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Genesis Chapter
Forty-six
Genesis 46
Outlines
New King James Version
(NKJV)
INTRODUCTION TO
GENESIS 46
In this chapter we are
told, that Jacob with all his family and substance took a journey to Egypt to
see his son Joseph, as he determined, in which he was encouraged to proceed by
a vision from God, Genesis 46:1; and
an account is given of all his sons, his sons' sons and daughters that went
thither with him, Genesis 46:8; when
he came near to Egypt he sent Judah before him to Joseph, to acquaint him of
his coming, who met him at Goshen, where there was a most affectionate
interview between them, Genesis 46:28; and
when he gave directions and instructions what answers to give to Pharaoh's
questions, when they should appear before him, to whom he proposed to go and
inform him of their being come into Egypt, Genesis 46:31.
Genesis 46:1. So Israel took his journey with all that he had, and came to
Beersheba, and offered sacrifices to the God of his father Isaac.
YLT 1And Israel journeyeth, and
all that he hath, and cometh in to Beer-Sheba, and sacrificeth sacrifices to
the God of his father Isaac;
And Israel took
his journey with all that he had,....
Set forward in it
immediately, as soon as possible after he had resolved to take it, and with him
he took all his children and grandchildren, and all his cattle and goods; which
shows that he took his journey not only to see his son Joseph, but to continue
in Egypt, at least during the years of famine, as his son desired he would,
otherwise there would have been no occasion of taking all along with him:
and came to
Beersheba:
where he and his ancestors
Abraham and Isaac had formerly lived; a place where sacrifices had often been
offered up, and the worship of God performed, and much communion enjoyed with
him. This is said to be sixteen miles from HebronF14Bunting's
Travels, p. 72. , where Jacob dwelt, and according to Musculus was six German
miles from it:
and offered
sacrifices to the God of his father Isaac;
which were attended with
prayer and praise; with praise for hearing that his son Joseph was alive, and
with prayer that he might have a good, safe, and prosperous journey.
Genesis 46:2. 2 Then
God spoke to Israel in the visions of the night, and said, “Jacob, Jacob!” And
he said, “Here I am.”
YLT 2and God speaketh to Israel
in visions of the night, and saith, `Jacob, Jacob;' and he saith, `Here [am]
I.'
And God spake
unto Israel in the visions of the night,....
He appeared to Jacob as he
lay upon his bed in the night season, and with an articulate voice spoke to him
as follows:
and said,
Jacob, Jacob:
not "Israel",
the more honourable name he had given him, but Jacob, putting him in mind of
his former low estate; and doubling this name, either out of love and affection
to him, as Jarchi intimates; or rather in order to awake him, at least to stir
up his attention to what he was about to say to him:
and he said,
here am I;
signifying his readiness
to hearken to him in what he should say to him, and to obey him in whatsoever
he should command him.
Genesis 46:3. 3 So
He said, “I am God, the God of your father; do not fear to go down to
Egypt, for I will make of you a great nation there.
YLT 3And He saith, `I [am] God,
God of thy father, be not afraid of going down to Egypt, for for a great nation
I set thee there;
And he said, I am
God, the God of thy father,....
His father Isaac, who was
now dead, and who is the rather mentioned, because in him Abraham's seed was to
be called, and in his line the promise both of the land of Canaan, and of the
Messiah, ran, and from him Jacob received the blessing; and this might be a
confirmation of it to him, in that Jehovah calls himself his God; he first
declares himself to be his God, and so able to perform whatever he should
promise him, and his father's God, who would show him favour, as he had to him:
fear not to go
down into Egypt;
Jacob might have many
fears arise in his mind about this journey, as interpreters generally observe;
as lest it should not be agreeable to the will of God, since his father Isaac
was forbidden to go into Egypt, when in like circumstances with him, Genesis 26:1; as
well as he, might fear it would be too great a journey for him in his old age,
some evil would befall him, or he die by the way and not see his son; or lest
going with his family thither, and there continuing for some time, they might
be tempted with the pleasantness and fruitfulness of the land, and settle
there, and forget and neglect the promised land of Canaan; and especially lest
they should be drawn into the idolatry of the Egyptians, and forsake the
worship of the true God; and very probably he might call to mind the prophecy
delivered to Abraham, of his seed being strangers and servants, and afflicted
in a land not theirs for the space of four hundred years, Genesis 15:13; and
Jacob might fear this step he was now taking would bring on, as indeed it did,
the completion of this prediction, by which his offspring would be oppressed
and diminished. The Targum of Jonathan makes this to be Jacob's principal
fear;"fear not to go down into Egypt, because of the business of the
servitude decreed with Abraham;'as also he might fear his going thither might
seem to be a giving up his title to, and expectation of the promised land: to
remove which fears the following is said:
for I will
there make of thee a great nation:
as he did; for though in
process of time his seed were greatly afflicted here, yet the more they were
afflicted, the more they multiplied; and their increase in Egypt was vastly
greater than it had been in a like space of time before; for in the space of
two hundred fifteen years before their descent into Egypt, they were become no
more than seventy persons, whereas in the like number of years in Egypt, they
became 600,000, besides children; see Genesis 46:27 Exodus 12:37.
