96 | Genesis 46:26
26 All those who went to Egypt with Jacob — those who were his direct descendants , not count ing his sons ’ wives — num bered sixty-six per sons . e
27 With the two sons a who had been born to Jo seph in Egypt , the mem bers of Ja cob ’ s fam ily , which went to Egypt , were seventy b in all . f
28 Now Ja cob sent Ju dah ahead of him to Jo seph to get di rec tions to Go shen . g When they ar rived in the re gion of Go shen , 29 Jo seph had his char iot made ready and went to Go shen to meet his fa ther Is rael . As soon as Jo seph ap peared be fore him , he threw his arms around his father c and wept for a long time . h 30 Is rael said to Jo seph , “ Now I am ready to die , since I have seen for my self that you are still alive .”
31 Then Jo seph said to his broth ers and to his fa ther ’ s house hold , “ I will go up and speak to Phar aoh and will say to him , ‘ My broth ers and my fa ther ’ s house hold , who were liv ing in the land of Ca naan , have come to me . i 32 The men are shep herds ; they tend live stock , and they have brought along their flocks and herds and ev ery thing they own .’ 33 When Pharaoh calls you in and asks , ‘ What is your oc cu pa tion ?’ j 34 you should an swer , ‘ Your ser vants have tended live stock from our boy hood on , just as our fa thers did .’ Then you will be al lowed to set tle in the re gion of Go shen , k for all shep herds are de test able to the Egyp tians . l ” Jo seph went and told Phar aoh , “ My fa ther and broth ers , with their flocks and herds
47 and ev ery thing they own , have come from the land of Ca naan and are now in Goshen .” m 2 He chose five of his broth ers and pre sented them be fore Phar aoh .
3 Pharaoh asked the brothers , “ What is your occupation ?” n
“ Your ser vants are shep herds ,” they re plied to Phar aoh , “ just as our fa thers were .” 4 They also said to him , “ We have come to live here for a while , o be cause the fam ine is se vere in Canaan p and your ser vants ’ flocks have no pas ture . So now , please let your ser vants set tle in Goshen .” q
5 Phar aoh said to Jo seph , “ Your fa ther and your broth ers have come to you , 6 and the land of Egypt is be fore you ; set tle your fa ther and your broth ers in the best part of the land . r Let them live in Go shen . And if you know of any among them with spe cial abil ity , s put them in charge of my own live stock .”
7 Then Jo seph brought his fa ther Ja cob in and pre sented him be fore Phar aoh . Af ter Jacob blessed d
Pharaoh , t
8 Phar aoh asked him , “ How old are you ?”
9 And Ja cob said to Phar aoh , “ The years of my pil grim age are a hun dred and thirty . u My years have been few and dif fi cult , v and they do not equal the years of the pil grim age of my fathers . w ” 10 Then Jacob blessed e
Pharaoh x and went out from his pres ence .
11 So Jo seph set tled his fa ther and his broth ers in Egypt and gave them prop erty in the best part of the land , the dis trict of Ram e ses , y as Phar aoh di rected . 12 Joseph also provided his fa ther and his broth ers and all his fa ther ’ s house hold with food , ac cord ing to the number of their children . z
a 27 Hebrew ; Septuagint the nine children b 27 Hebrew ( see also Exodus 1:5 and note ); Septuagint ( see also Acts 7:14 ) seventy-five c 29 Hebrew around him d 7 Or greeted e 10 Or said farewell to
46:26 e ver 5-7 ; Ex 1:5 ; Dt 10:22
46:27 f Ac 7:14 46:28 g Ge 45:10
46:29 h Ge 45:14-15 ; Lk 15:20
46:31 i Ge 47:1 46:33 j Ge 47:3
46:34 k Ge 45:10 l Ge 43:32 ; Ex 8:26
47:1 m Ge 46:31 47:3 n Ge 46:33
47:4 o Ge 15:13 ; Dt 26:5 p Ge 43:1 q Ge 46:34
47:6 r Ge 45:18 s Ex 18:21 , 25
47:7 t ver 10 ; 2Sa 14:22
47:9 u Ge 25:7 v Heb 11:9 , 13
w Ge 35:28
47:10 x ver 7 47:11 y Ex 1:11 ; 12:37 47:12 z Ge 45:11
46:26 – 27 This summary concludes the list of names in vv . 8 – 25 . 46:26 sixty-six . This total , which excludes Jacob ’ s sons ’ wives , who were not “ his direct descendants ,” does not tally exactly with the totals in vv . 8 – 25 ( i . e ., 33 + 16 + 14 + 7 = 70 ). Nothing obvious explains how this was calculated to give the total 66 . The second total of “ seventy ” ( v . 27 ) is probably based on 66 plus Jacob , Joseph , and Joseph ’ s two sons , Manasseh and Ephraim . To add to the complexity of these figures , the earliest Greek translation of Genesis records the number of Joseph ’ s sons as nine ( see first NIV text note on v . 27 ), giving a total of 75 ( see second NIV text note on v . 27 ; see also Acts 7:14 ) rather than 70 . In the process of copying manuscripts , mistakes occasionally can arise with numbers . Something like this may have occurred at an early stage in the transmission of the text of Genesis . 46:28 Joseph had already advised Jacob that the region of Goshen would be the most suitable location for Jacob ’ s family ( 45:10 ), so Jacob entrusts Judah with getting directions from Joseph . In the later part of his life , Judah stands apart from his brothers as a trustworthy son . The exceptional blessing that Jacob later gives
Judah reflects his faith in Judah ( 49:8 – 12 ). 46:32 – 34 In spite of knowing how the Egyptians detest shepherds ( see note on v . 34 ), Joseph instructs his brothers to declare before Phar aoh that their occupation is tending flocks and herds . This will ensure that they will be located in the region of Goshen . By retaining their traditional way of life , the Israelites will remain apart from mainstream Egyptian society . 46:34 all shepherds are detestable to the Egyptians . The precise reason for this dislike is not clear . Differing religious practices may have motivated it ( see Exod 8:26 ). The refusal of Egyptians to share a meal with Hebrews possibly reflects it ( 43:32 ).
47:1 – 6 Through tactful diplomacy Joseph gains permission from Phar aoh for his family to settle in Goshen . Phar aoh ’ s willingness to entrust his own livestock to Joseph ’ s brothers shows Joseph ’ s good standing in the Egyptian court . 47:7 – 10 This brief scene begins and ends with Jacob blessing Phar aoh . Although these blessings may be merely part of the formalities of meeting and parting , they take on a greater significance when set against the background of the blessing Isaac bestowed on Jacob ( 27:29 ), which in turn echoes God ’ s promise to Abraham in 12:3 . The developing Genesis narrative closely ties God ’ s blessing to the unique family line that descends from Abraham . Jacob blesses Phar aoh for showing respect to Abraham ’ s descendants . 47:9 My years have been few and difficult . According to the chronological information in Genesis , Jacob is now 130 years old . While this is exceptional by modern standards , Abraham and Isaac lived to be 175 and 180 years old , respectively . They viewed such lengthy years as a sign of God ’ s blessing . Jacob , however , alludes to the difficulties that have marked his life ( e . g ., his forced exile to Paddan Aram ; his loss of Joseph as a much loved son ). the pilgrimage of my fathers . Jacob refers to the seminomadic lifestyle of Abraham and Isaac , which meant that they had no permanent residence . The patriarchs deliberately adopt ed this lifestyle because they anticipated a city God designed and built ( Heb 11:9 – 16 ). Jacob identifies with his immediate forefathers by speaking of his own pilgrimage . 47:11 district of Rameses . Probably a prime location within the larger region of Goshen