Genesis Bible Study: Genesis 47

Jacob Blesses Pharaoh

⁽¹⁾So Joseph went to see Pharaoh and said, "My father and my brothers are here from Canaan. They came with all their flocks and herds and possessions, and they are now in the land of Goshen*."

*Goshen: Region of Egypt which the Israelites inhabited during their sojourn in that country. It is described as situated on the eastern frontier of Lower Egypt (Genesis 46:28, 29; Exodus 13:17; I Chronicles 7: 21), forming an outpost of it (Genesis 46: 34); apparently not at all (or scantily) inhabited by Egyptians, but, in the estimation of shepherds, evidently "the best of the land" (Genesis 47: 6,11), since Pharaoh's cattle grazed there ( verse 6). Source: Jewish Encyclopedia http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/view.jsp?artid=376&letter=G

Land of Goshen From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Land of Goshen is the region around the city with the modern name Fakus in the eastern Nile delta in Egypt. It was there that Joseph had his house, and where he was laid to rest. Goshen was probably the province of Egypt nearest Canaan. The Israelites lived there in peace for 400 years, until a new king arose over Egypt, who did not know Joseph (Exodus 1:8) and reduced them to slavery. Source: Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Land_of_Goshen

⁽²⁾Joseph took* five of his brothers with him and presented them to Pharaoh.

*took - literally, "from the outskirts of (or least of) his brothers".

Pharaoh lived an isolated life in his palaces as befitted a god. Apart from his high officials entry to him was difficult and all who entered his presence must be suitably clothed, washed and shaved. Joseph would make the usual preparations before entering in his regalia as Vizier. He enters alone. Court etiquette demands that he speak to Pharaoh himself before bringing in his brothers. Pharaoh might decide not to see them.

⁽³⁾Pharaoh asked them, "What is your occupation?" And they replied, "We are shepherds like our ancestors.

⁽⁴⁾We have come to live* here in Egypt, for there is no pasture for our flocks in Canaan. The famine is very severe there. We request permission to live in the land of Goshen."

*live: Hebrew guwr - sojourn (as a guest); i.e., not staying there permanently.

⁽⁵⁾And Pharaoh said to Joseph, "Now that your family has joined you here,

⁽⁶⁾choose any place you like for them to live. Give them the best land of Egypt--the land of Goshen will be fine. And if any of them have special skills, put them in charge of my livestock, too."

⁽⁷⁾Then Joseph brought his father, Jacob*, and presented him to Pharaoh, and Jacob blessed Pharaoh**.

*Jacob - Now he's listed as "Jacob", not "Israel".

**Jacob blessed Pharaoh - the greater always blesses the lesser! From a worldly standpoint, Pharaoh was the greater, but from God's standpoint, Jacob was the greater. It was Melchizedek that had blessed Abraham in Genesis 14:19, thus showing his superiority to Abraham, for the person who has the power to bless is always greater than the person who is blessed (Hebrews 7:7).

⁽⁸⁾"How old are you?" Pharaoh asked him.

⁽⁹⁾Jacob replied, "I have lived* for 130 hard years**, but I am still not nearly as old as many of my ancestors."

*lived - Hebrew yrwgm megura - The days of the years of my pilgrimage, of my sojourning or wandering. Joseph was 39; Reuben 46; Simeon 45; Levi 44; Judah 43.

**hard years - Jacob isn't complaining, just stating a fact. Look at all he'd been through!But, the worst two things were losing his beloved Rachel (Genesis 35:18-20) and, he thought, losing Joseph (Genesis 37:33).

⁽¹⁰⁾Then Jacob blessed Pharaoh again before he left.

⁽¹¹⁾So Joseph assigned the best land of Egypt--the land of Rameses*--to his father and brothers, just as Pharaoh had commanded**.

*Rameses - The name given to Goshen in Moses' time.

**Pharaoh had commanded - This is done for Joseph's sake, not theirs - just as God forgives us and accepts us, not on our own merit (which is but filthy rags), but based on Christ's finished work on the cross and our acceptance of Him as our Saviour.

⁽¹²⁾And Joseph furnished food to his father and brothers in amounts appropriate to the number of their dependents.

⁽¹³⁾Meanwhile, the famine became worse and worse, and the crops continued to fail throughout Egypt and Canaan.

⁽¹⁴⁾Joseph collected all the money in Egypt and Canaan in exchange for grain, and he brought the money to Pharaoh's treasure-house.