Genesis 46:4. 4 I
will go down with you to Egypt, and I will also surely bring you up again;
and Joseph will put his hand on your eyes.”
YLT 4I -- I go down with thee to
Egypt, and I -- I also certainly bring thee up, and Joseph doth put his hand on
thine eyes.'
I will go down
with thee into Egypt,....
Which was enough to
silence all his fears; for if the presence of God went with him to protect and
defend hide, to bless and prosper him, and to direct, support, and comfort, he
had nothing to fear from any quarter:
and I will also
surely bring thee up again:
Jarchi takes this to be a
promise that he should be buried in the land of Canaan, which had its
fulfilment, when his corpse was carried out of Egypt to Machpelah, and there
interred; but rather this refers to the bringing up of his posterity from
thence in due time, for which Jacob might be most solicitous, and so the Targum
of Jonathan,"and I will bring up thy children from thence:"
and Joseph
shall put his hand upon thine eyes:
and so close them when he
was dead; this, as Aben Ezra says, was a custom of the living to the dead, and
it used to be done by the nearest relations and friends, though now with us
commonly by strangers, or those that are not akin: this was a custom among the
Greeks and Romans, as appears from HomerF15Odyss. 11. , VirgilF16Aeneid.
l. 9. , OvidF17Trist. l. 1. Eleg. 2. , and other writersF18Vid.
Kirchman, de Funer. Rom. l. 1. c. 6. & Kipping. Rom. Antiqu. l. 4. c. 6. ;
and so, among the Jews, Tobias is said to shut the eyes of his wife's father
and mother, and to bury them honourably,"Where he became old with honour,
and he buried his father and mother in law honourably, and he inherited their
substance, and his father Tobit's.' (Tobit 14:13)Of the
Vulgate Latin version: MaimonidesF19Hilchot Ebel, l. 4. sect. 1.
reckons this of closing the eyes of the dead, among the rites used towards
them, and so in the TalmudF20T. Bab. Sabbat, fol. 151. 2. : now by
this expression Jacob was assured that Joseph was alive, and that he should
live to see him, and that Joseph would outlive him, and do this last office for
him; and, as Ben Melech observes, by this he had the good news told him that
Joseph should remain behind him, to sustain and support his sons, and his sons'
sons, all the years that he should live after him.
Genesis 46:5. 5 Then
Jacob arose from Beersheba; and the sons of Israel carried their father Jacob,
their little ones, and their wives, in the carts which Pharaoh had sent to
carry him.
YLT 5And Jacob riseth from
Beer-Sheba, and the sons of Israel bear away Jacob their father, And their
infants, and their wives, in the waggons which Pharaoh hath sent to bear him,
And Jacob rose
up from Beersheba,....
In high spirits, and
proceeded on in his journey, being encouraged and animated by the promises of
God now made unto him:
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;
it may be wondered at that
Joseph did not send his chariot to fetch his father; it could not be for want
of due respect and honour to him, but it may be such a carriage was not fit for
so long a journey, and especially to travel in, in some parts of the road
through which they went: no mention being made of Jacob's wives, it may be
presumed they were all now dead; it is certain Rachel was, see Genesis 35:19; and
it is more than probable that Leah died before this time, since Jacob says he
buried her himself in Machpelah in Canaan, Genesis 49:31; and
it is very likely also that his two concubine wives Bilhah and Zilpah were also
dead, since no notice is taken of them.
Genesis 46:6. 6 So
they took their livestock and their goods, which they had acquired in the land
of Canaan, and went to Egypt, Jacob and all his descendants with him.
YLT 6and they take their cattle,
and their goods which they have acquired in the land of Canaan, and come into
Egypt -- Jacob, and all his seed with him,
And they took
their cattle, and their goods, which they had gotten in the land of Canaan,....
Some interpreters add, by
way of explanation, and in Mesopotamia; much of Jacob's substance being yet
there, though the greatest part was got in Canaan, and so that is put for the
whole; and Jarchi supposes that Jacob gave all that he got in Padanaram to Esau
for his part in the cave of Machpelah, and therefore mention is only made of
his substance in Canaan; but there is no need of any such additions or
suppositions, since the text only speaks of the substance of Jacob's sons, and
what they had was only gotten in Canaan, into which they came very young; all
which they brought with them as being their property, and not obliged to leave
it behind to strangers; though they were bid not to regard their stuff, yet
they were not willing to live upon others, but upon their own, and as much as
they could independent of others; and that they might not be upbraided
hereafter that they came into Egypt poor and destitute of everything:
and came into
Egypt, Jacob, and all his seed with him;
safe and well.
