Genesis 45

KJV · Chapter 45/50

1Then Joseph could not refrain himself before all them that stood by him; and he cried, Cause every man to go out from me. And there stood no man with him, while Joseph made himself known unto his brethren.

2And he wept aloud: and the Egyptians and the house of Pharaoh heard.

3And Joseph said unto his brethren, I am Joseph; doth my father yet live? And his brethren could not answer him; for they were troubled at his presence.

4And Joseph said unto his brethren, Come near to me, I pray you. And they came near. And he said, I am Joseph your brother, whom ye sold into Egypt.

5Now therefore be not grieved, nor angry with yourselves, that ye sold me hither: for God did send me before you to preserve life.

6For these two years hath the famine been in the land: and yet there are five years, in the which there shall neither be earing nor harvest.

7And God sent me before you to preserve you a posterity in the earth, and to save your lives by a great deliverance.

8So now it was not you that sent me hither, but God: and he hath made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house, and a ruler throughout all the land of Egypt.

9Haste ye, and go up to my father, and say unto him, Thus saith thy son Joseph, God hath made me lord of all Egypt: come down unto me, tarry not:

10And thou shalt dwell in the land of Goshen, and thou shalt be near unto me, thou, and thy children, and thy children’s children, and thy flocks, and thy herds, and all that thou hast:

11And there will I nourish thee; for yet there are five years of famine; lest thou, and thy household, and all that thou hast, come to poverty.

12And, behold, your eyes see, and the eyes of my brother Benjamin, that it is my mouth that speaketh unto you.

13And ye shall tell my father of all my glory in Egypt, and of all that ye have seen; and ye shall haste and bring down my father hither.

14And he fell upon his brother Benjamin’s neck, and wept; and Benjamin wept upon his neck.

15Moreover he kissed all his brethren, and wept upon them: and after that his brethren talked with him.

16And the fame thereof was heard in Pharaoh’s house, saying, Joseph’s brethren are come: and it pleased Pharaoh well, and his servants.

17And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, Say unto thy brethren, This do ye; lade your beasts, and go, get you unto the land of Canaan;

18And take your father and your households, and come unto me: and I will give you the good of the land of Egypt, and ye shall eat the fat of the land.

19Now thou art commanded, this do ye; take you wagons out of the land of Egypt for your little ones, and for your wives, and bring your father, and come.

20Also regard not your stuff; for the good of all the land of Egypt is yours.

21And the children of Israel did so: and Joseph gave them wagons, according to the commandment of Pharaoh, and gave them provision for the way.

22To all of them he gave each man changes of raiment; but to Benjamin he gave three hundred pieces of silver, and five changes of raiment.

23And to his father he sent after this manner; ten asses laden with the good things of Egypt, and ten she asses laden with corn and bread and meat for his father by the way.

24So he sent his brethren away, and they departed: and he said unto them, See that ye fall not out by the way.

25And they went up out of Egypt, and came into the land of Canaan unto Jacob their father,

26And told him, saying, Joseph is yet alive, and he is governor over all the land of Egypt. And Jacob’s heart fainted, for he believed them not.

27And they told him all the words of Joseph, which he had said unto them: and when he saw the wagons which Joseph had sent to carry him, the spirit of Jacob their father revived:

28And Israel said, It is enough; Joseph my son is yet alive: I will go and see him before I die.

📖 Chapter study

Summary

Overcome with emotion, Joseph finally reveals himself to his brothers, reassures them that God allowed everything for good, and sends them back to bring their father Jacob and the whole family to live in Egypt.

Explanation

This is one of the most moving moments in all of Scripture: after carefully testing his brothers, Joseph can no longer hold back and reveals himself, weeping so loudly that 'the Egyptians heard him.' His reaction is not one of revenge but of a remarkably mature perspective of faith: he recognizes that, despite his brothers' evil intent, God used that entire chain of suffering to strategically position him and save many lives during the famine, including his own family. This recognition foreshadows the even fuller declaration he will make at the end of the book (Genesis 50:20). The joy of the reunion, with embraces, tears, and the generous invitation for the whole family to come live in the best part of the land of Egypt, marks the beginning of the complete reunification of Jacob's family, ending decades of separation and grief.

Fun facts

  • Joseph's statement, 'it was not you that sent me hither, but God' (v. 8), is one of the clearest examples in all of Scripture of the theological concept that God can sovereignly work through wrong human decisions to fulfill his purposes, without that morally justifying the evil that was done.
  • The region of Goshen, offered to Jacob's family to settle in (mentioned here and detailed in the following chapter), was known for its fertile land in the eastern Nile Delta, ideal for herding — a geographical detail consistent with what is known of ancient Egyptian geography.

