Genesis 47ASV
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Genesis47

American Standard Version · Public Domain

1Then Joseph went in and told Pharaoh, and said, My father and my brethren, and their flocks, and their herds, and all that they have, are come out of the land of Canaan; and, behold, they are in the land of Goshen.

2And from among his brethren he took five men, and presented them unto Pharaoh.

3And Pharaoh said unto his brethren, What is your occupation? And they said unto Pharaoh, Thy servants are shepherds, both we, and our fathers.

4And they said unto Pharaoh, To sojourn in the land are we come; for there is no pasture for thy servants’ flocks; for the famine is sore in the land of Canaan: now therefore, we pray thee, let thy servants dwell in the land of Goshen.

5And Pharaoh spake unto Joseph, saying, Thy father and thy brethren are come unto thee:

6the land of Egypt is before thee; in the best of the land make thy father and thy brethren to dwell; in the land of Goshen let them dwell: and if thou knowest any able men among them, then make them rulers over my cattle.

7And Joseph brought in Jacob his father, and set him before Pharaoh: and Jacob blessed Pharaoh.

8And Pharaoh said unto Jacob, How many are the days of the years of thy life?

9And Jacob said unto Pharaoh, The days of the years of my pilgrimage are a hundred and thirty years: few and evil have been the days of the years of my life, and they have not attained unto the days of the years of the life of my fathers in the days of their pilgrimage.

10And Jacob blessed Pharaoh, and went out from the presence of Pharaoh.

11And Joseph placed his father and his brethren, and gave them a possession in the land of Egypt, in the best of the land, in the land of Rameses, as Pharaoh had commanded.

12And Joseph nourished his father, and his brethren, and all his father’s household, with bread, according to their families.

13And there was no bread in all the land; for the famine was very sore, so that the land of Egypt and the land of Canaan fainted by reason of the famine.

14And Joseph gathered up all the money that was found in the land of Egypt, and in the land of Canaan, for the grain which they bought: and Joseph brought the money into Pharaoh’s house.

15And when the money was all spent in the land of Egypt, and in the land of Canaan, all the Egyptians came unto Joseph, and said, Give us bread: for why should we die in thy presence? for our money faileth.

16And Joseph said, Give your cattle; and I will give you for your cattle, if money fail.

17And they brought their cattle unto Joseph; and Joseph gave them bread in exchange for the horses, and for the flocks, and for the herds, and for the asses: and he fed them with bread in exchange for all their cattle for that year.

18And when that year was ended, they came unto him the second year, and said unto him, We will not hide from my lord, how that our money is all spent; and the herds of cattle are my lord’s; there is nought left in the sight of my lord, but our bodies, and our lands:

19wherefore should we die before thine eyes, both we and our land? buy us and our land for bread, and we and our land will be servants unto Pharaoh: and give us seed, that we may live, and not die, and that the land be not desolate.

20So Joseph bought all the land of Egypt for Pharaoh; for the Egyptians sold every man his field, because the famine was sore upon them: and the land became Pharaoh’s.

21And as for the people, he removed them to the cities from one end of the border of Egypt even to the other end thereof.

22Only the land of the priests bought he not: for the priests had a portion from Pharaoh, and did eat their portion which Pharaoh gave them; wherefore they sold not their land.

23Then Joseph said unto the people, Behold, I have bought you this day and your land for Pharaoh: lo, here is seed for you, and ye shall sow the land.

24And it shall come to pass at the ingatherings, that ye shall give a fifth unto Pharaoh, and four parts shall be your own, for seed of the field, and for your food, and for them of your households, and for food for your little ones.

25And they said, Thou hast saved our lives: let us find favor in the sight of my lord, and we will be Pharaoh’s servants.

26And Joseph made it a statute concerning the land of Egypt unto this day, that Pharaoh should have the fifth; only the land of the priests alone became not Pharaoh’s.

27And Israel dwelt in the land of Egypt, in the land of Goshen; and they gat them possessions therein, and were fruitful, and multiplied exceedingly.