Genesis 46:7. 7 His
sons and his sons’ sons, his daughters and his sons’ daughters, and all his
descendants he brought with him to Egypt.
YLT 7his sons, and his sons'
sons with him, his daughters, and his sons' daughters, yea, all his seed he
brought with him into Egypt.
His sons, and
his sons' sons with him,....
His eleven sons, and their
sons, his grandchildren:
and his
daughters;
his own daughter Dinah,
and his daughters in law, the wives of his sons; for these came with him into
Egypt, as appears from Genesis 46:5;
though the plural may be put for the singular, as in Genesis 46:23,
and his sons'
daughters;
and mention is made of
Sarah the daughter of Asher, Genesis 46:17;
Jarchi adds, Jochebed, the daughter of Levi, but it is certain she was born in
Egypt, Numbers 26:59,
and all his
seed brought he with him into Egypt;
left none behind him in
Canaan, son or daughter; no mention is made of servants, though no doubt many
came along with him: the design of the historian is to give an account of
Jacob's children, who they were, and their number, when they came into Egypt,
that the increase of them might be observed.
Genesis 46:8. 8 Now
these were the names of the children of Israel, Jacob and his sons, who
went to Egypt: Reuben was Jacob’s firstborn.
YLT 8And these [are] the names
of the sons of Israel who are coming into Egypt: Jacob and his sons, Jacob's
first-born, Reuben.
And these are
the names of the children of Israel which came into Egypt,....
Not meaning precisely
Jacob's seed and offspring, but the body of the people of Israel, as they were
when they went into Egypt, including Jacob himself:
Jacob and his
sons;
for he went with them to
Egypt, and was the head and principal of them:
Reuben, Jacob's
firstborn;
see Genesis 29:32.
Genesis 46:9. 9 The
sons of Reuben were Hanoch, Pallu, Hezron, and Carmi.
YLT 9And sons of Reuben: Hanoch,
and Phallu, and Hezron, and Carmi.
And the sons of
Reuben, Hanoch, and Phallu, and Hezron, and Carmi.
From whom came the families
named after them, of which they were the heads, Numbers 26:5.
Genesis 46:10. 10 The
sons of Simeon were Jemuel,[a] Jamin,
Ohad, Jachin,[b] Zohar,[c] and Shaul,
the son of a Canaanite woman.
YLT 10And sons of Simeon: Jemuel,
and Jamin, and Ohad, and Jachin, and Zohar, and Shaul son of the Canaanitess.
And the sons of
Simeon,....
Who was the second son of
Jacob:
Jemuel, and
Jamin, and Ohad, and Jachin, and Zohar;
the first of these is
called Nemuel, Numbers 26:12; the
third, Ohad, is omitted in the places referred to, he dying without children,
as may be supposed, and so was not the head of any family; and the fourth,
Jachin, is called Jarib, 1 Chronicles 4:24;
and the fifth is called Zerah, in the above place, by a transposition of
letters:
and Shaul the
son of a Canaanitish woman;
whom Simeon married, very
probably after the death of his first wife, by whom he had the above five sons,
or she was his concubine: many Jewish writersF21Jarchi in loc.
Bereshit Rabba, sect. 80. fol. 70. 3. Shalshalet Hakabala, fol. 3. 2. say, this
was Dinah, married to a Canaanite, but this is impossible: according to the
Targum of Jonathan, this Shaul was Zimri, who did the work of the Canaanites at
Shittim, Numbers 25:14,
which is not at all likely, the distance of time will not admit of it.
Genesis 46:11. 11 The sons of Levi were
Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.
YLT 11And sons of Levi: Gershon,
Kohath, and Merari.
And the sons of
Levi, Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.
From these sprung the
priests and Levites, see Numbers 3:1.
Genesis 46:12. 12 The
sons of Judah were Er, Onan, Shelah, Perez, and Zerah (but Er and Onan
died in the land of Canaan). The sons of Perez were Hezron and Hamul.
YLT 12And sons of Judah: Er, and
Onan, and Shelah, and Pharez, and Zarah, (and Er and Onan die in the land of
Canaan.) And sons of Pharez are Hezron and Hamul.
And the sons of
Judah, Er, and Onan, and Shelah, and Pharez, and Zarah,....
Five of them:
but Er and Onan
died in the land of Canaan;
and so did not go with
Jacob into Egypt; and which is observed that they might not be reckoned among
them, though it was proper to take notice of them in the genealogy:
and the sons of
Pharez were Hezron and Hamul;
some think that these
could not be born in Canaan, but in Egypt; and that they are mentioned among
those that went down to Egypt, because they went there in the loins of their
father, and to supply the places of Er and Onan, who died before, and have the
honour to be here named, because they might be the first of Jacob's great
grandchildren born there; though others suppose that Pharez was at this time
fourteen years of age, and instances are given of some, who before that age
have been fathers of children; the difficulty is not easily solved: the Targum
of Jonathan expressly says,"Shelah and Zarah did not beget children in
Canaan, but there were two sons of Pharez who went down into Egypt, Hezron and
Hamul.'
