John Calvin Commentary Genesis 46:3

"And he said, I am God, the God of thy father: fear not to go down into Egypt; for I will there make of thee a great nation:" — Genesis 46:3 (ASV)

Jacob, Jacob. The purpose of the repetition was to make him more attentive. For by addressing him so familiarly, God more gently enters his mind, just as in Scripture, He kindly draws us to Himself to prepare us to become His disciples. The teachableness of the holy man is evident from this: as soon as he is convinced that God is speaking, he replies that he is ready to reverently receive whatever may be spoken, to follow wherever he may be called, and to undertake whatever may be commanded.

Then, a promise is added, through which God confirms and renews the faith of His servant. Since the descent into Egypt was a sad event for him, he is instructed to be of good and cheerful mind, because the Lord would always be his keeper. After increasing him there into a great nation, God would bring him back again to the place from which He now compelled him to depart.

Indeed, Jacob’s chief comfort depended on this point: that he would not wander endlessly as an exile, but would, at last, enjoy the expected inheritance. For since the possession of the land of Canaan was the sign of divine favor, spiritual blessings, and eternal happiness, if holy Jacob were deprived of this, it would have benefited him little or nothing to have riches and all kinds of wealth and power heaped upon him in Egypt.

The promised return, however, is not to be understood as referring to his own person, but to his descendants. Now, just as Jacob, relying on the promise, is commanded to go down boldly into Egypt, so it is the duty of all the godly, following his example, to draw such strength from the grace of God that they may prepare themselves to obey His commands.

The title by which God distinguishes Himself here is connected to the former divine revelations that Jacob had received by tradition from his fathers. For why does He not call Himself the Creator of heaven and earth, rather than the God of Isaac or of Abraham, except for this reason: that the dominion over the land of Canaan depends on the previous covenant, which He now confirms anew?

At the same time, He also encourages His servant with examples from his own family, so that he would not cease to proceed with steadfastness in his calling. For when he had seen that his father Isaac, and had heard that his grandfather Abraham, though long surrounded by great troubles, never yielded to any temptations, it was not fitting for him to be overcome by weariness in the same course, especially since, as they were dying, they handed their lamp to their descendants and took diligent care to leave the light of their faith to continue after them in their family.

In short, Jacob is taught that he must not seek, in crooked and various paths, the God whom he had learned from his childhood to regard as the Ruler of the family of Abraham, provided that family did not degenerate from its piety. Moreover, we have stated elsewhere to what extent, in this respect, the authority of the Fathers should prevail.

For it was not God’s design either that Jacob should submit himself to men, or that he should indiscriminately approve whatever was handed down from his ancestors—since He so often condemns in the Jews a foolish imitation of their fathers—but His design was to keep Jacob in the true knowledge of Himself.