Genesis 46 Footnotes

46:8-27 This list is organized according to Jacob’s sons by his wives: Leah’s sons (and one daughter, Dinah; vv. 8-15); the sons of Zilpah, Leah’s handmaid (vv. 16-18); the sons of Rachel (vv. 19-22); and the sons of Bilhah, Rachel’s handmaid (vv. 23-25). The number seventy, considered a number of completeness by the Hebrews, was maintained by not counting the wives of Jacob’s sons. It is striking that, since Isaac and Rebekah only had Esau and Jacob, Jacob’s family had grown to seventy persons within two more generations. This foreshadowed how large Israel would become by the time they left Egypt (Ex 12:37) four hundred years later (Gn 15:13-14).

46:28–47:6 Joseph played off the Egyptians’ sense of ethnic superiority in order to gain favor for his family. Knowing that Egyptians considered shepherds “abhorrent” (46:34), Joseph emphasized this so that Pharaoh would send his people to Goshen, keeping them separate from the other peoples of Egypt. While they were in Canaan, the temptation to intermarry had threatened both the bloodline and the faith of God’s people. Living in Goshen would make it easier to preserve their distinctiveness.