Genesis 47:28 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And Jacob lived in the land of Egypt seventeen years. So the days of Jacob, the years of his life, were 147 years.

NIV: Jacob lived in Egypt seventeen years, and the years of his life were a hundred and forty-seven.

NASB: And Jacob lived in the land of Egypt for seventeen years; so the length of Jacob’s life was 147 years.

CSB: Now Jacob lived in the land of Egypt 17 years, and his life span was 147 years.

NLT: Jacob lived for seventeen years after his arrival in Egypt, so he lived 147 years in all.

KJV: And Jacob lived in the land of Egypt seventeen years: so the whole age of Jacob was an hundred forty and seven years.

NKJV: And Jacob lived in the land of Egypt seventeen years. So the length of Jacob’s life was one hundred and forty-seven years.

Jacob's large family settled in Egypt and grew larger (Genesis 46:26). With Joseph's provision, and under the authority of Pharaoh, they thrived and prospered (Genesis 47:6). Jacob survived many more years, despite his assumption that he was near death (Genesis 46:30). When his end finally comes, 17 years after the move to Egypt, he will be 147 years old.

As Jacob told Pharaoh (Genesis 47:9), he will not live to the same age as his fathers. Isaac lived to 180 years old (Genesis 35:28–29) and Abraham to 175 (Genesis 25:7–10). Jacob's most prominent son, Joseph, will live to be 110 years old (Genesis 50:26), as lifespans on the earth continue to grow shorter and shorter.

Genesis 47:27–31 follows an explanation of how a famine brought all Egypt into servanthood under the Pharaoh. That included a standing twenty percent tax. The Israelites, meanwhile, grow and prosper. In the future, this will lead to jealousy and oppression by leaders with no memory of Joseph and his contributions (Exodus 1:8–13). After years of safety in his son's care, Jacob nears death and asks for his body to one day be buried with his ancestors in Canaan.

Genesis 47 begins with Pharaoh interviewing Joseph's brothers and father before granting their request to settle in the region of Goshen in Egypt. Just as Joseph had hoped, his family is secure. The rest of the people of Egypt and Canaan are not. Most run out of money and can no longer buy food from Joseph. On Pharaoh's behalf, Joseph trades food for their livestock and then their land and even their freedom. Nearly all people will be required to pay to Pharaoh 20 percent of their harvest each year from this time forward. After several years, Jacob asks Joseph to swear that he will bury Jacob's body with his fathers in Canaan.

After describing the family's journey from Canaan and their arrival in Egypt in chapter 46, this passage opens on a formal conversation between Pharaoh and Joseph's family. He officially grants their request to settle in Egypt. As the famine continues, citizens of Egypt and Canaan turn over their money, land, and livestock to Joseph in exchange for food. The final three chapters of Genesis explain Jacob's dying blessings, and the passing of both Jacob and Joseph.

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 4/27/2024 11:25:38 AM