Genesis 41:33-34

41:33 “So now Pharaoh should look for a wise and discerning man and give him authority over all the land of Egypt. 41:34 Pharaoh should do this – he should appoint officials throughout the land to collect one-fifth of the produce of the land of Egypt during the seven years of abundance.


tn Heb “let Pharaoh look.” The jussive form expresses Joseph’s advice to Pharaoh.

tn Heb “a man discerning and wise.” The order of the terms is rearranged in the translation for stylistic reasons.

tn Heb “and let him set him.”

tn The imperfect verbal form has an obligatory nuance here. The Samaritan Pentateuch has a jussive form here, “and let [Pharaoh] do.”

tn Heb “and let him appoint.” The jussive form expresses Joseph’s advice to Pharaoh.

tn Heb “appointees.” The noun is a cognate accusative of the preceding verb. Since “appoint appointees” would be redundant in English, the term “officials” was used in the translation instead.

tn Heb “and he shall collect a fifth of the land of Egypt.” The language is figurative (metonymy); it means what the land produces, i.e., the harvest.