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Genesis 46

KJV · Chapter 46/50

1And Israel took his journey with all that he had, and came to Beer–sheba, and offered sacrifices unto the God of his father Isaac.

2And God spake unto Israel in the visions of the night, and said, Jacob, Jacob. And he said, Here am I.

3And 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:

4I 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.

5And 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.

6And 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:

7His sons, and his sons’ sons with him, his daughters, and his sons’ daughters, and all his seed brought he with him into Egypt.

8And these are the names of the children of Israel, which came into Egypt, Jacob and his sons: Reuben, Jacob’s firstborn.

9And the sons of Reuben; Hanoch, and Phallu, and Hezron, and Carmi.

10And the sons of Simeon; Jemuel, and Jamin, and Ohad, and Jachin, and Zohar, and Shaul the son of a Canaanitish woman.

11And the sons of Levi; Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.

12And the sons of Judah; Er, and Onan, and Shelah, and Pharez, and Zerah: but Er and Onan died in the land of Canaan. And the sons of Pharez were Hezron and Hamul.

13And the sons of Issachar; Tola, and Phuvah, and Job, and Shimron.

14And the sons of Zebulun; Sered, and Elon, and Jahleel.

15These 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.

16And the sons of Gad; Ziphion, and Haggi, Shuni, and Ezbon, Eri, and Arodi, and Areli.

17And the sons of Asher; Jimnah, and Ishuah, and Isui, and Beriah, and Serah their sister: and the sons of Beriah; Heber, and Malchiel.

18These are the sons of Zilpah, whom Laban gave to Leah his daughter, and these she bare unto Jacob, even sixteen souls.

19The sons of Rachel Jacob’s wife; Joseph, and Benjamin.

20And 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.

21And the sons of Benjamin were Belah, and Becher, and Ashbel, Gera, and Naaman, Ehi, and Rosh, Muppim, and Huppim, and Ard.

22These are the sons of Rachel, which were born to Jacob: all the souls were fourteen.

23And the sons of Dan; Hushim.

24And the sons of Naphtali; Jahzeel, and Guni, and Jezer, and Shillem.

25These are the sons of Bilhah, which Laban gave unto Rachel his daughter, and she bare these unto Jacob: all the souls were seven.

26All 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;

27And 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.

28And he sent Judah before him unto Joseph, to direct his face unto Goshen; and they came into the land of Goshen.

29And 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.

30And Israel said unto Joseph, Now let me die, since I have seen thy face, because thou art yet alive.

31And 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;

32And 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.

33And it shall come to pass, when Pharaoh shall call you, and shall say, What is your occupation?

34That 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.

📖 Chapter study

Summary

Jacob sets out for Egypt with his whole family after receiving confirmation from God at Beersheba; the complete genealogy of the seventy family members who went down to Egypt is listed, and Joseph goes to meet his father in Goshen.

Explanation

This chapter marks an important transition in the history of God's people: the family that began with Abraham's individual call now moves, as a group of seventy people, to Egypt — a movement that, though it may seem small at this moment, will be the starting point for the formation of the great nation of Israel, just as promised centuries before. God's reaffirmation to Jacob at Beersheba ('fear not... I will go down with thee into Egypt,' v. 3-4) shows that this move, though it might seem like a departure from the promised land, was part of the divine plan, not a detour from it. The emotional reunion between Jacob and Joseph, described with a long embrace and tears, brings an end to decades of separation and grief, giving Jacob the joy of seeing, before he died, that his most beloved son was alive and prospering. The lesson is that God's plans sometimes involve unexpected paths, but they are always safe under his care.

Fun facts

  • The number of seventy people who went down to Egypt with Jacob (v. 27) is explicitly picked up again at the beginning of the book of Exodus (Exodus 1:5), serving as a narrative bridge between the two books and marking the starting point for Israel's population growth in Egypt.
  • Joseph's instruction that his brothers identify themselves as 'men whose trade hath been about cattle' before Pharaoh (v. 34) was a deliberate strategy to ensure the family would settle apart in Goshen, since the Egyptians considered shepherding a despised occupation — which, ironically, would help preserve the separate identity of the Hebrew people.

