1
Then Joseph went and informed Pharaoh, saying, “My father and my brothers, with their flocks and their herds and all that they have, have come from the land of Canaan, and now they are in the land of Goshen.”
2
And from among his brothers he took five men and presented them before Pharaoh.
3
Pharaoh asked Joseph’s brothers, “What is your occupation?” They answered Pharaoh, “Your servants are shepherds of sheep, both we and our fathers.”
4
They also said to Pharaoh, “We have come to live in this land as sojourners, for there is no pasture left for your servants’ flocks, because the famine in the land of Canaan is severe. Now therefore, please let your servants settle 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 open to you. Settle your father and your brothers in the best part of the land; let them dwell in the land of Goshen. And if you know among them men of ability, appoint them as overseers of my livestock.”
7
Joseph also brought in Jacob his father and presented him before Pharaoh. And Jacob blessed Pharaoh.
8
Then Pharaoh asked Jacob, “How many are the years of your life?”
9
Jacob answered Pharaoh, “The years of my sojourning as a stranger are one hundred and thirty years. Few and hard have been the years of my life; they have not reached the years of my fathers in the days of their sojourning as strangers.”
10
Then Jacob blessed Pharaoh, and afterward he went out from before Pharaoh.
11
Joseph settled his father and his brothers and gave them a possession in the land of Egypt, in the best part of the land, in the land of Rameses, as Pharaoh had commanded.
12
And Joseph provided his father, his brothers, and all his father’s household with food, according to the number of their children.
13
Now there was no food in all the land, for the famine was very severe, so that the land of Egypt and the land of Canaan languished because of the famine.
14
So Joseph gathered up all the money that was found in the land of Egypt and in the land of Canaan, in payment for the grain they were buying; and Joseph brought the money into Pharaoh’s house.
15
When the money in the land of Egypt and in the land of Canaan was gone, all the Egyptians came to Joseph and said, “Give us food! Why should we die before your eyes? For there is no more money.”
16
Joseph answered, “If there is no more money, give your livestock, and I will give you food in exchange for your livestock.”
17
Then they brought their livestock to Joseph, and Joseph gave them food in exchange for the horses, the flocks of sheep and goats, the herds of cattle, and the donkeys; thus he provided them with food in exchange for all their livestock that year.
18
When that year was over, they came to him in the second year and said to him, “We will not hide from my lord that, since our money is gone and the herds of livestock have become my lord’s, there is nothing left for 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 with our land will be servants to Pharaoh. Give seed, that we may live and not die, and that the land may not become desolate.”
20
So Joseph bought all the land of the Egyptians for Pharaoh, because each Egyptian sold his field, for the famine was severe upon them. Thus the land became Pharaoh’s.
21
And as for the people, he made them servants throughout the land of Egypt, from one end to the other.
22
Only the land of the priests he did not buy, because the priests received a fixed allowance from Pharaoh, and they lived from that allowance; therefore they did not sell their land.
23
Then Joseph said to the people, “Today I have bought you and your land for Pharaoh; here is seed for you, so that you may sow the land.
24
And as for the harvest, you shall give one-fifth to Pharaoh, and the other four parts shall be for seed for your fields and for food for you and for those in your houses, and for food for your children.”
25
Then they said, “You have preserved our lives; may we find favor in my lord’s sight, and we will be servants to Pharaoh.”
26
So Joseph made it a statute concerning the land of Egypt to this day, that one-fifth of its produce should belong to Pharaoh; only the land of the priests did not belong to Pharaoh.
27
Thus Israel lived in the land of Egypt, in the land of Goshen, and they settled there. They were fruitful and multiplied greatly.
28
And Jacob lived in the land of Egypt seventeen years, so 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 sight, please put your hand under my thigh and swear that you will show me kindness and faithfulness: do not bury me in Egypt,
30
because I desire to rest with my fathers. Therefore carry me out of Egypt and bury me in their tomb.” And he answered, “I will do as you have said.”
31
Then Jacob said, “Swear to me.” So Joseph swore to him. Then Israel bowed down at the head of his bed.
👑🌾 Summary of Genesis 47
Genesis 47 contains two main parts:
- Jacob and his family settle in Egypt.
- Joseph wisely manages the famine crisis, making Pharaoh very powerful in Egypt.
1. Jacob Appears before Pharaoh (verses 1–12)
- Joseph brought five of his brothers and his father, Jacob, to appear before Pharaoh.
- Pharaoh allowed them to live in the land of Goshen, and even offered them positions as keepers of livestock.
- Jacob blessed Pharaoh, and said that he was 130 years old.
- Joseph settled them in Goshen, a fertile and safe place, and provided for his family during the famine.
2. Joseph Manages Egypt’s Economy (verses 13–26)
- Because of the famine, the people of Egypt bought grain with money, then with livestock, and finally with their land and themselves.
- Joseph made them servants of Pharaoh, but gave them seed and a system of taxation:
“One-fifth of the harvest for Pharaoh.” (verse 24)
- The people gave thanks, saying:
“You have saved our lives.” (verse 25)
3. Jacob’s Final Days in Egypt (verses 27–31)
- Jacob lived in Egypt 17 years, and his age reached 147 years.
- Before he died, he asked Joseph to swear to bury him in the land of his fathers, not in Egypt.
- Joseph swore, and Jacob bowed in worship to God.
📖 Main Teaching
- The Lord can bless and sustain His people even in a foreign land.
- Joseph’s wisdom shows integrity and skill in leadership.
- The importance of honoring promises and the heritage of faith, as Jacob did at the end of his life.
- The righteous can be a blessing even to world rulers (Jacob blessed Pharaoh).
- Economic systems and social justice are also matters of concern in the life of faith.
✨ Spiritual Meaning
- Jacob blessed Pharaoh, signifying that the spiritual power of God’s people is greater than mere worldly power.
- Joseph becomes a picture of a faithful and just steward, not only in the family, but in the national system.
- The burial promise in the promised land shows that Jacob’s faith remained fixed on God’s promised land, not Egypt.
- This shows that life in this world is not the final goal — God’s people still look toward the fulfillment of the heavenly promise.
