Genesis 47

Introduction

Genesis 47 covers three distinct phases of Jacob's sojourn in Egypt: his family's formal settlement in Goshen under Pharaoh's patronage, Joseph's administration of the famine that transforms Egypt's economy, and Jacob's final request to be buried in the land of his fathers. The chapter moves from public audience to national policy to deathbed covenant, weaving together the story of Israel's family with the story of Egypt's transformation under Joseph's governance.

The chapter raises important questions about Joseph's economic policies — as the famine deepens, he collects all the money, then all the livestock, then all the land, and finally the people themselves become Pharaoh's servants. Whether this is presented as wise administration or as a cautionary tale is debated. What is clear is the contrast between Egypt's increasing bondage and Israel's increasing prosperity: "Israel settled in the land of Egypt, in the land of Goshen. They acquired property in it, and were fruitful and multiplied greatly" (Genesis 47:27).

Jacob Before Pharaoh (vv. 1-12)

¹ So Joseph went and told Pharaoh: "My father and my brothers, with their flocks and herds and all they own, have come from the land of Canaan and are now in Goshen." ² And he chose five of his brothers and presented them before Pharaoh. ³ "What is your occupation?" Pharaoh asked Joseph's brothers. "Your servants are shepherds," they replied, "both we and our fathers." ⁴ Then they said to Pharaoh, "We have come to live in the land for a time, because there is no pasture for the flocks of your servants, since the famine in the land of Canaan has been severe. So now, please allow your servants to settle in the land of Goshen." ⁵ Pharaoh said to Joseph, "Now that your father and brothers have come to you, ⁶ the land of Egypt is before you; settle your father and brothers in the best part of the land. They may dwell in the land of Goshen. And if you know of any talented men among them, put them in charge of my own livestock." ⁷ Then Joseph brought in his father Jacob and presented him before Pharaoh, and Jacob blessed Pharaoh. ⁸ "How many years have you lived?" Pharaoh asked. ⁹ "My travels have lasted 130 years," Jacob replied. "My years have been few and hard, and they have not matched the years of the travels of my fathers." ¹⁰ Then Jacob blessed Pharaoh and departed from his presence. ¹¹ So Joseph settled his father and brothers in the land of Egypt and gave them property in the best part of the land, the district of Rameses, as Pharaoh had commanded. ¹² Joseph also provided his father and brothers and all his father's household with food for their families.

¹ Joseph came and told Pharaoh, "My father and my brothers, with their flocks and herds and all that they have, have come from the land of Canaan, and they are now in the land of Goshen." ² From among his brothers he took five men and presented them before Pharaoh. ³ Pharaoh said to his brothers, "What is your occupation?" They said to Pharaoh, "Your servants are shepherds of flocks — both we and our fathers." ⁴ They said to Pharaoh, "We have come to sojourn in the land, for there is no pasture for the flocks of your servants, because the famine is severe in the land of Canaan. Now please let your servants dwell in the land of Goshen." ⁵ Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, "Your father and your brothers have come to you. ⁶ The land of Egypt is before you. In the best of the land settle your father and brothers. Let them dwell in the land of Goshen, and if you know any capable men among them, put them in charge of my livestock." ⁷ Then Joseph brought in Jacob his father and set him before Pharaoh, and Jacob blessed Pharaoh. ⁸ Pharaoh said to Jacob, "How many are the days of the years of your life?" ⁹ Jacob said to Pharaoh, "The days of the years of my sojournings are one hundred and thirty years. Few and evil have been the days of the years of my life, and they have not attained to the days of the years of the life of my fathers in the days of their sojournings." ¹⁰ Jacob blessed Pharaoh and went out from the presence of Pharaoh. ¹¹ Joseph settled his father and his brothers and gave them a possession in the land of Egypt, in the best of the land, in the land of Rameses, as Pharaoh had commanded. ¹² Joseph provided his father and his brothers and all his father's household with food, according to the number of their dependents.

