The Torah · Old Testament
Genesis 46
Jacob travels to Egypt and meets Joseph in Goshen
General context
Israel journeys to Beersheba and offers sacrifices to the God of his father Isaac. God speaks in a night vision, telling him not to fear going to Egypt and promising to make him a great nation there, accompany him and bring him up again. Joseph will put his hand upon his eyes. Jacob's household travels with the wagons Pharaoh supplied, taking their livestock and possessions. The chapter lists the family by the lines of Leah, Zilpah, Rachel and Bilhah, distinguishing those already dead in Canaan and Joseph's sons born in Egypt. It gives sixty-six descendants traveling with Jacob, excluding his sons' wives, and a household total of seventy. Judah goes ahead toward Goshen. Joseph comes to meet his father, embraces him and weeps for a long time. Israel says he can now die having seen Joseph alive. Joseph prepares the family to tell Pharaoh that they have long worked with livestock, so they may settle in Goshen.
Cited passages: Genesis 46:1, Genesis 46:2, Genesis 46:3, Genesis 46:4, Genesis 46:5, Genesis 46:6, Genesis 46:7, Genesis 46:8, Genesis 46:9, Genesis 46:10, Genesis 46:11, Genesis 46:12, Genesis 46:13, Genesis 46:14, Genesis 46:15, Genesis 46:16, Genesis 46:17, Genesis 46:18, Genesis 46:19, Genesis 46:20, Genesis 46:21, Genesis 46:22, Genesis 46:23, Genesis 46:24, Genesis 46:25, Genesis 46:26, Genesis 46:27, Genesis 46:28, Genesis 46:29, Genesis 46:30, Genesis 46:31, Genesis 46:32, Genesis 46:33, Genesis 46:34
Genesis 46 (KJV)
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.
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Historical context
Beersheba is the departure-stage setting for the sacrifice and night vision; the family then travels from Canaan into Egypt. The list includes sons, grandsons and named women such as Dinah and Serah. Er and Onan are explicitly said to have died in Canaan, while Manasseh and Ephraim were born to Joseph and Asenath in Egypt. The figures of sixty-six and seventy have different stated scopes, and the sons' wives are excluded from the first count. Judah is sent ahead to Joseph, and the father-son meeting takes place in Goshen. Joseph plans to report their arrival and prepares an answer about their occupation. He gives Egyptian hostility toward shepherds as a reason for the proposed settlement; the chapter supplies no further explanation of that hostility.
Cited passages: Genesis 46:1, Genesis 46:2, Genesis 46:3, Genesis 46:4, Genesis 46:5, Genesis 46:6, Genesis 46:7, Genesis 46:8, Genesis 46:12, Genesis 46:15, Genesis 46:17, Genesis 46:19, Genesis 46:20, Genesis 46:26, Genesis 46:27, Genesis 46:28, Genesis 46:29, Genesis 46:30, Genesis 46:31, Genesis 46:32, Genesis 46:33, Genesis 46:34
Literary context
The divine reassurance answers the fear named at the start of the journey. The long family list places the reunion within the movement of a whole household, including distinct birthplaces and losses. Joseph's sustained weeping and Israel's words give the arrival a personal focus within the household's journey. Yet arrival does not finish the family's practical arrangements: Joseph's closing speech turns toward an audience with Pharaoh and a place for their livestock. The promise of being brought up again remains a promise here, not a report that Jacob has already returned from Egypt.
Cited passages: Genesis 46:1, Genesis 46:2, Genesis 46:3, Genesis 46:4, Genesis 46:5, Genesis 46:6, Genesis 46:7, Genesis 46:8, Genesis 46:12, Genesis 46:15, Genesis 46:17, Genesis 46:20, Genesis 46:26, Genesis 46:27, Genesis 46:28, Genesis 46:29, Genesis 46:30, Genesis 46:31, Genesis 46:32, Genesis 46:33, Genesis 46:34
Key moments
- God tells Jacob not to fear the journey (Genesis 46:3). God promises to make Jacob a great nation in Egypt.
- Joseph's sons are already in Egypt (Genesis 46:20). The list names Manasseh and Ephraim as sons born to Joseph and Asenath in Egypt.
- Joseph meets his father (Genesis 46:29). Joseph travels to Goshen, embraces Israel and weeps for a long time.
- Joseph prepares their answer to Pharaoh (Genesis 46:34). Joseph tells the family how to describe their lifelong work with livestock in seeking a place in Goshen.
For reflection
How do the family list and Joseph's closing preparations widen the chapter beyond the reunion of father and son?
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