Genesis 46:13. 13 The
sons of Issachar were Tola, Puvah,[d] Job,[e] and
Shimron.
YLT 13And sons of Issachar: Tola,
and Phuvah, and Job, and Shimron.
And the sons of
Issachar, Tola, and Phuvah; and Job, and Shimron.
The first of these was the
father of a numerous race in the days of David, their number was 22,600; See
Gill on 1 Chronicles 7:2;
the second is called Puah, and the third Jashub, and the fourth Shimrom, 1 Chronicles 7:1;
and were all the heads of families, as appears from the places referred to.
Genesis 46:14. 14 The
sons of Zebulun were Sered, Elon, and Jahleel.
YLT 14And sons of Zebulun: Sered,
and Elon, and Jahleel.
And the sons of
Zebulun, Sered, and Elon, and Jahleel.
Whose names are the same
in Numbers 26:26.
Genesis 46:15. 15 These
were the sons of Leah, whom she bore to Jacob in Padan Aram, with his
daughter Dinah. All the persons, his sons and his daughters, were
thirty-three.
YLT 15These [are] sons of Leah
whom she bare to Jacob in Padan-Aram, and Dinah his daughter; all the persons
of his sons and his daughters [are] thirty and three.
These are the
sons of Leah, which she bare unto Jacob in Padanaram,....
Which must be restrained
to the six sons only, who were properly Leah's, and not to their sons' sons,
for they were not born in Padanaram, but in Canaan:
with his
daughter Dinah;
who also was by Leah:
all the souls
of his sons and daughters were thirty and three;
that is, together with
himself, or otherwise it will be difficult to give the exact number; if all
before mentioned are to be reckoned there will be thirty four, wherefore some
are for excluding Dinah; but she is not only expressly mentioned, but is the
only one intended by his daughters here, the plural being put for the singular;
and there is as much reason for retaining her here, as Sarah the daughter of
Asher hereafter: some think Er and Onan are to be excluded, as indeed they are,
because they died in the land of Canaan, and then there will be but thirty two;
wherefore some are for adding Jochebed the daughter of Levi, but she is neither
mentioned in the genealogy, nor did she go with Jacob into Egypt, but was born
in Egypt long after: it seems best therefore to take Jacob himself into the account,
as several Jewish writers doF23Aben Ezra, Gersom, & Abarbinel. ,
and who is expressly named and set at the head of this account, Genesis 46:8, which
will make thirty three.
Genesis 46:16. 16 The
sons of Gad were Ziphion,[f] Haggi,
Shuni, Ezbon,[g] Eri,
Arodi,[h] and Areli.
YLT 16And sons of Gad: Ziphion,
and Haggi, Shuni, and Ezbon, Eri, and Arodi, and Areli.
And the sons of
Gad,....
A son of Jacob by Zilpah,
Leah's maid; for the historian, before he proceeds to give an account of his
sons by Rachel, finishes the account of all his sons by Leah and her maid:
Ziphion, and
Haggi, Shuni, and Ezbon, and Eri, and Arodi, and Areli;
in all seven; the same
number is given, and in the same order, Numbers 26:15.
Genesis 46:17. 17 The
sons of Asher were Jimnah, Ishuah, Isui, Beriah, and Serah, their
sister. And the sons of Beriah were Heber and Malchiel.
YLT 17And sons of Asher: Jimnah,
and Ishuah, and Isui, and Beriah, and Serah their sister. And sons of Beriah:
Heber and Malchiel.
And the sons of
Asher,....
Another son of Jacob by
Leah's maid Zilpah, whose sons were:
Jimnah, and
Ishuah, and Isui, and Beriah, and Serah their sister;
who is called Sarah, Numbers 26:46, and
by the Septuagint here. She seems to have been a person of some note, being so
particularly remarked in both places:
and the sons of
Beriah, Heber and Malchiel;
this Beriah seems to be
the youngest son of Asher, and yet had two sons; who, as the Targum of Jonathan
adds, went down into Egypt; he must marry, and have sons when very young; the
thing is not impossible: See Gill on Genesis 46:12;
Genesis 46:18. 18 These
were the sons of Zilpah, whom Laban gave to Leah his daughter; and these
she bore to Jacob: sixteen persons.
YLT 18These [are] sons of Zilpah,
whom Laban gave to Leah his daughter, and she beareth these to Jacob -- sixteen
persons.
These are
the sons of Zilpah, whom Laban gave to Leah his daughter,....
