Genesis-Chapter-46
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YE DIMINISH FROM IT, that ye may keep the commandments of יְהוָה
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“Genesis Chapter 46”
With Rabbi,
Dr. Reuven Ben Avraham-Goossens, PhD.
Introduction:
Genesis
46 records the historic migration of Israel’s
family from Canaan to Egypt.
This journey marks the transition from a vulnerable clan into a distinct nation
sheltered within an empire. Before crossing the border, Jacob stops at Beersheba to seek Divine
validation for leaving the promised land. אֱלֹהִים - Elohim (God) provides
reassurance, promising to go with him and multiply his descendants. The chapter
meticulously lists the sixty-six family members who make the trek, establishing
a clear genealogical record. It concludes with an intensely emotional reunion
between Jacob and Joseph, followed by Joseph’s strategic instructions on how to
secure the isolated, fertile land
of Goshen.
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Let us read Genesis
Chapter 46, verses 1 to 34: (JPS-1917 version of the Torah). Below this chapter you will find my
commentary for this study.
1 “And Israel took his journey with all that
he had, and came to Beer-sheba, and offered
sacrifices unto the אֱלֹהִים - Elohim of his father Isaac. 2 And
אֱלֹהִים - Elohim spoke unto Israel in the visions
of the night, and said: ‘Jacob, Jacob’. And he said: ‘Here am I’. 3 And He said: 'I am אֱלֹהִים - Elohim, the אֱלֹהִים - Elohim of thy father; fear not
to go down into Egypt;
for I will there make of thee a great nation. 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’. 5 And Jacob rose up
from Beer-sheba; 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. 8 And
these are the names of the children of Israel,
who came into Egypt,
Jacob and his sons: Reuben, Jacob’s first-born. 9 And
the sons of Reuben: Hanoch, and Pallu,
and Hezron, and Carmi. 10 And
the sons of Simeon: Jemuel, and Jamin,
and Ohad, and Jachin, and Zohar, and Shaul the son of a Canaanitish woman. 11 And the sons
of Levi: Gershon, Kohath,
and Merari. 12 And the sons
of Judah: Er, and Onan, and Shelah, and Perez, and Zerah; but
Er and Onan died in the land of Canaan. And the sons of Perez were Hezron and Hamul. 13 And the sons of Issachar: Tola,
and Puvah, and Iob, and Shimron. 14 And the sons of Zebulun: Sered, and Elon, and Jahleel. 15 These are the sons of Leah, whom she bore unto Jacob in Paddan-aram, with his daughter Dinah; all the souls of his
sons and his daughters were thirty and three. 16 And
the sons of Gad: Ziphion, and Haggi,
Shuni, and Ezbon, Eri, and Arodi, and Areli. 17 And the sons of Asher: Imnah, and Ishvah, and Ishvi, and Beriah, and Serah their sister; and the sons of Beriah:
Heber, and Malchiel. 18 These
are the sons of Zilpah, whom Laban
gave to Leah his daughter, and these she bore unto Jacob, even sixteen
souls. 19 The sons of Rachel Jacob’s wife: Joseph and
Benjamin. 20 And unto Joseph in the land of Egypt
were born Manasseh and Ephraim, whom Asenath the
daughter of Poti-phera priest of On
bore unto him. 21 And the sons of Benjamin: Bela, and Becher, and Ashbel, Gera,
and Naaman, Ehi, and Rosh, Muppim, and Huppim, and Ard. 22 These are the sons of
Rachel, who were born to Jacob; all the souls were fourteen. 23 And
the sons of Dan: Hushim. 24 And
the sons of Naphtali: Jahzeel, and Guni, and Jezer, and Shillem. 25 These are the sons of Bilhah, whom Laban gave unto
Rachel his daughter, and these she bore unto Jacob; all the souls were
seven. 26 All the souls belonging to Jacob that came
into Egypt, that came out of his loins, besides Jacob’s sons’ wives,
all the souls were threescore and six. 27 And the sons of
Joseph, who were born to him in Egypt,
were two souls; all the souls of the house of Jacob, that
came into Egypt,
were threescore and ten. 28 And he sent Judah before him unto Joseph, to show the way
before him unto Goshen; and they came into the land of Goshen. 29 And
Joseph made ready his chariot, and went up to meet Israel his father, to
Goshen; and he presented himself unto him, and fell on his neck, and wept on
his neck a good while. 30 And Israel said
unto Joseph: ‘Now let me die, since I have seen thy face, that thou art yet
alive’. 31 And Joseph said unto his brethren, and unto
his father’s house: ‘I will go up, and tell Pharaoh, and will say unto him: My
brethren, and my father’s house, who were in the land of Canaan, are come unto
me; 32 and the men are shepherds, for they have been
keepers of 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 have been keepers of cattle
from our youth even until now, both we, and our fathers; that ye may dwell in
the land of Goshen; for every shepherd is an
abomination unto the Egyptians”.
