8 And these are the names of the sons of Israel who came into Egypt: Jacob and his sons. Jacob's firstborn, Reuben.
And these are the names of the sons of Israel who had come into Egypt; with Jacob had they come, each with his household: Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah; Issachar, Zebulun, and Benjamin; Dan and Naphtali; Gad and Asher. And all the souls that had come out of the loins of Jacob were seventy souls; and Joseph was in Egypt.
These are the sons of Israel: Reuben, Simeon, Levi and Judah, Issachar and Zebulun, Dan, Joseph and Benjamin, Naphtali, Gad and Asher. The sons of Judah: Er, and Onan, and Shelah: [which] three were born to him of the daughter of Shua the Canaanitess. And Er, Judah's firstborn, was wicked in the sight of Jehovah; and he slew him. And Tamar his daughter-in-law bore him Pherez and Zerah. All the sons of Judah were five. The sons of Pherez: Hezron and Hamul. And the sons of Zerah: Zimri, and Ethan, and Heman, and Calcol, and Dara: five of them in all. And the sons of Carmi: Achar, the troubler of Israel, who transgressed in the accursed thing. And the sons of Ethan: Azariah. And the sons of Hezron, who were born to him: Jerahmeel, and Ram, and Chelubai. And Ram begot Amminadab; and Amminadab begot Nahshon, prince of the children of Judah; and Nahshon begot Salma, and Salma begot Boaz, and Boaz begot Obed, and Obed begot Jesse; and Jesse begot his firstborn Eliab, and Abinadab the second, and Shimea the third, Nethaneel the fourth, Raddai the fifth, Ozem the sixth, David the seventh; and their sisters were Zeruiah and Abigail. And the sons of Zeruiah: Abishai, and Joab, and Asahel, three. And Abigail bore Amasa; and the father of Amasa was Jether the Ishmaelite. And Caleb the son of Hezron had children by Azubah [his] wife, and by Jerioth: her sons are these: Jesher, and Shobab, and Ardon. And Azubah died, and Caleb took him Ephrath, and she bore him Hur. And Hur begot Uri, and Uri begot Bezaleel. And afterwards Hezron went to the daughter of Machir, the father of Gilead, and he took her when he was sixty years old; and she bore him Segub. And Segub begot Jair, who had twenty-three cities in the land of Gilead; and Geshur and Aram took the villages of Jair from them, with Kenath and its dependent towns, sixty cities. All these were sons of Machir the father of Gilead. And after the death of Hezron in Caleb-Ephratah, Abijah, Hezron's wife, bore him Ashhur, the father of Tekoa. And the sons of Jerahmeel the firstborn of Hezron were: Ram the firstborn, and Bunah, and Oren, and Ozem, of Ahijah. And Jerahmeel had another wife, whose name was Atarah; she was the mother of Onam. And the sons of Ram, the firstborn of Jerahmeel, were Maaz, and Jamin, and Eker. And the sons of Onam were Shammai and Jada. And the sons of Shammai: Nadab and Abishur. And the name of the wife of Abishur was Abihail, and she bore him Ahban and Molid. And the sons of Nadab: Seled and Appaim; and Seled died without sons. And the sons of Appaim: Jishi; and the sons of Jishi: Sheshan; and the sons of Sheshan: Ahlai. And the sons of Jada, the brother of Shammai: Jether and Jonathan; and Jether died without sons. And the sons of Jonathan: Peleth and Zaza. These were the sons of Jerahmeel. And Sheshan had no sons, but daughters; and Sheshan had an Egyptian servant, whose name was Jarha; and Sheshan gave his daughter to Jarha his servant as wife, and she bore him Attai. And Attai begot Nathan, and Nathan begot Zabad, and Zabad begot Ephlal, and Ephlal begot Obed, and Obed begot Jehu, and Jehu begot Azariah, and Azariah begot Helez, and Helez begot Elasah, and Elasah begot Sismai, and Sismai begot Shallum, and Shallum begot Jekamiah, and Jekamiah begot Elishama. And the sons of Caleb the brother of Jerahmeel were Mesha his firstborn, who was the father of Ziph; and the sons of Mareshah the father of Hebron. And the sons of Hebron: Korah, and Tappuah, and Rekem, and Shema. And Shema begot Raham, the father of Jorkeam. And Rekem begot Shammai; and the son of Shammai was Maon; and Maon was the father of Beth-zur. And Ephah, Caleb's concubine, bore Haran, and Moza, and Gazez; and Haran begot Gazez. And the sons of Jehdai: Regem, and Jotham, and Geshan, and Pelet, and Ephah, and Shaaph. Maachah, Caleb's concubine, bore Sheber and Tirhanah; and she bore Shaaph the father of Madmannah, Sheva the father of Machbena