Commentary - Genesis 46

Bird's-eye view

Genesis 46 marks a monumental transition in the history of redemption. The covenant family, the nascent people of God, are leaving the Promised Land. On the surface, this looks like a retreat, a step backward. But with God, a strategic retreat is often the setup for a glorious advance. Jacob, now called Israel, is leading his family into the crucible of Egypt, which will serve as a national incubator. Here, in the protective womb of Goshen, God will take this small clan of seventy souls and multiply them into a great nation, just as He promised. This chapter is about God's detailed, personal, and sovereign care over His people. He speaks directly to Israel, travels with him, provides for him through the very machinery of a pagan empire, and orchestrates a reunion that is a beautiful type of our ultimate reunion with Christ. The chapter concludes with the shrewd wisdom of Joseph, who ensures the family remains separate from the corrupting influences of Egypt, a vital principle for God's people in every age.

Outline

Commentary

Genesis 46:1

So Israel set out with all that he had and came to Beersheba and offered sacrifices to the God of his father Isaac.

The narrative resumes with purpose. It is Israel who sets out, not just Jacob. This is the act of a man who is the head of a covenant people, the very embodiment of the nation. He is acting on the good news he received, but he is also a wise patriarch. He goes as far as Beersheba, the southern edge of the Promised Land, a place steeped in covenant history for his father Isaac and grandfather Abraham. It is a threshold. Before crossing it, he stops to worship. This is not a man running from famine; this is a patriarch seeking the face of God at a critical juncture. He offers sacrifices to the God of his father Isaac, grounding his actions in the generational covenant. He is reminding himself, and God, of the promises made in this very region. True faith always acts, but it also always worships, seeking confirmation and blessing along the way.

Genesis 46:2-4

And God spoke to Israel in visions of the night and said, “Jacob, Jacob.” And he said, “Here I am.” And He said, “I am God, the God of your father; do not be afraid to go down to Egypt, for I will make you a great nation there. I Myself will go down with you to Egypt, and I Myself will also bring you up again; and Joseph will close your eyes with his hand.”

And God answers. The double call, "Jacob, Jacob," signifies a moment of great importance and intimacy, as when God called to Abraham and Moses. Though he is Israel the prince, he is still Jacob the man, and God addresses him as such. God's response is a pure gospel promise. First, He identifies Himself: "I am God, the God of your father." This is covenant language. I am the one who made the promises, and I am faithful to keep them. Second, He gives a command rooted in comfort: "do not be afraid." Leaving the land of promise for the heart of a pagan empire was a fearful thing. But God's command is backed by a promise. Third, the promise itself seems paradoxical: "I will make you a great nation there." Not in Canaan, but in Egypt. God's plan for Israel's growth required this period of incubation. Fourth, God gives the ultimate promise of His presence: "I Myself will go down with you." God is not sending them into exile alone. He descends with them, a profound foreshadowing of the incarnation, where God would descend to be with His people in the person of Christ. And He promises to "bring you up again," a promise fulfilled in the Exodus, but also a picture of the resurrection. Finally, God gives a tender, personal promise to an old man: Joseph, the beloved son, will be with him at his death. Our sovereign God cares for the grand sweep of redemptive history and the intimate details of our lives.

Genesis 46:5-7

Then Jacob arose from Beersheba; and the sons of Israel carried their father Jacob and their little ones and their wives in the wagons which Pharaoh had sent to carry him. And they took their livestock and their possessions... and they came to Egypt, Jacob and all his seed with him...

With the word of God secured in his heart, Jacob moves. The logistics of this move are themselves a testimony to God's providence. The sons of Israel carry their father in wagons sent by Pharaoh. God is using the head of a pagan state, the most powerful man in the world, as a glorified moving service for His chosen people. The wealth of Egypt is already beginning to serve the purposes of Israel. Notice the emphasis: they brought everything. Their livestock, their possessions, and most importantly, "all his seed." This is not a few individuals seeking relief; it is a people, a corporate body, moving as one at the direction of their God. This is a covenant family on the move.

Genesis 46:8-27

Now these are the names of the sons of Israel... who were coming to Egypt... All the persons belonging to Jacob... were sixty-six persons in all... all the persons of the house of Jacob, who came to Egypt, were seventy.

What some might see as a dry and tedious genealogy is, in fact, the founding charter of the nation of Israel. This is the muster roll. These are the names of those from whom a great nation will spring. The Bible is intensely interested in names and genealogies because God's covenant is worked out through real families in real history. The list is meticulously structured around the mothers, Leah, Zilpah, Rachel, and Bilhah, acknowledging the foundational role of these women. It is also an honest list. It includes "Shaul the son of a Canaanite woman," a reminder of the dangers of assimilation they would face. It notes that Er and Onan died in Canaan, a stark reminder of sin and judgment even within the covenant family. The numbers are precise and significant. The sixty six are those who physically traveled from Canaan. When you add Jacob himself, plus Joseph and his two sons already in Egypt, you arrive at the number seventy. Seventy is a key biblical number representing a complete body of nations or leaders. Just as Genesis 10 listed the seventy nations of the world, here we have the seventy souls of God's new humanity, from whom He will build His kingdom. This small family is God's answer to the scattering at Babel.

Genesis 46:28-30

Now he sent Judah before him to Joseph... And Joseph harnessed his chariot and went up to Goshen to meet his father Israel; as soon as he appeared before him, he fell on his neck and wept on his neck a long time. Then Israel said to Joseph, “Now I can die, since I have seen your face, that you are still alive.”

The details here are rich with meaning. Jacob sends Judah ahead. Judah, who once proposed selling Joseph into slavery, is now the trusted emissary. His repentance and transformation have earned him the place of leadership, a foreshadowing of the royal line that would come from his tribe. Joseph, the second most powerful man in the world, does not summon his father to the palace. He harnesses his own chariot and goes to meet his father. He honors his father. The reunion is deeply emotional. The great ruler of Egypt falls on his father's neck and weeps. This is a picture of true strength, which is found in humility, love, and honor. For Israel, this is the culmination of his life. "Now I can die." It is his Nunc Dimittis. He has seen the face of his son, who was dead and is alive again. He has seen God's salvation, and he is content. This is a beautiful picture of the saints' hope: to see the face of our Savior, the one who was dead and is now alive forevermore. Having seen Him, we too can say we are ready to depart in peace.

Genesis 46:31-34

And Joseph said to his brothers... ‘you shall say, “Your servants have been keepers of livestock from our youth...” that you may live in the land of Goshen; for every shepherd is an abomination to the Egyptians.’

The chapter ends with Joseph's profound and practical wisdom. He instructs his family on how to answer Pharaoh. He tells them to be honest about their occupation: they are shepherds. He knows this will be an "abomination to the Egyptians." This is not a weakness; it is the central point of his strategy. Joseph is not trying to get his family cushy jobs in the Egyptian court. He is not trying to help them assimilate and climb the social ladder. He is engineering their separation. Their very identity, which is contemptible to the Egyptians, becomes the means of their preservation. It ensures they will be given the fertile land of Goshen, away from the centers of Egyptian power and idolatry. Here, they can grow as a distinct people. This is a masterful lesson for the Church. We are not called to be liked by the world, or to adopt its values to gain influence. Our peculiar identity as servants of Christ, which is often an abomination to the world, is our God-given protection. We are to be in the world, but our holiness requires a Goshen-like separation from its corrupting ways.

Application

This chapter teaches us that God's plans often take us through unexpected places. Leaving the Promised Land for Egypt seemed like a detour, but it was the very path of promise. We must learn to trust God's providence, even when the road leads to Egypt. God's presence is the key. He told Jacob, "I Myself will go down with you." Whatever "Egypt" we may face, God goes with us.

We also see the importance of our identity. Joseph used the family's identity as shepherds to create a protective barrier against assimilation. As Christians, we are a peculiar people. The world will find our ultimate allegiance to Christ to be an "abomination." We should not be ashamed of this, nor should we try to hide it. Our distinctiveness is our strength and our shield. We are to live in our own "Goshen," set apart for God, so that we might grow into the people He has called us to be.

Finally, we see the beauty of reunion and reconciliation. The tender meeting between Jacob and Joseph is a foretaste of heaven. It is a picture of what Christ, our exalted brother, has done for us. He came to meet us in our lowly state, and one day we will see His face. That sight, like it was for Jacob, will be the fulfillment of all our longings, and we will be able to say, "Now I can die," for we have seen the Lord's salvation.