Genesis Chapters 46, 47, 48 Commentary by Mark Dunagan

Genesis Chapters 46-48

Chapter 46 46:1-4 God reassures Israel (Jacob) that it is all right for his entire family to move into Egypt. Even though Canaan is the land of promise, God and His power is not limited to one geographic region (46:4). Here we see the beginnings of what God has said to Abraham in 15:13-16. “On his way out of Canaan Israel had in mind to stop by the old altar at Beersheba, when he had lived with his father Isaac (28:10). Beersheba, of course, was near the southern boundary of the land, and would, so to speak, be the ‘point of no return’” (Morris p. 628).

Abraham had also erected an altar in this area (21:33). God also assured him that he would see Joseph again. Furthermore, when it came die for him to die, it would be his beloved son Joseph, who would perform the sacred duty of closing Jacob’s eyes in death for his burial.

46:8-27 “This list arranges the family into its Leah and Rachel groups: first the descendants of Leah and her handmaid Zilpah…then those of Rachel and Bilhah.

This gives a total of seventy, according to the subtotals listed in verses 15,18,22,25….The daughters-in-law, although members of the family, are not reckoned in these totals, which refer only to actual descendants of Jacob (26)” (Kidner p. 209).

Leah’s children and grandchildren (verse 15): Zilpah’s children and grandchildren (verse 18) Rachel’s children and grandchildren (verse 22) Bilhah’s children and grandchildren (verse 25) Total Dinah (15)

33 16 14 7 70 71

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Er and Onan (who died in Canaan; v. 12) Joseph and his two sons already in Egypt (v. 20)

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Those who went to Egypt with Jacob (v. 26) Joseph, Manasseh, Ephraim, Jacob Jacob and his progeny in Egypt (v. 27)

66 +4 70

In verse 10 we learn that Simon had married a Canaanite woman. One of the sons of Levi, Kohath (11) was to become the ancestor of Moses. Besides Dinah (15), the only other female descendant mentioned is Serah, a daughter of Asher in verse 17. Benjamin had become the father of 10 sons (21). Hezron, a grandson of Judah (12), carried on the lineage of Christ. Deut. 10:22 and Exodus 1:5 also mention 70 descendants of Jacob arriving in Egypt. In the Septuagint (the Greek translation made of the Old Testament around 280 B.C.), Exodus 1:5 reads 75, which Stephen quotes in Acts 7:14, and which the Dead Sea Scrolls support. This should not surprise us, for this chapter already has told us that depending upon who you include in this list, and who you reckon as a descendant of Jacob, the number can vary (46:26-27). Since God had Stephen quote the Sept. by inspiration, God feels that 75 is equally an accurate number. Since none of the daughters-in-law are counted, we know that more than 70 people came into Egypt with Jacob.

46:28 Clearly Judah has proven his worth and begins to arise as one of the leaders among Jacob’s sons. “Judah preceded the clan to Egypt to confirm the arrangements for settlement in the land of Goshen” (Smith p. 221).

46:29 After 22 years of separation, Joseph is finally reunited with his father.

Note the statement, “wept on his neck a long time”. “When they finally met, for the first time in over twenty-two years, the joy was almost unbearable. No words could be spoken at all; Joseph could merely fling his arms around Israel’s neck, where he wept ‘a good while’” (Morris p. 635).

46:30 Jacob was not wanting to die immediately, but seeing Joseph with his own eyes and knowing he was well had been his only wish before his death. He was now prepared to die. He had no unfinished business.

46:31-34 Even though Joseph was second in command, he did not have the authority to simply give land away, even to his own family. Joseph instructed

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his brothers to stress their occupation to Pharaoh, so that Pharaoh would be encouraged to give them the land of Goshen in which to settle.

“The Egyptian people, according to both the Bible and secular historians, despised the profession of sheep-herding” (Morris p. 635). “A disdain for cattle raisers is described vividly in Egyptian literature, and is also evident in artwork and monuments of various kings” (Aalders pp. 249-250).

“Frequent illustrations of the contempt in which the Egyptians held shepherds are seen on the ancient monuments: the shepherds being invariably represented as lank, withered, distorted, emaciated specimens of humanity. Concerning the cause of this feeling there are different opinions. It is certain that cattle were not by any means considered unclean by the Egyptians: The cow was sacred to Isis, and oxen were used for food and for labor; it is not likely, therefore, that taking care of them could have been considered polluting. The objection was not to the tending of cattle---which in itself is as necessary as the cultivation of the soil---but rather to the vagrant mode of life to which the shepherds were addicted” (Manners and Customs, Freeman p. 55).

Joseph realized that Egypt had its own temptations, yet the land of Goshen was ideal, first of all it was well suited for flocks and herds and it was near to where Joseph’s administration was centered (45:10), so he could easily keep in contact with his family. Just as important, it was somewhat isolated from the Egyptians, which permitted the Hebrews to live their own lives and practice their own culture and religion. Morris notes, “Although Egypt was, if anything, even more polytheistic in its religion than Canaan, there was not the danger of assimilation that perpetually confronted them in Canaan. The Egyptians felt themselves racially superior and were reluctant to mix and intermarry with foreigners, especially shepherds” (p. 629). This is one reason that God probably chose Egypt as the place for Israel to grow into a nation, even though such growth meant that they would be persecuted.

