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47:1 Goshen (see study note on 45:10) is not referred to in ancient Egyptian texts; the name it bore in later Egyptian writings was “the region of Rameses” (47:11; see Exod 1:11). It was fertile and near to Joseph at court, which suggests that it was on the eastern side of the Nile delta.
47:13-26 The Lord blessed Pharaoh because Pharaoh was blessing Abraham’s descendants (12:3). Through Joseph’s wise administration in Egypt, the Lord saved the people from starvation and prospered Pharaoh. In selling food to the Egyptians during the years of famine, Joseph accepted money, livestock, and finally land as payment, until almost all of Egypt belon...
47:13-26 The Lord blessed Pharaoh because Pharaoh was blessing Abraham’s descendants (12:3). Through Joseph’s wise administration in Egypt, the Lord saved the people from starvation and prospered Pharaoh. In selling food to the Egyptians during the years of famine, Joseph accepted money, livestock, and finally land as payment, until almost all of Egypt belonged to Pharaoh. Meanwhile, God provided Israel with some of the best land in Egypt where they could live, work, and multiply.
47:1-6 Pharaoh responded as Joseph hoped by giving Jacob’s family the best part of the land; he even gave some of the brothers oversight of his own livestock (47:6).
47:21 he made them all slaves: In Hebrew script, the difference is very slight between slaves (Hebrew ‘abadim) and towns (Hebrew ‘arim). Moving the people into the towns doesn’t fit the context very well, so most translations select slaves as the reading that makes the most sense (cp. 47:20).
Egypt
Egypt Egypt was already a great and ancient civilization when Joseph rose to power (Gen 39–41) and Jacob’s family traveled there for food (chs 42–46; cp. 12:10-20). Its unique location and geography gave it security from invaders (with the harborless Mediterranean Sea to the north, the rugged Sinai peninsula to the east, and a great desert to the west) and made it an attractive refuge for foreigners during times of drought. Egypt has been called “the gift of the Nile,” and no other river has been so vital to the history of the nation through which it flows. To the Egyptians it was simply “the River.” The Nile is more than just the longest river in the world. Without its water, civilization would have been impossible in Egypt—the Nile is Egypt’s lifeblood, and the Egyptians worshiped it for the life and fertility that it provided. The river’s annual floods constantly brought new and fertile soil for crops, and its waters provided food from its abundance of fish and waterfowl as well as fresh water for drinking and cleaning. It also functioned as the main means of travel, trade, and communication. During times of drought, when the surrounding nations were in danger of famine, t...
genesis 12:2-3
genesis 12:3
genesis 15:5
genesis 17:8
genesis 22:17
genesis 23:1-20
genesis 24:1-9
genesis 25:7-10