What does God promise Jacob about Egypt, and how does Joseph prepare for the family’s arrival?

Atlas of Saints · Chapter summary

God tells Jacob not to fear going to Egypt, promises to make him a great nation there, go with him and bring him back, and says Joseph will put his hands on his eyes. After their reunion in Gessen, Joseph prepares to report the family’s arrival and tells them how to answer Pharao’s question about their work.

Chapter breakdown

Israel sets out with everything he has and comes to the well of the oath, where he kills sacrificial animals for the God of his father Isaac. Challoner identifies the well of the oath as Bersabee. In a night vision, God calls, “Jacob, Jacob.” Jacob answers, “Lo, here I am.” God identifies himself as the most mighty God of Jacob’s father and tells him not to fear going down into Egypt, because he will make him a great nation there. God promises to go down with him and bring him back again from there. He also says Joseph will put his hands upon Jacob’s eyes.

Jacob rises from the well of the oath. His sons take him, their children and wives in the wagons Pharao sent to carry the old man. They bring everything he had in Chanaan, and he enters Egypt with all his offspring: sons, grandsons, daughters and the whole family together.

The chapter lists the children of Israel who entered Egypt, Jacob and his children. Ruben is his firstborn. Ruben’s sons are Henoch, Phallu, Hesron and Charmi. Simeon’s sons are Jamuel, Jamin, Ahod, Jachin, Sohar and Saul, whose mother is a woman of Chanaan. Levi’s sons are Gerson, Caath and Merari. Juda’s sons are Her, Onan, Sela, Phares and Zara; Her and Onan died in Chanaan. Phares has two sons, Hesron and Hamul. Issachar’s sons are Thola, Phua, Job and Semron. Zabulon’s sons are Sared, Elon and Jahelel. These are Lia’s sons, whom she bore in Mesopotamia of Syria, with Jacob’s daughter Dina. The chapter gives thirty-three as the total of her sons and daughters.

Gad’s sons are Sephion, Haggi, Suni, Esebon, Heri, Arodi and Areli. Aser’s sons are Jamne, Jesua, Jessuri and Beria, and their sister is Sara. Beria’s sons are Heber and Melchiel. These are the descendants of Zelpha, whom Laban gave to his daughter Lia; the chapter says she bore Jacob sixteen persons.

Rachel, Jacob’s wife, has two sons, Joseph and Benjamin. In Egypt, Joseph has Manasses and Ephraim by Aseneth, daughter of Putiphare, the priest of Heliopolis. Benjamin’s sons are Bela, Bechor, Asbel, Gera, Naaman, Echi, Ross, Mophim, Ophim and Ared. These are Rachel’s descendants; the chapter gives their total as fourteen.

Dan’s son is Husim. Nephthali’s sons are Jaziel, Guni, Jeser and Sallem. These are the descendants of Bala, whom Laban gave to his daughter Rachel; the chapter says she bore Jacob seven persons. It then counts sixty-six descendants who went with Jacob into Egypt, excluding his sons’ wives. Joseph’s two sons were born in Egypt. The total given for the house of Jacob that entered Egypt is seventy. These figures are retained with their stated groups and exclusions.

Jacob sends Juda ahead to tell Joseph and arrange for him to meet Jacob in Gessen. Joseph makes ready his chariot and goes to meet his father there. On seeing him, Joseph falls on his neck, embraces him and weeps. His father says, “Now shall I die with joy, because I have seen thy face, and leave thee alive.”

Joseph tells his brothers and his father’s whole household that he will go up and tell Pharao they have come to him from Chanaan. He will explain that they are shepherds whose work is feeding cattle, and that they have brought their flocks, herds and everything they have. When Pharao calls them and asks their occupation, they are to answer that they and their fathers have been shepherds from infancy until now. Joseph gives this instruction so they may live in Gessen, because the Egyptians regard all shepherds with disgust. The chapter ends with this instruction, before any meeting with Pharao is recorded.

The story inside

The chapter keeps the journey, the family list and the reunion together. God speaks to Jacob personally about going to Egypt, and Jacob then travels with his offspring and possessions. The list names four family branches and gives their totals without losing the distinction between those travelling with Jacob, the excluded wives and Joseph’s children born in Egypt. In Gessen, Joseph meets and embraces his father. His next task is to announce the household’s arrival to Pharao. He tells the family to give its actual occupation when asked, linking that answer to residence in Gessen and the Egyptians’ attitude toward shepherds. The chapter records the promised help, the travelling family and the planned answer; it does not yet record Pharao’s response (Genesis 46:1–34).

Lessons worth keeping

1
God’s promise is addressed to Jacob. It includes a great nation in Egypt, God’s presence, return and Joseph’s hands upon his eyes. Keeping all those parts avoids reducing the vision to permission to travel or changing whom God addresses (46:2–4).
2
The family list preserves people as well as totals. It names sons, grandsons, a sister, mothers and Aseneth’s parent; it also notes Her and Onan’s deaths and excludes the sons’ wives from the sixty-six. The seventy is reported with its own household description, without adding an unsupported calculation (46:8–27).
3
Joseph prepares both his own report and the family’s reply. He will announce their arrival and livestock; they are to answer Pharao’s question with their lifelong work as shepherds. The reason he gives is residence in Gessen because of the Egyptians’ attitude toward shepherds, not a further motive supplied by the draft (46:31–34).

