Genesis 47:13-26 The focus of the narrator now returns to the subject of the famine that was overwhelming Egypt and Canaan. What are the reasons why this part of the story is recorded in Scripture? How does Joseph's plan for Egypt foreshadow the future political/social structure of Israel in Canaan? This passage tells how Joseph, who was himself once sold into slavery, now buys the Egyptian people into slavery to Pharaoh. How does our modern perception of slavery present difficulties when we encounter biblical accounts or references to slavery? What was slavery in the ancient Near East, and why is that important to know as we study the Bible? How was typical slavery in the ancient Near East different from slavery in the West in the last few centuries? How was the slavery of the Egyptians different from the slavery of the Israelites to the Egyptians in the book of Exodus? Why did God not explicitly condemn and prohibit slavery in the Old Testament? (67 min)

Keywords Joseph, Famine, Slavery