What does Genesis 46:11 mean?
ESV: The sons of Levi: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.
NIV: The sons of Levi: Gershon, Kohath and Merari.
NASB: And the sons of Levi: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.
CSB: Levi's sons: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.
NLT: The sons of Levi were Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.
KJV: And the sons of Levi; Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.
NKJV: The sons of Levi were Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.
Verse Commentary:
All the current sons and grandsons of Jacob are listed in this passage, as the family moves into Egypt to survive the famine in the land (Genesis 45:9–11). Levi is Jacob's third son born to his wife Leah (Genesis 29:34). Levi's sons are Gershon, Kohath, and Merari. The meanings of the names Gershon and Kohath are unclear, but it is likely that Merari means "strong."
Verse Context:
Genesis 46:8–27 pauses the story of Jacob's migration to Egypt to count his direct offspring around this time. The final tally of all Israelites, not counting the wives of the sons and grandsons, is 70. The text then resumes explaining Jacob's reunion with his son, Joseph.
Chapter Summary:
Genesis 46 includes three basic sections. First, Jacob and his large family begin their journey with all their possessions towards their new home in Egypt. Jacob stops in Beersheba and offers sacrifices to God. God responds by assuring Jacob He will continue to be with him and multiply his people. The narrative pauses to count the current descendants of Jacob, then resumes with Jacob's arrival in the Goshen region of Egypt. Joseph meets him there for an emotional reunion. Then Joseph prepares the family to meet Pharaoh.
Chapter Context:
Joseph has just been dramatically reunited with his estranged brothers (Genesis 45). Following Joseph's revelation of his identity Genesis 46 describes the large family's move out of Canaan. Jacob stops in Beersheba to offer sacrifices to God and receive renewed promises from Him. Then the story pauses to provide a count of Joseph's descendants by each of his four wives. Jacob is reunited with Joseph, who prepares his family to meet with Pharaoh. Chapter 47 describes Jacob's meeting with Pharaoh and the family's settlement in Goshen.
Book Summary:
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.
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