Chapter 46

1 Jacob is comforted by God at Beer-sheba: 5 Thence he with his company goeth into Egypt. 8 The number of his family that went into Egypt. 29 Joseph meeteth Jacob. 31 He instructeth his brethren how to answer to Pharaoh.

1. Came to Beer-sheba. Jacob’s camp had probably been at Hebron for many years (chs. 35:27; 37:14), the place where his grandfather Abraham and his father Isaac were buried, together with other members of the family. This was probably the place of departure. On his way to Egypt, Jacob halted at Beersheba, on the southern borders of Canaan, where Abraham (ch. 21:33) and Isaac (ch. 26:25) had erected altars to Jehovah. When Jacob passed this sacred place, and saw, possibly, the remains of his father’s altar, he stopped to offer sacrifices to God, who had dealt with him so graciously in the past. These sacrifices were probably thank offerings for the good tidings concerning Joseph. Jacob may also have desired to consult with God concerning his journey to Egypt, which may have occasioned gloomy forebodings in view of the scenes of affliction revealed to Abraham (ch. 15:13). It is certain that Jacob here commended himself and his family to the care of God.

2. God spake unto Israel. This was apparently the first vision accorded Jacob for many years. Several of the previous revelations had come during the night, mostly in the form of dreams (chs. 28:12; 31:11; 32:30). This one is not called a dream, which would have come during sleep, but a vision.

Jacob, Jacob. That God called him Jacob instead of Israel may have been to remind him of what he had been, since he had seen his own former character clearly reflected in that of his sons. Once he had deceived his father and cheated his brother; his own sons had deceived him concerning Joseph for 22 years ere the truth came out. Many times he no doubt wished he might see nobler traits in his sons, only to think of the unregenerate character he himself had possessed for so many years.

Route of Joseph and Kindred to Egypt

3. Fear not. This divine admonition reveals the fact that Jacob had feared he might be doing wrong in going to Egypt. He yearned to see Joseph, his long-lost son; but he also remembered the evil consequences of Abraham’s journey to Egypt (ch. 12:14–20), and that God had once forbidden Isaac to go there during a famine (ch. 26:2). Whether his journey would meet God’s approval may have been a serious question in the patriarch’s mind. Now God expressed approval of the journey and gave him reassuring promises. As formerly, when setting out for Padan-aram, so now in departing for Egypt, Jacob received the assurance that God would go with him, that the divine promise concerning his posterity was still valid, and that the move into Egypt would not mean the permanent abandonment of the Land of Promise.

4. Bring thee up again. In a limited sense this promise was fulfilled to Jacob personally, when his body was returned to Canaan for interment, but fully in the exodus of Jacob’s descendants from Egypt some 215 years later.

6. All his seed. Strengthened and encouraged by the divine promises again vouchsafed to him in the nightly vision, Jacob went into Egypt, accompanied by his children and grandchildren.

Many commentators have drawn attention to a tomb picture from Beni Hasan in Egypt, as a parallel to Jacob’s migration to Egypt. This picture, already described in connection with Abraham’s earlier journey to Egypt (see on ch. 12:10), depicts the arrival of Semites in the Nile valley in the 19th century b.c., at the time of the Twelfth Dynasty. This would be at least two centuries before Jacob’s journey to Egypt, and the picture therefore cannot be taken as a contemporary illustration of the event under discussion. It is, nevertheless, important to an understanding of Jacob’s migration, because it shows Semitic men and women with their goods loaded upon asses and their children in wicker baskets on the backs of asses. It shows their colorful dress, and the style of their garments, shoes, weapons, and even a musical instrument, a lyre (see p. 160).

8. The children of Israel. First occurrence of this expression. The size of Jacob’s family, which was to grow into a great nation, is given here, in evident allusion to the fulfillment of the divine promise with which he went into Egypt. The list of names includes not merely the “sons of Israel” in the stricter sense, but also the patriarch himself, and Joseph, with his two sons, who were born before Jacob’s arrival in Egypt.

9. The sons of Reuben. Of the four sons of Reuben, the last two mentioned must have been mere babes in the arms of their mother, since Reuben had had only two sons at the time of his first return from Egypt (ch. 42:37). Their names mean: Hanoch (a variant of “Enoch”), the name also of Cain’s first-born (ch. 4:17), and of the patriarch Enoch (ch. 5:19), means “dedicated”; Phallu, “separated”; Hezron, “enclosure”; and Carmi, “vinedresser” or “my vineyard.”

