In this chapter we find Jacob and his family welcomed by Pharaoh and settling in the land of Goshen. Goshen was a well-watered district, located in the delta area, east of the Nile River and northeast of Memphis, the capital of Egypt. The impact of this event would most likely be lost in a cursory read of the text. Imagine what it would be like today to move a whole people, their belongings and their entire industry from one country to another. While it is true that Jacob’s family was less than one hundred folks (probably their servants were not included in the census of those who came into Egypt), the livestock he brought not only stood in competition to the livestock industry of Egyptians in the area, but Jacob was also given a very good portion of the grazing area for his animals. Such a move by aliens and such a liberal welcome from the native authorities would meet with a great deal of opposition today, not only from the local citizens in the area, but also from the local industries, whose markets would be in jeopardy.
Yet, the text is silent, concerning any such opposition, if, indeed, there was any. Perhaps, this is due to Joseph’s influence, because his efforts had so helped the Egyptians that everyone, including the Egyptian commercial sector, was willing to make such sacrifices, as necessary in an effort to accommodate his family. Certainly, afterward, when emergency conditions were long past, and when Joseph’s contribution to the nation was, perhaps, purposefully forgotten, public opinion was reversed. Egyptians began to treat the descendants of Jacob with great cruelty (Exodus 1:8-11), which is not so unlike the manner, in which undesirable immigrants are treated today by the nation they choose for their new homeland.
We begin our study today with Joseph going to Pharaoh, informing him of the arrival of his father and his brethren, together with all their belongings and their livestock, and they were at this point settling in the land of Goshen. Moreover, Joseph had taken with him five of his brethren[1] to introduce to Pharaoh, as representatives of his family (Genesis 47:1-2). Pharaoh asked them about their profession, and they told him they were shepherds, both they and their ancestors. Moreover, they told him that they had come to dwell in his kingdom, hoping to be permitted to pasture their herds in the land of Goshen, because the famine had left the Land of Canaan destitute of pasturelands (Genesis 47:3-4).
Pharaoh seemed to be impressed with Joseph’s brethren, for, afterwards, he told Joseph that he was glad to give the land of Goshen to his father and his brethren to dwell in and care for their cattle. He added that, if Joseph saw that there were exceptional men among them in their profession, he should make them shepherds over Pharaoh’s cattle (Genesis 47:5-6). Then, Joseph brought in his father, Jacob, and presented him before Pharaoh, and Jacob blessed the king (Genesis 47:7). It seems that Pharaoh was astonished with Jacob’s appearance, expecting him to be a much younger man to have sired a young man such as Joseph (only 38 years old). However, Jacob told Pharaoh that he was 130 years old, saying that, although he had not attained to the ages of his forefathers, his own days were few and evil, meaning they seemed few and full of trouble (Genesis 47:8-9; cp. Job 14:1).[2] Then, while leaving Pharaoh’s presence, Jacob blessed him again (Genesis 47:10).
Finally, as commanded by Pharaoh, Joseph settled his father and his brethren and their families in the land of Goshen, which was later called the land of Rameses, and he gave it to them for a possession during the time they stayed in the Land of Egypt, and he provided them with grain as it was needed during the days of the famine (Genesis 47:11-12).
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[1] It is simply guesswork to decide which five or why five. The number and the identity of the group has been variously understood by Biblical scholarship, but I take it to mean his five eldest, and probably the most capable of the group, and most respected among their brethren, which would be: Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah (all of Leah) and Dan (of Bilhah, Rachel’s handmaid).
[2] Consider the fact that he had to flee to Haran from his brother Esau, who sought to slay him. Moreover, his dealings with his father-in-law, Laban, was very tenuous, to say the least. He tricked Jacob into serving him 14 years for Rachel, his wife (Laban’s daughter), and then changed his wages ten times in the next six years in an effort to give himself an advantage over his son-in-law’s success. Later, Joseph was missing and thought dead for 21 years, and his own daughter Dinah had been raped by a local prince of Shechem, and in an effort to permit a marriage, two of his sons, Simeon and Levi betrayed the agreement that was made and slew all the males of Shechem, so that Jacob had to flee the land, before the inhabitants rose up against him.
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