To be her maid, when she
was married to Jacob, by whom he had Gad and Asher:
and these she
bare unto Jacob, even sixteen souls;
not that Zilpah bare
sixteen children to Jacob, for she bore but two; but the children and
grandchildren of these two with them made sixteen.
Genesis 46:19. 19 The
sons of Rachel, Jacob’s wife, were Joseph and Benjamin.
YLT 19Sons of Rachel, Jacob's
wife: Joseph and Benjamin.
The sons
Rachel, Jacob's wife,....
The wife of his affection
and choice, his principal wife, yea, his only lawful wife; Zilpah and Bilhah
were his concubines, and as for Leah, she was imposed and forced upon him:
Joseph and
Benjamin;
the first was in Egypt
already, the other now went down with Jacob.
Genesis 46:20. 20 And
to Joseph in the land of Egypt were born Manasseh and Ephraim, whom Asenath,
the daughter of Poti-Pherah priest of On, bore to him.
YLT 20And born to Joseph in the
land of Egypt (whom Asenath daughter of Poti-Pherah, priest of On, hath borne
to him) [are] Manasseh and Ephraim.
And unto Joseph
in the land of Egypt were born Manasseh and Ephraim,....
And therefore not to be
reckoned with those that went down with Jacob thither; for which reason the
clause, "in the land of Egypt", is inserted, see Genesis 41:50,
which Asenath
the daughter of Potipherah, priest of On, bare unto him;
here again the Targum of
Jonathan makes Asenath to be the daughter of Dinah, who it says was educated in
the house of Potipherah prince of Tanis; See Gill on Genesis 41:50.
Genesis 46:21. 21 The
sons of Benjamin were Belah, Becher, Ashbel, Gera, Naaman, Ehi, Rosh,
Muppim, Huppim,[i] and Ard.
YLT 21And sons of Benjamin:
Belah, and Becher, and Ashbel, Gera, and Naaman, Ehi, and Rosh, Muppim, and
Huppim, and Ard.
And the sons of
Benjamin,....
The second son of Jacob by
his wife Rachel; whose sons
were Belah, and Becher, and Ashbel, Gera, and Naaman, Ehi, and Rosh,
Muppim, and
Huppim, and Ard;
in all one hundred and
ten. It is a difficulty to account for it, that Benjamin, Jacob's youngest son,
often called a lad at this time, and generally supposed to be about twenty
three or four years of age, should have so many sons: some think he had more
wives than one, which is not likely, since we never read of any of Jacob's sons
that had more than one at a time; and others, that his sons were born twins,
and so had them in a little time, which is a much better solution of the
difficulty: but others are of opinion, that though the greater part of them
might be born in Canaan, yet others might be born in Egypt; and being
denominated from the greater part, and that being put for the whole, may be
reckoned among the descendants into Egypt; and even those that were in Egypt,
being born while Jacob was alive, might be said to descend there in his loins;
which may be the best of the ways proposed for removing this difficulty: though
I should rather think they were all born before the descent into Egypt, the
whole narrative seems to require this of them all; for otherwise many more
might be, said to descend in the loins of Jacob, or in the loins of his sons,
which would greatly increase the number of those said to go down with him,
after mentioned: to which it may be added, that Benjamin was at least thirty
two years of age, and so may very well be thought to have had these children
before he went to Egypt.
Genesis 46:22. 22 These
were the sons of Rachel, who were born to Jacob: fourteen persons in
all.
YLT 22These [are] sons of Rachel,
who were born to Jacob; all the persons [are] fourteen.
These are the
sons of Rachel, which were born to Jacob,....
That is, sons and
grandsons:
all the souls were
fourteen;
two sons, Joseph and
Benjamin; twelve grandsons, two of Joseph's, and ten of Benjamin's.
Genesis 46:23. 23 The
son of Dan was Hushim.[j]
YLT 23And sons of Dan: Hushim.
And the sons of
Dan, Hushim.
He had but one son,
wherefore the plural is put for the singular, see Genesis 46:7; Aben
Ezra thinks he had two sons, and that one of them was dead, and therefore not
mentioned; but the other way best accounts for the expression; though, as
Schmidt observes, the plural may be indefinitely put, and the sense be this, as
for the sons of Dan, there was only one, whose name was Hushim. Dan was a son
of Jacob by Bilhah, Rachel's maid, as the following was another.
Genesis 46:24. 24 The
sons of Naphtali were Jahzeel,[k] Guni,
Jezer, and Shillem.[l]
YLT 24And sons of Naphtali:
Jahzeel, and Guni, and Jezer, and Shillem.
And the sons of
Naphtali, Jahzeel, and Guni, and Jezer, and Shillem.
The last is called Shallum
in 1 Chronicles 7:13.
Genesis 46:25. 25 These
were the sons of Bilhah, whom Laban gave to Rachel his daughter, and she
bore these to Jacob: seven persons in all.
