Genesis 45

Introduction

Genesis 45 is the emotional climax of the Joseph narrative. After Judah's extraordinary speech offering himself as a substitute for Benjamin (Genesis 44:18-34), Joseph can no longer maintain his disguise. He clears the room of all Egyptians and reveals himself to his brothers with the stunning declaration: "I am Joseph." The brothers are struck dumb with terror, but Joseph's response is not accusation but theology — he interprets his entire journey, from the pit to the palace, as God's sovereign plan to preserve life during the famine.

The chapter moves from revelation to reconciliation to reunion. Joseph weeps with his brothers, sends them back to Canaan with gifts and wagons to bring Jacob to Egypt, and the old father — stunned, disbelieving, then revived — speaks his final words of the chapter: "Enough! My son Joseph is still alive. I will go and see him before I die." The chapter resolves the tension that has been building since Genesis 37: the dreamer and his brothers are reconciled, and the family that was torn apart by jealousy is about to be reunited in Egypt.

Joseph Reveals His Identity (vv. 1-8)

¹ Then Joseph could no longer control himself before all his attendants, and he cried out, "Send everyone away from me!" So none of them were with Joseph when he made himself known to his brothers. ² But he wept so loudly that the Egyptians heard him, and Pharaoh's household soon heard of it. ³ Joseph said to his brothers, "I am Joseph! Is my father still alive?" But they were unable to answer him, because they were terrified in his presence. ⁴ Then Joseph said to his brothers, "Please come near me." And they did so. "I am Joseph, your brother," he said, "the one you sold into Egypt! ⁵ And now, do not be distressed or angry with yourselves that you sold me into this place, because it was to save lives that God sent me before you. ⁶ For the famine has covered the land these two years, and there will be five more years without plowing or harvesting. ⁷ God sent me before you to preserve you as a remnant on the earth and to save your lives by a great deliverance. ⁸ Therefore it was not you who sent me here, but God, who has made me a father to Pharaoh — lord of all his household and ruler over all the land of Egypt.

¹ Then Joseph could no longer restrain himself before all who stood around him, and he cried out, "Make everyone go out from me!" So no one stood with him when Joseph made himself known to his brothers. ² He wept aloud, and the Egyptians heard, and the house of Pharaoh heard. ³ Joseph said to his brothers, "I am Joseph! Is my father still alive?" But his brothers could not answer him, for they were terrified before him. ⁴ Joseph said to his brothers, "Please, come near to me." And they came near. He said, "I am Joseph your brother, whom you sold into Egypt. ⁵ And now, do not be grieved or angry with yourselves that you sold me here, for God sent me before you to preserve life. ⁶ For the famine has been in the land these two years, and there are still five years in which there will be neither plowing nor harvest. ⁷ God sent me before you to establish for you a remnant in the earth, and to keep you alive as a great deliverance. ⁸ So it was not you who sent me here, but God. He has made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house, and ruler over all the land of Egypt."