Verse-by-verse explanation

  1. Genesis 46:1Before leaving Canaan for good, Jacob stops at Beersheba, the same place loaded with family history since Abraham, and offers sacrifices to the God of Isaac — a gesture of seeking divine approval before such a major step.
  2. Genesis 46:2God calls Jacob’s name twice in a row in a night vision — a pattern of urgent calling that appears at other important moments in the Bible.
  3. Genesis 46:3God reassures Jacob specifically about the fear of going down to Egypt, promising that there his family will become a great nation — the same promise made to Abraham, now applied to the move to a foreign land.
  4. Genesis 46:4The promise that Joseph will put his hand on Jacob’s eyes is an old way of saying Joseph would be at his father’s side at the moment of death, closing his eyes — a farewell gesture only a child or very close relative performed. God is assuring Jacob he won’t die alone, far from his family.
  5. Genesis 46:5Jacob leaves Beersheba, and his sons arrange to carry their father, the children, and the women in the wagons Pharaoh had sent specifically for this trip.
  6. Genesis 46:6The family also takes along all the livestock and possessions gained during the years lived in Canaan — they don’t go to Egypt empty-handed.
  7. Genesis 46:7All of Jacob’s descendants go down with him: sons, grandsons, daughters, and granddaughters — the whole family moves at once.
  8. Genesis 46:8Here begins the full list of those who went down to Egypt, organized by mother — opening with Reuben, Jacob’s firstborn.
  9. Genesis 46:9The list continues with Reuben’s four sons, the second generation already born within Israel’s line.
  10. Genesis 46:10Among Simeon’s sons is Shaul, son of a Canaanite woman — a detail showing that even within Jacob’s own family there was already mixing with neighboring peoples.
  11. Genesis 46:11Levi’s three sons — Gershon, Kohath, and Merari — will later give rise to the three great clans responsible for service at the tabernacle.
  12. Genesis 46:12The list of Judah’s sons notes that Er and Onan had already died in Canaan, as told in chapter 38, and includes the grandsons born of Perez.
  13. Genesis 46:13Next come Issachar’s four sons, another branch of Leah’s line.
  14. Genesis 46:14Zebulun’s three sons close out this part of the list tied to Leah.
  15. Genesis 46:15The summary closes the count of Leah’s children, including her daughter Dinah: in all, thirty-three people from this line went down to Egypt.
  16. Genesis 46:16The list moves on to Gad’s seven sons, son of Zilpah, Leah’s maid.
  17. Genesis 46:17Asher’s sons include their sister, Serah, a rare case of a named woman within these genealogical lists.
  18. Genesis 46:18The summary confirms: the children of Zilpah, the maid Laban had given to his own daughter Leah, total sixteen people.
  19. Genesis 46:19The list moves to the sons of Rachel, Jacob’s most beloved wife: Joseph and Benjamin.
  20. Genesis 46:20Joseph already had two sons born in Egypt before the family’s arrival: Manasseh and Ephraim, from his marriage to Asenath.
  21. Genesis 46:21Next comes the list of Benjamin’s ten sons, the youngest brother who nearly didn’t return from his last trip to Egypt in the previous chapter.
  22. Genesis 46:22The summary closes Rachel’s line: fourteen people in all, counting Joseph, his two sons, Benjamin, and his ten sons.
  23. Genesis 46:23Dan appears here with a single son, Hushim — unlike the other tribes in the list, which usually have several sons named in this census of the seventy who went down to Egypt with Jacob.
  24. Genesis 46:24These four sons of Naphtali reappear, with the same names, in the census in the book of Numbers, taken decades later in the wilderness — showing the line of families descending from each of them.
  25. Genesis 46:25The summary closes Bilhah’s line, the maid Laban had given to Rachel: seven people in all.
  26. Genesis 46:26The expression “out of his loins” is a Hebrew way of saying they are his descendants, since the loins were associated with the ability to father children. The text is counting how many people of Jacob’s family went down to Egypt, not including the daughters-in-law.
  27. Genesis 46:27The number seventy souls closes the symbolic count of Jacob’s whole family that entered Egypt. The names listed in the previous verses serve to justify this final sum, used as a marker of how many people would later become an entire nation.
  28. Genesis 46:28Jacob sends Judah ahead of the group to notify Joseph and be guided to the region of Goshen — Judah takes on a leadership role that had already been growing since chapter 44.
  29. Genesis 46:29Joseph personally prepares his own chariot and goes up to meet his father, embracing him and weeping for a long time — the reunion that closes the twenty-year cycle of separation.
  30. Genesis 46:30Jacob says he can now die in peace, since he has seen with his own eyes that the son he had given up for dead is still alive.
  31. Genesis 46:31Joseph tells his brothers he will formally announce the family’s arrival to Pharaoh, setting up the conversation that follows in chapter 47.
  32. Genesis 46:32Before the meeting with Pharaoh, Joseph explains to his brothers that they should identify themselves as shepherds, since they brought their own flocks and possessions with them.
  33. Genesis 46:33Joseph anticipates the question Pharaoh will likely ask about the family’s occupation — preparing his brothers to answer the right way.
  34. Genesis 46:34Just as they avoided eating with Hebrews, the Egyptians also despised the shepherd’s trade — probably because they were a people more tied to settled agriculture, while shepherds like Jacob’s family lived on the move. Joseph tells his brothers to admit the trade right up front, which, even so, helps them get the isolated land of Goshen.

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