Notes

וּמִקְצֵה אֶחָיו לָקַח חֲמִשָּׁה אֲנָשִׁים ("from among his brothers he took five men") — Joseph selects five brothers to present to Pharaoh. The number five recurs throughout the Joseph narrative. Some Jewish traditions suggest Joseph chose the least physically imposing brothers so Pharaoh would not conscript them into his army.
לָגוּר בָּאָרֶץ בָּאנוּ ("we have come to sojourn in the land") — The verb גּוּר ("to sojourn, dwell as a foreigner") is carefully chosen. The brothers do not claim permanent residence; they are sojourners, temporary residents. This is the same status Abraham held in Canaan (Genesis 23:4) and that Israel will hold in Egypt. The family's identity as sojourners, not settlers, preserves their connection to the promised land.
וַיְבָרֶךְ יַעֲקֹב אֶת פַּרְעֹה ("Jacob blessed Pharaoh") — This is one of the most remarkable moments in the chapter. The aged, impoverished nomad blesses the most powerful ruler in the ancient world — and he does so twice (vv. 7, 10). As the author of Hebrews observes, "without any dispute the lesser is blessed by the greater" (Hebrews 7:7). Jacob, the covenant bearer, is greater than Pharaoh in the only dimension that matters.
יְמֵי שְׁנֵי מְגוּרַי ("the days of the years of my sojournings") — The word מְגוּרִים (from גּוּר) means "sojournings, pilgrimages." Jacob sees his entire life — 130 years — as a temporary journey, not a settled existence. His self-assessment is stark: מְעַט וְרָעִים ("few and evil/hard"). Abraham lived 175 years (Genesis 25:7), Isaac 180 (Genesis 35:28); Jacob's 130 (at this point) feel "few" by comparison. The word רָעִים ("evil, hard") encompasses his conflicts with Esau, Laban's deceptions, Dinah's violation, Joseph's supposed death, and the famine. Jacob's life has been marked by suffering — yet God's purposes have advanced through every trial.
אֶרֶץ רַעְמְסֵס ("the land of Rameses") — This is an anachronistic name for the region later known as the district of Rameses, named after Pharaoh Ramesses II (13th century BC). The use of the later name indicates either editorial updating of the text or reflects the perspective of the narrator's audience.

Joseph's Administration of the Famine (vv. 13-26)

¹³ There was no food, however, in all that region, because the famine was so severe; the lands of Egypt and Canaan had been exhausted by the famine. ¹⁴ Joseph collected all the money to be found in the land of Egypt and the land of Canaan in exchange for the grain they were buying, and he brought it into Pharaoh's palace. ¹⁵ When the money from the lands of Egypt and Canaan was gone, all the Egyptians came to Joseph and said, "Give us food. Why should we die before your eyes? For our funds have run out!" ¹⁶ "Then bring me your livestock," said Joseph. "Since the money is gone, I will sell you food in exchange for your livestock." ¹⁷ So they brought their livestock to Joseph, and he gave them food in exchange for their horses, their flocks and herds, and their donkeys. Throughout that year he provided them with food in exchange for all their livestock. ¹⁸ When that year was over, they came to him the second year and said, "We cannot hide from our lord that our money is gone and all our livestock belongs to you. There is nothing left for our lord except our bodies and our land. ¹⁹ Why should we perish before your eyes — we and our land as well? Purchase us and our land in exchange for food. Then we, along with our land, will be slaves to Pharaoh. Give us seed that we may live and not die, and that the land may not become desolate." ²⁰ So Joseph acquired for Pharaoh all the land in Egypt; the Egyptians, one and all, sold their fields because the famine was so severe upon them. The land became Pharaoh's, ²¹ and Joseph reduced the people to servitude from one end of Egypt to the other. ²² However, he did not acquire the priests' portion of the land, for it had been given to them by Pharaoh. They ate the rations that Pharaoh supplied; so they did not sell their land. ²³ Then Joseph said to the people, "Now that I have acquired you and your land for Pharaoh this day, here is seed for you to sow in the land. ²⁴ At harvest time, you are to give a fifth of it to Pharaoh, and four-fifths will be yours as seed for the field and food for yourselves and your households and children." ²⁵ "You have saved our lives," they said. "We have found favor in our lord's eyes, and we will be Pharaoh's servants." ²⁶ So Joseph established a law that a fifth of the produce belongs to Pharaoh, and it is in effect in the land of Egypt to this day. Only the priests' land does not belong to Pharaoh.

