Genesis 41:33-34
Context41:33 “So now Pharaoh should look 1 for a wise and discerning man 2 and give him authority 3 over all the land of Egypt. 41:34 Pharaoh should do 4 this – he should appoint 5 officials 6 throughout the land to collect one-fifth of the produce of the land of Egypt 7 during the seven years of abundance.
1 tn Heb “let Pharaoh look.” The jussive form expresses Joseph’s advice to Pharaoh.
2 tn Heb “a man discerning and wise.” The order of the terms is rearranged in the translation for stylistic reasons.
3 tn Heb “and let him set him.”
4 tn The imperfect verbal form has an obligatory nuance here. The Samaritan Pentateuch has a jussive form here, “and let [Pharaoh] do.”
5 tn Heb “and let him appoint.” The jussive form expresses Joseph’s advice to Pharaoh.
6 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.
7 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.