and the father of Gibea. And the daughter of Caleb was Achsah. These are the sons of Caleb. The sons of Hur, the firstborn of Ephratah: Shobal the father of Kirjath-jearim, Salma the father of Bethlehem, Hareph the father of Beth-gader. And Shobal the father of Kirjath-jearim had sons: Haroeh, Hazi-Hammenuhoth. And the families of Kirjath-jearim were the Jithrites, and the Puthites, and the Shumathites, and the Mishraites; of them came the Zoreathites and the Eshtaolites. The sons of Salma: Bethlehem, and the Netophathites. Atroth-Beth-Joab, and the Hazi-Hammana-hethites, the Zorites; and the families of the scribes who dwelt at Jabez: the Tireathites, the Shimeathites, the Suchathites. These are the Kenites that came of Hammath, the father of the house of Rechab.
And Jacob continued his journey, and went into the land of the children of the east. And he looked, and behold, there was a well in the fields, and behold there, three flocks of sheep were lying by it; for out of that well they watered the flocks, and a great stone was at the mouth of the well. And when all the flocks were gathered there, they rolled the stone from the mouth of the well, and watered the sheep, and put the stone again on the mouth of the well in its place. And Jacob said to them, My brethren, whence are ye? And they said, Of Haran are we. And he said to them, Do ye know Laban the son of Nahor? And they said, We do know [him]. And he said to them, Is he well? And they said, [He is] well; and behold, there comes Rachel his daughter with the sheep. And he said, Behold, it is yet high day; it is not time that the cattle should be gathered together; water the sheep, and go, feed [them]. And they said, We cannot until all the flocks are gathered together, and they roll the stone from the mouth of the well, and we water the sheep. While he was still speaking to them, Rachel came with her father's sheep, for she was a shepherdess. And it came to pass when Jacob saw Rachel the daughter of Laban his mother's brother, and the sheep of Laban his mother's brother, that Jacob went near, and rolled the stone from the mouth of the well, and watered the sheep of Laban his mother's brother. And Jacob kissed Rachel, and lifted up his voice and wept. And Jacob told Rachel that he was a brother of her father, and that he was Rebecca's son; and she ran and told her father. And it came to pass when Laban heard the tidings of Jacob his sister's son, that he ran to meet him, and embraced him, and kissed him, and brought him to his house; and he told Laban all these things. And Laban said to him, Thou art indeed my bone and my flesh. And he abode with him a month's time. And Laban said to Jacob, Because thou art my brother, shouldest thou serve me for nothing? tell me, what shall be thy wages? And Laban had two daughters: the name of the elder was Leah, and the name of the younger, Rachel. And the eyes of Leah were tender; but Rachel was of beautiful form and beautiful countenance. And Jacob loved Rachel, and said, I will serve thee seven years for Rachel thy younger daughter. And Laban said, It is better that I give her to thee than that I should give her to another man: abide with me. And Jacob served seven years for Rachel; and they were in his eyes as single days, because he loved her. And Jacob said to Laban, Give [me] my wife, for my days are fulfilled, that I may go in to her. And Laban gathered together all the men of the place, and made a feast. And it came to pass in the evening, that he took Leah his daughter, and brought her to him; and he went in to her. And Laban gave to her Zilpah, his maidservant, to be maidservant to Leah his daughter. And it came to pass in the morning, that behold, it was Leah. And he said to Laban, What is this thou hast done to me? Have I not served thee for Rachel? Why then hast thou deceived me? And Laban said, It is not so done in our place, to give the younger before the firstborn. Fulfil the week [with] this one: then we will give thee the other one also, for the service that thou shalt serve me yet seven other years. And Jacob did so, and fulfilled the week [with] this one, and he gave him Rachel his daughter to be his wife. And Laban gave to Rachel his daughter, Bilhah, his maidservant, to be her maidservant. And he went in also to Rachel; and he loved also Rachel more than Leah. And he served with him yet seven other years.
