Verse

Genesis chapter 45

English Standard Version

4So Joseph said to his brothers, "Come near to me, please." And they came near. And he said, "I am your brother, Joseph, whom you sold into Egypt. 5And now do not be distressed or angry with yourselves because you sold me here, for God sent me before you to preserve life. 6For the famine has been in the land these two years, and there are yet five years in which there will be neither plowing nor harvest. 7And God sent me before you to preserve for you a remnant on earth, and to keep alive for you many survivors. 8So it was not you who sent me here, but God. He has made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house and ruler over all the land of Egypt. 9Hurry and go up to my father and say to him, ‘Thus says your son Joseph, God has made me lord of all Egypt. Come down to me; do not tarry. 10You shall dwell in the land of Goshen, and you shall be near me, you and your children and your children 's children, and your flocks, your herds, and all that you have. 11There I will provide for you, for there are yet five years of famine to come, so that you and your household, and all that you have, do not come to poverty.’ 12And now your eyes see, and the eyes of my brother Benjamin see, that it is my mouth that speaks to you. 13You must tell my father of all my honor in Egypt, and of all that you have seen. Hurry and bring my father down here." 14Then he fell upon his brother Benjamin 's neck and wept, and Benjamin wept upon his neck. 15And he kissed all his brothers and wept upon them. After that his brothers talked with him.
New International Version

New American Standard Bible

4Then Joseph said to his brothers, 'Please come closer to me.' And they came closer. And he said, 'I am your brother Joseph, whom you sold to Egypt. 5Now do not be grieved or angry with yourselves because you sold me here, for God sent me ahead of you to save lives. 6For the famine has been in the land these two years, and there are still five years in which there will be neither plowing nor harvesting. 7So God sent me ahead of you to ensure for you a remnant on the earth, and to keep you alive by a great deliverance. 8Now, therefore, it was not you who sent me here, but God; and He has made me a father to Pharaoh and lord of all his household, and ruler over all the land of Egypt. 9Hurry and go up to my father, and say to him, ‘This is what your son Joseph says: 'God has made me lord of all Egypt; come down to me, do not delay. 10For you shall live in the land of Goshen, and you shall be near me, you and your children and your grandchildren, and your flocks and your herds and all that you have. 11There I will also provide for you, for there are still five years of famine to come, and you and your household and all that you have would be impoverished.'?’ 12Behold, your eyes see, and the eyes of my brother Benjamin see, that it is my mouth which is speaking to you. 13Now you must tell my father of all my splendor in Egypt, and all that you have seen; and you must hurry and bring my father down here.' 14Then he fell on his brother Benjamin’s neck and wept, and Benjamin wept on his neck. 15And he kissed all his brothers and wept on them, and afterward his brothers talked with him.
Christian Standard Bible

New Living Translation

King James Version

3And Joseph said unto his brethren, I am Joseph; doth my father yet live? And his brethren could not answer him; for they were troubled at his presence. 4And Joseph said unto his brethren, Come near to me, I pray you. And they came near. And he said, I am Joseph your brother, whom ye sold into Egypt. 5Now therefore be not grieved, nor angry with yourselves, that ye sold me hither: for God did send me before you to preserve life. 6For these two years hath the famine been in the land: and yet there are five years, in the which there shall neither be earing nor harvest. 7And God sent me before you to preserve you a posterity in the earth, and to save your lives by a great deliverance. 8So now it was not you that sent me hither, but God: and he hath made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house, and a ruler throughout all the land of Egypt. 9Haste ye, and go up to my father, and say unto him, Thus saith thy son Joseph, God hath made me lord of all Egypt: come down unto me, tarry not: 10And thou shalt dwell in the land of Goshen, and thou shalt be near unto me, thou, and thy children, and thy children's children, and thy flocks, and thy herds, and all that thou hast: 11And there will I nourish thee; for yet there are five years of famine; lest thou, and thy household, and all that thou hast, come to poverty. 12And, behold, your eyes see, and the eyes of my brother Benjamin, that it is my mouth that speaketh unto you. 13And ye shall tell my father of all my glory in Egypt, and of all that ye have seen; and ye shall haste and bring down my father hither.
New King James Version

What does Genesis chapter 45 mean?

Genesis 45 is a chapter filled with revelations. It begins with Joseph revealing his identity to his terrified brothers. It ends with those brothers revealing that their father's beloved son Joseph is not dead; he is living as a ruler in Egypt. While the events of Genesis are factual, this passage also serves as an example of excellent storytelling. Genesis 45 provides the emotional "payoff" that has been building over the last several chapters. Joseph, unrecognized by his ten older brothers when they arrive in Egypt to buy grain (Genesis 42:7–8), has chosen not to reveal himself to them. Instead, Joseph has tested them by both providing generously and treating them harshly as well (Genesis 43—44).

Joseph's ultimate goals have not yet been stated. In this passage, and later, we'll learn that his intent was to provide for his extended family (Genesis 47:11–13). All we have seen in the text so far is Joseph's struggle to keep his emotions in check (Genesis 42:24). That was especially true when seeing his younger brother Benjamin (Genesis 43:29–30). When Judah makes an impassioned plea, begging to sacrifice himself to save Benjamin, Joseph's emotions spill over (Genesis 44:33–34).

At this point, Joseph is a powerful Egyptian official, so he struggles to maintain a level of public dignity. He sends all his servants out of the room. Left alone with his brothers, he begins to sob loudly and uncontrollably. This weeping is loud enough that the men he sent out of the room hear it, anyway. Finally, he blurts out his identity. The brothers are dumbstruck. To convince them, Joseph tells them he is the one they sold into slavery all those years ago (Genesis 45:1–3).

Already guilt-ridden over their crime (Genesis 42:21–23), Joseph's brothers would have been astounded and terrified. In this situation, they naturally would have expected to suffer Joseph's vengeance. Instead, Joseph rushes to assure them that God was ultimately in control of sending him to Egypt as a teenager. What they did with evil motives, God allowed for the good of their family and the world. Joseph had clearly spent many years processing his many struggles. He had reached the remarkable conclusion that God's intent was to make him a ruler in Egypt to save them all from famine (Genesis 45:4–8).

Joseph is urgent to see their father, Jacob. He immediately begins to urge his brothers to return to Canaan, pack up their father and all they own, and move to resettle in Egypt. When Pharaoh learns about the situation, he seems joyful. He also commands Joseph to provide for his family. He seeks to reassure them they will be given the best of the land of Egypt. In addition, he commands wagons to be sent back to Canaan to carry back the family and all they own (Genesis 45:9–20).

Jacob's sons are then loaded up with gifts, money, and donkeys. These are all meant to serve as evidence that the story the brothers will tell is true: Joseph is alive. Jacob will be asked to move the family into Egypt to survive the famine (Genesis 45:21–24).

As one might expect, Jacob nearly doesn't survive this good news. The son he thought was twenty years dead is not only alive, but he's also an immensely powerful man. Through some medical episode, or simple shock, Jacob's initial reaction is a kind of stunned silence. Finally, though, Jacob is convinced. God has blessed him with the return of his long-lost son and agrees to the plan to move to Egypt. He is determined to see Joseph before he dies (Genesis 45:25–28).
Expand
Expand
Expand
What is the Gospel?
Download the app: