Free Bible Commentary
“Genesis 46:1-7”
Categories: Genesis“So Israel set out with all that he had, and came to Beersheba, and offered sacrifices to the God of his father Isaac. God spoke to Israel in visions of the night and said, ‘Jacob, Jacob.’ And he said, ‘Here I am.’ 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 will go down with you to Egypt, and I will also surely bring you up again; and Joseph will close your eyes.’ 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. They took their livestock and their property, which they had acquired in the land of Canaan, and came to Egypt, Jacob and all his descendants with him: his sons and his grandsons with him, his daughters and his granddaughters, and all his descendants he brought with him to Egypt.”
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“So Israel set out with all that he had, and came to Beersheba…” (verse 1) “With this narrative, the patriarchal period in the history of Israel comes to an end. Jacob’s descent to Egypt appears at first to be merely a family visit. Yet this visit is presented as being fraught with national significance. It is a summing up of the past as well as a new beginning. Famine drove Abraham to Egypt (12:10); now famine impels his grandson in the same direction. Jacob’s odyssey began at Beersheba (28:10); it fittingly concludes with a revelation at the same place. The divine Voice will not be heard again until the advent of Moses.” (Nahum Sarna) That is a period of divine silence covering between 300 and 400 years, paralleling a similar span that took place between the book of Malachi and the appearing of John the baptizer in the New Testament.
“And offered sacrifices to the God of his father Isaac.” (verse 1) “In a sense, this outpost, was somewhat a ‘point of no return’ on the way to Egypt, lying at the southern extremity of the land of Canaan, being also the place where Isaac, the father of Jacob, had lived, and had erected an altar unto God, possibly the same altar upon which Jacob offered the sacrifices mentioned here. As for the reasons why Jacob should have paused here to offer sacrifices, there are many. He might have remembered the occasion when Abraham went into Egypt fleeing from famine, and the difficulties and disastrous consequences that came as a result. Jacob's father, Isaac, never dared to go into Egypt.” (James Burton Coffman) These sacrifices where, at least in part, an expression of Jacob’s gratitude to God that his son Joseph was alive and well.
“God spoke to Israel in visions of the night…” (verse 2) “As far as the record goes, this was the last appearance of God to Jacob, there being eight appearances in all: (1) Genesis 28:13; (2) Genesis 31:3; (3) Genesis 31:11; (4) Genesis 32:1; (5) Genesis 32:30; (6) Genesis 35:1; (7) Genesis 35:9; (8) Genesis 46:2.” (James Burton Coffman) “Do not be afraid to go down to Egypt, for I will make you a great nation there.” (verse 3) The Lord comforted and reassured Israel that going down to Egypt was the right and best move to make, and that the relocation was according to His will and plan for the future nation that would emerge from his offspring. It is interesting to consider that the Lord had not previously appeared to Jacob to assure him that Joseph was still alive, but for whatever reason, He did not deem that to be necessary.
“I will go down with you to Egypt, and I will also surely bring you up again…” (verse 4) God had solemnly promised Jacob when he was fleeing to Haran from the wrath of his brother Esau: “Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land; for I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you” (28:15). The Lord had kept His word all the days of Jacob’s life by prospering him and delivering him out of all of his difficulties and dilemmas. Before he departed Haran with his large family and abundant possessions, Jacob assured his wives: “Let us arise and go up to Bethel, and I will make an altar there to God, who answered me in the day of my distress and has been with me wherever I have gone.” (35:3) Near the end of the way the Lord vowed to be with the aged patriarch on the final leg of his earthly journey, and to “bring him up again” for burial with is fathers in the land of Canaan (Genesis 49:29).
“Joseph will close your eyes.” (verse 4) The Lord made this very touching promise to Israel assuring him that his beloved Joseph would be by his side when he breathed his last breath, and affectionately assist in the closing of his eyes for life’s final physical slumber. “Both among the Jews and Greeks it was the duty of those nearest in blood to close the eyes of a deceased relative. The promise conveyed the assurance that Jacob would die peacefully, surrounded by his friends.” (Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers)
“They took their livestock and their property, which they had acquired in the land of Canaan, and came to Egypt, Jacob and all his descendants with him.” (verse 6) “It is to be noted that, despite the suggestion by Pharaoh that they would not need to bring their possessions with them, since plenty was available in Egypt, they nevertheless brought all that it was possible to carry. This was obviously for the purpose of not being any greater burden to the Egyptians than was unavoidable.” (James Burton Coffman)
Please read Genesis 46:8-27 for tomorrow.
Have a great day!
-Louie Taylor
