Genesis 46 - Summary

Historical setting

Jacob and his family live in Canaan during the period of the patriarchs, roughly in the second millennium before Christ, though the exact date is uncertain. Jacob's son Joseph, sold into slavery years before, has risen to power in Egypt under Pharaoh and has invited his family to settle there during a famine. Beersheba, where Jacob stops to make offerings before departing, lies in the southern part of Canaan. Egypt at this time was ruled by the Pharaohs; the specific dynasty is not named in the text. Jacob is elderly and has not seen Joseph since Joseph was a young man.

Life and customs

The text assumes knowledge of several customs. Offering sacrifices at a sacred site, as Jacob does at Beersheba, was a standard way to seek divine approval or protection before undertaking a dangerous journey. A vision in the night was an accepted form of divine communication. The genealogy that fills most of the chapter reflects the importance of lineage and family identity in this culture, though the numbers given are schematic rather than precise census data. When Joseph mentions that shepherds are "an abomination unto the Egyptians," this reflects a real social division in Egypt between settled agricultural peoples and nomadic herding peoples, whom Egyptians often viewed with suspicion. The word "abomination" suggests deep cultural contempt. Goshen, the region to which Joseph directs his family, was a fertile area in the northeastern delta, suitable for herding livestock.

What the text says

Jacob begins his journey to Egypt and stops at Beersheba to offer sacrifices to "the God of his father Isaac" (verse 1). God speaks to Jacob in a vision of the night (verse 2), confirming his name and saying "I am God, the God of thy father" and commanding him not to fear going to Egypt (verse 3). God promises to make him "a great nation" there, to go down with him, and to "bring thee up again," and adds that "Joseph shall put his hand upon thine eyes" (verse 4), meaning Joseph will be present at Jacob's death. Jacob leaves Beersheba with his sons, their children, their wives, and their livestock in wagons Pharaoh had provided (verses 5-6).

Verses 8-25 list the names of Jacob's sons and grandsons organized by their mothers: Leah, Zilpah (Leah's servant), Rachel, and Bilhah (Rachel's servant). The text specifies deaths that have already occurred: Er and Onan died in Canaan (verse 12). Joseph's two Egyptian-born sons, Manasseh and Ephraim, are included (verse 20). The total count is seventy souls coming into Egypt, not counting Jacob's sons' wives (verses 26-27).

Joseph sends Judah ahead to direct the family to Goshen (verse 28). Joseph meets Jacob there with his chariot, embraces him, and weeps (verse 29). Jacob says he is ready to die now that he has seen Joseph alive (verse 30). Joseph tells his brothers and father that he will present them to Pharaoh and instructs them to say they are shepherds and have been so from youth (verses 31-34). He explains this is necessary because every shepherd is "an abomination unto the Egyptians," but he hopes this will allow them to dwell in Goshen (verse 34).

Takeaways

• God's promise to Jacob at Beersheba removes the fear of the journey and assures him his family will not remain in Egypt permanently.
• The genealogy demonstrates that Israel enters Egypt as a unified family group, though organized by mother, and Joseph's Egyptian-born sons are counted as part of Israel.
• Jacob's willingness to die after seeing Joseph, and Joseph's careful plan to secure Pharaoh's approval, show reconciliation after decades of separation and Joseph's practical wisdom in Egypt.