Introduction

‘Joseph went and told Pharaoh, ‘My father and brothers, with their flocks and herds and everything they own, have come from the land of Canaan and are now in Goshen.’ He chose five of his brothers and presented them before Pharaoh. Pharaoh asked the brothers, ‘What is your occupation?’ ‘Your servants are shepherds,’ they replied to Pharaoh, ‘just as our fathers were.’ They also said to him, ‘We have come to live here for a while, because the famine is severe in Canaan and your servants’ flocks have no pasture. So now, please let your servants settle in Goshen.’ Pharaoh said to Joseph, ‘Your father and your brothers have come to you, and the land of Egypt is before you; settle your father and your brothers in the best part of the land. Let them live in Goshen. And if you know of any among them with special ability, put them in charge of my own livestock.’ Then Joseph brought his father Jacob in and presented him before Pharaoh. After Jacob blessed Pharaoh, Pharaoh asked him, ‘How old are you?’ And Jacob said to Pharaoh, ‘The years of my pilgrimage are a hundred and thirty. My years have been few and difficult, and they do not equal the years of the pilgrimage of my fathers.’ Then Jacob blessed Pharaoh and went out from his presence. So, Joseph settled his father and his brothers in Egypt and gave them property in the best part of the land, the district of Rameses, as Pharaoh directed. Joseph also provided his father and his brothers and all his father’s household with food, according to the number of their children.’ Genesis 47:1-12

Joseph now informs Pharaoh that his father and his brothers, along with all their flocks and herds and everything they own, are now in Goshen, Genesis 47:1.

The reason Joseph’s family were allowed to stay in Egypt was that Pharaoh allowed it to happen; this was the custom of the day. Pharaoh had to know everyone who was coming and going in and through Egypt. God was obviously working through Pharaoh without him realising it.

Five of Joseph’s brothers go to speak to Pharaoh, Genesis 47:2, and explain the reason why they want to live in Goshen. Notice that Pharaoh asks them what their occupation was, Genesis 47:3, just as Joseph predicted he would, Genesis 46:33.

They say they are shepherds, Genesis 47:3, just as Joseph told them to, Genesis 46:34. They also tell Pharaoh that they have only come to live there for a while because of the famine and their flocks need pasture land, Genesis 47:4.

Notice, they asked Pharaoh’s permission to settle in Goshen, Genesis 47:4. Jacob’s sons believed they were only going to stay in Egypt for a while, Genesis 47:4; the reality was that God planned for them to stay in Egypt for four hundred and thirty years, Exodus 12:30.

Pharaoh tells Joseph that his family can settle in Goshen and then asks Joseph if he knew of any among them with special ability, and if they did, they would be put in charge of my own livestock, Genesis 47:5-6. Pharaoh is obviously looking at how Jacob’s family could be used to help in the Egyptian economy.

Remember, the Egyptians looked upon shepherds as the lowest class of society, and so, because Goshen was on the outskirts of Egypt, they believed that these Israelite shepherds wouldn’t be able to cause any damage to their economy and pose no threat to their religion. Joseph brings his father Jacob to Pharaoh, and after Jacob blessed him, Genesis 47:7.

Yates, in his commentary, says the following.

‘The word for ‘blessed,’” occurring here and in Genesis 47:10, ‘could be translated ‘`saluted,’ but the normal and strongly preferred meaning is blessed.’

Pharaoh asks how old Jacob is, Genesis 47:8. Why did Pharaoh ask Jacob how old he was? We don’t really know why he asked Jacob his age; he may have remembered that his father and all the Pharaohs’ fathers before him died when they were around seventy years of age, which was the normal age span for this time.

It’s possible that he asked this question because he was amazed that Jacob, who was one hundred and thirty years of age, was still alive and standing in front of him, and Jacob’s father and all the fathers before him lived much longer. Jacob tells Pharaoh that the years of his pilgrimage are a hundred and thirty, and his years have been few and difficult, Genesis 47:9.

Montgomery, in his commentary, says the following.

‘A pilgrim is one seeking a country that has not yet been reached. The remembrance of this keeps the life God-ward. Its blessedness consists not in present enjoyment, but in preparation for the life to come, Hebrews 11:10.’

Hamilton, in his commentary, says the following.

‘When we first encountered Jacob, he was struggling inside his mother’s womb with his twin brother. As we come to the end of Jacob’s life, he is struggling for his life in a famine-devastated Canaan. In between these first and last moments of struggle have been many trying experiences for Jacob. His life has had more sorrow than joy.’

Jacob tells him that his years don’t equal the years of the pilgrimage of his fathers, Genesis 47:9. Abraham lived to one hundred and seventy-five years of age, Genesis 25:7, and Isaac lived to one hundred and eighty years of age, Genesis 35:28.

Then Jacob blesses Pharaoh again and leaves, Genesis 47:10. Joseph now settles his father and his brothers in Egypt and gives them property in the best part of the land, the district of Rameses, Genesis 47:11 / Genesis 47:5-6.

The district of Rameses was in the north-eastern part of Goshen. It was a city which would eventually be built and named after Ramses II, Exodus 1:11 / Exodus 12:37 / Numbers 33:3 / Numbers 33:5. Joseph also provided his whole family with food, according to the number of their children, Genesis 47:12.