YLT 25These [are] sons of Bilhah,
whom Laban gave to Rachel his daughter; and she beareth these to Jacob -- all
the persons [are] seven.
These are
the sons of Bilhah, which Laban gave unto Rachel his daughter,....
To be her maid, when she
was married to Jacob:
and she bare
these unto Jacob, all the souls were seven;
not that she bare seven
sons to Jacob, she bore but two, Dan and Naphtali; but the children of these
with them made seven, one of Dan's, and four of Naphtali's, who went down with
Jacob into Egypt.
Genesis 46:26. 26 All
the persons who went with Jacob to Egypt, who came from his body, besides
Jacob’s sons’ wives, were sixty-six persons in all.
YLT 26All the persons who are
coming to Jacob to Egypt, coming out of his thigh, apart from the wives of
Jacob's sons, all the persons [are] sixty and six.
All the souls that
came with Jacob into Egypt,....
These are in parcels
before mentioned, but here they are brought to a sum total; and by this phrase
are excluded those that died before, as Er and Onan, and those that were in
Egypt before, as Joseph and his two sons; and I should think also all that were
born in Egypt afterwards, even while Jacob was living: those reckoned are only
such:
which came out
of his loins:
such as were his seed and
offspring. This is observed for the sake of what follows, and to exclude them:
besides Jacob's
sons' wives;
these do not come into the
account, because they did not spring from him:
all the souls were
threescore and six;
thirty two of Leah's,
leaving out Er and Onan, sixteen of Zilpah's, fourteen of Rachel's, and seven
of Bilhah's, make sixty nine; take out of them Joseph and his two sons, who
were in Egypt before, and you have the exact number of sixty six.
Genesis 46:27. 27 And
the sons of Joseph who were born to him in Egypt were two persons. All
the persons of the house of Jacob who went to Egypt were seventy.
YLT 27And the sons of Joseph who
have been born to him in Egypt [are] two persons. All the persons of the house
of Jacob who are coming into Egypt [are] seventy.
And the sons of
Joseph, which were born in Egypt, were two souls,....
Ephraim and Manasseh;
which is observed to show that they do not come into the above reckoning, but
are to be taken into another that follows:
all the souls
of the house of Jacob, which came into Egypt, were threescore and ten;
here it may be observed,
the phrase is varied; it is not said, "all the souls which came out of the
loins of Jacob", but "all the souls of the house" or family of
Jacob; all that that consisted of, and takes in Jacob himself, the head of his
house or family; nor is it said, "which came with Jacob into Egypt",
as before, but "which came into Egypt"; not which came with him
thither, but yet were there by some means or another, as Joseph and his two
sons; Joseph by being brought down, and sold there, and his two sons by being
born there; if therefore Jacob, Joseph, and his two sons, are added to the
above number of sixty six, it will make seventy; as for the account of Stephen,
making the number seventy five; see Gill on Acts 7:14.
Genesis 46:28. 28 Then
he sent Judah before him to Joseph, to point out before him the way to
Goshen. And they came to the land of Goshen.
YLT 28And Judah he hath sent
before him unto Joseph, to direct before him to Goshen, and they come into the
land of Goshen;
And he sent
Judah before him unto Joseph,....
Who was the more
honourable of his sons, and in greater esteem with Jacob than his elder
brethren were, Reuben, Simeon, and Levi, who by their conduct had greatly
displeased him: moreover, he was a man of a polite address, and had endeared
himself to Joseph by his speech to him, in which he discovered so much
affection both to his father, and his brother Benjamin, and was upon all
accounts the fittest person to be sent to Joseph:
to direct his
face unto Goshen;
to inform Joseph of his
father's coming, that a place might be prepared for him to dwell in, as both
the Targums of Jonathan and Jerusalem paraphrase it; and particularly to direct
what place in Goshen he would have him come to, and meet him at:
and they came
into the land of Goshen;
which was the first part
of the land of Egypt that lay nearest to Canaan: the Greek version of the whole
verse is,"he sent Judah before him to Joseph, to meet him at Heroopolis,
or the city of the heroes, in the land of Rameses,'which is confirmed by
JosephusF24Antiqu. l. 2. c. 7. sect. 5. ; See Gill on Genesis 45:10.
Genesis 46:29. 29 So
Joseph made ready his chariot and went up to Goshen to meet his father Israel;
and he presented himself to him, and fell on his neck and wept on his neck a
good while.
YLT 29and Joseph harnesseth his
chariot, and goeth up to meet Israel his father, to Goshen, and appeareth unto
him, and falleth on his neck, and weepeth on his neck again;
And Joseph made
ready his chariot,....
