ESV Global Study Bible :: Footnotes for Genesis 47

Gen. 47:1–6 Joseph introduces five of his brothers to Pharaoh, mentioning that his family is now in the land of Goshen.

Gen. 47:7–10 Joseph introduces his father Jacob to Pharaoh. Jacob blessed Pharaoh (vv. 7, 10). This could have been simply words of greeting and farewell. But it fits with the pattern of Abraham and his descendants mediating God’s blessing to others (12:3). How many are the days of the years of your life? Pharaoh’s question may have been motivated by the belief that a long life was a sign of divine favor. Few and evil have been . . . the years of my life. Perhaps Jacob is referring to events such as his treatment of Esau or his sons’ deceiving him about Joseph. While Jacob is now 130 years old, Abraham and Isaac lived to be 175 and 180, respectively. The Hebrew term translated sojourning implies that Jacob and his fathers had no permanent home and perhaps anticipated something better to come. Compare Heb. 11:10.

Gen. 47:11–12 Joseph assigns land to his family in the land of Rameses. Previously, the name “land of Goshen” has been used for the territory where they were to live (e.g., 45:10; 46:28). The name “Rameses” is most often associated with the great thirteenth-century-b.c. Egyptian king Rameses II. While it is possible that the actual name “Rameses” goes back to the time of Joseph, this may be an example of a later term being substituted for an earlier name (see note on 14:13–16).

Gen. 47:13–14 The famine is so severe that the Egyptians eventually run out of money to buy grain.

Gen. 47:15–17 When all their money is gone, the Egyptians appeal to Joseph for help. He responds by offering to buy their livestock. This sustains the Egyptians for another year.

Gen. 47:18–25 With no money and no livestock, the Egyptians sell their land and even themselves, as debt-slaves, to Pharaoh. They also ask for seed to grow for the future. Joseph willingly grants these requests. The people’s response (You have saved our lives; v. 25) shows that they have a positive opinion of Joseph. Joseph provides seed on the understanding that they may keep for themselves four fifths of the harvest (v. 24). While Pharaoh’s share of one fifth may seem excessive, this must be viewed in light of the people’s having no other means of sustaining themselves. A less kind ruler might have kept even more for himself.

Gen. 47:27–31 While the Egyptians struggle to survive during the famine, Jacob’s family grows and prospers. The idea of being fruitful and multiplying first appears in 1:22, 28 and is repeated throughout Genesis (see 9:1; 7; 17:20; 28:3; 35:11; 48:4). Jacob asks to be buried in Canaan, for he knows that the family’s future lies there.

Gen. 47:28–31 Jacob’s approaching death, at age 147, dominates the final chapters of Genesis. put your hand under my thigh. See note on 24:9. bowed himself upon the head of his bed. Jacob bows—possibly in worship, or perhaps in gratitude to Joseph (which would fulfill Joseph’s dream; 37:9–11), or because of his frailty. Quoting from the Septuagint, Heb. 11:21 says that Jacob bowed over “the head of his staff.”