1 So Israel set out with all that was his, and when he reached Beersheba, he offered sacrifices to the God of his father Isaac. |
2 And God spoke to Israel in a vision at night and said, "Jacob! Jacob!"
"Here I am," he replied. |
3 "I am God, the God of your father," he said. "Do not be afraid to go down to Egypt, for I will make you into a great nation there. |
4 I will go down to Egypt with you, and I will surely bring you back again. And Joseph's own hand will close your eyes." |
5 Then Jacob left Beersheba, and Israel's sons took their father Jacob and their children and their wives in the carts that Pharaoh had sent to transport him. |
6 They also took with them their livestock and the possessions they had acquired in Canaan, and Jacob and all his offspring went to Egypt. |
7 He took with him to Egypt his sons and grandsons and his daughters and granddaughters-all his offspring. |
8 These are the names of the sons of Israel (Jacob and his descendants) who went to Egypt: |
9 The sons of Reuben:
Hanoch, Pallu, Hezron and Carmi. |
10 The sons of Simeon:
Jemuel, Jamin, Ohad, Jakin, Zohar and Shaul the son of a Canaanite woman. |
11 The sons of Levi:
Gershon, Kohath and Merari. |
12 The sons of Judah:
Er, Onan, Shelah, Perez and Zerah (but Er and Onan had died in the land of Canaan).
The sons of Perez:
Hezron and Hamul. |
13 The sons of Issachar:
Tola, Puah,1 46:13 Samaritan Pentateuch and Syriac (see also 1 Chron. 7:1); Masoretic Text Puvah Jashub2 46:13 Samaritan Pentateuch and some Septuagint manuscripts (see also Num. 26:24 and 1 Chron. 7:1); Masoretic Text Iob and Shimron. |
14 The sons of Zebulun:
Sered, Elon and Jahleel. |
15 These were the sons Leah bore to Jacob in Paddan Aram,3 46:15 That is, Northwest Mesopotamia besides his daughter Dinah. These sons and daughters of his were thirty-three in all. |
16 The sons of Gad:
Zephon,4 46:16 Samaritan Pentateuch and Septuagint (see also Num.26:15); Masoretic Text Ziphion Haggi, Shuni, Ezbon, Eri, Arodi and Areli. |
17 The sons of Asher:
Imnah, Ishvah, Ishvi and Beriah.
Their sister was Serah.
The sons of Beriah:
Heber and Malkiel. |
18 These were the children born to Jacob by Zilpah, whom Laban had given to his daughter Leah-sixteen in all. |
19 The sons of Jacob's wife Rachel:
Joseph and Benjamin. |
20 In Egypt, Manasseh and Ephraim were born to Joseph by Asenath daughter of Potiphera, priest of On.5 46:20 That is, Heliopolis |
21 The sons of Benjamin:
Bela, Beker, Ashbel, Gera, Naaman, Ehi, Rosh, Muppim, Huppim and Ard. |
22 These were the sons of Rachel who were born to Jacob-fourteen in all. |
23 The son of Dan:
Hushim. |
24 The sons of Naphtali:
Jahziel, Guni, Jezer and Shillem. |
25 These were the sons born to Jacob by Bilhah, whom Laban had given to his daughter Rachel-seven in all. |
26 All those who went to Egypt with Jacob-those who were his direct descendants, not counting his sons' wives-numbered sixty-six persons. |
27 With the two sons6 46:27 Hebrew; Septuagint the nine children who had been born to Joseph in Egypt, the members of Jacob's family, which went to Egypt, were seventy7 46:27 Hebrew (see also Exodus 1:5 and footnote); Septuagint (see also Acts 7:14) seventy-five in all. |
28 Now Jacob sent Judah ahead of him to Joseph to get directions to Goshen. When they arrived in the region of Goshen, |
29 Joseph had his chariot made ready and went to Goshen to meet his father Israel. As soon as Joseph appeared before him, he threw his arms around his father8 46:29 Hebrew around him and wept for a long time. |
30 Israel said to Joseph, "Now I am ready to die, since I have seen for myself that you are still alive." |
31 Then Joseph said to his brothers and to his father's household, "I will go up and speak to Pharaoh and will say to him, 'My brothers and my father's household, who were living in the land of Canaan, have come to me. |
32 The men are shepherds; they tend livestock, and they have brought along their flocks and herds and everything they own.' |
33 When Pharaoh calls you in and asks, 'What is your occupation?' |
34 you should answer, 'Your servants have tended livestock from our boyhood on, just as our fathers did.' Then you will be allowed to settle in the region of Goshen, for all shepherds are detestable to the Egyptians." |
46 Jacob is here removing to Egypt in his old age.
46:1 And Israel came to Beer - sheba, and offered sacrifices to the God of his father Isaac - He chose that place in remembrance of the communion which his father and grandfather had with God in that place. In his devotion he had an eye to God as the God of his father Isaac, that is, a God in covenant with him, for by Isaac the covenant was entailed upon him. He offered sacrifices, extraordinary sacrifices, besides those at his stated times. These sacrifices were offered,
46:2 And God spake unto Israel in the visions of the night - (Probably the next night after he had offered his sacrifices.) Those who desire to keep up communion with God, shall find that it never fails on his side. If we speak to him as we ought, he will not fail to speak to us. God called him by his name, by his old name, Jacob, Jacob, to mind him of his low estate. Jacob, like one well acquainted with the visions of the Almighty, answers, Here am I - Ready to receive orders. And what has God to say to him?
46:3 I am God, the God of thy father - That is, I am what thou ownest me to be: thou shalt find me a God of divine wisdom and power engaged for thee: and thou shalt find me the God of thy father, true to the covenant made with him. Fear not to go down into Egypt - It seems though Jacob, upon the first intelligence of Joseph's life and glory in Egypt, resolved without any hesitation I will go and see him, yet upon second thoughts he saw difficulties in it.
46:4 I will go down with thee into Egypt - Those that go where God sends them shall certainly have God with them. And I will surely bring thee up again - Tho' Jacob died in Egypt, yet this promise was fulfilled,
46:7 All his seed - 'Tis probable they continued to live together in common with their father, and therefore when he went they all went; which perhaps they were the more willing to do, because, tho' they had heard that the land of Canaan was promised them, yet to this day they had none of it in possession. We have here a particular account of the names of Jacob's family; his sons sons, most of which are afterwards mentioned, as heads of houses in the several tribes. See Num 26:5, etc Issachar called his eldest son Tola, which signifies a worm, probably because when he was born he was a little weak child, not likely to live, and yet there sprang from him a very numerous off - spring, Ch1 7:2. The whole number that went down intoEgypt were sixty - six, to which add Joseph and his two sons, who were there before, and Jacob himself, the head of the family, and you have the number of seventy. 'Twas now 215 years since God had promised Abraham to make of him a great nation, Gen 12:2, and yet that branch of his seed, on which the promise was entailed, was as yet increased but to seventy, of which this particular account is kept, that the power of God in multiplying these seventy to so vast a multitude, even in Egypt, may be the more illustrious. When he pleases, A little one shall become a thousand.
46:30 Now let me die - Not but that it was farther desirable to live with Joseph, and to see his honour and usefulness; but he had so much satisfaction in this first meeting, that he thought it too much to desire or expect any more in this world.