Genesis 45 – Joseph Welcomes his Brothers
Verses 4-8 depict Joseph’s view of the circumstances that brought him to Egypt. How do we look at similar circumstances in our lives? To what extent does God cause every detail in life to happen? Does this make God the author of evil?
Verse 10 anticipates that Joseph’s family will reside in an area called Goshen. More will be said about this in chapter 46.
Verse 15 concludes Joseph’s “reveal” to his brothers, and does so with the phrase “afterward his brothers talked with him.” It must have been an awkward conversation on the part of the brothers. Imagining the conversation, there may be a similarity drawn to the conversation in what we call the “prodigal son” parable (Luke 15). The younger son, after so blatantly rejecting his father’s ways and carelessly wasting his father’s money, is welcomed home by the father with an unwavering extension of grace. The son surely felt humbled and befuddled by his father’s actions. The father simply was joyful at the outcome. This seems to also describe the moment of Jacob’s sons being reunited.
Verses 16-20 indicate Pharaoh’s response to the news of Jacob’s arrival. Surely out of appreciation for Joseph’s leadership, Pharaoh sends transportation aid to retrieve all of the family and their belongings. He also indicates that “the best of all the land of Egypt will be theirs.”
Joseph prepares the brothers for their trip with provisions, notably giving Benjamin 300 pieces of silver (v. 22) along with garments as the other brothers had received. There are also items prepared for Jacob, including food and “the best things of Egypt” (v. 23). We are not given detail as to what these things might have been. It does seem to be a curious move, as the ultimate plan was for the family to relocate. Why send things that are either going to be left behind for five years (as Joseph knew) or that would require being carried back to Egypt? Joseph gives the brothers an interesting exhortation before their departure: “Do not quarrel on the journey” (v. 24). Perhaps Joseph anticipates how the brothers will process the turn of events while traveling, hoping they will not resort to blaming or other unhealthy tactics.
Verse 25 begins a small section that extends into the next chapter. When the brothers arrive in Canaan and share the news about Joseph with their father, the “spirit of their father Jacob was revived” (v. 27). Of course, this came after the initial shock and unbelief of their report. This is quite understandable, as Jacob had lived many years with the mind that Joseph was dead. The evidence, though, was hard to dismiss. Under what other circumstances would Jacob’s sons have returned from Egypt with such an overflow of resources? Jacob’s comment is touching: “I will go see him before I die” (v. 28). We will see that Jacob was not actually on the verge of dying. What the comment discloses is a deep satisfaction at the news of the oldest son of his favorite wife being alive and well. Jacob could once again feel satisfaction with life.
Genesis 46 – Jacob Relocates to Egypt
Geographically Beersheba represented the southern boundary of usable land in Canaan. The OT frequently uses the phrase “from Dan to Beersheba” to speak of the whole of Israel’s territory (1 Samuel 3:20 e.g.). Traveling to Egypt, Beersheba would be like the “last stop” before leaving the homeland.
Beersheba is also a location where Jacob’s father Isaac had encountered God (Gen. 26:24). Now it would be Jacob’s turn to have an encounter there, as God offers a word of assurance. Jacob would logically have concerns of leaving Canaan, as it was clear to him that Canaan would be the land associated with God’s promises unfolding. Jacob is again reminded that Yahweh is not a god limited to a certain land. God had been with him in Haran and in every other location. God would be with Jacob in Egypt as well, and continue to fulfill His promises to Jacob’s ancestors in generations to come.
Verses 5-7 give us the picture of all that Jacob and his family brought to Egypt. It sounds like nothing of any worth was left behind.
The Family in Egypt.
Verses 8-27 detail the names of family members who migrated to Egypt. The names include Jacob’s sons (grouped according to their mothers), his daughter Dinah, their sons, one granddaughter and four great grandsons. The importance of the list seems to focus on Jacob’s direct descendants (v. 26). The wives of Jacob’s sons are overtly not counted. We have already seen with genealogies in the Bible that they are often prepared for some purpose more than a simple record of history. In this case it is obvious that the text is establishing a reference point for how God is developing the generations of redemptive history—which is the overarching focus of the biblical text. The number of migrants under Jacob is numbered at 70, a number that will appear at other times in the Bible.
