Genesis47
English Standard Version
1So and , My and my , with their and and they possess, have the of . They are in the of .
2And his he and them .
3 to his , is your ? And they to , Your are , our .
4They to , We have to in the , there is for your ’ , the is in the of . And , your in the of .
5Then to , Your and your have to you.
6The of is you. your and your in the of the . Let them in the of , and you any among them, in of my .
7Then his and , and .
8And to , many are the of the of your ?
9And to , The of the of my are . and have been the of the of my , and they have to the of the of the of my in the of their .
10And and from the of .
11Then his and his and them a in the of , in the of the , in the of , as had .
12And his , his , and his with , according to the of their .
13Now there was in the , the was , so that the of and the of by of the .
14And the that was in the of and in the of , in exchange for the they . And the into .
15And when the was all in the of and in the of , the to and , us . should we before your ? our is .
16And , your , and I will you food in exchange for your , your is .
17So they their to , and them in exchange for the , the , the , and the . He them with in exchange for their that .
18And when that was , they to him the and to him, We will from my our is all . The of are my . There is in the of my our and our .
19 should we , we and our ? us and our for , and we with our will be to . And us that we may and , and that the may be .
20So the of for , the their , the was on them. The became .
21As for the , he of them from one of to the .
22 the of the he did , the had a from and on the that them; they did their .
23Then to the , , I have this you and your for . here is for you, and you shall the .
24And at the you shall a to , and shall be your own, as for the and as for yourselves and your , and as for your .
25And they , You have saved our ; may it my , we will be to .
26So it a the of , and it stands to , that should have the ; the of the did become .
27Thus in the of , in the of . And they in it, and were and .
28And in the of . So the of , the of his , were .
29And when the drew that must , he his and to him, now I have in your , your my and promise to and with me. Do me in ,
30but let me with my . me out of and me in their . He , I will as you have .
31And he , to me; and he to him. Then himself the of his .
Study Guide
Public-domain commentary and original-language notes for Genesis 47.
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.
Key Words
יוֹסֵף: Joseph, the name of seven Israelites
בּוֹא: to go or come (in a wide variety of applications)
פַּרְעֹה: Paroh, a general title of Egyptian kings
אָב: father, in a literal and immediate, or figurative and remote application
אָח: a brother (used in the widest sense of literal relationship and metaphorical affinity or resemblance (like father))
צֹאן: a collective name for a flock (of sheep or goats); also figuratively (of men)
בָּקָר: beef cattle or an animal of the ox family of either gender (as used for plowing); collectively, a herd
כֹּל: properly, the whole; hence, all, any or every (in the singular only, but often in a plural sense)
אֲשֶׁר: who, which, what, that; also (as an adverb and a conjunction) when, where, how, because, in order that, etc.
מִן: properly, a part of; hence (prepositionally), from or out of in many senses
Cross References
Genesis 47New Testament exposition of Jacob's life as a heavenly pilgrimage, hoping for a better country.
Supported by Matthew Henry, Matthew Poole, JFB
New Testament commentary on Jacob bowing himself in worship at the head of his bed/staff.
Supported by Matthew Henry
Direct parallel to the instructions given by Joseph regarding their occupation as shepherds.
Supported by Matthew Poole, JFB
Illuminates the solemnity of Jacob blessing Pharaoh; the less is blessed of the better.
Supported by JFB
The exact physical gesture of putting a hand under the thigh to secure a solemn oath.
Supported by Matthew Poole, JFB
Jacob's specific dying charge detailing his burial in the family cave of Machpelah in Canaan.
Supported by Matthew Henry, JFB
Confirms the timeline, showing this was the second year of the seven-year famine.
Supported by JFB
Shows the direct fulfillment of Israel multiplying exceedingly in Goshen, leading to Pharaoh's alarm.
Supported by Matthew Poole
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...'
Echoes Jacob's confession of being a stranger and a sojourner on the earth.
Supported by Matthew Poole
Illustrates the Egyptians giving up all property and freedom to save their physical lives.
Supported by Matthew Henry
The origin of the fifth-part policy first proposed by Joseph during the years of plenty.
Supported by JFB
NT theological context attributing these patriarchal burial requests to faith in God's promises.
Supported by JFB
Begins the literal fulfillment of God's prophecy that Abraham's seed would sojourn in Egypt.
Poetic commentary on God calling for a famine and breaking the whole staff of bread.
A parallel of state-level tax exemptions granted to religious ministers/priests.
Supported by JFB
Contrasts Jacob's total life duration of 147 years with his earlier statement to Pharaoh.
Supported by Matthew Henry, JFB
Joseph reports this specific oath directly to Pharaoh to secure permission for the burial journey.
Supported by Matthew Poole
The formal law instituted by Joseph as a result of buying the land for Pharaoh.
Connects the Egyptians' 'saved our lives' statement with Joseph's earlier declaration of God's purpose.
Supported by Matthew Henry
Fulfillment of God's promise to make Jacob a great nation in Egypt.
Supported by Matthew Poole
Poetic summary of Jacob's 17-year sojourn in Egypt, the land of Ham.
Supported by Matthew Poole
Uses the identical Hebrew idiom for demonstrating 'kindness and truth'.
Supported by Matthew Poole
The immediate sequential narrative link showing Jacob's physical weakness on his bed.
Supported by Matthew Poole