47:13 But there was no food in all the land because the famine was very severe; the land of Egypt and the land of Canaan wasted away 1 because of the famine. 47:14 Joseph collected all the money that could be found in the land of Egypt and in the land of Canaan as payment 2 for the grain they were buying. Then Joseph brought the money into Pharaoh’s palace. 3 47:15 When the money from the lands of Egypt and Canaan was used up, all the Egyptians 4 came to Joseph and said, “Give us food! Why should we die 5 before your very eyes because our money has run out?”
1 tn The verb לַהַה (lahah, = לָאָה, la’ah) means “to faint, to languish”; it figuratively describes the land as wasting away, drooping, being worn out.
2 tn Or “in exchange.” On the use of the preposition here see BDB 90 s.v. בְּ.
3 tn Heb “house.”
4 tn Heb “all Egypt.” The expression is a metonymy and refers to all the people of Egypt.
5 tn The imperfect verbal form has a deliberative force here.