Notes

וְלֹא יָכֹל יוֹסֵף לְהִתְאַפֵּק ("Joseph could no longer restrain himself") — The verb הִתְאַפֵּק is the same Hitpael form used in Genesis 43:31, where Joseph restrained himself at the feast. The narrative arc is complete: the dam that held in chapter 43 now breaks. The verb בְּהִתְוַדַּע ("when he made himself known") is a Hitpael infinitive of יָדַע ("to know") — literally "when he caused himself to be known." The reflexive form emphasizes that this is Joseph's deliberate act of self-disclosure.
אֲנִי יוֹסֵף ("I am Joseph") — Three of the most dramatic words in the Hebrew Bible. The brothers' reaction is not joy but נִבְהֲלוּ מִפָּנָיו ("they were terrified before him"). The verb בָּהַל in the Niphal means to be dismayed, horrified, paralyzed with shock. They have just spent weeks fearing this Egyptian ruler — and now discover he is the brother they sold into slavery. Their terror is not merely surprise but the dawning awareness of their guilt.
Joseph repeats his identity in v. 4, adding אֲשֶׁר מְכַרְתֶּם אֹתִי מִצְרָיְמָה ("whom you sold into Egypt"). He names the crime — but immediately reframes it theologically. Three times in vv. 5-8 he says God sent him (שְׁלָחַנִי אֱלֹהִים), building to the climactic declaration of v. 8: לֹא אַתֶּם שְׁלַחְתֶּם אֹתִי הֵנָּה כִּי הָאֱלֹהִים ("it was not you who sent me here, but God"). Joseph does not deny human responsibility — "you sold me" (v. 4) — but he affirms divine sovereignty over and through that act.
לְמִחְיָה ("to preserve life / for sustenance") — The noun מִחְיָה (from חָיָה, "to live") emphasizes ongoing life-preservation, not merely rescue. Joseph's mission was not just emergency intervention but sustained provision.
שְׁאֵרִית ("remnant") and פְּלֵיטָה גְּדֹלָה ("great deliverance/escape") — These are theologically loaded terms. שְׁאֵרִית is the same word the prophets use for the remnant of Israel that survives judgment (Isaiah 10:21, Micah 2:12). פְּלֵיטָה refers to those who escape catastrophe. Joseph sees his story in cosmic terms: God preserved a remnant through him.
לְאָב לְפַרְעֹה ("a father to Pharaoh") — The title "father" here is not biological but political — a title of honor for a chief counselor or vizier. Egyptian texts attest the title "father of the god" (it ntr) for high officials who served as advisors to the king.

Interpretations

Joseph's declaration that "God sent me" (vv. 5, 7, 8) raises one of the central theological questions of the Joseph narrative: the relationship between divine sovereignty and human moral responsibility.

Reformed/Calvinist reading: Joseph's statement is taken as a paradigm of divine sovereignty over human sin. God did not merely permit the brothers' evil but actively ordained it for a greater good — the preservation of the covenant family. This is seen as consistent with passages like Psalm 105:17 ("He sent a man before them — Joseph, sold as a slave") and Acts 2:23 (Christ "delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God"). God's sovereign plan encompasses even sinful human choices without making God the author of sin.
Arminian/Wesleyan reading: Emphasis falls on God's ability to work through and redeem human sin without having decreed it. The brothers' choice was genuinely free and genuinely sinful; God, in his foreknowledge and providence, wove their evil into a tapestry of redemption. Joseph's statement is a retrospective interpretation of providence, not a claim that God caused the brothers to sin.
Both traditions agree that the passage does not excuse the brothers' guilt — Joseph names their act as sin — but that it reveals God's extraordinary ability to bring good from evil.

Joseph Sends for His Father (vv. 9-15)

⁹ Now return quickly to my father and tell him, 'This is what your son Joseph says: God has made me lord of all Egypt. Come down to me without delay. ¹⁰ You shall settle in the land of Goshen and be near me — you and your children and grandchildren, your flocks and herds, and everything you own. ¹¹ And there I will provide for you, because there will be five more years of famine. Otherwise, you and your household and everything you own will come to destitution.' ¹² Behold! You and my brother Benjamin can see that I, Joseph, am the one speaking with you. ¹³ Tell my father about all my splendor in Egypt and everything you have seen. And bring my father down here quickly." ¹⁴ Then Joseph threw his arms around his brother Benjamin and wept, and Benjamin wept as they embraced. ¹⁵ Joseph kissed each of his brothers as he wept over them. And afterward his brothers talked with him.

⁹ "Hurry and go up to my father and say to him, 'Thus says your son Joseph: God has made me lord of all Egypt. Come down to me — do not delay. ¹⁰ You shall dwell in the land of Goshen, and you shall be near me — you and your sons and your sons' sons, your flocks and your herds, and all that you have. ¹¹ I will provide for you there, for there are yet five years of famine, lest you and your household and all that you have come to poverty.' ¹² And look — your eyes see, and the eyes of my brother Benjamin, that it is my own mouth speaking to you. ¹³ Tell my father of all my honor in Egypt and of all that you have seen, and hurry and bring my father down here." ¹⁴ Then he fell on the neck of his brother Benjamin and wept, and Benjamin wept on his neck. ¹⁵ He kissed all his brothers and wept over them. And after that, his brothers spoke with him.