28And Jacob lived in the land of Egypt seventeen years: so the days of Jacob, the years of his life, were a hundred forty and seven years.

29And the time drew near that Israel must die: and he called his son Joseph, and said unto him, If now I have found favor in thy sight, put, I pray thee, thy hand under my thigh, and deal kindly and truly with me: bury me not, I pray thee, in Egypt;

30but when I sleep with my fathers, thou shalt carry me out of Egypt, and bury me in their burying-place. And he said, I will do as thou hast said.

31And he said, Swear unto me: and he sware unto him. And Israel bowed himself upon the bed’s head.

Study Guide

Public-domain commentary and original-language notes for Genesis 47.

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Chapter Summary

In this chapter: Joseph presents his brethren to Pharaoh. (1–6). Jacob blesses Pharaoh. (7–12). Joseph's dealings with the Egyptians during the famine. (13–26). Jacob's age. His desire to be buried in Canaan. (27–31).

vv1-6

Though Joseph was a great man, especially in Egypt, yet he owned his brethren. Let the rich and great in the world not overlook or despise poor relations. Our Lord Jesus is not ashamed to call us brethren. In answer to Pharaoh's inquiry, What is your calling? they told him that they were shepherds, adding that they were come to sojourn in the land for a time, while the famine prevailed in Canaan. Pharaoh offered to employ them as shepherds, provided they were active men. Whatever our business or employment is, we should aim to excel in it, and to prove ourselves clever and industrious.

vv7-12

With the gravity of old age, the piety of a true believer, and the authority of a patriarch and a prophet, Jacob besought the Lord to bestow a blessing upon Pharaoh. He acted as a man not ashamed of his religion; and who would express gratitude to the benefactor of himself and his family. We have here a very uncommon answer given to a very common question. Jacob calls his life a pilgrimage; the sojourning of a stranger in a foreign country, or his journey home to his own country. He was not at home upon earth; his habitation, his inheritance, his treasures were in heaven. He reckons his life by days; even by days life is soon reckoned, and we are not sure of the continuance of it for a day. Let us therefore number our days. His days were few. Though he had now lived one hundred and thirty years, they seemed but a few days, in comparison with the days of eternity, and the eternal state. They were evil; this is true concerning man. He is of few days and full of trouble; since his days are evil, it is well they are few. Jacob's life had been made up of evil days. Old age came sooner upon him than it had done upon some of his fathers. As the young man should not be proud of his strength or beauty, so the old man should not be proud of his age, and his hoary hairs, though others justly reverence them; for those who are accounted very old, attain not to the years of the patriarchs. The hoary head is only a crown of glory, when found in the way of righteousness. Such an answer could not fail to impress the heart of Pharaoh, by reminding him that worldly prosperity and happiness could not last long, and was not enough to satisfy. After a life of vanity and vexation, man goes down into the grave, equally from the throne as the cottage. Nothing can make us happy, but the prospect of an everlasting home in heaven, after our short and weary pilgrimage on earth.

vv13-26

Care being taken of Jacob and his family, which mercy was especially designed by Providence in Joseph's advancement, an account is given of the saving the kingdom of Egypt from ruin. There was no bread, and the people were ready to die. See how we depend upon God's providence. All our wealth would not keep us from starving, if rain were withheld for two or three years. See how much we are at God's mercy, and let us keep ourselves always in his love. Also see how much we smart by our own want of care. If all the Egyptians had laid up corn for themselves in the seven years of plenty, they had not been in these straits; but they regarded not the warning. Silver and gold would not feed them: they must have corn. All that a man hath will he give for his life. We cannot judge this matter by modern rules. It is plain that the Egyptians regarded Joseph as a public benefactor. The whole is consistent with Joseph's character, acting between Pharaoh and his subjects, in the fear of God. The Egyptians confessed concerning Joseph, Thou hast saved our lives. What multitudes will gratefully say to Jesus, at the last day, Thou hast saved our souls from the most tremendous destruction, and in the season of uttermost distress! The Egyptians parted with all their property, and even their liberty, for the saving of their lives: can it then be too much for us to count all but loss, and part with all, at His command, and for His sake, who will both save our souls, and give us an hundredfold, even here, in this present world? Surely if saved by Christ, we shall be willing to become his servants.

