46.28–47.12 The journey resumes with the arrival in Egypt, Jacob’s joyous reunion with Joseph, and the audience with Pharaoh. The first part (46.28–47.4, 6b) is from the J source; the second part (47.5–6a, 7–12) is from P.
46.29–30 I can die now. The reunion of Jacob and Joseph is sealed by the father’s tragicomic remark, recalling 45.28 and his earlier cries of dying in 37.35; 42.38.
46.33–47.6 Joseph counsels a final deception so that the family may settle in the land of Goshen. It is not clear why he says shepherds are abhorrent to the Egyptians (46.34). Curiously, the brothers disregard Joseph’s counsel and tell the truth, and Pharaoh lets them live in the land of Goshen (47.6).
GENESIS 47
1So Joseph went and told Pharaoh, “My father and my brothers, with their flocks and herds and all that they possess, have come from the land of Canaan; they are now in the land of Goshen.” 2From among his brothers he took five men and presented them to Pharaoh. 3Pharaoh said to his brothers, “What is your occupation?” And they said to Pharaoh, “Your servants are shepherds, as our ancestors were.” 4They said to Pharaoh, “We have come to reside as aliens in the land; for there is no pasture for your servants’ flocks because the famine is severe in the land of Canaan. Now, we ask you, let your servants settle in the land of Goshen.” 5Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Your father and your brothers have come to you. 6The land of Egypt is before you; settle your father and your brothers in the best part of the land; let them live in the land of Goshen; and if you know that there are capable men among them, put them in charge of my livestock.”
7Then Joseph brought in his father Jacob, and presented him before Pharaoh, and Jacob blessed Pharaoh. 8Pharaoh said to Jacob, “How many are the years of your life?” 9Jacob said to Pharaoh, “The years of my earthly sojourn are one hundred thirty; few and hard have been the years of my life. They do not compare with the years of the life of my ancestors during their long sojourn.” 10Then Jacob blessed Pharaoh, and went out from the presence of Pharaoh. 11Joseph settled his father and his brothers, and granted them a holding in the land of Egypt, in the best part of the land, in the land of Rameses, as Pharaoh had instructed. 12And Joseph provided his father, his brothers, and all his father’s household with food, according to the number of their dependents.
The Famine in Egypt
13Now there was no food in all the land, for the famine was very severe. The land of Egypt and the land of Canaan languished because of the famine. 14Joseph collected all the money to be found in the land of Egypt and in the land of Canaan, in exchange for the grain that they bought; and Joseph brought the money into Pharaoh’s house. 15When the money from the land of Egypt and from the land of Canaan was spent, all the Egyptians came to Joseph, and said, “Give us food! Why should we die before your eyes? For our money is gone.” 16And Joseph answered, “Give me your livestock, and I will give you food in exchange for your livestock, if your money is gone.” 17So they brought their livestock to Joseph; and Joseph gave them food in exchange for the horses, the flocks, the herds, and the donkeys. That year he supplied them with food in exchange for all their livestock. 18When that year was ended, they came to him the following year, and said to him, “We can not hide from my lord that our money is all spent; and the herds of cattle are my lord’s. There is nothing left in the sight of my lord but our bodies and our lands. 19Shall we die before your eyes, both we and our land? Buy us and our land in exchange for food. We with our land will become slaves to Pharaoh; just give us seed, so that we may live and not die, and that the land may not become desolate.”
20So Joseph bought all the land of Egypt for Pharaoh. All the Egyptians sold their fields, because the famine was severe upon them; and the land became Pharaoh’s. 21As for the people, he made slaves of thema from one end of Egypt to the other. 22Only the land of the priests he did not buy; for the priests had a fixed allowance from Pharaoh, and lived on the allowance that Pharaoh gave them; therefore they did not sell their land. 23Then Joseph said to the people, “Now that I have this day bought you and your land for Pharaoh, here is seed for you; sow the land. 24And at the harvests you shall give one-fifth to Pharaoh, and four-fifths shall be your own, as seed for the field and as food for yourselves and your households, and as food for your little ones.” 25They said, “You have saved our lives; may it please my lord, we will be slaves to Pharaoh.” 26So Joseph made it a statute concerning the land of Egypt, and it stands to this day, that Pharaoh should have the fifth. The land of the priests alone did not become Pharaoh’s.
