Genesis 47:8

8 Then the king said to Jacob, "How old are you?"

Genesis 47:8 Meaning and Commentary

Genesis 47:8

And Pharaoh said unto Jacob, how old [art] thou?
] Or, "how many are the days of the years of thy life?" which way of speaking Jacob takes up, and very pertinently makes use of in his answer that follows: Dr. Lightfoot ^F13 thinks Pharaoh had never seen so old a man before, so grave a head, and so grey a beard, and in admiration asked this question.

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FOOTNOTES:

F13 Works, vol. 1. p. 667.

Genesis 47:8 In-Context

6 and you may choose any place in Egypt for them to live. Give your father and your brothers the best land; let them live in the land of Goshen. And if any of them are skilled shepherds, put them in charge of my sheep and cattle."

7 Then Joseph brought in his father Jacob and introduced him to the king, and Jacob blessed the king.

8 Then the king said to Jacob, "How old are you?"

9 Jacob said to him, "My life has been spent wandering from place to place. It has been short and filled with trouble -- only one hundred thirty years. My ancestors lived much longer than I."

10 Then Jacob blessed the king and left.