Cross References

Genesis 47
v9Hebrews 11:9-16thematic

New Testament exposition of Jacob's life as a heavenly pilgrimage, hoping for a better country.

Supported by Matthew Henry, Matthew Poole, JFB

v31Hebrews 11:21allusion

New Testament commentary on Jacob bowing himself in worship at the head of his bed/staff.

Supported by Matthew Henry

v3Genesis 46:34thematic

Direct parallel to the instructions given by Joseph regarding their occupation as shepherds.

Supported by Matthew Poole, JFB

v7Hebrews 7:7thematic

Illuminates the solemnity of Jacob blessing Pharaoh; the less is blessed of the better.

Supported by JFB

v29Genesis 24:2thematic

The exact physical gesture of putting a hand under the thigh to secure a solemn oath.

Supported by Matthew Poole, JFB

v30Genesis 49:29-32thematic

Jacob's specific dying charge detailing his burial in the family cave of Machpelah in Canaan.

Supported by Matthew Henry, JFB

v18Genesis 45:6thematic

Confirms the timeline, showing this was the second year of the seven-year famine.

Supported by JFB

v27Exodus 1:7fulfillment

Shows the direct fulfillment of Israel multiplying exceedingly in Goshen, leading to Pharaoh's alarm.

Supported by Matthew Poole

v29Genesis 50:25thematic

Parallels Joseph's own later dying oath demanding his bones be carried out of Egypt to Canaan.

Supported by Matthew Henry, JFB

The historical confession of Israel: 'A Syrian ready to perish was my father...'

v9Psalms 39:12thematic

Echoes Jacob's confession of being a stranger and a sojourner on the earth.

Supported by Matthew Poole

v19Job 2:4thematic

Illustrates the Egyptians giving up all property and freedom to save their physical lives.

Supported by Matthew Henry

v24Genesis 41:34thematic

The origin of the fifth-part policy first proposed by Joseph during the years of plenty.

Supported by JFB

v29Hebrews 11:22thematic

NT theological context attributing these patriarchal burial requests to faith in God's promises.

Supported by JFB

v4Genesis 15:13fulfillment

Begins the literal fulfillment of God's prophecy that Abraham's seed would sojourn in Egypt.

v13Psalms 105:16thematic

Poetic commentary on God calling for a famine and breaking the whole staff of bread.

v22Ezra 7:24thematic

A parallel of state-level tax exemptions granted to religious ministers/priests.

Supported by JFB

v28Genesis 47:9thematic

Contrasts Jacob's total life duration of 147 years with his earlier statement to Pharaoh.

Supported by Matthew Henry, JFB

v29Genesis 50:5thematic

Joseph reports this specific oath directly to Pharaoh to secure permission for the burial journey.

Supported by Matthew Poole

v20Genesis 47:26thematic

The formal law instituted by Joseph as a result of buying the land for Pharaoh.

v25Genesis 45:5thematic

Connects the Egyptians' 'saved our lives' statement with Joseph's earlier declaration of God's purpose.

Supported by Matthew Henry

v27Genesis 46:3fulfillment

Fulfillment of God's promise to make Jacob a great nation in Egypt.

Supported by Matthew Poole

v28Psalms 105:23thematic

Poetic summary of Jacob's 17-year sojourn in Egypt, the land of Ham.

Supported by Matthew Poole

v29Genesis 24:49thematic

Uses the identical Hebrew idiom for demonstrating 'kindness and truth'.

Supported by Matthew Poole

v31Genesis 48:2thematic

The immediate sequential narrative link showing Jacob's physical weakness on his bed.

Supported by Matthew Poole