We will begin this lesson in Genesis 46:1 “And Israel took his journey with all that he had, and came to Beer-sheba,
and offered sacrifices unto the God of his father Isaac.”
Genesis 46:2 “And God spake unto Israel in the visions of the
night, and said, Jacob, Jacob. And he said, Here [am] I.”
Genesis 46:3 “And he said, I [am] God, the God of thy father:
fear not to go down into Egypt; for I will there make of thee a great
nation:”
Beersheba had been a place where Abraham and Isaac had built
altars and sacrificed to God before Jacob. This was a likely place for
Jacob to go and pray before going into Egypt. Jacob had not really
been visited by God for more than twenty five years.
Jacob undoubtedly knew of the prophecy given to Abraham telling
of 400 years of servitude in Egypt by the Israelites. Surely Isreal
(Jacob) was praying and asking God’s advice on going to this land that
had been off limits to his people before. Yet, Joseph was in Egypt,
and Isreal, more than he cared for his own life, wanted to see Joseph.
Probably, in the night vision, when God spoke to Isreal and called him
Jacob, God was reminded him of who he used to be, and still would be,
except for the grace of God. God assured Jacob that it was alright to
go to Egypt. He promised to make a great nation of him, again, here.
Genesis 46:4 “I will go down with thee into Egypt; and I will
also surely bring thee up [again]: and Joseph shall put his hand upon
thine eyes.”
Here, we see that the God of Isreal is not limited to Canaan, but
is God everywhere. It appears that God promises that Joseph would close
Jacob’s eyes at death, and bury him in Canaan with his relatives.
Genesis 46:5 “And Jacob rose up from Beer-sheba: 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.”
Genesis 46:6 “And they took their cattle, and their goods, which
they had gotten in the land of Canaan, and came into Egypt, Jacob, and
all his seed with him:”
Genesis 46:7 “His sons, and his sons’ sons with him, his
daughters, and his sons’ daughters, and all his seed brought he with
him into Egypt.”
We see, here, that not only did they carry everything Jacob had
into Egypt, but all of his sons, and all of their families, and all of
their possessions, as well. This all happened when Jacob was about one
hundred and thirty years old.
Genesis 46:8 “And these [are] the names of the children of
Israel, which came into Egypt, Jacob and his sons: Reuben, Jacob’s
firstborn.”
Genesis 46:9 “And the sons of Reuben; Hanoch, and Phallu, and
Hezron, and Carmi.”
Genesis 46:10 “And the sons of Simeon; Jemuel, and Jamin, and
Ohad, and Jachin, and Zohar, and Shaul the son of a Canaanitish
woman.”
Genesis 46:11 “And the sons of Levi; Gershon, Kohath, and
Merari.”
Genesis 46:12 “And the sons of Judah; Er, and Onan, and Shelah,
and Pharez, and Zarah: but Er and Onan died in the land of Canaan. And
the sons of Pharez were Hezron and Hamul.”
Genesis 46:13 “And the sons of Issachar; Tola, and Phuvah, and
Job, and Shimron.”
Genesis 46:14 “And the sons of Zebulun; Sered, and Elon, and
Jahleel.”
Genesis 46:15 “These [be] the sons of Leah, which she bare unto
Jacob in Padan-aram, with his daughter Dinah: all the souls of his
sons and his daughters [were] thirty and three.”
Here, we see the children and grand children of Leah, Jacob’s
first wife, thirty three in all.
Genesis 46:16 “And the sons of Gad; Ziphion, and Haggi, Shuni,
and Ezbon, Eri, and Arodi, and Areli.”
Genesis 46:17 “And the sons of Asher; Jimnah, and Ishuah, and
Isui, and Beriah, and Serah their sister: and the sons of Beriah;
Heber, and Malchiel.”
Genesis 46:18 “These [are] the sons of Zilpah, whom Laban gave to
Leah his daughter, and these she bare unto Jacob, [even] sixteen
souls.”