Chapter 47 47:1-6 Joseph selected five representatives among his family to stand before Pharaoh and everything went well. “It was through Joseph’s wise advice…that his brothers knew what they wanted and made no secret of what they were; the interview is a good model of straightforward, peaceable dealings between a pilgrim people and the temporal power (1 Peter 2:11-17)” (Kidner p. 210). In later

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times the land of Goshen was renamed the district of Rameses (11; Exodus 1:11).

Even though shepherds were an abomination to the Egyptians, Pharaoh did have extensive herds of his own. “He therefore offered to employ any of the Israelite clan who were competent to do so to assume charge over his cattle and those that handled them” (Morris p. 637). Hence, not only did the Israelites find food in Egypt, they also found employment.

Jacob before Pharaoh 47:7-10 What a meeting! Probably the most powerful man in the ancient world at this time (Pharaoh), and the man through whom the Messiah would be born!

“Though Pharaoh was the more wealthy and powerful, Jacob clearly was the superior, for he ‘blessed Pharaoh’ (Genesis 14:19; Hebrews 7:7)…A reading of the passage suggests that Pharaoh indeed sensed this, in Jacob’s presence. He seemed….to recognize he was speaking to a man of unusual spiritual depth and perception, a man who had known and walked with God for many years” (Morris p. 637). Even though, Jacob was 130 at this time, compared to the lifetime of his father Isaac (who lived to be 180; Genesis 35:28) and his grandfather Abraham (175; Genesis 25:7), his lifetime had been rather short in comparison to theirs. Following this event, Jacob would live another 17 years (47:28). “He realized he could never hope to live as long as they had. Longevity of mankind was still, at that time, gradually decreasing from what it had been in antediluvian days. Also, no doubt, the many hardships and sorrows in Jacob’s life had taken their toil on his health” (Morris pp. 637-638). Jacob is not complaining, rather he is simply stating the facts, his life had been filled with many hardships. “As for Jacob, in his old age he was: unimpressed by rank (7b,10) diffuse and deliberate, taking an independent view of events, and making somber comparisons with the past” (Kidner p. 210).

47:11 The first king of the Ramesside dynasty did not reign until approx., 1319 B.C., but the name “Ramses” was in existence before this time.

47:15 Joseph clearly had asked a fair price for the grain, but it was only a matter of time until the Egyptian people had spent all of their savings on food. Joseph then allows a barter system, in which livestock can be exchanged for food. This arrangement benefited both the people and the animals, since they would have been unable to keep the animals alive during the famine. This arrangement worked well for an entire year.

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With all their money and animals gone, Joseph enabled the people to purchase grain by trading their land for food, and the people greatly appreciated this arrangement (47:25). Placing everyone on a welfare system would have bankrupted the state, destroyed personal self-respect, and would have probably resulted in a social revolution. “The people had learned to trust Joseph. He had always charged them a fair price and, even though they had used up all their money and marketable possessions, they still had their self-respect” (Morris p.

640). This also enabled Joseph to relocate many of the people, so they could be closer to the supplies to grain (21). While this system resulted in a centralized bureaucracy, such is preferable to mass starvation and anarchy. In addition, we need to remember that even the best form of government is useless unless there are honest and ethical individuals in that government. Pharaoh owned all of the land, but the people were happy because the man in charge (Joseph) was an honest and fair man. “While they were without money and cattle, they did not live merely on handouts. Joseph provided them with seed and every necessity for agriculture, requiring only that one-fifth of their crops to given to Pharaoh” (Davis p. 292). “Joseph then made the land available to the farmers so that they could plant crops and also gave them seed for planting. He no doubt also made their beasts of burden available to them for working the fields…It would seem obvious that these measures were introduced when the land again began to yield crops and the famine was over” (Aalders pp. 254-255). “This is not excessive (the tax rate) in terms of present-day standards, especially since these farmers had no rent to pay, no cost of investment or upkeep, in fact nothing except their own personal expenses” (Morris p. 641).

47:27-31 Things went very well with the Israelites in Egypt. Near the end of his life, Jacob calls to himself Joseph and has him swear that Joseph will see to it that his father Jacob is buried in the land of Canaan. “Joseph swore to bury Jacob in Canaan, his homeland. Jacob’s desire to be buried there clearly indicated his explicit faith in the covenant promises of God” (Davis p. 292). The burial place of Jacob’s fathers, was the Cave of Machpelah. “’to bow low’….a gesture of appreciation on the part of a bedridden man near the point of death” (Davis p.

293).

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Chapter 48 “Out of Jacob’s long career, Hebrews 11:21 selects this event as his outstanding act of faith. It has the quality, praised in that chapter, of reaching out towards the promise, even in face of death” (Kidner p. 212).

48:1 Apparently, very soon after the events of 47:29-31, Joseph is again summoned to the bedside of his father. These are two different events: In this chapter Joseph is told that his father is sick (48:1), in 47:29, Jacob himself had specifically called for Joseph. In the previous chapter Joseph had come by himself, in this chapter Joseph arrives with his two sons. In the previous chapter, Jacob felt his strength slowly waning and wanted to make some final provisions for his burial. In this chapter, his condition is presented as far more critical.

