471 And Joseph cometh, and declareth to Pharaoh, and saith, 'My father, and my brethren, and their flock, and their herd, and all they have, have come from the land of Canaan, and lo, they 'are' in the land of Goshen.' 2 And out of his brethren he hath taken five men, and setteth them before Pharaoh; 3 and Pharaoh saith unto his brethren, 'What 'are' your works?' and they say unto Pharaoh, 'Thy servants 'are' feeders of a flock, both we and our fathers;' 4 and they say unto Pharaoh, 'To sojourn in the land we have come, for there is no pasture for the flock which thy servants have, for grievous 'is' the famine in the land of Canaan; and now, let thy servants, we pray thee, dwell in the land of Goshen.' 5 And Pharaoh speaketh unto Joseph, saying, 'Thy father and thy brethren have come unto thee: 6 the land of Egypt is before thee; in the best of the land cause thy father and thy brethren to dwell—they dwell in the land of Goshen, and if thou hast known, and there are among them men of ability, then thou hast set them heads over the cattle I have.'
Matthew Henry's Commentary on Genesis 47:1-6
Commentary on Genesis 47:1-6
(Read Genesis 47:1-6)
Though Joseph was a great man, especially in Egypt, yet he owned his brethren. Let the rich and great in the world not overlook or despise poor relations. Our Lord Jesus is not ashamed to call us brethren. In answer to Pharaoh's inquiry, What is your calling? they told him that they were shepherds, adding that they were come to sojourn in the land for a time, while the famine prevailed in Canaan. Pharaoh offered to employ them as shepherds, provided they were active men. Whatever our business or employment is, we should aim to excel in it, and to prove ourselves clever and industrious.