Genesis46

Jacob, also called Israel, journeyed to Beersheba, where God appeared to him, promising to make a great nation of his descendants in Egypt and to bring him back. Trusting God's word, Jacob and his entire household, numbering seventy souls, travelled into Egypt with all their possessions. Upon arrival in Goshen, Jacob was joyfully reunited with his son Joseph, whom he had long believed dead.

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God Assures Jacob at Beersheba

And Israel took his journey with all that he had, and came to Beer-sheba, and offered sacrifices unto the God of his father Isaac.

And God spake unto Israel in the visions of the night, and said, Jacob, Jacob. And he said, Here am I.

And he said, I am God, the God of thy father: fear not to go down into Egypt; for I will there make of thee a great nation:

I will go down with thee into Egypt; and I will also surely bring thee up again: and Joseph shall put his hand upon thine eyes.

And Jacob rose up from Beer-sheba: and the sons of Israel carried Jacob their father, and their little ones, and their wives, in the wagons which Pharaoh had sent to carry him.

And they took their cattle, and their goods, which they had gotten in the land of Canaan, and came into Egypt, Jacob, and all his seed with him:

his sons, and his sons’ sons with him, his daughters, and his sons’ daughters, and all his seed brought he with him into Egypt.

The List of Jacob's Descendants

And these are the names of the children of Israel, who came into Egypt, Jacob and his sons: Reuben, Jacob’s first-born.

And the sons of Reuben: Hanoch, and Pallu, and Hezron, and Carmi.

And the sons of Simeon: Jemuel, and Jamin, and Ohad, and Jachin, and Zohar, and Shaul the son of a Canaanitish woman.

And the sons of Levi: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.

And the sons of Judah: Er, and Onan, and Shelah, and Perez, and Zerah; but Er and Onan died in the land of Canaan. And the sons of Perez were Hezron and Hamul.

And the sons of Issachar: Tola, and Puvah, and Iob, and Shimron.

And the sons of Zebulun: Sered, and Elon, and Jahleel.

These are the sons of Leah, whom she bare unto Jacob in Paddan-aram, with his daughter Dinah: all the souls of his sons and his daughters were thirty and three.

And the sons of Gad: Ziphion, and Haggi, Shuni, and Ezbon, Eri, and Arodi, and Areli.

And the sons of Asher: Imnah, and Ishvah, and Ishvi, and Beriah, and Serah their sister; and the sons of Beriah: Heber, and Malchiel.

These are the sons of Zilpah, whom Laban gave to Leah his daughter; and these she bare unto Jacob, even sixteen souls.

The sons of Rachel Jacob’s wife: Joseph and Benjamin.

And unto Joseph in the land of Egypt were born Manasseh and Ephraim, whom Asenath, the daughter of Poti-phera priest of On, bare unto him.

And the sons of Benjamin: Bela, and Becher, and Ashbel, Gera, and Naaman, Ehi, and Rosh, Muppim, and Huppim, and Ard.

These are the sons of Rachel, who were born to Jacob: all the souls were fourteen.

And the sons of Dan: Hushim.

And the sons of Naphtali: Jahzeel, and Guni, and Jezer, and Shillem.

These are the sons of Bilhah, whom Laban gave unto Rachel his daughter, and these she bare unto Jacob: all the souls were seven.

All the souls that came with Jacob into Egypt, that came out of his loins, besides Jacob’s sons’ wives, all the souls were threescore and six;

and the sons of Joseph, who were born to him in Egypt, were two souls: all the souls of the house of Jacob, that came into Egypt, were threescore and ten.

Jacob and Joseph Are Reunited

And he sent Judah before him unto Joseph, to show the way before him unto Goshen; and they came into the land of Goshen.

And Joseph made ready his chariot, and went up to meet Israel his father, to Goshen; and he presented himself unto him, and fell on his neck, and wept on his neck a good while.

And Israel said unto Joseph, Now let me die, since I have seen thy face, that thou art yet alive.

