Joseph informs Pharaoh of his family's arrival, and Pharaoh grants them the land of Goshen. Jacob meets Pharaoh, blessing him and reflecting on his life's pilgrimage. As the famine worsens, Joseph implements a policy where Egyptians sell their land and themselves to Pharaoh for food, establishing a perpetual tax of one-fifth of their produce. Israel prospers in Goshen, and Jacob, at 147, requests Joseph to promise to bury him in Canaan with his ancestors.
Then Joseph went in and told Pharaoh, and said, “My father and my brothers, with their flocks, their herds, and all that they own, have come out of the land of Canaan; and behold, they are in the land of Goshen.”
They said to Pharaoh, “We have come to live as foreigners in the land, for there is no pasture for your servants’ flocks. For the famine is severe in the land of Canaan. Now therefore, please let your servants dwell in the land of Goshen.”
The land of Egypt is before you. Make your father and your brothers dwell in the best of the land. Let them dwell in the land of Goshen. If you know any able men among them, then put them in charge of my livestock.”
Jacob said to Pharaoh, “The days of the years of my pilgrimage are one hundred thirty years. Few and evil have been the days of the years of my life, and they have not attained to the days of the years of the life of my fathers in the days of their pilgrimage.”
Joseph placed his father and his brothers, and gave them a possession in the land of Egypt, in the best of the land, in the land of Rameses, as Pharaoh had commanded.
There was no bread in all the land; for the famine was very severe, so that the land of Egypt and the land of Canaan fainted by reason of the famine.
Joseph gathered up all the money that was found in the land of Egypt, and in the land of Canaan, for the grain which they bought: and Joseph brought the money into Pharaoh’s house.
When the money was all spent in the land of Egypt, and in the land of Canaan, all the Egyptians came to Joseph, and said, “Give us bread, for why should we die in your presence? For our money fails.”
They brought their livestock to Joseph, and Joseph gave them bread in exchange for the horses, and for the flocks, and for the herds, and for the donkeys: and he fed them with bread in exchange for all their livestock for that year.
When that year was ended, they came to him the second year, and said to him, “We will not hide from my lord how our money is all spent, and the herds of livestock are my lord’s. There is nothing left in the sight of my lord, but our bodies, and our lands.
Why should we die before your eyes, both we and our land? Buy us and our land for bread, and we and our land will be servants to Pharaoh. Give us seed, that we may live, and not die, and that the land won’t be desolate.”
So Joseph bought all the land of Egypt for Pharaoh, for every man of the Egyptians sold his field, because the famine was severe on them, and the land became Pharaoh’s.
Only he didn’t buy the land of the priests, for the priests had a portion from Pharaoh, and ate their portion which Pharaoh gave them. That is why they didn’t sell their land.
It will happen at the harvests, that you shall give a fifth to Pharaoh, and four parts will be your own, for seed of the field, for your food, for them of your households, and for food for your little ones.”
Joseph made it a statute concerning the land of Egypt to this day, that Pharaoh should have the fifth. Only the land of the priests alone didn’t become Pharaoh’s.
Israel lived in the land of Egypt, in the land of Goshen; and they got themselves possessions therein, and were fruitful, and multiplied exceedingly.
The time drew near that Israel must die, and he called his son Joseph, and said to him, “If now I have found favor in your sight, please put your hand under my thigh, and deal kindly and truly with me. Please don’t bury me in Egypt,
He said, “Swear to me,” and he swore to him. Israel bowed himself on the bed’s head.
Study Notes for Genesis 47
Verse 2
Joseph strategically selected five men to present. This small group represented the family and likely aimed to avoid overwhelming Pharaoh while demonstrating their humble, pastoral status.
Verse 3
Pharaoh’s question about occupation was crucial. By identifying as shepherds, they solidified their placement in Goshen, as shepherding was often seen as undesirable by the Egyptians (Gen 46:34).
Verse 4
The term 'sojourn' (Hebrew: *gur*) emphasizes that their stay in Egypt is temporary, maintaining the theological understanding that Canaan remains their permanent, promised inheritance.
Verse 6
Pharaoh’s offer to put Jacob’s family in charge of his royal cattle shows the immense authority and trust placed in Joseph and his family's reputation for competence.
Verse 9
Jacob describes his life as a 'pilgrimage,' reflecting the nomadic reality of the patriarchs and their faith in a future inheritance. His lament ('few and evil') acknowledges the hardship he endured throughout his life.
Verse 11
The land of Rameses is an alternate name for Goshen, referring specifically to the productive eastern Delta region. This settlement fulfills God's provision to sustain the covenant family.
Verse 13
This verse marks a thematic shift, detailing the severity of the famine and Joseph’s centralized administration. The crisis affected Canaan equally, justifying Jacob's relocation.
Verse 17
When money failed, Joseph implemented the second phase of his economic policy, exchanging grain for livestock, thereby transferring the agricultural and transport assets of the people to the crown.
Verse 19
The people offer themselves and their land into servitude, prioritizing survival over ownership. This desperation highlights Joseph’s immense power and the effectiveness of his preparation.
Verse 20
Joseph’s land acquisition resulted in Pharaoh owning virtually all the productive land in Egypt, establishing the crown as the ultimate economic and political authority.
Verse 21
The relocation of the people to cities was likely an administrative measure to consolidate the population, making rationing and tax collection easier.
Verse 22
The priests were exempt from the land sale because Pharaoh already provided them with a fixed allowance, illustrating the high status of the priestly class in Egyptian society.
Verse 24
Joseph established a law requiring a 20% tax (the fifth part) on the harvest. This centralized system provided stability for the people while securing Pharaoh’s permanent revenue stream.
Verse 26
This law, granting Pharaoh one-fifth of the yield, became the long-standing legal standard for land tenure in Egypt, demonstrating the profound and lasting impact of Joseph's policies.
Verse 27
In stark contrast to the suffering Egyptians, the family of Israel 'grew, and multiplied exceedingly,' fulfilling God’s promise of fertility even while in a foreign land.
Verse 29
Jacob demands this solemn oath ('put thy hand under my thigh') from Joseph. This action stresses the importance of the request, tying it to the covenant promises made to Abraham.
Verse 30
Jacob’s insistence on burial in Canaan (the Cave of Machpelah) confirms his faith that the land, not Egypt, remains the promised inheritance for his descendants.
Verse 31
Jacob bowing upon the bed's head is an act of worship or reverence, thanking God for the assurance that he would be buried in the Promised Land (cf. Heb 11:21).
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