Or "bound"F25ויאסר "et ligavit", Pagninus, Montanus, Vatablus;
"tum alligavit", Schmidt. it, fastened the horses to it, harnessed
them, and put them to; this he did not himself, as Jarchi thinks, for the
honour of his father; but rather, as Aben Ezra, by ordering his servants to do
it:
and went up to
meet Israel his father in Goshen;
that being higher than the
other part of Egypt, as it must be, if it was in Thebes, or upper Egypt, as
some Jewish writers sayF26Hieron. Quaestion. in Genesim, fol. 72. M.
tom. 3. ; and Fium, supposed to be the place the Israelites dwelt in, see Genesis 47:11,
stood very highF1Leo. African. Descriptio Africae, l. 8. p. 722. :
and presented
himself unto him;
alighted from his chariot,
and came up to his father, and stood before him, and showed himself to him,
declaring who he was:
and he fell on
his neck, and wept on his neck a good while:
either Jacob fell on the
neck of Joseph, and wept over him a good while before he could speak to him, as
the father of the prodigal son fell on his neck and kissed him, Luke 15:20; or, as
Jarchi, Joseph fell on his father's neck, as he had done upon his brethren
before, but wept over him longer; their embraces were no doubt mutual and
extremely affectionate, that for a while they were not able to speak a word to
each other.
Genesis 46:30. 30 And
Israel said to Joseph, “Now let me die, since I have seen your face, because
you are still alive.”
YLT 30and Israel saith unto
Joseph, `Let me die this time, after my seeing thy face, for thou [art] yet
alive.'
And Israel said
unto Joseph,....
He broke silence first:
now let me die,
since I have seen thy face;
not that he was impatient
to die, and not desirous to live any longer; for it could not but yield
pleasure to him, and make the remainder of his life more comfortable to live with
such a son, his darling, and now in so much honour and grandeur; but this he
said to express his great satisfaction at the sight of him, that he could now
be content to die, having all his heart could wish for, an interview with his
beloved son:
because thou art
yet alive;
whom he had looked upon as
dead, and the receiving him now was as life from the dead, and could not but
fill him with the greatest joy, see Luke 15:23; Jacob
lived after this seventeen years, Genesis 47:28.
Genesis 46:31. 31 Then Joseph said to his
brothers and to his father’s household, “I will go up and tell Pharaoh, and say
to him, ‘My brothers and those of my father’s house, who were in the
land of Canaan, have come to me.
YLT 31And Joseph saith unto his
brethren, and unto the house of his father, `I go up, and declare to Pharaoh,
and say unto him, My brethren, and the house of my father who [are] in the land
of Canaan have come in unto me;
And Joseph said
unto his brethren, and to his father's house,....
To them and their
families, after he had paid his filial respects to his father, in honour,
reverence, and affection:
I will go up
and shew Pharaoh;
acquaint him that his
father and all his family were come to Egypt; he says, "I will go
up"; which same phrase is used of him, Genesis 46:29; when
he came, and carries some difficulty in it how to account for it, that he
should be said to go up when he came, and to go up when he returned. Some have
thought of upper Egypt, others of the upper part of the Nile, and others, that
Pharaoh's palace was situated on an eminence; but then, as it is to be supposed
he went the same road he came, it would have been said, that when he came, he
came down; what Ben Melech suggests seems most agreeable, I will go up to my
chariot, mount that, and return to Pharaoh, and give him an account of his
father's arrival, which it was very proper, prudent, and politic to do:
and say unto
him, my brethren, and my father's house, which were in the land of
Canaan, are come unto me;
not merely to pay him a
visit, but to continue there.
Genesis 46:32. 32 And
the men are shepherds, for their occupation has been to feed livestock;
and they have brought their flocks, their herds, and all that they have.’
YLT 32and the men [are] feeders
of a flock, for they have been men of cattle; and their flock, and their herd,
and all that they have, they have brought.'
And the men are
shepherds,....
That was their occupation
and employment, by which they got their livelihood. Joseph was not ashamed of
the business his father and brethren followed, even though mean; and besides,
such men were an abomination to the Egyptians: this he thought proper to tell
Pharaoh, lest he should think of putting them into some offices of the court or
army, which would expose them to the envy of the Egyptians, and might endanger
the corruption of their religion and manners, as well as be the means of
separating them one from another, which he was careful to guard against, as
JosephusF2Ut supra. (Antiqu. l. 2. c. 7. sect. 5.) the historian
suggests:
for their trade
hath been to feed cattle;
this was what they were
brought up to from their youth, and were always employed in, and for which only
they were fit:
and they have
brought their flocks and their herds, and all that they have;
in order to carry on the
same business, and lead the same course of life.
Genesis 46:33. 33 So
it shall be, when Pharaoh calls you and says, ‘What is your occupation?’
YLT 33`And it hath come to pass
when Pharaoh calleth for you, and hath said, What [are] your works?
And it shall
come to pass, when Pharaoh shall call you,....