Zilpah, the handmaiden of Leah ,accounted for sixteen who went to
Egypt.
Genesis 46:19 “The sons of Rachel Jacob’s wife; Joseph, and
Benjamin.”
Genesis 46:20 “And unto Joseph in the land of Egypt were born
Manasseh and Ephraim, which Asenath the daughter of Poti-pherah priest
of On bare unto him.”
Genesis 46:21 “And the sons of Benjamin [were] Belah, and
Becher, and Ashbel, Gera, and Naaman, Ehi, and Rosh, Muppim, and
Huppim, and Ard.”
Genesis 46:22 “These [are] the sons of Rachel, which were born to
Jacob: all the souls [were] fourteen.”
Rachel’s descendants who went into Egypt totalled fourteen.
Genesis 46:23 “And the sons of Dan; Hushim.”
Genesis 46:24 “And the sons of Naphtali; Jahzeel, and Guni, and
Jezer, and Shillem.”
Genesis 46:25 “These [are] the sons of Bilhah, which Laban gave
unto Rachel his daughter, and she bare these unto Jacob: all the souls
[were] seven.”
Bilhah, Rachel’s handmaiden, accounted seven descendents who went
to Egypt.
Genesis 46:26 “All the souls that came with Jacob into Egypt,
which came out of his loins, besides Jacob’s sons’ wives, all the
souls [were] threescore and six;”
Genesis 46:27 “And the sons of Joseph, which were born him in
Egypt, [were] two souls: all the souls of the house of Jacob, which
came into Egypt, [were] threescore and ten.”
These seventy souls, if you add Isreal and his four wives, ma
grand total of seventy five people who would grow to be approximately
three million at the exodus. They fulfilled God’s promise that they
truly be a multitude. This seventy five includes Joseph’s family who
are already in Egypt.
Genesis 46:28 “And he sent Judah before him unto Joseph, to
direct his face unto Goshen; and they came into the land of Goshen.”
Here, Jacob was just unfamiliar with Egypt, and needed directions to
find the area of Goshen.
Genesis 46:29 “And Joseph made ready his chariot, and went up to
meet Israel his father, to Goshen, and presented himself unto him; and
he fell on his neck, and wept on his neck a good while.”
This had to be a very touching scene. Joseph had waited over
twenty years for this moment. The tears of loneliness to see his
father aand finally been turned into joy. he came in all this new
found Egyptian pomp, but fell on his face on his father’s neck, and
wept tears of Joy. All the power and circumstances were gone, This was
his long awaited father. He just could not let go of Jacob, just as if he
did, he would disappear again.
Genesis 46:30 “And Israel said unto Joseph, Now let me die, since
I have seen thy face, because thou [art] yet alive.”
Isreal was so delighted, his statement meant that he could die in
peace now that he had seen Joseph.
Genesis 46:31 “And Joseph said unto his brethren, and unto his
father’s house, I will go up, and shew Pharaoh, and say unto him, My
brethren, and my father’s house, which [were] in the land of Canaan,
are come unto me;”
Jacob wanted the Pharaoh to know that his family had now settled
in Egypt. They brought their animals with them, so they would not be
solely dependent on Pharaoh.
Genesis 46:32 “And the men [are] shepherds, for their trade hath
been to feed cattle; and they have brought their flocks, and their
herds, and all that they have.”
Genesis 46:33 “And it shall come to pass, when Pharaoh shall call
you, and shall say, What [is] your occupation?”
Genesis 46:34 “That ye shall say, Thy servants’ trade hath been
about cattle from our youth even until now, both we, [and] also our
fathers: that ye may dwell in the land of Goshen; for every shepherd
[is] an abomination unto the Egyptians.”
The Egyptians were not friendly to shepherds. Joseph told his
father to just say he was a cattleman. Goshen had easy access to
Canaan, so that was where they settled.
We will be in chapter 47 of Genesis in the next lesson.