Genesis chapter 46

Jacob brings his clan to Egypt. They settle in Goshen.

 


 

JACOB BRINGS HIS CLAN TO EGYPT

 

VERSE 1. Israel traveled with all that he had, and came to Beersheba, and offered sacrifices to the God of his father, Isaac.

 

VERSE 2. God spoke to Israel in the visions of the night, and said, “Jacob, Jacob!” He said, “Here I am.”

 

VERSE 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.

I am God, the God of your father. Perhaps Jacob had fallen away from the LORD God.

Don’t be afraid. Fear is a natural emotion. We can’t turn it off. Most people are held back by fear. But the Bible says “Do not be afraid.” That means to move forward anyway. Read more »

there I will make of you a great nation. The LORD God is renewing the promise he made to Abram and his descendants.

 

VERSE 4. I will go down with you into Egypt. I will also surely bring you up again. Joseph’s hand will close your eyes.”

I will go down with you. The LORD God promises to be with us always, even to the ends of the world. Read more »

 

VERSE 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.

 

VERSE 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 offspring with him,

 

VERSE 7. his sons, and his sons’ sons with him, his daughters, and his sons’ daughters, and he brought all his offspring with him into Egypt.

 

VERSE 8. These are the names of the children of Israel, who came into Egypt, Jacob and his sons: Reuben, Jacob’s firstborn.

 

VERSE 9. The sons of Reuben: Hanoch, Pallu, Hezron, and Carmi.

 

VERSE 10. The sons of Simeon: Jemuel, Jamin, Ohad, Jachin, Zohar, and Shaul the son of a Canaanite woman.

 

VERSE 11. The sons of Levi: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.

 

VERSE 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.

 

VERSE 13. The sons of Issachar: Tola, Puvah, Iob, and Shimron.

 

VERSE 14. The sons of Zebulun: Sered, Elon, and Jahleel.

 

VERSE 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.

 

VERSE 16. The sons of Gad: Ziphion, Haggi, Shuni, Ezbon, Eri, Arodi, and Areli.

 

VERSE 17. The sons of Asher: Imnah, Ishvah, Ishvi, Beriah, and Serah their sister. The sons of Beriah: Heber and Malchiel.

 

VERSE 18. These are the sons of Zilpah, whom Laban gave to Leah, his daughter, and these she bore to Jacob, even sixteen souls.

 

VERSE 19. The sons of Rachel, Jacob’s wife: Joseph and Benjamin.

 

VERSE 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.

 

VERSE 21. The sons of Benjamin: Bela, Becher, Ashbel, Gera, Naaman, Ehi, Rosh, Muppim, Huppim, and Ard.

 

VERSE 22. These are the sons of Rachel, who were born to Jacob: all the souls were fourteen.

 

VERSE 23. The son of Dan: Hushim.

 

VERSE 24. The sons of Naphtali: Jahzeel, Guni, Jezer, and Shillem.

 

VERSE 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.

 

VERSE 26. All the souls who came with Jacob into Egypt, who were his direct offspring, in addition to Jacob’s sons’ wives, all the souls were sixty-six.

 

VERSE 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.

 

THEY SETTLE IN GOSHEN

 

VERSE 28. Jacob sent Judah before him to Joseph, to show the way before him to Goshen, and they came into the land of Goshen.

 

VERSE 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.

wept on his neck a good while. Jacob was a terrible person. And a terrible father.

Jacob was at least partly to blame for Joseph having been sold into slavery.

Now it is (presumably) decades later. Joseph has worked through any lingering issues he may have had about his father and his family of origin.

 

VERSE 30. Israel said to Joseph, “Now let me die, since I have seen your face, that you are still alive.”

Now let me die, since I have seen your face. Jacob had finally met his son Joseph. Now he could die in peace.

This reminds us of what Simeon said when he met the infant Messiah in the temple:

Luke 2:29. Sovereign Lord, now let your servant die in peace, as you have promised. (NLT translation)

 

VERSE 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.

 

VERSE 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.’

 

VERSE 33. It will happen, when Pharaoh summons you, and will say, ‘What is your occupation?’

 

VERSE 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.”

 


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GENESIS

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