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My Commentary on
Genesis Chapter 46, verses 1 to 34:
Verses 1-3: Israel sets out with all his possessions and
arrives at Beersheba,
where he offers sacrifices to the אֱלֹהִים - Elohim of his father Isaac. אֱלֹהִים - Elohim speaks to Israel in night
visions, calling "Jacob, Jacob," and he answers, “Here I am”. God
reassures him, saying, “I am אֱלֹהִים - Elohim, the אֱלֹהִים - Elohim of your father; do not be
afraid to go down to Egypt,
for I will make you a great nation there”.
Verse 4: אֱלֹהִים - Elohim promises to go down to
Egypt with Jacob and explicitly guarantees to bring him back up again, adding
that Joseph’s own hand will close his eyes at death.
Verses 5-7: Jacob leaves Beersheba, and his sons
carry him, their little ones, and their wives in the official wagons Pharaoh
provided. They take their livestock and all the goods they acquired in Canaan,
completing the migration of Jacob and his entire lineage into Egypt.
Verses 8-15: The text lists the names
of the sons of Israel who
came into Egypt,
beginning with the firstborn, Reuben, and his sons. It enumerates the
descendants of Jacob through Leah, including Simeon, Levi, Judah,
Issachar, and Zebulun, alongside their sister Dinah,
totaling thirty-three persons.
Verses 16-18: The genealogy details the
descendants of Jacob through Zilpah, Leah’s
maidservant, whom Laban gave to her. This group
includes the sons of Gad and Asher, along with Asher’s daughter Serah, totaling sixteen persons.
Verses 19-22: The record focuses on the
sons of Jacob’s wife Rachel: Joseph and Benjamin. In Egypt, Joseph’s sons Manasseh and
Ephraim are born to him by Asenath, daughter of Potiphera, while Benjamin’s ten sons are listed, totaling
fourteen persons from Rachel’s line.
Verses 23-25: The text lists the
descendants of Jacob through Bilhah, Rachel’s
maidservant, whom Laban gave to her. This line
includes the sons of Dan and Naphtali, totaling seven persons.
Verses 26-27: The total number of
Jacob’s direct descendants who travel to Egypt, excluding his sons’ wives,
is sixty-six. When adding Joseph and his two sons born in Egypt, the complete count of the household of
Jacob that enters Egypt
comes to seventy.
Verses 28-30: Jacob sends Judah ahead to Joseph to get directions to Goshen before the family
arrives. Joseph hitches his chariot and travels to Goshen
to meet his father Israel;
he throws his arms around him, weeping for a long time, and Israel declares he is now ready to
die since he has seen Joseph alive.
Verses 31-34: Joseph tells his brothers
and father’s household that he will inform Pharaoh of their arrival from Canaan. He instructs them to tell Pharaoh they are
keepers of livestock and shepherds, just as their fathers
were, knowing that shepherds are an abomination to the Egyptians, which
will strategically secure them the isolated land of Goshen.
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My Closing Message:
Genesis
46 highlights the vital balance between human planning and Divine validation.
Jacob did not rush blindly into a new land, despite his intense longing to see
Joseph. He stopped at the border to worship, pray, and seek אֱלֹהִים - Elohim’s
blessing for this monumental shift. When entering new
chapters of life or facing major transitions, take time to seek Divine
guidance. ’ אֱלֹהִים – Elohim’s
promise to accompany Jacob into unfamiliar territory reminds us that our
security is never found in geographic locations, but in the presence of the One
who walks beside us.
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Rabbi,
Dr. Reuven Ben Avraham-Goossens, PhD.
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