Genesis 47

This chapter belongs to the Joseph narrative in the latter part of Genesis. In Genesis 46, Jacob's entire household comes down to Egypt and arrives in Goshen; this chapter describes how they settle there with Pharaoh's permission.

Outline

• Verses 1–6 Joseph presents five of his brothers to Pharaoh. The brothers explain that they have been shepherds for generations and ask to live in Goshen. Pharaoh grants the request and tells Joseph to put any capable men among them in charge of his own livestock.
• Verses 7–12 Jacob blesses Pharaoh. When Pharaoh asks his age, Jacob answers that the years of his pilgrimage have been 130 and that they have been few and evil. Joseph gives his family the land of Rameses and provides them with food.
• Verses 13–17 As the famine grows severe, Joseph sells grain and gathers up all the money in Egypt and Canaan. When the money runs out, he takes the people's livestock in exchange for grain.
• Verses 18–26 The following year the people sell themselves and their land and become Pharaoh's servants. The priests' land alone is not purchased. Joseph distributes seed and establishes a land law requiring that one-fifth of the harvest be given to Pharaoh.
• Verses 27–31 The house of Israel flourishes in Goshen. Jacob lives seventeen years in Egypt, reaching the age of 147. As his death approaches, he has Joseph swear to bury him not in Egypt but in the burial place of his fathers, and he bows in worship at the head of the bed.

Key Verses

• Genesis 47:9 Jacob's confession: "The days of the years of my pilgrimage are an hundred and thirty years." The verse sums up the patriarch's life as that of a pilgrim not bound to the land.
• Genesis 47:27 "And grew, and multiplied exceedingly." This verse shows the blessing given at creation continuing in Egypt and forms the background to Exodus 1.
• Genesis 47:31 "And Israel bowed himself upon the bed's head." The New Testament book of Hebrews cites this scene according to a different textual reading.

Characters and Places

• Joseph: As Egypt's chief minister, he settles his family and carries out the famine policy.
• Jacob: In this chapter he is also called by the name "Israel."
• Pharaoh: The king of Egypt.
• Joseph's brothers: Five of them meet Pharaoh.
• Egypt: The setting of the narrative.
• Canaan: The land the family left to escape the famine.
• Goshen: The region within Egypt where Jacob's family lived.
• Rameses: The Korean Revised Version spells the name differently in Korean ("라암세스"). It appears as the land Joseph gave his family and is understood to refer to the area of Goshen.

Points for Reflection

• Joseph's land policy Interpretations of this policy differ. Some read it as wise administration that saved the people; others see it as reducing the people to servitude under Pharaoh and read it alongside the bondage described in Exodus. The text records only the people's gratitude (v. 25) and offers no evaluation.
• Head of the bed or top of the staff The Hebrew consonantal text of verse 31 can be read as either "bed" or "staff." The Masoretic Text reads "bed," while the Septuagint reads "staff." Hebrews 11:21 follows the Septuagint, stating that Jacob "worshipped, leaning upon the top of his staff."
• The oath with the hand under the thigh An oath of the same form also appears in Genesis 24. Jacob's request is fulfilled in Genesis 50, when he is buried in the cave of Machpelah in Canaan.
• The confession of being a pilgrim Hebrews 11:13 states that the patriarchs "confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth," presenting this confession as a model of faith.

In the Korean Church

The phrase "few and evil" in verse 9 (rendered in Korean Bibles as "harsh years") is frequently cited in sermons that reflect on Jacob's life or address the hardships of life.