NOTES for Gen 46:1-34
Today's passage tells of the migration of Jacob and all his fellow tribesmen to Egypt. Of course, such a migration became possible above all thanks to Joseph, but it should be kept in mind that in those days Egypt was flooded with Semitic tribes that came partly from the deserts of Sinai and partly from the Syrian steppes. Historians call these Semitic tribes the Hyksos; their invasion of Egypt began at the turn of the nineteenth and eighteenth centuries BC, and Jacob's migration with his fellow tribesmen to Egypt was part of this process. In addition, at this time Egypt was ruled by a dynasty Semitic in origin, which made possible both Joseph's rapid career and the migration of his relatives into the country. The Semitic tribes settled mainly in the Nile Delta, where conditions were almost ideal for the cattle breeding in which they traditionally engaged ("the land of Goshen," v. 34).
It should be noted that the Egyptians always looked on cattle breeders as people of a lower sort, especially Semites, whom they, like all nomads in general, considered barbarians unworthy of attention. It is no surprise that the pharaohs of the Semitic dynasty were by no means popular in Egyptian society: they were tolerated as an unavoidable evil, but nothing more; they could rely neither on the old Egyptian aristocracy, nor on the local bureaucracy, nor on the priesthood. Their only reliable support was the Semitic tribes living in the country, and therefore people from the Semitic environment enjoyed special success at court during this time. It is no surprise that Joseph's request to settle his fellow tribesmen in the country met with a sympathetic response from Pharaoh (v. 31; Gen 47:5-6).
And God uses this opportunity to preserve the life of His people and not let them die of hunger; He says directly to Jacob that the migration to Egypt is part of His plan (vv. 1-4). Of course, this by no means means that Jacob's descendants will remain there forever: the day will come when Egypt will have to be left. But at that moment there was no better place for God's people. This is how God acts in history, using historical processes to carry out His plans for His people.