Order them to come before
him, to see them, and have some conversation with them:
and shall say,
what is your occupation?
or your worksF3מעשיכם "opus vestrum", Pagninus, Montanus,
"opera vestra", Junius & Tremellius, Piscator, Drusius. , their
business and employment, whether they exercised any manufacture or handicraft,
and what it was.
Genesis 46:34. 34 that
you shall say, ‘Your servants’ occupation has been with livestock from our
youth even till now, both we and also our fathers,’ that you may dwell
in the land of Goshen; for every shepherd is an abomination to the
Egyptians.”
YLT 34that ye have said, Thy
servants have been men of cattle from our youth, even until now, both we and
our fathers, -- in order that ye may dwell in the land of Goshen, for the
abomination of the Egyptians is every one feeding a flock.'
That ye shall
say, thy servants' trade hath been about cattle,....
Breeding, feeding, and
selling them:
from our youth,
even until now:
this had been their
constant employment, they never followed any other:
both we, and
also our fathers;
their father, grandfather,
and great grandfather, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, were all of the same
occupation:
that ye may
dwell in the land of Goshen;
Joseph instructed his
brethren to be very particular in the account of their occupation to Pharaoh,
that it might be a direction to him how to dispose of them, and where to settle
them, namely, in the land of Goshen; which was a country that abounded with
good pasture, and so the fittest place for them to be fixed in: and besides
this, Joseph had some other reasons for placing them there, as that they might
be near to him, who might dwell at On or Heliopolis, to which place, or
province, Goshen belonged; and that being also the nearest part of the land to
Canaan, they might the more easily and sooner get away when there was an
occasion for it; as well as he was desirous they should not be brought into the
heart of the land, lest they should be corrupted with the superstition, and
idolatry, and vices of the people; and being afar off, both from the court, and
the body of the people, might be less subject to their contempt and insults,
since it follows:
for every
shepherd is an abomination unto the Egyptians;
not because shepherds ate
of the milk and flesh of the creatures they fed, which the Egyptians abstained
from; for the Egyptians in those times did eat the flesh of slain beasts, see Genesis 43:16; nor
because they fed, and slew, and ate those creatures, which the Egyptians
worshipped as gods, as Jarchi; for it does not appear that the Egyptians were
so early worshippers of such creatures; nor is this phrase, "every
shepherd", to be understood of any other than foreign shepherds; for one
of the three sorts of the people of Egypt, as distinct from, and under the
king, priests, and soldiers, according to Diodorus SiculusF4Bibliothec.
l. 1. p. 67. , were shepherds, and were not despised on that account; for, as
the same writer says, all the Egyptians were reckoned equally noble and
honourableF5lbid. p. 83. ; and such it is plain there were in Egypt,
in the times of Joseph, see Genesis 47:6; and
goat herds were had in esteem and honour by those about Mendes, though swine
herds were notF6Herodot. Euterpe, sive, l. 2. p. 46, 47. : wherefore
this must be understood of foreign shepherds, the Egyptians having been greatly
distressed by such, who either came out of Ethiopia, and lived by plunder and
robberyF7Gaulmin. Not. in Dfore Hayamim, p. 267. , or out of
Phoenicia or Arabia; for, according to ManethoF8Apud Joseph. contr.
Apion. l. 1. sect. 14. , it was said that they were Arabians or Phoenicians who
entered into Egypt, burnt their cities, &c. and set up kings of their own,
called their Hycsi, or pastor kings: and therefore Joseph might the rather fear
his brethren and father's family would be the more contemptible in that they
came from Canaan, which was near to Arabia and Phoenicia; but Dr. LightfootF9Works:
vol. 1. p. 694. is of opinion, that the Egyptians, being plagued for Abraham's
and Sarah's sake, made a law, that for the future none should converse with
Hebrews, nor with foreign shepherds, so familiarly as to eat or drink with
them.
──《John Gill’s
Exposition of the Bible》
New
King James Version (NKJV)
a.
Genesis 46:10
Spelled Nemuel in 1 Chronicles 4:24
b.
Genesis 46:10
Called Jarib in 1 Chronicles 4:24
c.Genesis 46:10
Called Zerah in 1 Chronicles 4:24
d.
Genesis 46:13
Spelled Puah in 1 Chronicles 7:1
e.
Genesis 46:13
Same as Jashub in Numbers 26:24 and 1 Chronicles 7:1
f.
Genesis 46:16
Spelled Zephon in Samaritan Pentateuch, Septuagint, and Numbers 26:15
g.
Genesis 46:16
Called Ozni in Numbers 26:16
h.
Genesis 46:16
Spelled Arod in Numbers 26:17
i.
Genesis 46:21
Called Hupham in Numbers 26:39
j.
Genesis 46:23
Called Shuham in Numbers 26:42
k.Genesis 46:24
Spelled Jahziel in 1 Chronicles 7:13
l.
Genesis 46:24
Spelled Shallum in 1 Chronicles 7:13