Chronological Bible Study – Jan 28

By Ron

January 28, 2025

Bible Study Daily, Chronological, Epoch 2, Genesis

What I Noticed Today (Genesis 46-47)

Chapter 46 describes Jacob’s journey to Egypt.

In verses 1-7, God reassures Jacob that he should go to Egypt, where He would make him into a great nation:

God appeared to Jacob in a dream and reassured Jacob that he should not be afraid to go to Egypt, that God would be with him and bring him back from there, and that Joseph himself would be with him when he died.
Jacob left Beer-sheba along with his entire family and all his flocks and possessions in the wagons provided by Pharaoh and journeyed to Egypt.

In verses 8-27, is a record of all 70 of the family members of Jacob who made the journey to Egypt:

In verses 28-34, Jacob and the family arrive in the land of Goshen in Egypt:

Jacob sent Judah ahead to Joseph to prepare for their arrival at Goshen.
Joseph went to Goshen to meet his father, Israel (Jacob). When they met, they hugged and wept for a long time.

Joseph told his father and brothers that he was going to tell Pharaoh they had arrived from Canaan and settled in the land of Goshen. They were shepherds but also raise cattle, and they have brought everything they have with them.
If asked, they were to tell Pharaoh they raised cattle, not that they were shepherds, because shepherds were abhorrent to the Egyptians.

In Chapter 47, Pharaoh welcomes Jacob to Egypt, the famine continues, and Israel settles in Goshen.

In verses 1-12, Joseph introduces five of his brothers to Pharaoh:

As promised, Joseph introduces the family to Pharaoh by taking five of his brothers with him.
Pharaoh asked their occupation, and the brothers said they were shepherds.

Pharaoh permitted them to settle in Goshen and suggested the most capable of them should care for Pharaoh’s own livestock.
Then Joseph presented his father Jacob to Pharaoh. Jacob told Pharaoh he had lived 130 difficult years. Jacob then blessed Pharaoh and left him.
Joseph settled his father and the family in the land of Goshen, just as Pharaoh commanded, and Joseph provided food for his father’s household and all their dependents.

In verses 13-26, the famine continues, and all the land becomes Pharaoh’s:

The severe famine continued, and the land produced no crops. Joseph sold grain to the people and gave the money to Pharaoh until the people had no more money.
As the famine continued the next year, the people gave Pharaoh all their livestock in exchange for food because they had no money.
The next year with their money and livestock gone, the people sold their land to Pharaoh in exchange for food, and the people became the slaves of Pharaoh.
Joseph then moved all the people from the fields to the cities because the land belonged to Pharaoh.
The only land he did not acquire was that belonging to the priests because Pharaoh had given them this land and provided for them.
Then Joseph gave the people seed to work their land. At harvest, they owed 20% to Pharaoh and could keep the remainder for themselves.

In verses 27-31, Israel settled in the land of Goshen:

Israel settled in the land of Goshen and acquired property there.
They were fruitful and multiplied.
Jacob lived 17 years there and was now 147 years old and near death.
He called to his son Joseph and made him swear an oath not to bury him in Egypt, but to take back to the land of Canaan and bury him in Hebron with his fathers.

What did you notice in your study today? Feel free to visit the website and leave a question or a comment.