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.

God Assures Jacob at Beersheba

1
Israel traveled with all that he had, and came to Beersheba, and offered sacrifices to the God of his father, Isaac. ​
2
God spoke to Israel in the visions of the night, and said, “Jacob, Jacob!” He said, “Here I am.” ​
3
He said, “I am God, the God of your father. Don’t be afraid to go down into Egypt, for there I will make of you a great nation. ​
4
I will go down with you into Egypt. I will also surely bring you up again. Joseph will close your eyes.” ​
5
Jacob rose up from Beersheba, and the sons of Israel carried Jacob, their father, their little ones, and their wives, in the wagons which Pharaoh had sent to carry him. ​
6
They took their livestock, and their goods, which they had gotten in the land of Canaan, and came into Egypt—Jacob, and all his seed with him,
7
his sons, and his sons’ sons with him, his daughters, and his sons’ daughters, and he brought all his seed with him into Egypt.

The List of Jacob's Descendants

8
These are the names of the children of Israel, who came into Egypt, Jacob and his sons: Reuben, Jacob’s firstborn. ​
9
The sons of Reuben: Hanoch, Pallu, Hezron, and Carmi.
10
The sons of Simeon: Jemuel, Jamin, Ohad, Jachin, Zohar, and Shaul the son of a Canaanite woman. ​
11
The sons of Levi: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.
12
The sons of Judah: Er, Onan, Shelah, Perez, and Zerah; but Er and Onan died in the land of Canaan. The sons of Perez were Hezron and Hamul. ​
13
The sons of Issachar: Tola, Puvah, Iob, and Shimron.
14
The sons of Zebulun: Sered, Elon, and Jahleel.
15
These are the sons of Leah, whom she bore to Jacob in Paddan Aram, with his daughter Dinah. All the souls of his sons and his daughters were thirty-three.
16
The sons of Gad: Ziphion, Haggi, Shuni, Ezbon, Eri, Arodi, and Areli.
17
The sons of Asher: Imnah, Ishvah, Ishvi, Beriah, and Serah their sister. The sons of Beriah: Heber and Malchiel.
18
These are the sons of Zilpah, whom Laban gave to Leah, his daughter, and these she bore to Jacob, even sixteen souls.
19
The sons of Rachel, Jacob’s wife: Joseph and Benjamin.
20
To Joseph in the land of Egypt were born Manasseh and Ephraim, whom Asenath, the daughter of Potiphera, priest of On, bore to him. ​
21
The sons of Benjamin: Bela, Becher, Ashbel, Gera, Naaman, Ehi, Rosh, Muppim, Huppim, and Ard.
22
These are the sons of Rachel, who were born to Jacob: all the souls were fourteen.
23
The son of Dan: Hushim.
24
The sons of Naphtali: Jahzeel, Guni, Jezer, and Shillem.
25
These are the sons of Bilhah, whom Laban gave to Rachel, his daughter, and these she bore to Jacob: all the souls were seven.
26
All the souls who came with Jacob into Egypt, who were his direct descendants, besides Jacob’s sons’ wives, all the souls were sixty-six. ​
27
The sons of Joseph, who were born to him in Egypt, were two souls. All the souls of the house of Jacob, who came into Egypt, were seventy. ​

Jacob and Joseph Are Reunited

28
He sent Judah before him to Joseph, to show the way before him to Goshen, and they came into the land of Goshen. ​
29
Joseph prepared his chariot, and went up to meet Israel, his father, in Goshen. He presented himself to him, and fell on his neck, and wept on his neck a good while. ​
30
Israel said to Joseph, “Now let me die, since I have seen your face, that you are still alive.” ​

Joseph Strategizes for Goshen

31
Joseph said to his brothers, and to his father’s house, “I will go up, and speak with Pharaoh, and will tell him, ‘My brothers, and my father’s house, who were in the land of Canaan, have come to me. ​
32
These men are shepherds, for they have been keepers of livestock, and they have brought their flocks, and their herds, and all that they have.’
33
It will happen, when Pharaoh summons you, and will say, ‘What is your occupation?’
34
that you shall say, ‘Your servants have been keepers of livestock from our youth even until now, both we, and our fathers:’ that you may dwell in the land of Goshen; for every shepherd is an abomination to 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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