Genesis 45:7 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And God sent me before you to preserve for you a remnant on earth, and to keep alive for you many survivors.

NIV: But God sent me ahead of you to preserve for you a remnant on earth and to save your lives by a great deliverance.

NASB: So God sent me ahead of you to ensure for you a remnant on the earth, and to keep you alive by a great deliverance.

CSB: God sent me ahead of you to establish you as a remnant within the land and to keep you alive by a great deliverance.

NLT: God has sent me ahead of you to keep you and your families alive and to preserve many survivors.

KJV: And God sent me before you to preserve you a posterity in the earth, and to save your lives by a great deliverance.

NKJV: And God sent me before you to preserve a posterity for you in the earth, and to save your lives by a great deliverance.

This states more directly what Joseph pointed out earlier (Genesis 45:5). Joseph's brothers committed a crime by selling him into slavery. Their guilt is not in question. And yet, even that action was part of God's plan. God "sent" Joseph into Egypt, and He did so for a reason. Joseph's experiences were part of a plan that would rescue the people of Israel. Joseph speaks using terms such as "you" and "yours," meaning his own estranged family can now expect to survive this devastating famine (Genesis 45:6).

Statements such as these are remarkable in the context of all Joseph has suffered. He was cruelly sold into slavery at the age of seventeen (Genesis 37:1–2; 24–28). Despite integrity and success, he was falsely imprisoned (Genesis 39:19–20) and largely forgotten (Genesis 40:23). After thirteen years of oppression, he was miraculously lifted to become the second most powerful man in Egypt (Genesis 41:44–46). Now, Joseph can see how his experiences positioned him to save his entire family.

Joseph understands that his suffering was not the result of pointless chance. Nor was God displeased with him. It was because of God's purpose and plan to save lives. Joseph knew his life always mattered, even during the isolated years away from his family in Egypt. This is a difficult, but important part of biblical truth: that even our hardest experiences are part of God's ultimate plan for good (Romans 8:28).

Genesis 45:1–15 records Joseph's emotional revelation of his identity. Still unrecognized by his estranged brothers, Joseph had tested them, leading to Judah's passionate, sacrificial offer (Genesis 44:18–34). Overcome with emotion, Joseph identifies himself to his dumbfounded brothers. He states with confidence that all this has happened as part of God's plan to preserve the people of Israel.

Genesis 45 is a series of revelations. Following an emotional breakdown, Joseph finally reveals his identity to his baffled brothers. After they realize the governor of Egypt is the one they sold into slavery two decades earlier, he rushes to tell them he does not hold them responsible. In His own way, God had arranged for Joseph's enslavement, for the purpose of saving many people from famine. With Pharaoh's enthusiastic support, Joseph arranged for his brothers to return to Canaan, pack up Jacob and all they own, and come back to resettle in Egypt. Jacob, finally convinced all this is true, agrees to the move.

Genesis 44 concluded with an impassioned speech from Judah, offering to sacrifice himself for his younger brother. Overwhelmed with emotion, Joseph breaks down and finally reveals his identity to his brothers. He urges them to move Jacob's entire family to Egypt to survive the famine. Jacob agrees, leading to the migration and resettlement depicted in Genesis 46. The remainder of Genesis describes the happy results of this relocation.

The book of Genesis establishes fundamental truths about God. Among these are His role as the Creator, His holiness, His hatred of sin, His love for mankind, and His willingness to provide for our redemption. We learn not only where mankind has come from, but why the world is in its present form. The book also presents the establishment of Israel, God's chosen people. Many of the principles given in other parts of Scripture depend on the basic ideas presented here in the book of Genesis. Within the framework of the Bible, Genesis explains the bare-bones history of the universe leading up to the captivity of Israel in Egypt, setting the stage for the book of Exodus.