Charles Ellicott Commentary Genesis 47
Charles Ellicott Commentary
Genesis 47
Charles Ellicott Commentary
Genesis 47
"Then Joseph went in and told Pharaoh, and said, My father and my brethren, and their flocks, and their herds, and all that they have, are come out of the land of Canaan; and, behold, they are in the land of Goshen." — Genesis 47:1 (ASV)
XLVII
JOSEPH PRESENTS HIS FATHER AND BRETHREN TO PHARAOH.
Behold, they are in the land of Goshen.—Though Joseph had all along wished this to be the dwelling-place of his brethren, yet it was necessary to obtain Pharaoh’s permission; and at present Joseph only mentions that they had halted there. In Genesis 47:4 they ask for the necessary consent.
"And from among his brethren he took five men, and presented them unto Pharaoh." — Genesis 47:2 (ASV)
Even five men. —As the number “five” appears again and again in this narrative (Genesis 43:34; Genesis 45:22), it may have had some special importance among the Egyptians, like the number seven among the Jews.
"And Pharaoh said unto his brethren, What is your occupation? And they said unto Pharaoh, Thy servants are shepherds, both we, and our fathers." — Genesis 47:3 (ASV)
Also our fathers. —Joseph had instructed them to add this (Genesis 46:34), because occupations were hereditary among the Egyptians, and thus Pharaoh would conclude that in their case also no change was possible in their mode of life.
"And they said unto Pharaoh, To sojourn in the land are we come; for there is no pasture for thy servants` flocks; for the famine is sore in the land of Canaan: now therefore, we pray thee, let thy servants dwell in the land of Goshen." — Genesis 47:4 (ASV)
To sojourn. —Joseph’s brethren ask for permission only for a temporary stay. Apparently, too, in spite of the famine, there was pasture for cattle in Goshen. They had been able until then to keep them alive even in Canaan; and probably the Nile, though it did not overflow, yet on reaching the delta lost itself in swamps, which produced a great quantity of the marsh grass described in Genesis 41:2. We find in this chapter that not only were Pharaoh’s herds intact, but also those of the people.
"And Joseph brought in Jacob his father, and set him before Pharaoh: and Jacob blessed Pharaoh." — Genesis 47:7 (ASV)
Jacob blessed Pharaoh. —The presentation of Jacob to Pharaoh seems to have been a much more solemn matter than that of Joseph’s brothers. Pharaoh looks upon them with interest as the brothers of his vizier, grants their request for permission to live in Goshen, and even empowers Joseph to make the ablest of them chief herdsmen over the royal cattle.
But Jacob had reached an age that gave him great dignity, for to an Egyptian, 120 was the utmost limit of longevity. Jacob was now 130, and Pharaoh treats him with the greatest honour, and twice accepts his blessing.
This must signify more than the usual greeting, in which everyone presented to the king prayed for the extension of his life. Pharaoh probably bowed before Jacob as a saintly personage and received a formal benediction.
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