Genesis 46 Study Notes

46:28-30 As the group made its way to Goshen, Jacob sent his son Judah ahead to make arrangements for the long-awaited reunion between the clan leader and his most-beloved son. Leaving his duties at the royal court, Joseph traveled by chariot to Goshen to meet his father Israel. The meeting was satisfying to both parties, as Joseph at last threw his arms around his father, hugged him, and wept for a long time. For his part Jacob/Israel satisfied himself that Joseph was still alive, thus extinguishing twenty years of grief. Jacob was now content that he could die in peace, though he would live an additional seventeen years in Egypt (47:28).

46:31-34 Joseph now turned his attention to his brothers and the rest of his father’s family. Anticipating tensions caused by cultural differences between Egyptians and Hebrews, Joseph informed his brothers of a plan that would guarantee them the right to settle in the land of Goshen. First, he himself would inform Pharaoh that his father’s family had arrived and that his family members were shepherds, an occupation considered detestable to Egyptians. Then he would arrange for Pharaoh to meet with his family. If Pharaoh asked about their occupation, they were to inform him that they and their fathers were men of livestock. Receiving this confirmation, Pharaoh would then issue a land grant to Jacob’s clan, permitting them to reside in the eastern Nile Delta.