JOSEPH AND THE FAMINE

‘There was no food, however, in the whole region because the famine was severe; both Egypt and Canaan wasted away because of the famine. Joseph collected all the money that was to be found in Egypt and Canaan in payment for the grain they were buying, and he brought it to Pharaoh’s palace. When the money of the people of Egypt and Canaan was gone, all Egypt came to Joseph and said, ‘Give us food. Why should we die before your eyes? Our money is all gone.’ ‘Then bring your livestock,’ said Joseph. ‘I will sell you food in exchange for your livestock, since your money is gone.’ So, they brought their livestock to Joseph, and he gave them food in exchange for their horses, their sheep and goats, their cattle, and donkeys. And he brought them through that year with food in exchange for all their livestock. When that year was over, they came to him the following year and said, ‘We cannot hide from our lord the fact that since our money is gone and our livestock belongs to you, there is nothing left for our lord except our bodies and our land. Why should we perish before your eyes—we and our land as well? Buy us and our land in exchange for food, and we, with our land, will be in bondage to Pharaoh. Give us seed so that we may live and not die, and that the land may not become desolate.’ So, Joseph bought all the land in Egypt for Pharaoh. The Egyptians, one and all, sold their fields because the famine was too severe for them. The land became Pharaoh’s, and Joseph reduced the people to servitude, from one end of Egypt to the other. However, he did not buy the land of the priests, because they received a regular allotment from Pharaoh and had food enough from the allotment Pharaoh gave them. That is why they did not sell their land. Joseph said to the people, ‘Now that I have bought you and your land today for Pharaoh, here is seed for you so you can plant the ground. But when the crop comes in, give a fifth of it to Pharaoh. The other four-fifths you may keep as seed for the fields and as food for yourselves and your households and your children.’ ‘You have saved our lives,’ they said. ‘May we find favour in the eyes of our lord; we will be in bondage to Pharaoh.’ So, Joseph established it as a law concerning land in Egypt—still in force today—that a fifth of the produce belongs to Pharaoh. It was only the land of the priests that did not become Pharaoh’s.’ Genesis 47:13-26

THE THREE STAGES OF THE FAMINE

In these verses, we read about the three stages of the famine in Genesis 47:13-14. We read about the first stage, which was during the later years of the famine. In Genesis 47:15-17, we read about stage two of the famine, although we don’t know exactly what ‘that year’ was.

Constable, in his commentary, says the following.

‘This is the first mention of horses in the Bible, the primary beast of burden and military machine at this time, Genesis 47:17. Egypt was an important source of horses in Solomon’s day, 1 Kings 10:28-29.’

In Genesis 47:18-19, we read about the third stage of the famine, which was the last year of the famine, because ‘seed’ is brought to Pharaoh.

Coffman, in his commentary, says the following concerning Genesis 47:18.

‘The second year’ isn’t a reference to the second year of the famine, but to the second year after the flocks and herds had been liquidated for bread.’

Genesis 47:20-26 outlines the consequences of what happened in these three phases. Notice that Pharaoh becomes the owner of the land, except where the priests lived, and the people as a whole served as labourers on the land, but Pharaoh received all the money, Genesis 47:20-22.

Although ‘one fifth’, Genesis 47:24 / Genesis 47:26, or 20 per cent, may seem a lot, it’s relatively low, even when we compare it to today’s standards of tax. This tax would certainly help Pharaoh and his household, but it would also help everyone else in the process, as this would provide the protection needed whilst everyone lived in Egypt, and like we do today, everything you earn, after paying tax, is all yours.

Joseph appears to agree with this new tax system, Genesis 47:26, although reluctantly, we could argue. The people appear to agree with this new tax system, and when we read through our Bibles, we see that everyone agreed with paying this tax, until the time of Moses at least.

‘Now the Israelites settled in Egypt in the region of Goshen. They acquired property there and were fruitful and increased greatly in number. Jacob lived in Egypt seventeen years, and the years of his life were a hundred and forty-seven. When the time drew near for Israel to die, he called for his son Joseph and said to him, ‘If I have found favour in your eyes, put your hand under my thigh and promise that you will show me kindness and faithfulness. Do not bury me in Egypt, but when I rest with my fathers, carry me out of Egypt and bury me where they are buried.’ ‘I will do as you say,’ he said. ‘Swear to me,’ he said. Then Joseph swore to him, and Israel worshipped as he leaned on the top of his staff.’ Genesis 47:27-31

The Israelites settled in the region of Goshen, Genesis 47:27, and while they were there, they acquired property and were fruitful and increased greatly in number, Genesis 47:28.

In order for Jacob to be able to see God’s fulfilment of him becoming a great nation, God blessed him with seventeen more years of life. He’s old and knows his time on earth is coming to an end, and he asks Joseph to promise him that he would be buried in the promised land, Genesis 47:29-31 / Genesis 28:13-15 / Genesis 35:11-12.

Constable, in his commentary, says the following concerning placing the hand under the thigh, Genesis 47:29.

‘Placing the hand under the “thigh” was a ritual connected with making a solemn promise, Genesis 24:2-3.’

Joseph swore to him, and Israel worshipped as he leaned on the top of his staff, Genesis 47:31 / Hebrews 11:21. It wasn’t long after Joseph swore to his father that he would bury him in the promised land that Jacob died.

Go To Genesis 48