The Last Days of Jacob
27Thus Israel settled in the land of Egypt, in the region of Goshen; and they gained possessions in it, and were fruitful and multiplied exceedingly. 28Jacob lived in the land of Egypt seventeen years; so the days of Jacob, the years of his life, were one hundred forty-seven years.
29When the time of Israel’s death drew near, he called his son Joseph and said to him, “If I have found favor with you, put your hand under my thigh and promise to deal loyally and truly with me. Do not bury me in Egypt. 30When I lie down with my ancestors, carry me out of Egypt and bury me in their burial place.” He answered, “I will do as you have said.” 31And he said, “Swear to me” and he swore to him. Then Israel bowed himself on the head of his bed.
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a Sam Gk Compare Vg: MT He removed them to the cities
47.5–12 In the P version Pharaoh speaks to Joseph, telling him to settle his family in the best part of the land (v. 6). Preoccupied with his mortality, as ever, Jacob states that his years have been few and hard (v. 9), but he manages to impress with his longevity and ancestry. Jacob blessed Pharaoh in greeting and farewell (v. 7), a gesture that also conveys a sense of Jacob’s superiority over Pharaoh. Land of Rameses, the P equivalent of the land of Goshen; it foreshadows the time when the Israelite slaves will build the city of Rameses (Ex 1.11).
47.13–26 This unusual section tells of Joseph’s brutal strategy during the seven years of famine, following his preparations during the seven years of plenty (41.47–49). Joseph first acquires for Pharaoh all the money in Egypt and Canaan. Then he acquires all the Egyptians’ livestock and land and even the Egyptians themselves as slaves. This section may explain why all of Egypt was regarded as Pharaoh’s personal property, with special provision for the priests. The source(s) of this section are difficult to identify. There is perhaps some irony or poetic justice in Joseph’s enslavement of all the Egyptians before Pharaoh enslaves all the Israelites.
47.27–31 Having declared his readiness to die (46.30), Israel’s last days are at hand. On his deathbed he will bless Joseph’s sons (ch. 48) and give his last words to his sons (ch. 49). Here he pledges Joseph to bury him in the patriarchal tomb in Canaan. This is a J section, with a P text in vv. 27–28.
47.27–28 The P summary of Israel’s settlement in Egypt evokes God’s blessing to be fruitful and multiply, which punctuates the Genesis narrative; it was granted to the first couple, then Noah, Abraham, and Jacob (1.28; 9.1, 7; 17.6; 35.11). This blessing is now fulfilled for Israel in Egypt, as the people were fruitful and multiplied exceedingly. But this happy situation will turn problematic shortly (Ex 1.12). On Jacob’s life span, cf. Isaac’s and Abraham’s in 35.28; 25.7.
47.29–31 The image of Jacob, old and near death, recalls his father, Isaac, in 27.2, ready to grant his blessing to his firstborn son, and his grandfather, Abraham, in 24.1, who tells his servant to swear to follow his wishes (24.2). Jacob’s wish to be buried with his ancestors has extra resonance by these echoes of his ancestors in their final days. The image of Israel bowing on the head of his bed indicates his physical frailty; cf. David on his deathbed (1 Kings 1.47).
