Genesis 46:6 - Printer Friendly

ESV: They also took their livestock and their goods, which they had gained in the land of Canaan, and came into Egypt, Jacob and all his offspring with him,

NIV: So Jacob and all his offspring went to Egypt, taking with them their livestock and the possessions they had acquired in Canaan.

NASB: They also took their livestock and their possessions, which they had acquired in the land of Canaan, and came to Egypt, Jacob and all his descendants with him:

CSB: They also took their cattle and possessions they had acquired in the land of Canaan. Then Jacob and all his offspring with him came to Egypt.

NLT: They also took all their livestock and all the personal belongings they had acquired in the land of Canaan. So Jacob and his entire family went to Egypt —

KJV: And they took their cattle, and their goods, which they had gotten in the land of Canaan, and came into Egypt, Jacob, and all his seed with him:

NKJV: So they took their livestock and their goods, which they had acquired in the land of Canaan, and went to Egypt, Jacob and all his descendants with him.

The large family built by Jacob is traveling from the Promised Land of Canaan to Egypt (Genesis 46:1–5). There they will settle in a fertile region provided by Pharaoh, who greatly favors Jacob's son Joseph (Genesis 45:16–20). Jacob and the women and children are traveling by wagon. In addition to the people, the expedition includes everything they own. Jacob is quite a wealthy man, so the number of livestock and the amount of goods must be significant. God has indeed richly blessed Jacob and his sons during their lives in the land of Canaan.

Finally, Jacob and all his offspring arrive in Egypt.

Genesis 46:1–7 begins with the journey of Jacob's large family from Canaan to Egypt. First is a stop in Beersheba (Genesis 26:33). Jacob offers sacrifices to God. God responds, telling Jacob not to be afraid to settle in Egypt. God assures Jacob that He will continue to be with him and will still make a great nation of his offspring. After this, Genesis tallies all the direct descendants of Israel, before returning to a narrative form.

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.

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.

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.

Accessed 5/7/2024 5:28:15 AM