Moving to Egypt

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Moving to Egypt

Alive!

Seeking Yahweh

Israel’s Descendants

Father-Son Reunion

Goshen

Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay

See Full Translation

Alive!

Joseph’s brothers left Egypt for the land of Canaan. They returned to their father, Jacob. “Joseph is still alive! He rules the entire land of Egypt!”

Yet Jacob became obstinate because he didn’t believe them. But when they told him everything Joseph had said to them and he saw the wagons Joseph had sent to carry him, their father Jacob’s spirit revived. “That’s enough! Joseph, my son, is still alive. I’ll go see him before I die.”

Moving to Egypt 2

Image by William McDonald from Creation Swap

When Joseph’s brothers returned to Canaan, a few of them likely went ahead to prepare Jacob for the arrival of the unexpectedly large traveling party. They greeted their father with the wonderful news that Joseph not only lived but also ruled all of Egypt. Yet the long-standing rift between Jacob and most of his children once again reared its ugly head. He obstinately refused to believe what seemed like a cruel joke.

Since Joseph’s disappearance, Jacob lived in mourning and had given up hope of finding joy again.1 But God had healed Jacob’s sons, and now it was Jacob’s turn.2 As the evidence that his sons told the truth piled up before him, his spirit revived. Simeon returned. Benjamin returned safely and told the same story as his brothers. Joseph’s gifts arrived with the Egyptian wagons and donkeys carrying riches the brothers could not have afforded. Gradually, Jacob let go of his fear and began to allow hope to replace years of depression.

Finally convinced, Jacob gave in. He would trust his sons and move the family to Egypt. His beloved Joseph was still alive, and Jacob needed to see him as soon as possible.

Seeking Yahweh

So Israel set out with everyone who belonged to him. When he reached Beersheba, he offered sacrifices to the God of his father, Isaac. During the night, God spoke to Israel in visions. “Jacob! Jacob!”

“Yes? I’m here.”

“I am God, the God of your father. Don’t be afraid to go to Egypt because I’ll make a great nation from you there. I’ll go with you to Egypt myself, and I’ll certainly also bring you back. And Joseph himself will close your eyes.”

Moving to Egypt 3

Image by Felix Russell Saw from Freely Photos

As much as Jacob wanted to see Joseph quickly, he didn’t rush straight to Egypt. He stopped at Beersheba, the southernmost point of Canaan, to offer sacrifices to Yahweh. Isaac lived most of his life at Beersheba, and Jacob may have used the altar his father built there.3 As he had his entire life, Jacob sought Yahweh’s blessing and received it.4

Life circumstances led Jacob to Egypt, but he likely feared God might disapprove and he would forfeit his claim on the promised land if he left. So Yahweh responded and reassured him that the family’s move played an important role in his plan. In Egypt, Jacob’s descendants would grow into the nation of Israel. Then Yahweh would lead them back to Canaan to receive their inheritance, as he promised Abraham.5 Jacob would live to see Joseph and would die in peace, with Joseph there to close his eyes following Israelite tradition.6

Though God’s promise to “bring you back” to Canaan refers partially to the return of Jacob’s descendants after the exodus, “you” is singular, indicating a promise to Jacob himself. Yet Jacob died in Egypt. If his return referred merely to his burial in Canaan, the promise had little value.7 During Jacob’s lifetime, God never brought him back. The promise awaits a future fulfillment on the new earth after the resurrection. Jacob will indeed return to inherit the land alongside his descendants.8

Israel’s Descendants

Then Jacob left Beersheba. Israel’s sons carried their father, Jacob, their little ones, and their wives in the wagons the pharaoh sent to carry him. They took their livestock and the possessions they gained in the land of Canaan, and Jacob and all his offspring arrived in Egypt. He brought all his offspring—his sons, grandsons, daughters, and granddaughters—with him to Egypt.