GENESIS 48
Jacob Blesses Joseph’s Sons
1After this Joseph was told, “Your father is ill.” So he took with him his two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim. 2When Jacob was told, “Your son Joseph has come to you,” hea summoned his strength and sat up in bed. 3And Jac
ob said to Joseph, “God Almightyb appeared to me at Luz in the land of Canaan, and he blessed me, 4and said to me, ‘I am going to make you fruitful and increase your numbers; I will make of you a company of peoples, and will give this land to your off-spring after you for a perpetual holding.’ 5Therefore your two sons, who were born to you in the land of Egypt before I came to you in Egypt, are now mine; Ephraim and Manasseh shall be mine, just as Reuben and Simeon are. 6As for the offspring born to you after them, they shall be yours. They shall be recorded under the names of their brothers with regard to their inheritance. 7For when I came from Paddan, Rachel, alas, died in the land of Canaan on the way, while there was still some distance to go to Ephrath; and I buried her there on the way to Ephrath” (that is, Bethlehem).
8When Israel saw Joseph’s sons, he said, “Who are these?” 9Joseph said to his father, “They are my sons, whom God has given me here.” And he said, “Bring them to me, please, that I may bless them.” 10Now the eyes of Israel were dim with age, and he could not see well. So Joseph brought them near him; and he kissed them and embraced them. 11Israel said to Joseph, “I did not expect to see your face; and here God has let me see your children also.” 12Then Joseph removed them from his father’s knees,c and he bowed himself with his face to the earth. 13Joseph took them both, Ephraim in his right hand toward Israel’s left, and Manasseh in his left hand toward Israel’s right, and brought them near him. 14But Israel stretched out his right hand and laid it on the head of Ephraim, who was the younger, and his left hand on the head of Manasseh, crossing his hands, for Manasseh was the firstborn. 15He blessed Joseph, and said,
“The God before whom my ancestors Abraham and Isaac walked,
the God who has been my shepherd all my life to this day,
16the angel who has redeemed me from all harm, bless the boys;
and in them let my name be perpetuated, and the name of my ancestors Abraham and Isaac;
and let them grow into a multitude on the earth.”
17When Joseph saw that his father laid his right hand on the head of Ephraim, it displeased him; so he took his father’s hand, to remove it from Ephraim’s head to Manasseh’s head. 18Joseph said to his father, “Not so, my father! Since this one is the firstborn, put your right hand on his head.” 19But his father refused, and said, “I know, my son, I know; he also shall become a people, and he also shall be great. Nevertheless his younger brother shall be greater than he, and his offspring shall become a multitude of nations.” 20So he blessed them that day, saying,
“By youd Israel will invoke blessings, saying,
‘God make youe like Ephraim and like Manasseh.’”
So he put Ephraim ahead of Manasseh. 21Then Israel said to Joseph, “I am about to die, but God will be with you and will bring you again to the land of your ancestors. 22I now give to you one portionf more than to your brothers, the portiong that I took from the hand of the Amorites with my sword and with my bow.”
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a Heb Israel
b Traditional rendering of Heb El Shaddai
c Heb from his knees
d you here is singular in Heb
e you here is singular in Heb
f Or mountain slope (Heb shekem, a play on the name of the town and district of Shechem)
g Or mountain slope (Heb shekem, a play on the name of the town and district of Shechem)
48.1–22 On his deathbed Jacob plays one last trick, elevating Joseph’s younger son, Ephraim, over his firstborn, Manasseh. By doing this, Jacob tricks Joseph much as he had earlier deceived Isaac by elevating himself over Esau in ch. 27. Yet Jacob is also changed: he tricks his son because he can now foresee the future, in which Ephraim is the greater tribe (v. 19). Jacob’s deathbed ability to foretell the future will continue in his last words in ch. 49. This chapter is primarily a composite of E (vv. 1–2a, 8–9, 10b–12, 15–16, 21–22) and J (vv. 2b, 10a, 13–14, 17–20), with a P version in vv. 3–7. Note that Jacob is blind in the J version (see v. 10a), like Isaac in 27.1, but he can see in the E version (see vv. 8, 11).
48.3–7 Jacob refers to the divine revelation and blessings given to him at Bethel (35.9–15, P). God Almighty (El Shaddai). See 35.11; 17.1. Jacob adopts Joseph’s two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, as his own sons, so that they can be tribes in their own right, yet with close affinity to each other. See, e.g., Num 1.10, which lists Ephraim and Manasseh as “the sons of Joseph” and also as separate tribes. The reference to Rachel’s death, recalled with some emotion, may imply that they are now adopted sons of Jacob and Rachel. The children’s order—Ephraim and Manasseh—may imply that Ephraim is already the firstborn in P.