Notes

גֹּשֶׁן — The land of Goshen was a fertile region in the eastern Nile Delta, well-suited for grazing. Its exact location is debated, but it was geographically separate from the main centers of Egyptian population — an arrangement that would allow Jacob's family to maintain their pastoral identity and cultural distinctness. Joseph's settlement plan is strategic: close to him for provision, yet distinct from Egypt proper.
פֶּן תִּוָּרֵשׁ ("lest you come to poverty") — The Niphal of יָרַשׁ ("to possess, inherit") in its negative sense means "to be dispossessed, become impoverished." The irony is striking: the verb whose Qal form means "to inherit" becomes, in the Niphal, "to be disinherited." Joseph warns that without relocation, the covenant family will lose everything.
כִּי פִי הַמְדַבֵּר אֲלֵיכֶם ("that it is my mouth speaking to you") — Joseph emphasizes that he is speaking directly, without an interpreter (cf. Genesis 42:23, where the brothers did not know Joseph understood Hebrew). This detail confirms the authenticity of the revelation: the Egyptian lord is speaking their language.
וַיִּפֹּל עַל צַוְּארֵי בִנְיָמִן ("he fell on Benjamin's neck") — The emotional reunion begins with Benjamin, Joseph's only full brother through Rachel. The weeping is mutual and prolonged. Only then does Joseph kiss all his brothers (v. 15). The phrase וְאַחֲרֵי כֵן דִּבְּרוּ אֶחָיו אִתּוֹ ("after that his brothers spoke with him") is quietly devastating — only after the tears and kisses do the brothers find their voices. Terror has given way to reconciliation.

Pharaoh's Invitation and the Brothers' Return (vv. 16-24)

¹⁶ When the news reached Pharaoh's house that Joseph's brothers had come, Pharaoh and his servants were pleased. ¹⁷ Pharaoh said to Joseph, "Tell your brothers, 'Do as follows: Load your animals and return to the land of Canaan. ¹⁸ Then bring your father and your families and return to me. I will give you the best of the land of Egypt, and you shall eat from the fat of the land.' ¹⁹ You are also directed to tell them: 'Take wagons from the land of Egypt for your young children and your wives, and bring your father and come back. ²⁰ But pay no regard to your belongings, for the best of all the land of Egypt is yours.'" ²¹ So the sons of Israel did as they were told. Joseph gave them wagons as Pharaoh had instructed, and he also gave them provisions for their journey. ²² He gave new garments to each of them, but to Benjamin he gave three hundred shekels of silver and five sets of clothes. ²³ And he sent to his father the following: ten donkeys loaded with the best of Egypt, and ten female donkeys loaded with grain and bread and provisions for his father's journey. ²⁴ Then Joseph sent his brothers on their way, and as they were leaving, he said to them, "Do not quarrel on the way!"

¹⁶ The report was heard in the house of Pharaoh: "Joseph's brothers have come." And it was pleasing in the eyes of Pharaoh and in the eyes of his servants. ¹⁷ Pharaoh said to Joseph, "Say to your brothers, 'Do this: load your animals and go — return to the land of Canaan. ¹⁸ Take your father and your households and come to me, and I will give you the best of the land of Egypt, and you shall eat the fat of the land.' ¹⁹ And you are commanded: 'Do this — take wagons from the land of Egypt for your little ones and for your wives, and bring your father, and come. ²⁰ Do not let your eye spare your possessions, for the best of all the land of Egypt is yours.'" ²¹ The sons of Israel did so. Joseph gave them wagons according to the command of Pharaoh, and he gave them provisions for the journey. ²² To each of them he gave a change of garments, but to Benjamin he gave three hundred pieces of silver and five changes of garments. ²³ To his father he sent the following: ten donkeys loaded with the best things of Egypt, and ten female donkeys loaded with grain and bread and provisions for his father's journey. ²⁴ Then he sent his brothers away, and they departed. And he said to them, "Do not quarrel on the way."