These are the names of Israel’s descendants who arrived in Egypt, Jacob and his descendants:

Jacob’s firstborn was Reuben. The sons of Reuben were Enoch, Pallu, Hezron, and Carmi. The sons of Simeon were Jemuel, Jamin, Ohad, Jakin, Zohar, and Saul, whose mother was Canaanite. The sons of Levi were Gershon, Kohath, and Merari. The sons of Judah were Er, Onan, Shelah, Perez, and Zerah. Er and Onan died in the land of Canaan. The sons of Perez were Hezron and Hamul. The sons of Issachar were Tola, Puah, Jashub, and Shimron. The sons of Zebulun were Sered, Elon, and Jahleel. These were the sons Leah gave birth to for Jacob in Paddan Aram, in addition to his daughter Dinah, thirty-three sons and daughters in total.

The sons of Gad were Zephon, Haggi, Shuni, Ezbon, Eri, Arodi, and Areli. The sons of Asher were Imnah, Ishvah, Ishvi, and Beriah. Serah was their sister. The sons of Beriah were Heber and Malkiel. These were the children of Zilpah, the servant Laban gave to his daughter Leah. She gave birth to children for Jacob, sixteen in total.

The sons of Rachel, Jacob’s wife, were Joseph and Benjamin. Joseph fathered Manasseh and Ephraim in the land of Egypt. Asenath daughter of Potiphera, priest of On, gave birth to them. The sons of Benjamin were Bela, Beker, Ashbel, Gera, Naaman, Ehi, Rosh, Muppim, Huppim, and Ard. These were the sons Rachel gave birth to for Jacob, fourteen in total.

The son of Dan was Hushim. The sons of Naphtali were Jahzeel, Guni, Jezer, and Shillem. These were the sons of Bilhah, the servant Laban gave to his daughter Rachel. She gave birth to children for Jacob, seven in total.

Everyone belonging to Jacob, his descendants who arrived in Egypt (not counting his sons’ wives), totaled sixty-six. Including Joseph’s two sons born in Egypt, the members of Jacob’s household who arrived in Egypt totaled seventy.

Moving to Egypt 1

Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay

Between the family’s departure from Canaan and their arrival in Egypt, Moses, the author of Genesis, interrupts the story to give the genealogy of Jacob’s direct descendants. The list gives the origins of the tribes and clans of Israel during Moses’s lifetime, as described in Numbers 26. It marks a shift from the focus on the fate of Jacob and his sons to a focus on the fate of their descendants.

Understanding the genealogy requires reading it from an ancient Near Eastern worldview.9 For example, it seems to say Leah gave birth to thirty-three children in Paddan Aram, but it doesn’t mean that. She gave birth to her seven children there, so to the Israelites, their descendants came from there too. Likewise, Jacob’s sixty-six descendants who moved to Egypt includes some born later. In his twenties, Benjamin couldn’t have had the descendants attributed to him, including grandchildren.10 And Perez was only a small child when the family moved. Yet Moses counted some of their future descendants.

Moses organized the genealogy in this way to make an important theological point. Though not everyone named actually traveled with Jacob, the family members chosen add up to the symbolic number of seventy, which represents completeness.11 This number matches the seventy nations in Genesis 10.12

When the Most High gave the nations their inheritance,
when he divided the children of Adam,
he assigned borders for the peoples
equal to the number of the children of Israel.13

In this way, Genesis portrays the young nation of Israel as a rebirth of humanity. Their blessing represents humanity’s blessing.14 The feeling of hope that pervades the end of Genesis represents humanity’s hope.

Father-Son Reunion

Now Jacob sent Judah ahead to Joseph to lead the way to Goshen. When they arrived in Goshen, Joseph prepared his chariot and went to Goshen to meet Israel, his father. When he appeared, he embraced him and wept for a long time. Israel said to Joseph, “I’m ready to die now that I’ve seen your face because you’re still alive!”