Joseph Strategizes for Goshen

And Joseph said unto his brethren, and unto his father’s house, I will go up, and tell Pharaoh, and will say unto him, My brethren, and my father’s house, who were in the land of Canaan, are come unto me;

and the men are shepherds, for they have been keepers of cattle; and they have brought their flocks, and their herds, and all that they have.

And it shall come to pass, when Pharaoh shall call you, and shall say, What is your occupation?

that ye shall say, Thy servants have been keepers of cattle from our youth even until now, both we, and our fathers: that ye may dwell in the land of Goshen; for every shepherd is an abomination unto the Egyptians.

Study Notes for Genesis 46

Verse 1

Jacob, now called Israel, stops at Beersheba, a place associated with the covenants of Abraham and Isaac. By offering sacrifices, he seeks divine confirmation before leaving the Promised Land for Egypt.

Verse 2

God speaks to Jacob in a night vision, confirming the divine guidance for this crucial move. This direct communication mirrors how God guided Abraham and Isaac during their travels.

Verse 3

God reassures Jacob, connecting this journey to the patriarchal covenant. The purpose of the descent into Egypt is explicitly stated: to fulfill the promise of making Jacob's family into a 'great nation.'

Verse 4

This verse contains two key prophetic promises: God’s continuous presence in Egypt and the guarantee of the eventual Exodus ('surely bring thee up again'). The phrase concerning Joseph is a euphemism, assuring Jacob he will receive the comfort of having his favored son present at his death.

Verse 5

The family uses the Egyptian wagons provided by Pharaoh (45:21), symbolizing that this migration is not a hasty flight but a state-sponsored relocation.

Verse 8

This detailed census establishes the foundational group that entered Egypt. The list documents the family structure that would eventually form the twelve tribes of Israel.

Verse 10

The note that Shaul’s mother was a Canaanitish woman is a rare acknowledgment of an early instance of intermarriage within the patriarchal family line.

Verse 12

The mention that Er and Onan died in Canaan explains why Judah’s immediate descendants in the list (Hezron and Hamul) are through Pharez, the son born from the incident with Tamar (Gen 38).

Verse 20

Manasseh and Ephraim are included in the count of those who 'came into Egypt' because they, along with Jacob and Joseph, contribute to the total 70 souls. Potipherah's title identifies him as a high-ranking official in the Egyptian religious capital, On (Heliopolis).

Verse 26

This verse establishes the count of 66 souls who physically came out of Jacob’s loins. The following verse clarifies the total population of the house of Jacob.

Verse 27

The final count of 70 souls is reached by adding Jacob (1), Joseph (1), and Joseph’s two sons (2) to the 66. Seventy is a significant number in biblical tradition, often representing completeness or totality (e.g., 70 nations, 70 elders).

Verse 28

Jacob sends Judah ahead to arrange the meeting and secure the dwelling place in Goshen. This act signifies Judah’s increasingly prominent and reliable leadership role within the family.

Verse 29

The emotional reunion is the climax of the Joseph narrative. Joseph, now a powerful Egyptian official, sheds his official reserve in this intimate moment with his father.

Verse 30

Jacob’s declaration expresses profound contentment, viewing his life's purpose as fulfilled now that he has seen his long-lost son alive and reigning. This mirrors the satisfaction of a covenant promise fulfilled.

Verse 31

Joseph begins strategically planning how to present his family to Pharaoh to ensure they are settled in the best location, away from the Egyptian populace.

Verse 34

Joseph instructs his family to emphasize their trade as shepherds. Shepherds were often viewed as an 'abomination' or unclean by the settled, urbanized Egyptians, ensuring the family would be segregated to the fertile grazing lands of Goshen, protecting them from cultural assimilation.

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Genesis46

God Assures Jacob at Beersheba

The List of Jacob's Descendants

Jacob and Joseph Are Reunited

Joseph Strategizes for Goshen

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