⁽¹⁵⁾When the people of Egypt and Canaan ran out of money, they came to Joseph crying again for food. "Our money is gone," they said, "but give us bread. Why should we die?"

⁽¹⁶⁾"Well, then," Joseph replied, "since your money is gone, give me your livestock. I will give you food in exchange."

⁽¹⁷⁾So they gave their livestock to Joseph in exchange for food. Soon all the horses, flocks, herds, and donkeys of Egypt were in Pharaoh's possession. But at least they were able to purchase food for that year.

⁽¹⁸⁾The next year they came again and said, "Our money is gone, and our livestock are yours. We have nothing left but our bodies and land.

⁽¹⁹⁾Why should we die before your very eyes? Buy us and our land in exchange for food; we will then become servants to Pharaoh. Just give us grain so that our lives may be saved and so the land will not become empty and desolate."

⁽²⁰⁾So Joseph bought all the land of Egypt for Pharaoh. All the Egyptians sold him their fields because the famine was so severe, and their land then belonged to Pharaoh.

⁽²¹⁾Thus, all the people of Egypt became servants* to Pharaoh.

*servants - slaves.

⁽²²⁾The only land he didn't buy was that belonging to the priests, for they were assigned food from Pharaoh and didn't need to sell their land.

⁽²³⁾Then Joseph said to the people, "See, I have bought you and your land for Pharaoh. I will provide you with seed, so you can plant the fields.

⁽²⁴⁾Then when you harvest it, a fifth of your crop will belong to Pharaoh. Keep four-fifths for yourselves, and use it to plant the next year's crop and to feed yourselves, your households, and your little ones."

⁽²⁵⁾"You have saved our lives!" they exclaimed. "May it please you, sir, to let us be Pharaoh's servants."

⁽²⁶⁾Joseph then made it a law throughout the land of Egypt--and it is still the law--that Pharaoh should receive one-fifth* of all the crops grown on his land. But since Pharaoh had not taken over the priests' land, they were exempt from this payment.

*fifth - a permanent 20% tax! Pharaoh now owns all the animals and all the land, except the priests' property and the people of Egypt become his slaves. It also appears that Jacob and his family were also exempt from all these burdens.

⁽²⁷⁾So the people of Israel* settled in the land of Goshen in Egypt. And before long, they began to prosper there, and their population grew rapidly**.

*Israel - The 1st time "Israel" is used to refer to the nation rather than the person Jacob.

**population grew rapidly: This was certainly true. In some 400 years, this became a nation of some two million or more people. Henry Morris calculates the initial group of five (Jacob and his four wives) grew into a clan of about 100 in 50 years (the 100 includes the 70 of Genesis 46:27 plus a few wives of the sons not mentioned and grandchildren). That is a growth rate of just over 6% per year. At that rate, there would be several million descendants by the time of the Exodus 430 years later.

⁽²⁸⁾Jacob lived* for seventeen years after his arrival in Egypt, so he was 147 years old when he died.

⁽²⁹⁾As the time of his death drew near, he called for his son Joseph and said to him, "If you are pleased with me, swear most solemnly that you will honor this, my last request: Do not bury me in Egypt.

⁽³⁰⁾When I am dead, take me out of Egypt and bury me beside my ancestors*." So Joseph promised that he would.

*beside my ancestors - That is, in the Cave of Machpelah near Hebron where Sarah, Abraham, and Isaac were buried. Rachel isn't buried there - she's buried along the road near Bethlehem. But Leah is buried in the cave. Jacob knew that he was a guest in Egypt, that God had promised him a home in Canaan. Exodus 13:19: Moses took the bones of Joseph with him, for Joseph had made the sons of Israel swear that they would take his bones with them when God led them out of Egypt--as he was sure God would.
Despite the riches and comforts of Egypt, Jacob longed for God's land, though Canaan was always full of trouble for him. Why would Jacob desire so much that he be buried in Canaan? This desire did not come "from a mere romantic attachment to his native soil, nor, like his modern descendants, from a superstitious feeling for the soil of the Holy Land, but from faith in the promises." Jacob knew, through belief in the promise of God, that the future of his people would lie in the promised land, in the land of Canaan. In fact, this land would bear his name, and even now bears his name, the name of Israel.

⁽³¹⁾"Swear that you will do it," Jacob insisted. So Joseph gave his oath, and Jacob* bowed in worship as he leaned on his staff.**

*Jacob: Hebrew Israel.

**bowed in worship as he leaned on his staff: As in Greek (Septuagint) version; Hebrew reads bowed in worship at the head of his bed.

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