Moving to Egypt 4

Image by R-region from Pixabay

As Jacob and his household approached Egypt, Jacob sent Judah ahead to alert Joseph and find out where they should go. As a young man, Judah had played a key role in separating Jacob and Joseph.15 But his willingness to sacrifice himself for Benjamin redeemed him and earned him his father’s trust.16 Now he would play a role in reuniting father and son.17

When Joseph heard his father had arrived, he jumped in his chariot and hurried to Goshen. As when he reunited with his brothers, he embraced his father and wept.18 Having seen Joseph with his own eyes, Jacob felt ready to die in peace. He would in fact live another seventeen years, but he wouldn’t die in grief and sorrow as he had expected.19

Jacob’s reunion with the son he had long thought dead resembled Abraham receiving Isaac back after assuming he would lose him.20 Though no one in Genesis literally rose from the dead, both Joseph and Isaac foreshadow the resurrection of Jesus and form part of the greater theme of a God who brings life from certain death.21 Enoch never died.22 Noah built a boat to save a remnant of creation from the flood.23 Lot and his daughters escaped the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah.24 And Joseph saved the entire Mediterranean world from a seven-year famine.25

Goshen

Then Joseph told his brothers and his father’s household, “I will go and tell the pharaoh, ‘My brothers and my father’s household have come to me from the land of Canaan. The men are shepherds who care for livestock, and they have brought their flocks and herds and everything they own.’ When the pharaoh summons you, he will ask about your occupation. Tell him, ‘Your servants have cared for livestock since our youth, the same as our fathers did.’ That way you will be allowed to live in the land of Goshen because a shepherd is repulsive in Egypt.”

Moving to Egypt 5

Image by David P. Barrett/Biblemapper.com from Free Bible Images, CC BY-NC 4.0

After reuniting with Joseph, Jacob talked about dying in peace. But Joseph talked about life and how he would provide for his family in Egypt. His choice of the land of Goshen showed his care for not only their well-being but also their divine destiny. He instructed his brothers on how to convince the pharaoh to allow them to settle there.

East of the Nile delta, Goshen lay close to the border with the Sinai Peninsula.26 The fertile area of streams and lakes provided grazing land for their flocks and herds while allowing them to avoid conflict with the agrarian Egyptians, who primarily lived along the main part of the Nile.

The Egyptian attitude toward shepherds also played an important part in Joseph’s plan. The pharaoh desired to honor Joseph’s family, and God blessed him for that.27 But God sent them to Egypt to prevent them from integrating into Canaanite society.28 Emphasizing their occupation would convince the pharaoh to allow them to live separately, since many Egyptians would find their presence offensive. Joseph displayed his wisdom by prioritizing God’s covenant over worldly riches and power. He knew God intended Goshen as a temporary home.

← Genesis 45:1–24

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Genesis 47:1–31 →

  1. See Mourning for Joseph.
  2. See Reconciliation.
  3. Genesis 26:23–25.
  4. See Wrestling with God.
  5. See The Exodus Foretold.
  6. Kempf and Kuhn, Notes on Genesis 25:19–50:26, Gen. 46:4c.
  7. Genesis 50:13.
  8. Ezekiel 37:12; Daniel 12:13; Matthew 8:11; see A Burial Site.
  9. See Hebrew Genealogies.
  10. The Hebrew word for “son” can refer to any male descendant. See Numbers 26:38–40.
  11. There is some debate about who to count in the numbers sixty-six and seventy. Er and Onan, who died in Canaan, should not be counted in either number. Ephraim and Manasseh are counted among the seventy members of Jacob’s household, but not his sixty-six descendants who went to Egypt. The sixty-six likely includes either Dinah or Joseph, while the seventy includes both plus Jacob, who counted as a member of his own household.
  12. See The Table of Nations.
  13. Deuteronomy 32:8.
  14. Sailhamer, “Genesis,” 309.
  15. See Joseph Sold.
  16. See Substitution.
  17. Hamilton, Book of Genesis: Chapters 18–50, 601.
  18. See Reconciliation. Jacob could also be the subject of “he embraced him and wept.” But Joseph is the subject of the previous sentence, and the action fits well with his emotional personality.
  19. Genesis 37:35; 42:38; 47:28.
  20. See A Tale of Two Fathers.
  21. See Typology.
  22. See Enoch.
  23. See Safety.
  24. See Hesitant.
  25. See The Famine.
  26. Banister, “Goshen.”
  27. See The Pharaoh’s Gratitude.
  28. See Genesis 26:34–35; 34:1–10; 38:1–26.