Only the land of the priests he did not buy, for the priests had a fixed allowance from Pharaoh and lived on the allowance that Pharaoh gave them; therefore they did not sell their land.
During the famine, Egypt handed Pharaoh everything it had — money, livestock, land, and then the people themselves. One group alone kept its fields: why did the priests hold on to theirs, and what does that exception mean?
The single exception in a total transfer
One commentator sees here the point where Egypt became Pharaoh's in the fullest sense. The priests stood outside it:
J. N. DarbyNow Joseph also brings all the land and all its people into full order, and into subjection to Pharaoh. The priests are excepted through privilege — they have their own portion. The land is now, in the fullest sense, the heritage and possession of Pharaoh, Lord alike of Goshen and of all. This closes at verse 26.
Why the priests kept their land
The priests had no reason to sell. Their support already came from the throne, and the famine changed nothing about it:
L. M. GrantThe land of the priests, however, was exempt from this order. Pharaoh already supported them, and nothing in this respect changed (v. 22).
Who these priests were
These were not priests of the God of Israel. Their standing came from somewhere else:
F. B. HoleThe only exception was the priests. They held great power, because through their idol gods they were in touch with the supernatural.
That raises a problem. Joseph now ran the kingdom, and the state was paying priests who served idols. One writer suggests Joseph would not pay for idol worship, and would not starve the priests either:
The Bible TreasuryFrom Genesis 47:22 we learn that the priesthood was a distinct class, and the State supported it. That is, the State set apart a revenue for them. But when Joseph became chief administrator of the kingdom, can we imagine him enforcing idolatry by law? No. Nor on the other hand would he leave the priests without food. So while they received state pay, they would not be allowed to worship idols in public. … His marriage to Asenath, the daughter of the chief priest of On, seems to support this.
The text itself does not say this. The writer offers it as the likely explanation.
The contrast with God's own priesthood
Egypt's priests held land. God built Israel's priesthood on the opposite plan:
H Forbes WitherbyThe special character of Jehovah's priesthood stands out, and so does its strong contrast with the other priesthoods of the day. The priests were not to take the land for themselves, as happened in Egypt. The priesthoods of the old world were unholy groups. They used their spiritual powers to increase their authority, their treasures, and their temples. More than that, they used them to enslave the souls, and at times the bodies, of the people… The priests of Jehovah were not set up as a class who, like the pagan priests, should lord it over others. They were to be His servants, acting for Him among men… Jehovah was the inheritance of His priests among the children of Israel.
What the exemption pictures
Commentators differ on what the exception pictures. One looks ahead to the coming kingdom. There everything belongs to the throne, but one family holds its inheritance apart:
J. G. BellettAll but the land of the priests was bought and became part of Pharaoh's footstool. And so it will be in the coming kingdom. All shall belong to the footstool, but one family will hold their inheritance apart from it. They are the family related to Joseph in his Egypt, and to Jesus in heaven. They are to be kings and priests to God then, the heirs of the throne with Jesus.
Another applies it to believers now, setting the two groups in the chapter side by side:
L. M. GrantGod had not ordained these priests, yet they still picture the liberty that true believers in the Lord Jesus have today. The people stand for the sphere of government. The priests stand for the sphere where the Spirit of God works freely in grace. As priests of God, all believers today are not under bondage; grace makes full provision for them.
Summary
- Exception — All Egypt passed under Pharaoh. The priests alone were "excepted through privilege," keeping their own portion.
- Provision — They kept their portion for one plain reason. The State already paid them, so the famine never forced a sale.
- Tension — These priests served idols and held real power. One writer suggests Joseph kept their pay but stopped their public idol worship.
- Contrast — Israel's priests got the opposite portion. No land and no lording it over people — Jehovah Himself was their inheritance.
- Picture — Commentators read that portion held apart in two ways. It points to a family whose inheritance is not of the footstool, or to believers today who live in grace, not bondage.