¹³ Now there was no food in all the land, for the famine was very severe, and the land of Egypt and the land of Canaan languished because of the famine. ¹⁴ Joseph gathered up all the money that was found in the land of Egypt and in the land of Canaan in exchange for the grain they were buying, and Joseph brought the money into Pharaoh's house. ¹⁵ When the money was exhausted from the land of Egypt and from the land of Canaan, all the Egyptians came to Joseph and said, "Give us food! Why should we die before you? For the money is gone." ¹⁶ Joseph said, "Give me your livestock, and I will give you food in exchange for your livestock, if the money is gone." ¹⁷ So they brought their livestock to Joseph, and Joseph gave them food in exchange for the horses, the flocks, the herds, and the donkeys. He sustained them with food in exchange for all their livestock that year. ¹⁸ When that year was ended, they came to him the following year and said, "We will not hide from my lord that the money is spent and the herds of livestock are my lord's. There is nothing left before my lord except our bodies and our land. ¹⁹ Why should we die before your eyes — both we and our land? Buy us and our land in exchange for food, and we and our land will be servants to Pharaoh. Give us seed so that we may live and not die, and the land may not become desolate." ²⁰ So Joseph bought all the land of Egypt for Pharaoh, for the Egyptians, every one of them, sold their fields because the famine was severe upon them. And the land became Pharaoh's. ²¹ As for the people, he transferred them to the cities from one end of Egypt to the other. ²² Only the land of the priests he did not buy, for the priests had a fixed allotment from Pharaoh and they ate from their allotment that Pharaoh gave them; therefore they did not sell their land. ²³ Then Joseph said to the people, "Behold, I have this day bought you and your land for Pharaoh. Here is seed for you — sow the land. ²⁴ At the harvests, you shall give a fifth to Pharaoh, and four parts shall be yours — for seed for the field, and for food for yourselves and your households and your little ones." ²⁵ They said, "You have saved our lives! Let us find favor in the eyes of my lord, and we will be Pharaoh's servants." ²⁶ So Joseph made it a statute over the land of Egypt to this day: a fifth belongs to Pharaoh. Only the land of the priests — it alone did not become Pharaoh's.

Notes

וַתֵּלַהּ ("languished") — This rare verb from לָהָה means to faint, languish, or waste away. It personifies the land itself as suffering from the famine — not just the people but the earth groans under the crisis.
The progression of exchange is systematic: first money (v. 14), then livestock (vv. 16-17), then land and persons (vv. 18-20). Joseph's administration concentrates all wealth and land ownership in Pharaoh's hands. The 20% tax (v. 24) he establishes was actually moderate by ancient Near Eastern standards — many kingdoms demanded a third or more.
הֶעֱבִיר אֹתוֹ לֶעָרִים ("he transferred them to the cities") — This is v. 21, which contains a significant textual variant. The Hebrew MT reads הֶעֱבִיר...לֶעָרִים ("he transferred [the people] to the cities"). But the Samaritan Pentateuch, LXX, and Vulgate read "he made them servants" (הֶעֱבִיד...לַעֲבָדִים). The BSB and NIV follow the variant reading ("reduced the people to servitude"); the KJV follows the MT ("he removed them to cities"). The relocation reading may reflect a policy of consolidating the population for more efficient grain distribution.
חֹק ("allotment, statute") — The priests' exemption from land sale (v. 22) is explained by their חֹק from Pharaoh — a regular ration or stipend. This corresponds to known Egyptian practices: temple estates and priestly endowments were maintained by the crown. The exemption also foreshadows Israel's own priestly arrangements, where the Levites receive no land inheritance but are sustained by tithes and offerings.