The remainder of chapter 46 is a brief account of the reunion of Joseph and his father, a scene that must have been highly emotional and satisfying to both of them.
An interesting detail, and one that takes us into chapter 47, has to do with where Jacob’s family will settle, and why they will settle there. Joseph comes from a family of people who have lived a nomadic life. They are shepherds, and that has not changed in their coming to Egypt. Because of what they have brought with them (flocks of animals, to be precise), they will need to live in an area suitable for that.
Further, there is a cultural factor at work also. According to Joseph’s words in verse 34, “shepherds are loathsome to Egyptians.” This doesn’t mean that Egypt did not have herding animals, nor did it lack people who care for them. It is simply that Egyptian culture did not look upon such work as something preferable. This would make it easier for Joseph to keep Jacob and his family in an area that is on the margins of the country. Egypt was powerful politically, militarily, and culturally. Much of that cultural life was centered in population centers. Settling in the eastern Nile delta would keep the Israelites somewhat distanced from much of that cultural influence (and conflict).
Genesis 47 – Impact of the Famine
The chapter begins with a conclusion to the brief section regarding how Joseph’s family ends up in the region called Goshen. Joseph takes “five men from among his brothers” (v. 2) and presents them to Pharaoh to make the case. Pharaoh seems easily convinced that the eastern border of the Nile delta is a suitable area for Joseph’s family. Pharaoh even goes further and asks for any capable shepherds from among Joseph’s family to be given charge over his own livestock (v. 6).
In verses 7-12 we are given a brief exchange between Pharaoh and Jacob. Jacob takes the opportunity to offer a blessing on Pharaoh—the nature of which would be interesting to know. Pharaoh inquires of Jacob concerning his age. Jacob indicates he has lived for 130 years, and describes them as troublesome and not as lengthy as his forefathers.
A last detail of this section is to note the name associated with the location of the settlement. So far we are told that the area was called Goshen. In verse 11 the writer says it was “in the land of Rameses.” Without diving too deep or making overly-bold claims, we can be reminded that at some point in Egypt’s history there was a sequence of kings who went under the name Ramses. One of those, known as Ramses II, is thought to be the one who established a royal residence in the eastern Nile delta (i.e. Goshen). The years of Israel’s enslavement in Egypt are thought to be associated with this Pharaoh. The timelines of Egyptian and Hebrew history are still a matter of debate. For our conversation here we can state confidently that a royal residence known as Pi-Ramesses was established in that area, likely under the direction of Ramses II. Scholarship today appears to lean strongly toward locating Pi-Ramesses at an ancient location called Avaris. Going with a widely accepted timeline, this royal residence had not yet been built when Jacob and his family arrived in Egypt. The appearance of the name in Genesis 47 is likely due to a later writer of the text using a name that would, by his time, have been familiar to the audience.
Verses 13-26 give a summary of how Joseph deals with the remaining years of the famine. This section of text feels brutal. Because of the extensive famine, the people of Egypt end up selling their livestock and eventually their land to Joseph, who turned it all over to Pharaoh’s ownership. In exchange, Joseph continued to provide a means for them to have food. Joseph enacted a perpetual statute of surrendering one fifth of a person’s harvest to Pharaoh. In the end, the people are thankful that a means of survival had been established.
The chapter ends with the telling of Jacob’s death. Verse 27 sets up the narrative that will come in the book of Exodus. Israel prospers in Egypt, acquiring property and reproducing abundantly. Jacob lived for seventeen years in Egypt before his death, plenty of time to witness many more grandchildren come into the family. When the time for his death was drawing near, Jacob asked Joseph to make a promise. The promise was that Jacob would not be buried in Egypt, but instead that he would be buried with his ancestors in the land of Canaan. It was a promise Joseph was happy to make.