10. The sons of Simeon. Jemuel means “day of God”; Jamin, “right hand”; Ohad, “united”; Jachin, “he [God] establishes”; Zohar, “whiteness” or “brilliance”; and Shaul, “asked for.”

Canaanitish woman. The reference to one of the sons of Simeon as “the son of a Canaanitish woman” implies that it was not the custom of the sons of Jacob to take wives from among the Canaanites. As a rule they were chosen from the paternal relatives in Mesopotamia, the families of Ishmael, the Keturah sons, or Esau. Only Simeon and Judah (ch. 38:2) seem to have had Canaanite wives.

11. The sons of Levi. Gershon means “expulsion” or “extortion”; Kohath, “assembly”; and Merari, “bitter.”

12. The sons of Judah. On the meaning of the names of Pharez and Zarah see on ch. 38:29, 30. Er and Onan, who died in the land of Canaan, are not counted, but Pharez already had two sons, Hezron, meaning “enclosure” (see v. 9), and Hamul, “one who has received mercy.”

13. The sons of Issachar. Tola means “worm” or “scarlet,” and Phuvah, “mouth.” Job, which seems to stand for the unabbreviated form Jashub (Num. 26:24; 1 Chron. 7:1), means “turning oneself,” and Shimron, “watch.”

14. The sons of Zebulun. Sered means “fear”; Elon, “oak”; and Jahleel, “wait for God.”

15. Dinah. Apparently unmarried since her misfortune in Shechem, and therefore mentioned here as an independent member of Jacob’s family.

Thirty and three. This number is reached either by excluding Er and Onan and including Jacob and Dinah, as is most likely correct, or by including Er and Onan and excluding Jacob and Dinah. The 6 sons of Leah, 23 grandsons (who were still alive), 2 great-grandsons (sons of Pharez), and 1 daughter, add up to 32 persons, or with Jacob, 33.

16. The sons of Gad. Ziphion means “expectation”; Haggi, “festive”; Shuni, “quiet”; Ezbon, “toiling”; Eri, “guarding”; Arodi, “hunch-backed”; and Areli, “lion of God.”

17. The sons of Asher. The meaning of Jimnah is uncertain. Ishuah and Isui both have the same meaning, “he is equal,” and Beriah means “gift.” Their sister Serah’s name means “abundance.” Heber means “friend” or “fellow,” and Malchiel, “king of God.”

It is inconceivable that of Jacob’s grandchildren, of whom 51 grandsons are enumerated by name, only 1 girl should have been born, the daughter of Asher. She is probably mentioned because, like Dinah (v. 15), she remained unmarried. She had not gone over to another family, like the other daughters and granddaughters of Jacob, who had followed their husbands to their homes.

18. Sixteen souls. Zilpah’s 2 sons, her 11 grandsons, 1 granddaughter, and 2 great-grandsons make up the number 16.

20. Manasseh and Ephraim. See on ch. 41:50-52.

21. The sons of Benjamin. Belah means “devouring,” and Becher, “young male camel.” Ashbel, Gera, Muppim, and Ard are of uncertain meaning. Naaman means “pleasantness”; Ehi, “my brother”; Rosh, “head”; and Huppim, “coverings.”

In Benjamin’s genealogical list of Num. 26:40 Naaman and Ard are given as the sons of Bela, that is, the grandsons of Benjamin. A reasonable explanation is that the two sons of Benjamin, Naaman and Ard, died without offspring, and that Bela called his sons after the names of his two deceased brothers. In this way they would take not only their uncles’ names but also their position in the tribe, and become heads of families. The names of Becher, Gera, and Rosh may likewise have been omitted from the list in Num. 26 for the reason that they had died early without offspring.

22. All the souls were fourteen. Rachel’s 2 sons and her 12 grandsons make up the number of 14.

23. The sons of Dan. Only one son of Dan is listed. The plural form “sons” is used as a stereotype phrase, whether one or several sons are named. Another example of this custom is v. 15, where the term “daughters” is used, although only one, Dinah, is mentioned. Hushim’s name is of uncertain meaning.

24. The sons of Naphtali. Jahzeel means “allotted by God,” but Guni is of uncertain meaning. Jezer means “image” or “frame,” and Shillem, “recompense.”

