Officers, &c.— The Hebrew signifies, literally, overseers. The Hebrew פקיד pekid, as the Greek επισκοπος, whence we have formed our English word bishop, is a man who has a charge or office, for any business, civil, military, or ecclesiastic.
Fifth part of the land— That is, the fifth part of the fruits of the earth, or rather of the corn, which grew during the years of plenty. It has been asked, why a fifth part? why not half, since there were to be as many years of famine as of abundance? To which it may be replied, that in time of famine men live more frugally; that many persons, after the king's example, might fill their own granaries; that even, in those years of greatest famine, something might be sown, at least near the banks of the Nile; that a fifth part of the extraordinary abundance in those seven years, might be equal to a half of the ordinary produce; and that a tenth part being the tribute paid to kings in many countries, and most probably here, Joseph proposed only to double this impost during the years of extraordinary abundance, when the fifth part was not more to the people, than the tenth in other years; or, which is rather to be supposed from a good king and a good counsellor, he might propose to buy as much more as was the tribute, which might be done at an easy rate, when plenty made corn cheap.