46:1-7. Jacob's Removal To Egypt.
1. Departure to Beer-sheba and Egypt.
2-. Divine Manifestation and Call.
-2. Jacob's response.
3,4. Divine Manifestation and Promise.
5-7. Arrival in Egypt from Beer-sheba.
1701 B.C.
Genesis 46:1 And Israel took his journey with all that he had, and came to Beersheba (= well of the oath), and offered sacrifices unto the God of his father Isaac.
(This is also the same well where Hagar and Ishmael were waiting for death, and God opened their eyes to see the well close by, and then God made a covenant with Hagar, and promised her that Ishmael would live and become the father of nations. We know those nations today as the Arab nations.)
2 And God spake unto Israel in the visions of the night, and said, "Jacob, Jacob."
(For Israel, see 32:28; 43:8; 45:26,28. "Jacob, Jacob", for emphasis, to remind him of what he was and had been, in contrast to what God would make him. See 22:11.)
And he said, "Here am I."
3 And He said, "I am God, the God of thy father: fear not to go down into Egypt; for I will there make of thee a great nation:
(Though Isaac forbidden to go - 26:2, and Abraham warned - 15:13,14, no need to fear where God goes with Jacob and us. Jacob's [Israel's] family will grow into a mighty nation in Egypt, for God told Abraham that his seed would go to Egypt for four generations, and come out far richer then they went in.)
4 I will go down with thee into Egypt; and I will also surely bring thee up again: and Joseph shall put his hand upon thine eyes."
(What this means is that Joseph will close Jacob's eyes in peace, meaning in his death. Jacob will die there, yet Joseph will also bring his bones out of Egypt.)
1706 B.C. Begins sojourn in Egypt which was 215 years.
5 And Jacob rose up from Beersheba:
(They now take the ground of faith.)
and the sons of Israel carried Jacob their father, and their little ones, and their wives, in the wagons which Pharaoh had sent to carry him.
6 And they took their cattle, and their goods, which they had gotten in the land of Canaan, and came into Egypt, Jacob, and all his seed with him:
7 His sons, and his sons' sons with him, his daughters, and his sons' daughters, and all his seed brought he with him into Egypt.
(In verses eight through twenty seven it name the full house of Israel that went down into Egypt. There are sixty six people that went together with Jacob, along with the rest of the servants, herdsmen, and wives. Of these there are four already in Egypt, that is Joseph, his wife and his two sons, Manasseh, and Ephraim. Sixty six going down, and four there, making a total of seventy Israelites.
Notice that the people were saved as a family unit, and the family units stayed together. Friend your family is a sacred thing. It is joined under God, and when in god, God will protect it, and it grows in God. Is is a flesh and blood unit, and as such problem do enter into it, however we can call on the Lord to provide and to protect all of our family.)
46:8-27. The Sons Of Jacob. Posterity.
8-25. Severally.
26,27. Collectively.
8-25. The Names. Severally.
8-15. Leah.
16-18. Zilpah.
19-22. Rachel.
23-25. Bilhah.
8 And these are the names of the children of Israel (70 names), which came into Egypt, Jacob (= contender) and his sons: Reuben (= behold a man), Jacob's firstborn.
9 And the sons of Reuben; Hanoch (= dedicated), and Phallu (= distinguished), and Hezron (= enclosed), and Carmi (= vine dresser).
10 And the sons of Simeon (= heard); Jemuel (= day of God), and Jamin (= he shall establish), and Ohad (= united), and Jachin (= he shall establish), and Zohar (= light), and Shaul (= asked) the son of a Canaanitish woman.
11 And the sons of Levi (= joined); Gershon (= exile), Kohath (= assembly), and Merari (= bitter, unhappy. Jochebed = whose glory is Yahaveh - is to be added, for she "came into" Egypt in her mother - Num.26:59).
12 And the sons of Judah (= praised, celebrated); Er (= watchful), and Onan (= strong), and Shelah (= a petition), and Pharez (= a breach), and Zarah (= a ring of light): but Er and Onan died in the land of Canaan.
(These are not to be reckoned.)
And the sons of Pharez were Hezron (= enclosed) and Hamul (= pitied. These grandsons take the place of Er and Onan).
13 And the sons of Issachar (= reward); Tola (= worm), and Phuvah (= mouth), and Job (= persecuted), and Shimron (= watch-height).
14 And the sons of Zebulun (= a habitation); Sered (= fear), and Elon (= an oak), and Jahleel (= hoping in Yahaveh).
15 These be the sons of Leah (= wearied), which she bare unto Jacob in Padanaram, with his daughter Dinah (= judged, acquitted): all the souls of his sons and his daughters were thirty and three.
16 And the sons of Gad (= a troop); Ziphion (= watch), and Haggi (= festive), Shuni (= fortunate), and Ezbon (= working), Eri (= watchful), and Arodi (= a wild ass), and Areli (= heroic).