Interpretations

Joseph's economic policies in this passage have been interpreted differently:

Positive assessment: Joseph saved an entire civilization from starvation. The people themselves acknowledge "you have saved our lives" (v. 25). The 20% tax was reasonable, and the centralization of land prevented chaotic hoarding. Joseph acted wisely within the realities of an ancient economy.
Critical assessment: Some interpreters see this passage as foreshadowing the oppression that will come. The Egyptians become servants to Pharaoh — the very status that Israel will later occupy. The narrative may be subtly noting that the system Joseph creates will eventually be turned against his own descendants. The irony deepens in Exodus 1: the infrastructure of state control that Joseph built becomes the mechanism of Israel's enslavement.
Both readings observe that the text presents Joseph's actions without explicit moral commentary — the narrator neither praises nor condemns, leaving the reader to assess.

Jacob's Final Request (vv. 27-31)

²⁷ Now the Israelites settled in the land of Egypt, in the region of Goshen. They acquired property there and became fruitful and increased greatly in number. ²⁸ And Jacob lived in the land of Egypt seventeen years, and the length of his life was 147 years. ²⁹ When the time drew near for Israel to die, he called his son Joseph and said to him, "If I have found favor in your eyes, put your hand under my thigh and promise to show me kindness and faithfulness. Do not bury me in Egypt, ³⁰ but when I lie down with my fathers, carry me out of Egypt and bury me with them." Joseph answered, "I will do as you have requested." ³¹ "Swear to me," Jacob said. So Joseph swore to him, and Israel bowed in worship at the head of his bed.

²⁷ So Israel settled in the land of Egypt, in the land of Goshen, and they acquired possessions in it, and were fruitful and multiplied greatly. ²⁸ Jacob lived in the land of Egypt seventeen years, and the days of Jacob, the years of his life, were one hundred and forty-seven years. ²⁹ When the time drew near for Israel to die, he called his son Joseph and said to him, "If I have found favor in your eyes, please put your hand under my thigh and deal with me in kindness and faithfulness. Do not bury me in Egypt. ³⁰ When I lie down with my fathers, carry me out of Egypt and bury me in their burial place." He said, "I will do as you have said." ³¹ He said, "Swear to me." And he swore to him. Then Israel bowed himself at the head of the bed.

Notes

וַיִּפְרוּ וַיִּרְבּוּ מְאֹד ("they were fruitful and multiplied greatly") — This language deliberately echoes the creation mandate (Genesis 1:28) and the Abrahamic promise (Genesis 17:6). Even in a foreign land, the covenant family fulfills its destiny. The note that Jacob lived seventeen years in Egypt creates a poignant symmetry: Joseph was seventeen when he was sold into slavery (Genesis 37:2). The years Jacob spent mourning his son are now matched by years of reunion.
שִׂים נָא יָדְךָ תַּחַת יְרֵכִי ("put your hand under my thigh") — This oath-swearing gesture was used by Abraham when sending his servant to find a wife for Isaac (Genesis 24:2). The יָרֵךְ ("thigh") is associated with procreation — the oath is made on one's descendants, invoking the most sacred bond.
חֶסֶד וֶאֱמֶת ("kindness and faithfulness") — This pair is one of the most important theological formulas in the Hebrew Bible, describing God's own character (Exodus 34:6). חֶסֶד is covenant loyalty, steadfast love; אֱמֶת is faithfulness, reliability, truth. Jacob asks Joseph to treat him with the same loyal faithfulness that God shows his people.
וַיִּשְׁתַּחוּ יִשְׂרָאֵל עַל רֹאשׁ הַמִּטָּה ("Israel bowed at the head of the bed") — This verse presents a famous textual variant. The Hebrew מִטָּה means "bed." But the LXX (followed by Hebrews 11:21) reads מַטֶּה — "staff" — differing only in vowel pointing (the consonants are identical: מטה). The Hebrew text envisions the aged patriarch worshipping God from his bed; the Greek text pictures him leaning on his staff. Both images convey an old man expressing gratitude and faith at the end of his life.