And it came to pass when Israel dwelt in that land, that Reuben went and lay with Bilhah, his father's concubine; and Israel heard of it. And the sons of Jacob were twelve. The sons of Leah: Reuben -- Jacob's firstborn -- and Simeon, and Levi, and Judah, and Issachar, and Zebulun.
And Jacob called his sons, and said, Gather yourselves together, and I will tell you what will befall you at the end of days. Assemble yourselves, and hear, ye sons of Jacob, And listen to Israel your father. Reuben, thou art my firstborn, My might, and the firstfruits of my vigour: Excellency of dignity, and excellency of strength. Impetuous as the waters, thou shalt have no pre-eminence; Because thou wentest up to thy father's couch: Then defiledst thou [it]: he went up to my bed. Simeon and Levi are brethren: Instruments of violence their swords. My soul, come not into their council; Mine honour, be not united with their assembly; For in their anger they slew men, And in their wantonness houghed oxen. Cursed be their anger, for it [was] violent; And their rage, for it [was] cruel! I will divide them in Jacob, And scatter them in Israel. Judah -- [as to] thee, thy brethren will praise thee; Thy hand will be upon the neck of thine enemies; Thy father's children will bow down to thee. Judah is a young lion; From the prey, my son, thou art gone up. He stoopeth, he layeth himself down as a lion, And as a lioness: who will rouse him up? The scepter will not depart from Judah, Nor the lawgiver from between his feet, Until Shiloh come, And to him will be the obedience of peoples. He bindeth his foal to the vine, And his ass's colt to the choice vine; He washeth his dress in wine, And his garment in the blood of grapes. The eyes are red with wine, And the teeth [are] white with milk. Zebulun will dwell at the shore of the seas; Yea, he will be at the shore of the ships, And his side [toucheth] upon Sidon. Issachar is a bony ass, Crouching down between two hurdles. And he saw the rest that it was good, And the land that it was pleasant; And he bowed his shoulder to bear, And was a tributary servant. Dan will judge his people, As another of the tribes of Israel. Dan will be a serpent on the way, A horned snake on the path, Which biteth the horse's heels, So that the rider falleth backwards. I wait for thy salvation, O Jehovah. Gad -- troops will rush upon him; But he will rush upon the heel. Out of Asher, his bread shall be fat, And he will give royal dainties. Naphtali is a hind let loose; He giveth goodly words. Joseph is a fruitful bough; A fruitful bough by a well; [His] branches shoot over the wall. The archers have provoked him, And shot at, and hated him; But his bow abideth firm, And the arms of his hands are supple By the hands of the Mighty One of Jacob. From thence is the shepherd, the stone of Israel: From the ùGod of thy father, and he will help thee; And from the Almighty, and he will bless thee -- With blessings of heaven from above, With blessings of the deep that lieth under, With blessings of the breast and of the womb. The blessings of thy father surpass the blessings of my ancestors, Unto the bounds of the everlasting hills: They shall be on the head of Joseph, And on the crown of the head of him that was separated from his brethren. Benjamin -- [as] a wolf will he tear to pieces; In the morning he will devour the prey, And in the evening he will divide the booty. All these are the twelve tribes of Israel, and this is what their father spoke to them; and he blessed them: every one according to his blessing he blessed them. And he charged them, and said to them, I am gathered to my people: bury me with my fathers in the cave that is in the field of Ephron the Hittite, in the cave that is in the field of Machpelah, which is opposite to Mamre, in the land of Canaan, which Abraham bought of Ephron the Hittite along with the field for a possession of a sepulchre. There they buried Abraham and Sarah his wife; there they buried Isaac and Rebecca his wife; and there I buried Leah. The purchase of the field, and of the cave that is in it, was from the children of Heth. And when Jacob had made an end of commanding his sons, he gathered his feet into the bed, and expired, and was gathered to his peoples.
