- made it a law:
- From this history, and from Diodorus Siculus (lib. i.), we learn that the land of Egypt was divided into three parts: one belonged to the Priests ("Only¹ the landª of the priestsª bought¹ he²° not;¹ for¹ the priestsª had a portionª [assigned them] of¹¹ Pharaoh,ª and did eatª°¹ their portionª which¹ Pharaohª gaveª° them: wherefore¹¹ they soldª° not¹¹ their lands.ª" {Gen 47:22} and "And Josephª madeª° it a lawª over¹ the landª of Egyptª unto¹ this¹ day,ª [that] Pharaohª should have the fifthª [part]; exceptª the landª of the priestsª only,¹ [which] became¹ not¹ Pharaoh's.ª" {Gen 47:26}); a second was the king's (which appears to have been the land of Rameses, or Goshen, "And Josephª placedª°¹ his fatherª and his brethren,ª and gaveª° them a possessionª in the landª of Egypt,ª in the bestª of the land,ª in the landª of Rameses,ª as¹ Pharaohª had commanded.ª°" {Gen 47:11}); the remainder was the subjects'. Now Joseph, having purchased the land of the people ("Wherefore¹ shall we dieª° before thine eyes,ª both¹ we¹ and¹ our land?ª buyª° us and our landª for bread,ª and we¹ and our landª will be¹ servantsª unto Pharaoh:ª and giveª° [us] seed,ª that we may live,ª° and not¹ die,ª° that the landª be not desolate.ª°¹" {Gen 47:19} and "And Josephª boughtª°¹ all¹ the landª of Egyptª for Pharaoh;ª for¹ the Egyptiansª soldª° every manª his field,ª because¹ the famineª prevailedª° over¹ them: so the landª became¹ Pharaoh's.ª" {Gen 47:20}), restored it, on the condition of their paying a fifth part of the produce to the king, beyond which he appears to have made no demand.
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