Journal of Economics and Social Sciences
Vol. 5 No. 1 (2026)

Economic Policy in Crisis: An Analysis of Disaster Management and Asset Centralization According to Genesis 47

Sukanto Limbong (Sekolah Tinggi Teologi HKBP)
Daniel Panjaitan (Sekolah Tinggi Teologi HKBP)



Article Info

Publish Date
28 Jun 2026

Abstract

Food crises frequently serve as catalysts for massive structural transformations within a state's political economy. This article analyzes the famine-relief policies in Genesis 47:13–26, focusing on the duality between disaster management and asset centralization by the Egyptian throne through Joseph's bureaucracy. Utilizing a biblical political economy framework and socio-historical analysis, this study examines how famine mitigation shifted from an emergency relief scheme into a systematic instrument of land nationalization and the subjugation of the peasantry.The findings reveal that while Joseph’s state-led disaster management successfully preserved human life, it demanded an exorbitant structural price: the eradication of private landownership and the transformation of free citizens into state-dependent serfs. This centralization of assets created a precedent of fiscal imperialism that reinforced Pharaonic absolutism. The article concludes that the narrative of Genesis 47 does not merely record a logistical success, but functions as a sharp theological and ethical critique against exploiting crises for the accumulation of institutional power. This study offers a vital contribution to contemporary economic ethics regarding agrarian justice in emergency contexts.

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Journal Info

Abbrev

jess

Publisher

Subject

Agriculture, Biological Sciences & Forestry Economics, Econometrics & Finance Law, Crime, Criminology & Criminal Justice Materials Science & Nanotechnology Social Sciences

Description

ournal of Economics and Social Sciences (JESS) is a peer-reviewed journal published twice a year (every June and December) by CV. Civiliza Publishing. Journal of Economics and Social Sciences (JESS) accepts original scientific papers that have never been published. The discussion in this journal ...