Test your recall

What promises accompany Jacob’s journey, which groups and exclusions belong to the family totals, and why does Joseph tell the family to identify its work as shepherding?

Show answer

God promises to accompany Jacob into Egypt, make him a great nation there, bring him back, and have Joseph close his eyes. The family groups are listed as thirty-three for Lia, sixteen for Zelpha, fourteen for Rachel, and seven for Bala. The traveling descendants total sixty-six, excluding the sons’ wives; the whole household total is seventy, including the family already in Egypt. Joseph tells them to identify themselves as lifelong shepherds so that they can live in Gessen, since Egyptians detest shepherds.

Source edition and notes

Douay–Rheims, revised by Richard Challoner (1749–1752). Project Gutenberg no. 1581. Locators refer to lines in the admitted pg1581.txt edition. Source notes may include Challoner commentary.

Lines 5348–5367
Genesis Chapter 46 Israel, warranted by a vision from God, goeth down into Egypt with all his family. 46:1. And Israel taking his journey, with all that he had, came to the well of the oath, and killing victims there to the God of his father Isaac, The well of the oath.... Bersabee. 46:2. He heard him, by a vision in the night, calling him, and saying to him: Jacob, Jacob. And he answered him: Lo, here I am. 46:3. God said to him: I am the most mighty God of thy father; fear not, go down into Egypt, for I will make a great nation of thee there. 46:4. I will go down with thee thither, and will bring thee back again from thence: Joseph also shall put his hands upon thy eyes.
Lines 5368–5377
46:5. And Jacob rose up from the well of the oath: and his sons took him up, with their children and wives in the wagons, which Pharao had sent to carry the old man, 46:6. And all that he had in the land of Chanaan: and he came into Egypt with all his seed; 46:7. His sons, and grandsons, daughters, and all his offspring together.
Lines 5378–5399
46:8. And these are the names of the children of Israel, that entered into Egypt, he and his children. His firstborn Ruben, 46:9. The sons of Ruben: Henoch and Phallu, and Hesron and Charmi. 46:10. The sons of Simeon: Jamuel and Jamin and Ahod, and Jachin and Sohar, and Saul, the son of a woman of Chanaan. 46:11. The sons of Levi: Gerson and Caath, and Merari. 46:12. The sons of Juda: Her and Onan, and Sela, and Phares and Zara. And Her and Onan died in the land of Chanaan. And sons were born to Phares: Hesron and Hamul. 46:13. The sons of Issachar: Thola and Phua, and Job and Semron. 46:14. The sons of Zabulon: Sared, and Elon, and Jahelel. 46:15. These are the sons of Lia, whom she bore in Mesopotamia of Syria, with Dina, his daughter. All the souls of her sons and daughters, thirty-three.
Lines 5400–5408
46:16. The sons of Gad: Sephion and Haggi, and Suni and Esebon, and Heri and Arodi, and Areli. 46:17. The sons of Aser: Jamne and Jesua, and Jessuri and Beria, and Sara their sister. The sons of Beria: Heber and Melchiel. 46:18. These are the sons of Zelpha, whom Laban gave to Lia, his daughter. And these she bore to Jacob, sixteen souls.
Lines 5409–5420
46:19. The sons of Rachel, Jacob’s wife: Joseph and Benjamin. 46:20. And sons were born to Joseph, in the land of Egypt, whom Aseneth, the daughter of Putiphare, priest of Heliopolis, bore him: Manasses and Ephraim. 46:21. The sons of Benjamin: Bela and Bechor, and Asbel and Gera, and Naaman and Echi, and Ross and Mophim, and Ophim and Ared. 46:22. These are the sons of Rachel, whom she bore to Jacob: all the souls, fourteen.
Lines 5421–5434
46:23. The sons of Dan: Husim. 46:24. The sons of Nephthali: Jaziel and Guni, and Jeser and Sallem. 46:25. These are the sons of Bala, whom Laban gave to Rachel, his daughter: and these she bore to Jacob: all the souls, seven. 46:26. All the souls that went with Jacob into Egypt, and that came out of his thigh, besides his sons’ wives, sixty-six. 46:27. And the sons of Joseph, that were born to him in the land of Egypt, two souls. All the souls of the house of Jacob, that entered into Egypt, were seventy.
Lines 5435–5444
46:28. And he sent Juda before him to Joseph, to tell him; and that he should meet him in Gessen. 46:29. And when he was come thither, Joseph made ready his chariot, and went up to meet his father in the same place: and seeing him, he fell upon his neck, and embracing him, wept. 46:30. And the father said to Joseph: Now shall I die with joy, because I have seen thy face, and leave thee alive.
Lines 5445–5462
46:31. And Joseph said to his brethren, and to all his father’s house: I will go up, and will tell Pharao, and will say to him: My brethren, and my father’s house, that were in the land of Chanaan, are come to me: 46:32. And the men are shepherds, and their occupation is to feed cattle; their flocks, and herds, and all they have, they have brought with them. 46:33. And when he shall call you, and shall say: What is your occupation? 46:34. You shall answer: We, thy servants, are shepherds, from our infancy until now, both we and our fathers. And this you shall say, that you may dwell in the land of Gessen, because the Egyptians have all shepherds in abomination.