461 And Israel took his journey with all that he had, and came to Beer-sheba; and he offered sacrifices to the God of his father Isaac. 2 And God spoke to Israel in the visions of the night and said, Jacob, Jacob! And he said, Here am I. 3 And he said, I am God, the God of thy father: fear not to go down to Egypt; for I will there make of thee a great nation. 4 I will go down with thee to Egypt, and I will also certainly bring thee up; and Joseph shall put his hand on thine eyes.
5 And Jacob rose up from Beer-sheba; and the sons of Israel carried Jacob their father, and their little ones, and their wives, on the waggons that Pharaoh had sent to carry him. 6 And they took their cattle, and their goods which they had acquired in the land of Canaan, and came to Egypt, Jacob and all his seed with him; 7 his sons and his sons' sons with him, his daughters and his sons' daughters and all his seed he brought with him to Egypt. 8 And these are the names of the sons of Israel who came into Egypt: Jacob and his sons. Jacob's firstborn, Reuben. 9 And the sons of Reuben: Enoch, and Phallu, and Hezron, and Carmi. 10 —And the sons of Simeon: Jemuel, and Jamin, and Ohad, and Jachin, and Zohar, and Saul the son of a Canaanitish woman. 11 —And the sons of Levi: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari. 12 —And the sons of Judah: Er, and Onan, and Shelah, and Pherez, and Zerah; but Er and Onan died in the land of Canaan. And the sons of Pherez were Hezron and Hamul. 13 —And the sons of Issachar: Tola, and Puah, and Job, and Shimron. 14 —And the sons of Zebulun: Sered, and Elon, and Jahleel. 15 —These are the sons of Leah, whom she bore to Jacob in Padan-Aram; and his daughter, Dinah. All the souls of his sons and his daughters were thirty-three. 16 And the sons of Gad: Ziphion and Haggi, Shuni and Ezbon, Eri, and Arodi, and Areli. 17 —And the sons of Asher: Jimnah, and Jishvah, and Jishvi, and Beriah; and Serah their sister; and the sons of Beriah: Heber and Malchiel. 18 —These are the sons of Zilpah, whom Laban gave to Leah his daughter; and she bore these to Jacob: sixteen souls. 19 The sons of Rachel Jacob's wife: Joseph and Benjamin. 20 And to Joseph in the land of Egypt were born Manasseh and Ephraim, whom Asnath bore to him, the daughter of Potipherah the priest in On. 21 —And the sons of Benjamin: Belah, and Becher, and Ashbel, Gera and Naaman, Ehi and Rosh, Muppim, and Huppim, and Ard. 22 —These are the sons of Rachel who were born to Jacob: all the souls were fourteen. 23 And the sons of Dan: Hushim. 24 —And the sons of Naphtali: Jahzeel, and Guni, and Jezer, and Shillem. 25 —These are the sons of Bilhah, whom Laban gave to Rachel his daughter; and she bore these to Jacob: all the souls were seven. 26 All the souls that came with Jacob to Egypt, that had come out of his loins, besides Jacob's sons' wives: all the souls were sixty-six. 27 And the sons of Joseph who were born to him in Egypt, were two souls. All the souls of the house of Jacob that came to Egypt were seventy.
28 And he sent Judah before him to Joseph, to give notice before he came to Goshen. And they came into the land of Goshen. 29 Then Joseph yoked his chariot, and went up to meet Israel his father, to Goshen, and he presented himself to him; and he fell on his neck, and wept on his neck a good while. 30 And Israel said to Joseph, Now let me die, after I have seen thy face, since thou still livest.
Matthew Henry's Commentary on Genesis 46:1-30
Commentary on Genesis 46:1-4
(Read Genesis 46:1-4)
Even as to those events and undertakings which appear most joyful, we should seek counsel, assistance, and a blessing from the Lord. Attending on his ordinances, and receiving the pledges of his covenant love, we expect his presence, and that peace which it confers. In all removals we should be reminded of our removal out of this world. Nothing can encourage us to fear no evil when passing through the valley of the shadow of death, but the presence of Christ.
Commentary on Genesis 46:5-27
(Read Genesis 46:5-27)
We have here a particular account of Jacob's family. Though the fulfilling of promises is always sure, yet it is often slow. It was now 215 years since God had promised Abraham to make of him a great nation, 2; yet that branch of his seed, to which the promise was made sure, had only increased to seventy, of whom this particular account is kept, to show the power of God in making these seventy become a vast multitude.
Commentary on Genesis 46:28-34
(Read Genesis 46:28-34)
It was justice to Pharaoh to let him know that such a family was come to settle in his dominions. If others put confidence in us, we must not be so base as to abuse it by imposing upon them. But how shall Joseph dispose of his brethren? Time was, when they were contriving to be rid of him; now he is contriving to settle them to their advantage; this is rendering good for evil. He would have them live by themselves, in the land of Goshen, which lay nearest to Canaan. Shepherds were an abomination to the Egyptians. Yet Joseph would have them not ashamed to own this as their occupation before Pharaoh. He might have procured places for them at court or in the army. But such preferments would have exposed them to the envy of the Egyptians, and might have tempted them to forget Canaan and the promise made unto their fathers. An honest calling is no disgrace, nor ought we to account it so, but rather reckon it a shame to be idle, or to have nothing to do. It is generally best for people to abide in the callings they have been bred to and used to. Whatever employment and condition God in his providence has allotted for us, let us suit ourselves to it, satisfy ourselves with it, and not mind high things. It is better to be the credit of a mean post, than the shame of a high one. If we wish to destroy our souls, or the souls of our children, then let us seek for ourselves, and for them, great things; but if not, it becomes us, having food and raiment, therewith to be content.