Genesis 47
AI Bible study · KJV · Grammatical-historical hermeneutics
Summary
Genesis 47 narrates the successful migration of Jacob's family into Egypt, their settlement in Goshen under Joseph's administration, and the subsequent economic centralization of Egypt under Pharaoh due to the famine. It concludes with Jacob's solemn oath from Joseph regarding his final burial in Canaan.
- Joseph presents his family to Pharaoh and secures Goshen as their residence.
- Jacob meets Pharaoh, offering a blessing and a sobering reflection on the nature of his life.
- Joseph manages the famine by nationalizing the Egyptian economy through the purchase of land and labor.
- Jacob receives an oath from Joseph to be buried in the land of his fathers, signifying his enduring commitment to the covenant promise.
- Goshen
- 130 years of Jacob's life
- The famine being 'very sore'
- The tax of the fifth part
- The oath to bury Jacob in Canaan
This passage demonstrates the fulfillment of God's preservation of the covenant family during severe famine while establishing the context for Israel's eventual oppression and exodus. It highlights the patriarchs' faith, which kept their eyes fixed on the land of promise even while dwelling in a foreign land.
God sovereignly sustains His people through trials, while the faithful continue to prioritize the fulfillment of His promises over temporal security.
Themes
The chapter functions as a historical transition, moving from the specific, covenantal history of Jacob's clan to the administrative, political history of Egypt under Joseph's leadership.
The chapter is framed by the interaction between the family and the sovereign of Egypt (vv. 1-10) and the final interaction between Jacob and Joseph regarding the future (vv. 29-31).
A structural distinction is drawn between the inheritance of Israel in Goshen (v. 27) and the centralized, dependent land of Egypt under Pharaoh (v. 20).
God orchestrates the events to preserve the physical life of the covenant family through Joseph, serving as a type of provision.
- nourished
- bread
- multiplied
Jacob defines his earthly existence not by duration but by its nature as a 'pilgrimage', acknowledging his identity as a sojourner waiting for the promise.
- days of the years of my pilgrimage
- few and evil
Jacob insists on being buried in Canaan, a concrete expression of his refusal to claim Egypt as his permanent home, asserting his faith in the promise given to Abraham.
- bury me not
- bury me in their buryingplace
- Make them rulers over my cattle (Genesis 47:6)
- Deal kindly and truly with me (Genesis 47:29)
- Bury me not, I pray thee, in Egypt (Genesis 47:29)
- Swear unto me (Genesis 47:31)
Context
- The famine, as indicated by the 'very sore' nature described in the text, was a catastrophic regional event that forced the centralization of land ownership under the Pharaoh of Egypt, a move that aligns with the historical absolute power of the Egyptian throne.
- The role of shepherds was viewed with suspicion in Egyptian society, yet the text notes the Israelites were integrated due to Joseph's favor.
- The act of blessing a king (Jacob blessing Pharaoh) was understood as a patriarch's prerogative, asserting a spiritual authority regardless of the king's secular rank.
- This chapter continues the Joseph narrative cycle, shifting focus from the 'revelation to brothers' in chapter 45 to the 'life and survival' in Egypt here, leading into the final blessings in chapter 49.
- Jacob's reference to his life as a 'pilgrimage' connects to the broader biblical motif of the believer as a stranger on the earth (Hebrews 11:13).
- Matthew Henry observes that when Jacob calls his life 'few and evil,' he is reminding Pharaoh that worldly prosperity is transitory and insufficient to satisfy the soul; the debate regarding whether this implies a pessimistic view of history or a realization of human frailty is secondary to the text's clear focus on Jacob's spiritual perspective.
- The phrase 'bury me in their buryingplace' (v. 30) refers back to the purchase of the field of Machpelah by Abraham in Genesis 23, linking Jacob's final act to the patriarchs' faith.
- Sojourn: גּוּר [H1481], meaning to turn aside for a temporary dwelling; it underscores that Israel is not yet 'home'.
- Occupation: מַעֲשֶׂה [H4639], meaning action or transaction, here used to ask about their livelihood.
- Best: מֵיטָב [H4315], the choice part, reflecting the quality of land allocated by Joseph.
- Famine: רָעָב [H7458], hunger, modified by 'severe' or 'heavy' (כָּבֵד [H3515]) to indicate the extremity of the event.
- The text distinguishes between Goshen and 'the land of Rameses' (v. 11). While 'Goshen' is the name of the region, the author may be using 'Rameses' to help a later audience identify the location, as Rameses was a known geographic identifier in the Mosaic era.
- The exact nature of the 'fifth part' (v. 24) tax is debated: while some view it as a standard land-rent system in ancient Egypt, others view it as an exceptional levy resulting from the famine relief, though the text states Joseph made it a law 'unto this day.'
To ask any of these as follow-up questions, install SwordBible on iOS — the study workspace there grounds every follow-up in the full prior study automatically.
Want this kind of study for every chapter you read?
Grammatical-historical hermeneutics. Sola Scriptura. Refuses to allegorize. Free Bible reading + 5 AI questions a day, no sign-in required.