25. All the souls were seven. Bilhah’s two sons and five grandsons make up this number.

26. All the souls. This figure includes only descendants of Jacob who were still living at the time of the migration to Egypt, but not his sons’ wives, or his married daughters and their families, if such came down with him to Egypt, since they had become members of other tribes. The number 66 is constituted of the following parts:

Jacob’s 11 sons and 1 unmarried daughter

12

Reuben’s sons

4

Simeon’s sons

6

Levi’s sons

3

Judah’s 3 sons and 2 grandsons

5

Issachar’s sons

4

Zebulun’s sons

3

Gad’s sons

7

Asher’s 4 sons, 1 daughter, and 2 grandsons

7

Dan’s son

1

Naphtali’s sons

4

Benjamin’s sons

10

27. Threescore and ten. Moses adds Jacob, Joseph, and his 2 sons to the 66 descendants of Jacob, giving 70 as the total of Jacob’s family that settled in Egypt. Stephen’s total of 75 (Acts 7:14), instead of 70, is probably due to his being a Greek-speaking Jew who used the Greek OT version, often quoted in the NT (see on Acts 6:1). This version includes 5 other (later) descendants of Joseph (see vs. 20, 27, LXX).

28. He sent Judah before him. The list of the house of Jacob is followed by an account of the arrival in Egypt. Judah, having shown remarkable qualities of leadership on their previous trip to Egypt, was naturally selected to represent the aged patriarch and announce his arrival. He would also obtain from Joseph necessary instructions as to the place of their settlement, and then return to guide the caravan to Goshen (see on ch. 45:10). The fact that Judah performed this task suggests that he had already been selected by Jacob as inheritor of the birthright. Benjamin, though beloved, was young and lacking in experience, and, as later circumstances proved, he lacked qualities of leadership. Benjamin was only a “wolf,” but Judah was a “lion” (ch. 49:9, 27).

29. Fell on his neck. The expression “presented himself,” generally used only of the appearance of God, here suggests the glory in which Joseph came to meet his father. This meeting brought the lives of both men to a climax. How earnestly they had yearned to see each other is a matter for the imagination, not for description. Their great love, each for the other, overflowing in the joy of their hearts, was poured out in tears, which could no longer be kept back. These were tears of joy, that came after many tears of bitterness shed during their long separation.

30. Now let me die. Not that Jacob wished to die, but that he was now completely satisfied. Having seen Joseph with his own eyes, and knowing that his beloved son’s happiness was assured, he felt that life could offer him no greater joy. The last earthly longing of his heart was completely satisfied, and he was ready to lay down his life whenever and wherever God saw fit.

33. When Pharaoh shall call you. One of the first things Joseph purposed to do, after welcoming his relatives to Egypt, was to introduce his father and brothers to the king. Pharaoh might have intended to appoint some of them as officers, thinking they might be as useful to him as Joseph. But Joseph, well aware of the allurements of Egyptian court life, and the weak characters of his brothers, feared that they might soon succumb to temptation and lose the vision of their future part in God’s plan. This way why Joseph emphasized that they should state, if asked, that their occupation was that of shepherds, so implying that they were unqualified for court life.

34. The land of Goshen. Goshen, in the eastern Delta region, was admirably suitable for flocks and herds. Though near the capital (ch. 45:10), it would isolate them from the Egyptians, and would permit them to live their own lives, continue their own culture, and serve their own God without offense to others. Furthermore, they would be comparatively near to Canaan, and could easily leave in a time of emergency. Joseph thus revealed insight into the destiny of his people, apparently realizing that the time would come when they would have to leave.

Every shepherd is an abomination. These are probably not the words of Joseph, but of Moses, the historian, given in explanation of Joseph’s advice and action. If his brothers should voice a desire to continue their occupation as shepherds, the king would most likely consent to their settling in the region of Goshen, which would isolate them from the valley of the Nile and most Egyptians. Moses’ evaluation of the Egyptian attitude toward shepherds is corroborated later by Greek writers (Herodotus, ii. 47, 164) and by Josephus (Antiquities ii. 7. 5), as earlier by pictorial representations in paintings and reliefs. Shepherds are frequently represented as miserable creatures, dirty and unshaven, naked and half starved, and often either lame or deformed.

Ellen G. White comments

1-34PP 232-233

6, 7 SR 147

29 5T 125