48.8–9, 10b–12, 15–16 The E version of the blessing of Ephraim and Manasseh follows from v. 2. In the final text, Israel’s question Who are these? in v. 8 sounds jarring after his adoption of the boys in vv. 5–6, as if he were slipping into senility. In this version, Israel hugs and kisses the boys, as one does when meeting or reuniting with kin (see 45.14–15; 46.29), speaks warmly to Joseph, and grants the boys a gracious and poetic blessing. The resonance of this tender scene is dissipated in the composite text.
48.10a, 13–14, 17–20 In the J version Israel is once again a trickster, but now he is also a seer. The description in v. 10a is an echo of Isaac’s blindness in 27.1. In that scene Jacob tricked his blind father, but now Jacob, the blind father, will trick his son. He does this by crossing his hands (v. 14), so that his right hand is on Ephraim, the younger. Joseph is displeased (lit. “it was evil in his eyes”), but Israel calms him by prophesying the greatness of both sons, though the younger brother shall be greater (v. 19). The ascent of the younger mirrors Jacob’s ascent to his current role as wise patriarch of a great people.
48.21–22 In the E version Israel also becomes a seer, foretelling that God will be with Joseph and bring him again to the land of his ancestors, as God had been with Jacob and brought him back to his father’s house (28.20–21; 35.3). This prophecy is fulfilled when Joseph’s bones are buried in Shechem (Josh 24.32). The portion (Hebrew shekem) that Israel grants Joseph is an allusion to Shechem, site of Joseph’s grave and the most prominent city in Ephraim. Israel’s recollection that he took it in battle from the Amorites presumes a story that is somewhat different from the one in ch. 34 (J), where the city is Hivite and taken by Jacob’s sons.
GENESIS 49
Jacob’s Last Words to His Sons
1Then Jacob called his sons, and said: “Gather around, that I may tell you what will happen to you in days to come.
2Assemble and hear, O sons of Jacob;
listen to Israel your father.
3Reuben, you are my firstborn,
my might and the first fruits of my vigor,
excelling in rank and excelling in power.
4Unstable as water, you shall no longer excel
because you went up onto your father’s bed;
then you defiled it—youa went up onto my couch!
5Simeon and Levi are brothers;
weapons of violence are their swords.
6May I never come into their council;
may I not be joined to their company—
for in their anger they killed men,
and at their whim they hamstrung oxen.
7Cursed be their anger, for it is fierce,
and their wrath, for it is cruel!
I will divide them in Jacob,
and scatter them in Israel.
8Judah, your brothers shall praise you;
your hand shall be on the neck of your enemies;
your father’s sons shall bow down before you.
9Judah is a lion’s whelp;
from the prey, my son, you have gone up.
He crouches down, he stretches out
like a lion, like a lioness—who dares rouse him up?
10The scepter shall not depart from Judah,
nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet,
until tribute comes to him
;b
and the obedience of the peoples is his.
11Binding his foal to the vine
and his donkey’s colt to the choice vine,
he washes his garments in wine
and his robe in the blood of grapes;
12his eyes are darker than wine,
and his teeth whiter than milk.
13Zebulun shall settle at the shore of the sea;
he shall be a haven for ships,
and his border shall be at Sidon.
14Issachar is a strong donkey,
lying down between the sheepfolds;
15he saw that a resting place was good,
and that the land was pleasant;
so he bowed his shoulder to the burden,
and became a slave at forced labor.
16Dan shall judge his people
as one of the tribes of Israel.
17Dan shall be a snake by the roadside,
a viper along the path,
that bites the horse’s heels
so that its rider falls backward.
18I wait for your salvation, O LORD.
19Gad shall be raided by raiders,
but he shall raid at their heels.
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