These are the heads of their fathers' houses: the sons of Reuben, the firstborn of Israel: Enoch and Phallu, Hezron and Carmi: these are the families of Reuben. -- And the sons of Simeon: Jemuel, and Jamin, and Ohad, and Jachin, and Zohar, and Saul the son of a Canaanitish woman: these are the families of Simeon. And these are the names of the sons of Levi, according to their generations: Gershon, and Kohath, and Merari. And the years of the life of Levi were a hundred and thirty-seven years. The sons of Gershon: Libni and Shimei, according to their families. And the sons of Kohath: Amram, and Jizhar, and Hebron, and Uzziel. And the years of the life of Kohath were a hundred and thirty-three years.
And the sons of Reuben, Israel's eldest son, their generations, after their families, according to their fathers' houses, by the number of the names, according to their polls, every male from twenty years old and upward, all that went forth to military service: those that were numbered of them, of the tribe of Reuben, were forty-six thousand five hundred.
The standard of the camp of Reuben shall be southward according to their hosts; and the prince of the sons of Reuben shall be Elizur the son of Shedeur; and his host, even those that were numbered thereof, forty-six thousand five hundred. And those that encamp by him shall be the tribe of Simeon; and the prince of the sons of Simeon shall be Shelumiel the son of Zurishaddai; and his host, even those that were numbered of them, fifty-nine thousand three hundred.
From twenty years old and upward ...; as Jehovah had commanded Moses and the children of Israel, who went forth out of the land of Egypt. Reuben, the firstborn of Israel: the children of Reuben: [of] Enoch, the family of the Enochites; of Pallu, the family of the Palluites; of Hezron, the family of the Hezronites; of Carmi, the family of the Carmites. These are the families of the Reubenites; and they that were numbered of them were forty-three thousand seven hundred and thirty. And the sons of Pallu: Eliab; and the sons of Eliab were Nemuel, and Dathan, and Abiram. This is that Dathan and Abiram, summoned of the assembly, who contended against Moses and against Aaron in the band of Korah, when they contended against Jehovah. And the earth opened its mouth, and swallowed them up together with Korah, when that band died, when the fire devoured the two hundred and fifty men; and they became a sign. But the children of Korah died not.
And Benjamin begot Bela his firstborn, Ashbel the second, and Aharah the third, Nohah the fourth, and Rapha the fifth. And Bela had sons: Addar, and Gera, and Abihud, and Abishua, and Naaman, and Ahoah, and Gera, and Shephuphan, and Huram. -- And these are the sons of Ehud (these were the chief fathers of the inhabitants of Geba; and they carried them away to Manahath; even Naaman, and Ahijah, and Gera; he removed them), and he begot Uzza and Ahihud. And Shaharaim begot [children] in the land of Moab after he had sent away Hushim and Baara his wives. And he begot of Hodesh his wife: Jobab, and Zibia, and Mesha, and Malcham, and Jeuz, and Shobia, and Mirmah; these were his sons, chief fathers. And of Hushim he begot Abitub, and Elpaal. And the sons of Elpaal: Eber, and Misham, and Shemer, who built Ono, and Lod and its dependent villages; and Beriah, and Shema, who were chief fathers of the inhabitants of Ajalon; they drove away the inhabitants of Gath. And Ahio, Shashak, and Jeremoth, and Zebadiah, and Arad, and Eder, and Michael, and Jishpah, and Joha were the sons of Beriah. And Zebadiah, and Meshullam, and Hiski, and Heber, and Jishmerai, and Jizliah, and Jobab were the sons of Elpaal. And Jakim, and Zichri, and Zabdi, and Elienai, and Zilthai, and Eliel, and Adaiah, and Beraiah, and Shimrath were the sons of Shimei. And Jishpah, and Eber, and Eliel, and Abdon, and Zichri, and Hanan, and Hananiah, and Elam, and Antothijah, and Jiphdeiah, and Penuel were the sons of Shashak. And Shamsherai, and Shehariah, and Athaliah, and Jaareshiah, and Elijah, and Zichri were