Genesis 47:1-12

Genesis 47:1-12

[1] Then Joseph  came  and told  Pharaoh,  and said,  My father  and my brethren,  and their flocks,  and their herds,  and all that they have, are come out  of the land  of Canaan;  and, behold, they are in the land  of Goshen.  [2] And he took  some  of his brethren,  even five  men,  and presented  them unto  Pharaoh.  [3] And Pharaoh  said  unto his brethren,  What is your occupation?  And they said  unto Pharaoh,  Thy servants  are shepherds,  both we, and also our fathers.  [4] They said  moreover unto Pharaoh,  For to sojourn  in the land  are we come;  for thy servants  have no pasture  for their flocks;  for the famine  is sore  in the land  of Canaan:  now therefore, we pray thee, let thy servants  dwell  in the land  of Goshen.  [5] And Pharaoh  spake  unto Joseph,  saying,  Thy father  and thy brethren  are come  [6] The land  of Egypt  is before thee;  in the best  of the land  thy father  and brethren  to dwell;  in the land  of Goshen  let them dwell:  and if thou knowest  of activity  among them, then make them  rulers  over my cattle.  [7] And Joseph  brought in  Jacob  his father,  and set him  before  Pharaoh:  and Jacob  blessed  Pharaoh.  [8] And Pharaoh  said  unto Jacob,  How  old  [9] And Jacob  said  unto Pharaoh,  The days  of the years  of my pilgrimage  are an hundred  and thirty  years:  few  and evil  have the days  of the years  of my life  been, and have not attained  unto the days  of the years  of the life  of my fathers  in the days  of their pilgrimage.  [10] And Jacob  blessed  Pharaoh,  and went out  from before  Pharaoh.  [11] And Joseph  placed  his father  and his brethren,  them a possession  in the land  of Egypt,  in the best  of the land,  of Rameses,  as Pharaoh  had commanded.  [12] And Joseph  nourished  his father,  and his brethren,  and all his father's  household,  with bread,  according  to their families. 

What does Genesis 47:1-12 Mean?

Contextual Meaning

Jacob"s blessing of Pharaoh ( Genesis 47:7; Genesis 47:10) is unusual since it implies that in one sense (i.e, as one of God"s elect) Jacob was superior to Pharaoh. Pharaoh was a man of immense worldly power and influence. "The lesser is blessed by the greater" ( Hebrews 7:7).
"The least and most faltering of God"s children has the superiority ... in the presence of the most elevated men of the world." [1]
Jacob seems to have described his life as a sojourn ( Genesis 47:9) primarily because he had not come into final possession of the Promised Land. He had, of course, also lived in widely separated places during his lifetime: Paddan-aram, Canaan, and now Egypt. His years were fewer than his fathers: 130 compared with Abraham"s175 and Isaac"s180. This comparison also suggests that neither Abraham nor Isaac had experienced the difficulties and distresses that Jacob had during his lifetime.
"When we first encountered Jacob he was struggling inside his mother"s womb with his twin brother. As we come to the end of Jacob"s life, he is struggling for his life in a famine-devastated Canaan. In between these first and last moments of struggle have been many trying experiences for Jacob. His life has had more sorrow than joy." [2]
"These words [3] appear to be the author"s attempt at a deliberate contrast to the later promise that one who honors his father and mother should "live long and do well upon the land" ( Deuteronomy 5:15 [4]). Jacob, who deceived his father and thereby gained the blessing, must not only die outside the Promised Land but also, we learn here, his years were few and difficult. From his own words, then, we can see a final recompense for Jacob"s actions earlier in the book." [5]
The text describes the area where Jacob"s family settled "the land of Rameses" here rather than Goshen ( Genesis 47:11). "The land of Rameses" could have been another name for Goshen, or a larger area encompassing Goshen, or a district within Goshen.
The use of the name "Rameses" here and elsewhere ( Exodus 1:11; Exodus 12:37; Numbers 33:3; Numbers 33:5) has become a kind of "red herring" for many interpreters. It has led them to conclude that these events occurred after one of the Pharaohs named Rameses lived. Rameses I reigned about1347-1320 B.C. However the biblical chronological references ( 1 Kings 6:1; Exodus 12:40; et al.) point to a date for Israel"s move to Egypt near1876 B.C. How can we account for the use of the name Rameses here then?
It is possible that the name Rameses (also spelled Raamses) was in use when Jacob entered Egypt even though extra-biblical references have not confirmed this. [6] "Raamses" simply means "Ra [7] has created it." [8] Second, Rameses may have been the name of this district later, in Moses" day, when he wrote Genesis. He could have used the modern name when writing Genesis rather than an older one that was in use in Jacob"s day. A third possibility is that Rameses was the district name even later in history (e.g, after Pharaoh Rameses). A later scribe may have substituted "Rameses" for an older name that was in use when Moses wrote or when Jacob entered Egypt.
Other late names appear in Genesis. For example, the town of Dan ( Genesis 14:14), formerly Laish ( Judges 18:29), received the name "Dan" during the judges period (ca1350-1050 B.C.). Evidently someone after Moses" day substituted the modern name "Dan" for the older name in Genesis 14:14. This may account for references to the Philistines in Genesis too.
"How different is Jacob"s descent to Egypt from his grandfather"s (ch12)! Both seek out the safety of Egypt because of famine. To save himself Abraham engages in deceit. To save his family Jacob engages in blessing. The Pharaoh at Abraham"s visit was only too happy to see Abraham return to his own country. The Pharaoh at Jacob"s visit insists that Jacob stay and settle on some choice land. Abraham retreats from Egypt. For Jacob Egypt is his new home. Abraham leaves Egypt alive (and happy to be so!). Jacob will leave Egypt dead." [9]