Genesis 47: Joseph, Famine, and Jacob's Pilgrimage

Short answer: Genesis 47 records Joseph presenting his family to Pharaoh and settling them in Goshen, Jacob blessing Pharaoh and reflecting on his years, and Joseph acquiring all Egypt's land and livestock for Pharaoh during the famine. The chapter ends with Israel multiplying in Goshen and Jacob making Joseph swear to bury him with his fathers.

What Genesis 47 says

The chapter opens with Joseph presenting five of his brothers to Pharaoh. When Pharaoh asks their occupation, they answer that they are shepherds, as their fathers were, and they request to dwell in Goshen because the famine is severe in Canaan. Pharaoh grants the request and even invites Joseph to put any able men among them in charge of his livestock. Joseph then brings his father Jacob before Pharaoh. Jacob blesses Pharaoh, and when asked his age, he describes his years as a pilgrimage of one hundred thirty years, few and evil, not reaching the years of his fathers. Jacob blesses Pharaoh again and leaves. Joseph settles his family in the best of the land, in Rameses, and provides bread for all his father's household according to the size of their families.

The famine continues to be very severe, so that Egypt and Canaan faint because of it. Joseph gathers all the money found in both lands in exchange for grain and brings it into Pharaoh's house. When the money is spent, the Egyptians come to Joseph asking for bread, saying their money fails. Joseph offers to give them food in exchange for their livestock. They bring their horses, flocks, herds, and donkeys, and Joseph feeds them with bread for that year. The next year they return, saying their money is gone and their livestock now belong to Joseph. They offer their bodies and their lands in exchange for bread and seed, asking to become servants to Pharaoh so they may live and the land not be desolate.

Joseph buys all the land of Egypt for Pharaoh, because every Egyptian sold his field due to the severe famine. He moves the people to cities from one end of Egypt's border to the other. However, he does not buy the land of the priests, because they had a portion from Pharaoh and ate what Pharaoh gave them. Joseph then tells the people that he has bought them and their land for Pharaoh, gives them seed to sow, and declares that at harvest they must give a fifth to Pharaoh, keeping four parts for seed, food, households, and little ones. The people respond that Joseph has saved their lives and agree to be Pharaoh's servants. Joseph makes this a statute concerning the land of Egypt that Pharaoh should have the fifth, except the priests' land did not become Pharaoh's.

Israel lives in the land of Egypt, in Goshen, and they gain possessions there, are fruitful, and multiply exceedingly. Jacob lives in Egypt seventeen years, so his total lifespan is one hundred forty-seven years. As the time nears for Israel to die, he calls Joseph and asks him to put his hand under his thigh and deal kindly and truly with him, requesting not to be buried in Egypt. Instead, when he sleeps with his fathers, Joseph must carry him out of Egypt and bury him in their burying place. Joseph agrees, and Israel makes him swear to it. Then Israel bows himself on the bed's head.

Verses that carry the chapter

• “The land of Egypt is before you. Make your father and your brothers dwell in the best of the land. Let them dwell in the land of Goshen. If you know any able men among them, then put them in charge of my livestock.”” (Genesis 47:6) — Pharaoh's command to settle Joseph's family in the best of the land and to put able men in charge of livestock shows unexpected favor and provision for the covenant family in a foreign land.
• “Jacob said to Pharaoh, “The years of my pilgrimage are one hundred thirty years. The days of the years of my life have been few and evil. They have not attained to the days of the years of the life of my fathers in the days of their pilgrimage.” (Genesis 47:9)” (Genesis 47:9) — Jacob's description of his years as a pilgrimage, few and evil, reveals his humble self-assessment and the brevity of life compared to his fathers, setting a tone of sober reflection.
• “Why should we die before your eyes, both we and our land? Buy us and our land for bread, and we and our land will be servants to Pharaoh. Give us seed, that we may live, and not die, and that the land won’t be desolate.”” (Genesis 47:19) — The Egyptians' plea to buy them and their land for bread, so they may live and not die, captures the desperation of the famine and the complete transfer of property and freedom to Pharaoh.
• “Israel lived in the land of Egypt, in the land of Goshen; and they got themselves possessions therein, and were fruitful, and multiplied exceedingly.” (Genesis 47:27) — Israel's dwelling in Goshen, gaining possessions, being fruitful, and multiplying exceedingly shows God's continued blessing and fulfillment of promises even in Egypt.

Gospel connection

Genesis 47 continues the story of God preserving his covenant people through Joseph, who provides bread for his family and for the nations during famine. Joseph's role as the one who saves lives points forward to Jesus, who is the true bread from heaven and the savior of the world. The chapter also shows the temporary nature of earthly security, as the Egyptians sell everything for food, while the Israelites receive a place and multiply. Jacob's request to be buried with his fathers looks ahead to the promised land, reminding us that our ultimate hope is not in Egypt but in God's promises. This anticipates the greater exodus and the redemption accomplished by Christ, who secures an eternal inheritance for his people.

Application

This chapter asks readers to trust God's provision in times of scarcity and to remember that life is a pilgrimage. Like Jacob, we can acknowledge that our years are few and often difficult, yet we are still held by God's promises. Like Joseph, we can use positions of influence to care for others and to provide for our families. The Egyptians' desperate sale of their land and freedom warns against placing ultimate security in possessions, which can be lost in a famine. Instead, we are called to seek first God's kingdom and to find our security in him. The chapter also invites us to honor the elderly and to keep promises, as Joseph did when he swore to bury his father in Canaan.

Biblical fidelity check

The chapter does not claim that Joseph's economic policies were morally ideal or that they were commanded by God; it simply records what Joseph did and the resulting statute. It does not say that Jacob's years were evil because of personal sin, but that they were marked by hardship and sorrow. It does not explain why the priests were exempt from selling their land, only that they had a portion from Pharaoh. It does not state that the Israelites immediately possessed the whole promised land; they were in Goshen, a region of Egypt. It does not describe Jacob's death or burial, only his request and Joseph's oath. The text is silent on the spiritual state of Pharaoh and the Egyptians, and it does not give a full evaluation of the famine's causes beyond the earlier narrative.

Questions for study

1. Why do you think Joseph chose five of his brothers to present to Pharaoh, and what does their answer about being shepherds reveal about their identity?
2. Jacob describes his life as a pilgrimage of few and evil years. How does this perspective on life compare with how people today often view their years?
3. The Egyptians progressively gave up their money, livestock, land, and freedom for bread. What does this show about the severity of the famine and the value of food in a crisis?
4. Joseph made a statute that Pharaoh should have a fifth of the harvest. How should we think about the relationship between providing for people's needs and the claims of governing authorities?
5. Jacob made Joseph swear to bury him in Canaan, not Egypt. Why was this so important to him, and what does it teach about hope in God's promises beyond one's lifetime?

Keep reading

Related studies: Genesis 10 Bible Study, Genesis 11 Bible Study, Genesis 12 Bible Study, Genesis 13 Bible Study.

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FAQ

Why did Joseph settle his family in Goshen instead of elsewhere in Egypt?

Goshen was suitable for shepherds and was the place Pharaoh specifically granted for them to dwell. It also kept them somewhat separate from the Egyptians, which was important because shepherds were an abomination to the Egyptians.

What does it mean that Jacob blessed Pharaoh?

Jacob pronounced a blessing on Pharaoh, likely asking God's favor upon him. This is striking because Pharaoh was a pagan king, yet Jacob, the bearer of God's covenant, blessed him.

Why did Joseph not buy the priests' land?

The priests had a portion from Pharaoh and ate what he gave them, so they did not need to sell their land for food. The text presents this as a practical reason, not a theological one.