Genesis 47:1-12
God positions His people within worldly structures while maintaining their identity and demonstrating His blessing through them.
Scripture Text
47:1 Then Joseph went in and told Pharaoh, and said, “My father and my brothers, with their flocks, their herds, and all that they own, have come out of the land of Canaan; and behold, they are in the land of Goshen.”
47:2 From among His brothers He took five men, and presented them to Pharaoh.
47:3 Pharaoh said to His brothers, “What is Your occupation?” They said to Pharaoh, “Your servants are shepherds, both we, and our fathers.”
47:4 They also said to Pharaoh, “We have come to live as foreigners in the land, for there is no pasture for Your servants’ flocks. For the famine is severe in the land of Canaan. Now therefore, please let Your servants dwell in the land of Goshen.”
47:5 Pharaoh spoke to Joseph, saying, “Your father and Your brothers have come to You.
47:6 The land of Egypt is before You. Make Your father and Your brothers dwell in the best of the land. Let them dwell in the land of Goshen. If You know any able men among them, then put them in charge of my livestock.”
47:7 Joseph brought in Jacob, His father, and set Him before Pharaoh; and Jacob blessed Pharaoh.
47:8 Pharaoh said to Jacob, “How old are You?”
47:9 Jacob said to Pharaoh, “The years of my pilgrimage are one hundred thirty years. The days of the years of my life have been few and evil. They have not attained to the days of the years of the life of my fathers in the days of their pilgrimage.”
47:10 Jacob blessed Pharaoh, and went out from the presence of Pharaoh.
47:11 Joseph placed His father and His brothers, and gave them a possession in the land of Egypt, in the best of the land, in the land of Rameses, as Pharaoh had commanded.
47:12 Joseph provided His father, His brothers, and all of His father’s household with bread, according to the sizes of their families.
God positions His people within worldly structures while maintaining their identity and demonstrating His blessing through them.
Genesis 47:1-12 reveals that God establishes His people in Egypt through royal favor, preserves their distinct identity, and demonstrates covenant dignity as Jacob blesses Pharaoh.
That believers would live faithfully within the world while maintaining their identity and serving as a source of blessing to others.
- 47:1–6 Joseph presents five of His brothers and then His father Jacob before Pharaoh. The brothers identify themselves as shepherds and explain that they have come to sojourn because the famine is severe and there is no pasture for their flocks in Canaan. Pharaoh responds favorably, telling Joseph that the land of Egypt is before Him and that His family may dwell in the best of the land, in Goshen, and even appoint capable men among them over Pharaoh’s livestock.
- 47:7–10 Joseph brings Jacob before Pharaoh, and Jacob blesses Pharaoh. Pharaoh asks Jacob His age, and Jacob describes the years of His pilgrimage as 130 years, few and evil compared to the days of His fathers. Jacob blesses Pharaoh again and departs from before Him.
- 47:11–12 Joseph settles His father and brothers in the best part of the land, in the land of Rameses, as Pharaoh had commanded, and provides food for His father, brothers, and all His father’s household according to the number of their dependents.
- 47:13–26 The famine grows very severe, and the Egyptians exhaust first their money to buy grain, then their livestock, then their land and themselves. Joseph acquires all the land of Egypt for Pharaoh, relocates the people, provides seed, and establishes a permanent fifth as Pharaoh’s due from the produce, leaving four-fifths for seed and food. Only the land of the priests is exempt because they receive an allotment from Pharaoh.
- 47:27 Israel settles in the land of Egypt, in the land of Goshen, gains possessions in it, and is fruitful and multiplies greatly.
- 47:28–31 Jacob lives in Egypt seventeen years, reaching 147 years in total. When the time draws near for Israel to die, He calls Joseph and asks Him to place His hand under Jacob’s thigh and deal with Him in steadfast love and faithfulness by not burying Him in Egypt but carrying Him to the burial place of His fathers. Joseph swears to do so, and Israel bows in worship on the head of His bed.
- Do not interpret Pharaoh’s favor as merely political rather than providential.
- Do not overlook the significance of Jacob blessing Pharaoh.
- Do not assume settlement in Egypt contradicts God’s covenant plan.
- Do not ignore the importance of maintaining distinct identity.
- Do not detach this passage from the Abrahamic promise.
- Do not minimize Jacob’s testimony about His life.
- Do not miss the role of Joseph as a provider and mediator.
- Covenant Significance : Genesis 47 is covenantally significant because it shows the covenant family securely settled and preserved in Goshen during the famine, while also emphasizing that Egypt is not their final inheritance. Israel is fruitful and multiplies greatly there, directly advancing the promise of offspring. Yet Jacob’s burial request makes clear that the covenant hope still points back to the land promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. The chapter therefore holds together two major covenant truths: God preserves His people in the place of temporary exile, and God does not let them confuse temporary provision with ultimate inheritance. The multiplication of Israel in Goshen is especially important because it anticipates the future emergence of Israel as a people in Egypt.
- Old Testament Foundation : Genesis 12:1-3
- Old Testament Foundation : Genesis 46:1-4
- Old Testament Foundation : Exodus 1:7
- Old Testament Foundation : Genesis 49:29-32
- Old Testament Foundation : Hebrews 11:21-22
- Thematic Parallel : Genesis 46:1-4
- Thematic Parallel : Exodus 1:7
- Thematic Parallel : Genesis 49:29-32
- Thematic Parallel : Hebrews 11:13-16
Jacob’s blessing of Pharaoh and Joseph’s provision point to Christ, through whom God’s blessing extends to the nations and who sustains His people with true provision.