What does Genesis 47:27 mean?

Having completed the description of the famine's impact on the lives of the Egyptian citizens, Genesis now turns attention back to Joseph's family. Here the entire group is called by Jacob's God-given name Israel (Genesis 35:10–11). It is the name that will come to identify the nation that will grow from them.

Jacob and his family found themselves in a unique situation. At the request of Egypt's own monarch, known by the title "Pharaoh," they had become landowners settled in the land of Goshen (Genesis 45:16–20; 47:6). Joseph provided their allotment of food (Genesis 47:12). This meant they did not need to sell their possessions or land to avoid starvation (Genesis 47:20–21). In a very short number of years, the Israelites in Egypt grew wealthy while most of the Egyptians lost everything and became slaves to the state.

Of course, this gave Jacob's family an advantage. They gained possessions while most Egyptians lost theirs. They thrived in Goshen, and they kept having babies, adding to their growing numbers (Exodus 1:7). Years later, when the rulers had forgotten the benefits of blessing Israel, the Egyptians would grow to resent these thriving Israelites in their midst. This would lead to oppression and brutal slavery by Egypt (Exodus 1:8–14).