17 And the sons of Asher (= happy); Jimnah (= prosperity), and Ishuah (= quiet), and Isui (= quiet), and Beriah (= in evil, or a gift), and Serah (= exceedingly, super-fluidity) their sister: and the sons of Beriah; Heber (= alliance), and Malchiel (= king of i.e. appointed by, God).
18 These are the sons of Zilpah (= a trickling), whom Laban gave to Leah his daughter, and these she bare unto Jacob, even sixteen souls.
19 The sons of Rachel (= ewe) Jacob's wife; Joseph (= increase), and Benjamin (= son of the right hand, fortunate).
20 And unto Joseph in the land of Egypt were born Manasseh (= forgetful) and Ephraim (= double fruitfulness), which Asenath (= worshiper of Neith) the daughter of Potipherah (= belonging to the sun. One of the shepherd kings of lower Egypt) priest of On (= abode, or city of the sun) bare unto him.
21 And the sons of Benjamin were Belah (= destruction), and Becher (= young, or firstborn), and Ashbel (= reproof of God), Gera (= a grain), and Naaman (= pleasantness), Ehi (= my brother), and Rosh (= head), Muppim (= serpent), and Huppim (= protected), and Ard (= one that descends).
22 These are the sons of Rachel, which were born to Jacob: all the souls were fourteen.
23 And the sons of Dan (=a judge); Hushim (=who makes haste).
24 And the sons of Naphtali (= wrestling); Jahzeel (= whom God alots), and Guni (= painted), and Jezer (= power), and Shillem (= requital).
25 These are the sons of Bilhah (= timid, bashful), which Laban (= white) gave unto Rachel his daughter, and she bare these unto Jacob: all the souls were seven.
26 All the souls that came with Jacob into Egypt, which came out of his loins,
(This is said in order to distinguish the numbers 66 and 70 from Stephen's 75, in Acts 7:14, which includes Jacob as well as "all his kindred", which are not included in the direct descendants of this verse. These extra 9 are made up in part by the 5 in 1 Chron. 7:14-20, Machir, Gilead, Shuthelah, Tahath, Eden, as in Sept.: also here.)
besides Jacob's sons' wives, all the souls were threescore and six;
27 And the sons of Joseph, which were born him in Egypt, were two souls: all the souls of the house of Jacob, which came into Egypt, were threescore and ten.
(#7 = spiritual completeness, perfection times #10 = ordinal perfection. These 70-Ex. 1:5. Ruth 4:11-are in contrast with the 70 nations of Gen. 10, and in correspondence with the 70 elders-Ex. 24:1. Num. 11:16.)
28. Jacob's arrival in Goshen accomplished.
29,30. Jacob's meeting with Joseph.
31,32. Presentation planned.
33,34. Directions given.
28 And he sent Judah before him unto Joseph (see 44:18 and cp. 37:26), to direct his face unto Goshen;
(The land east of Memphis, suitable for grazing, called "the field of Zoan". Zoan, or Tanis, mentioned in the Inscriptions as containing non-Egyptian inhabitants and Semites.)
and they came into the land of Goshen (= land of departure).
29 And Joseph made ready his chariot, and went up to meet Israel his father, to Goshen, and presented himself unto him; and he fell on his neck, and wept on his neck a good while.
(It has been a long while that Joseph had not seen his father, and his father even thought Joseph to be dead. And now there is an exciting time in this family reunion. Joseph was a lad of seventeen when he left, and was sold by his brothers, and now he is a middle age man, with two sons. Joseph is the firstborn by Rachel, who was barren for many years, and had Joseph later in life.)
30 And Israel said unto Joseph, "Now let me die, since I have seen thy face, because thou art yet alive."
31 And Joseph said unto his brethren, and unto his father's house, "I will go up, and shew Pharaoh, and say unto him, 'My brethren, and my father's house, which were in the land of Canaan, are come unto me;
32 And the men are shepherds, for their trade hath been to feed cattle; and they have brought their flocks, and their herds, and all that they have.'
33 And it shall come to pass, when Pharaoh shall call you, and shall say, 'What is your occupation?'
34 That ye shall say, 'Thy servants' trade hath been about cattle from our youth even until now, both we, and also our fathers:' that ye may dwell in the land of Goshen; for every shepherd is an abomination unto the Egyptians."
(Apepi the Pharaoh of Joseph, was one of the Hyksos, or shepherd kings. Joseph's advise would command his brothers to Pharaoh - 47:6, and keep them separate from the Egyptians. What Joseph then is saying is that sheep are an abomination to the Egyptians, and as such, they will set you apart and leave you alone. This is not a class separation but a race separation. It gets to the heart of the matter, the separation between the Shepherd kings, and the Egyptians.)