Gen 47:21 | TNotes | STEP | 47:21 he made them all slaves: In Hebrew script, the difference is very slight between slaves (Hebrew ‘abadim ) and towns (Hebrew ‘arim ). Moving the people into the towns doesn’t fit the context very well, so most translations select slaves as the reading that makes the most sense (cp. 47:20 ).

‏ Genesis 47:21

47:21 ^a he made them all slaves: In Hebrew script, the difference is very slight between slaves (Hebrew ‘abadim) and towns (Hebrew ‘arim). Moving the people into the towns doesn’t fit the context very well, so most translations select slaves as the reading that makes the most sense (cp. 47:20 ^b).