48:2 “It may be that Jacob supported himself by both his staff and the bed’s headboard, as he was very old and feeble by this time. It took all his remaining strength to raise himself and to utter the prophetic words of chapters 48 and 49” (Morris p. 643).

48:3-5 Jacob reminds Joseph that God had appeared to him in Canaan and assured him of future blessings. The city of Luz was renamed “Bethel” by Jacob (Genesis 28:10-22; 35:9-13). These words from God had provided Jacob with hope and strength, even during the years of hardship and difficulty.

“Jacob had fully intended, in the beginning, that Rachel be his only wife; in that case, Joseph would indeed have been the firstborn. It had been by Laban’s deception, not by Jacob’s choice, that things had developed differently. It was appropriate, therefore, that Joseph be regarded as, in a peculiar sense, Jacob’s firstborn” (Morris p. 646). Here we learn that the father had the right to change or alter the birthright. Reuben and Simon would continue to be regarded as the sons of Joseph, but the birthright would pass to Ephraim and Manasseh, who would be counted as two of Jacob’s sons. They would be equal in rank with all the other sons of Jacob (1 Chronciles 5:1), and they would be given the rank and blessing of the first-born. Hence, Joseph through his descendants was actually given a double portion of the promised land. “In the future inheritance of the land all other sons of Joseph would be reckoned as belonging to either Ephraim or Manasseh” (Smith p. 224).

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48:7 “It is wholly understandable that as Jacob was emotionally dwelling on his relationship to Joseph’s sons his mind should recall their grandmother, his beloved and beautiful Rachel. For a moment the old man was painfully reminded of her untimely death and the continuing grief he felt as he remembered her burial there along the way” (Aalders pp. 259-260).

48:8 Jacob’s eyesight was also failing him.

48:9-12 Consider Jacob’s appreciation for what God had done for him. Jacob had never expected to see any of Joseph’s children, not to mention, Joseph himself! We are told that these two sons of Joseph were born a year before the famine hit (41:50). Hence these young men are around 20 years old at this time.

Jacob had lived 17 years after he came into Egypt (47:28), and had come when the famine was in its second year (45:6). The statement, “Then Joseph took them from his knees” (48:12), seems to give us a picture of Jacob sitting on the edge of his bed in order to embrace these two young men, as they pressed against the knees of Jacob. Then, at a signal from Joseph, they again withdrew to stand a bit further back. Joseph bows before his father, expressing his appreciation and gratitude for his father’s gracious adoption of these two sons. Be impressed that even though these two sons were half Egyptian, Jacob had no prejudices against them.

48:13-20 Jacob had clearly learned a valuable lesson from the past. Once again, God chose the second-born over the first-born to receive the blessings of the first-born.

Jacob makes it clear to Joseph that he is not making a mistake or falling into a blunder caused by his advanced age. Even near the point of death, Jacob is fully aware of what he is doing and saying. “He had learned that in spite of what man attempted to do God had blessed him, the younger” (Bible Knowledge Comm. p.

97). God had chosen him over Esau, and now God had again done the same thing concerning two of his grandsons. “Jacob’s blessing on Ephraim begin to realize fulfillment during the time of the judges. The tribe of Ephraim had increased in number and power to the point that it exercised leadership among the northern ten tribes” (Davis p. 294). “So strong was this dominance of Ephraim that the northern kingdom was actually called ‘Ephraim’ (see 2 Chron.

25:7; Isaiah 7:5; 11:13; 28:3” (Aalders p. 266). In addition, we see a great contrast with Jacob’s earlier deception and Joseph’s forthrightness. Even though his life had not been easy at times, Jacob did not have any complaints concerning how God had treated him. Rather, long before David wrote the 23rd Psalm, Jacob 7

knew what it means to say, “The Lord is my shepherd” (15). Jacob realized that God had often providentially intervened and had rescued him from trouble and harm. As with the other children, the descendants of these two boys would carry on the name, “Israel”, the name which God had given to Jacob.

48:21-22 Jacob assures Joseph that God would bring Joseph and especially his descendants back to the land of Promise. When the Israelites felt Egypt, they took Joseph’s bones along for burial in Canaan (50:25; Exodus 13:19). In Joshua 24:32, we read about the burial of Joseph’s bones and there we are told that this burial was in the tract of land that Jacob bought from the sons of Hamor. The word “portion” in verse 22 means “shoulder, ridge or mountain slope”. To Joseph and his descendants, Jacob willed the property that he had owned around the city of Shechem (John 4:5; Genesis 33:19). This territory would be in Manasseh’s territory, at the center of the area covered by the two Joseph-tribes.

From the last statement in this verse it appears that Jacob had engaged in a battle for this piece of property, “which I took from the hand of the Amorite with my sword and by bow”. It appears that Jacob had initially purchased this property (Genesis 33:19), and then it was later taken by the Amorites, and then Jacob in turn, recaptured it by winning a battle against them.

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