Notes

חֵלֶב הָאָרֶץ ("the fat of the land") — The word חֵלֶב ("fat") is used metaphorically for the richest, best portion. In sacrificial contexts, the fat belonged to God (Leviticus 3:16). Pharaoh is offering the covenant family the choicest part of his kingdom.
חֲלִפוֹת שְׂמָלֹת ("changes of garments") — The garment motif that has run through the Joseph narrative reaches its resolution here. Joseph's כְּתֹנֶת פַּסִּים was stripped by his brothers (Genesis 37:23); his garment was seized by Potiphar's wife (Genesis 39:12); now he gives garments to his brothers — and to Benjamin, five sets, along with three hundred pieces of silver. The fivefold gift to Benjamin echoes the fivefold portion at the feast (Genesis 43:34). Where garments once marked loss and deception, they now mark generosity and restoration.
אַל תִּרְגְּזוּ בַּדָּרֶךְ ("do not quarrel on the way") — The verb רָגַז can mean "to tremble, be agitated, quarrel." Translations vary: KJV has "see that ye fall not out by the way"; ESV "do not quarrel on the way"; NIV "don't quarrel on the way." Joseph may be warning against mutual recrimination — the brothers blaming each other for selling Joseph — or against anxiety over how to explain everything to their father. The ambiguity is likely deliberate.

Jacob Revived (vv. 25-28)

²⁵ So the brothers went up out of Egypt and came to their father Jacob in the land of Canaan. ²⁶ "Joseph is still alive," they said, "and he is ruler over all the land of Egypt!" But Jacob was stunned, for he did not believe them. ²⁷ However, when they relayed all that Joseph had told them, and when he saw the wagons that Joseph had sent to carry him back, the spirit of their father Jacob was revived. ²⁸ "Enough!" declared Israel. "My son Joseph is still alive! I will go to see him before I die."

²⁵ They went up from Egypt and came to the land of Canaan, to Jacob their father. ²⁶ They told him, "Joseph is still alive, and he is ruler over all the land of Egypt." But his heart went numb, for he did not believe them. ²⁷ Then they told him all the words of Joseph that he had spoken to them, and when he saw the wagons that Joseph had sent to carry him, the spirit of their father Jacob revived. ²⁸ And Israel said, "Enough! My son Joseph is still alive. I will go and see him before I die."

Notes

וַיָּפָג לִבּוֹ ("his heart went numb") — The verb פּוּג is rare, occurring only here and in Psalm 38:9 and Habakkuk 1:4. It means to grow cold, become numb, lose feeling. Jacob's heart does not leap — it freezes. After twenty-two years of believing Joseph dead, the news is too overwhelming to process. The KJV's "his heart fainted" captures the sense well.
וַתְּחִי רוּחַ יַעֲקֹב ("the spirit of Jacob revived") — The verb חָיָה ("to live, revive") is the same root that runs through Joseph's speeches about preserving life (מִחְיָה, v. 5). Now Jacob himself experiences revival — not physical resurrection but a spiritual awakening. His רוּחַ ("spirit, breath") returns to him. The man who said "I will go down to Sheol mourning" (Genesis 37:35) now says "I will go and see him."
רַב ("Enough! / It is great!") — The word can mean both "enough" and "much/great." Israel's single-word exclamation captures a lifetime of grief suddenly transformed into joy. The text switches from "Jacob" (v. 27) to "Israel" (v. 28) — the patriarch speaks not as the broken father but as the covenant bearer, alive again with purpose. His declaration — אֵלְכָה וְאֶרְאֶנּוּ בְּטֶרֶם אָמוּת ("I will go and see him before I die") — uses cohortative forms expressing resolved intention: this is no tentative wish but a decision.