Verse-by-verse explanation

  1. Genesis 45:1Joseph orders all the Egyptians to leave the room before revealing himself to his brothers. He wants this overwhelming moment to stay within the family alone, with no strangers watching the weeping and confusion that’s about to follow.
  2. Genesis 45:2Joseph weeps so loudly that the Egyptians nearby, and even Pharaoh’s household, hear him — a moment of emotion he can no longer control.
  3. Genesis 45:3Joseph finally reveals himself: “I am Joseph; doth my father yet live?” — the brothers are struck speechless, unable to answer.
  4. Genesis 45:4Joseph asks them to come closer and repeats the revelation, now adding the heaviest detail: he is the brother they sold into Egypt.
  5. Genesis 45:5Instead of accusing them, Joseph comforts his brothers, asking them not to blame themselves, because God used that very act to preserve lives.
  6. Genesis 45:6Joseph explains the real severity of the situation: two years of famine have already passed, and five more remain without planting or harvest.
  7. Genesis 45:7Joseph reinforces the purpose he sees behind it all: God sent him ahead to make sure the family would survive this great crisis.
  8. Genesis 45:8“A father to Pharaoh” was a title of office in ancient Egypt, a kind of chief advisor or prime minister. It doesn’t mean Joseph was literally the king’s father, but that he held the position of greatest trust beside him.
  9. Genesis 45:9Joseph urges haste: that they go back to their father and tell him he is alive and lord of all Egypt, inviting him to come down without delay.
  10. Genesis 45:10Goshen was a fertile region in the eastern Nile delta, good for raising livestock. Joseph chooses this place for the family because it’s close to him, in the capital, yet still separate enough from the Egyptians, who, as the text shows elsewhere, avoided shepherds.
  11. Genesis 45:11Joseph promises to provide for the whole family during the five years of famine still remaining, so they won’t fall into poverty.
  12. Genesis 45:12Joseph points out that his brothers’ own eyes, and Benjamin’s too, are witnesses that it’s really him speaking.
  13. Genesis 45:13He asks them to tell their father all about the prominent position he has reached in Egypt, and to bring Jacob as soon as possible.
  14. Genesis 45:14Joseph embraces Benjamin weeping, and his younger brother weeps along with him — the first emotional reunion between Rachel’s two sons.
  15. Genesis 45:15Joseph kisses and weeps over each of his brothers, and only after that are they finally able to talk with him without fear.
  16. Genesis 45:16News of the arrival of Joseph’s brothers spreads all the way to Pharaoh’s household, which receives the news well.
  17. Genesis 45:17Pharaoh personally instructs Joseph to have the brothers load their animals and go back to Canaan.
  18. Genesis 45:18Pharaoh invites Jacob and the whole family to move to Egypt, promising them the best of the land.
  19. Genesis 45:19Pharaoh even provides Egyptian wagons to make it easier to transport the children, the women, and Jacob himself on the long journey.
  20. Genesis 45:20Pharaoh tells them not to worry about the belongings left in Canaan, since the best of all the land of Egypt would be theirs.
  21. Genesis 45:21The sons of Israel follow the instructions; Joseph gives them the wagons as Pharaoh ordered and also provides food for the trip.
  22. Genesis 45:22Giving Benjamin three hundred pieces of silver and five changes of clothing, far more than the other brothers, repeats the pattern from the earlier banquet. Joseph keeps showing Benjamin greater affection, perhaps still testing whether it bothers the others.
  23. Genesis 45:23Joseph sends his father ten donkeys loaded with the best of Egypt and another ten with grain, bread, and provisions for the journey.
  24. Genesis 45:24“Fall out by the way” means to quarrel on the way back. Joseph knows that once they tell Jacob the real story behind the trip, there will be plenty of ammunition for the brothers to blame each other and argue — and he asks them not to do that.
  25. Genesis 45:25The brothers go up from Egypt and return to Canaan, back to Jacob’s household.
  26. Genesis 45:26When they announce that Joseph is alive and rules all of Egypt, Jacob’s heart nearly faints — the news seems too good to be true.
  27. Genesis 45:27Only when they hear everything Joseph said, and see the wagons he sent, does Jacob’s spirit truly revive.
  28. Genesis 45:28Jacob decides, satisfied, that he will go see Joseph in person before he dies — the desire that will drive the whole family’s move to Egypt in the following chapters.

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