretic Text (and as for the people), he transferred (them) to the cities. the Septuagint κατεδουλώσατο . . . εἰς παῖδας he enslaved (them) . . . as servants (= the Samaritan Pentateuch). Note that the two retroverted variants are interrelated and must be evaluated together. ...
Tov, Emanuel
The Text-Critical Use of the Septuagint in Biblical Research
(p. 148) Eisenbrauns, 2015
* The use of references are not endorsements of their contents. Please read the entirety of the provided reference(s) to understand the author's full intentions regarding the use of these texts.
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