the sons of Jeroham. These were the chief fathers, according to their generations, principal men; these dwelt in Jerusalem. And at Gibeon dwelt the father of Gibeon; and his wife's name was Maachah. And his son, the firstborn, was Abdon; and Zur, and Kish, and Baal, and Nadab, and Gedor, and Ahio, and Zecher. And Mikloth begot Shimeah. And these also dwelt beside their brethren in Jerusalem, with their brethren. And Ner begot Kish; and Kish begot Saul; and Saul begot Jonathan, and Malchishua, and Abinadab, and Esh-baal. And the son of Jonathan was Merib-Baal; and Merib-Baal begot Micah. And the sons of Micah: Pithon, and Melech, and Tarea, and Ahaz. And Ahaz begot Jehoaddah; and Jehoaddah begot Alemeth, and Azmaveth, and Zimri; and Zimri begot Moza; and Moza begot Binea: Rapha was his son, Eleasah his son, Azel his son. And Azel had six sons, and these are their names: Azrikam, Bochru, and Ishmael, and Sheariah, and Obadiah, and Hanan; all these were sons of Azel. And the sons of Eshek his brother were Ulam his firstborn, Jeush the second, and Eliphelet the third. And the sons of Ulam were mighty men of valour, archers; and they had many sons, and sons' sons, a hundred and fifty. All these were of the sons of Benjamin.
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible » Commentary on Genesis 46
Commentary on Genesis 46 Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
CHAPTER 46
Ge 46:1-4. Sacrifice at Beer-sheba.
1. Israel took his journey with all that he had—that is, his household; for in compliance with Pharaoh's recommendation, he left his heavy furniture behind. In contemplating a step so important as that of leaving Canaan, which at his time of life he might never revisit, so pious a patriarch would ask the guidance and counsel of God. With all his anxiety to see Joseph, he would rather have died in Canaan without that highest of earthly gratifications than leave it without the consciousness of carrying the divine blessing along with him.
came to Beer-sheba—That place, which was in his direct route to Egypt, had been a favorite encampment of Abraham (Ge 21:33) and Isaac (Ge 26:25), and was memorable for their experience of the divine goodness; and Jacob seems to have deferred his public devotions till he had reached a spot so consecrated by covenant to his own God and the God of his fathers.
2. God spake unto Israel—Here is a virtual renewal of the covenant and an assurance of its blessings. Moreover, here is an answer on the chief subject of Jacob's prayer and a removal of any doubt as to the course he was meditating. At first the prospect of paying a personal visit to Joseph had been viewed with unmingled joy. But, on calmer consideration, many difficulties appeared to lie in the way. He may have remembered the prophecy to Abraham that his posterity was to be afflicted in Egypt and also that his father had been expressly told not to go [Ge 15:13; 26:2]; he may have feared the contamination of idolatry to his family and their forgetfulness of the land of promise. These doubts were removed by the answer of the oracle, and an assurance given him of great and increasing prosperity.
3. I will there make of thee a great nation—How truly this promise was fulfilled, appears in the fact that the seventy souls who went down into Egypt increased [Ex 1:5-7], in the space of two hundred fifteen years, to one hundred eighty thousand.
4. I will also surely bring thee up again—As Jacob could not expect to live till the former promise was realized, he must have seen that the latter was to be accomplished only to his posterity. To himself it was literally verified in the removal of his remains to Canaan; but, in the large and liberal sense of the words, it was made good only on the establishment of Israel in the land of promise.
Joseph shall put his hand upon thine eyes—shall perform the last office of filial piety; and this implied that he should henceforth enjoy, without interruption, the society of that favorite son.
Ge 46:5-27. Immigration to Egypt.
5. And Jacob rose up from Beer-sheba—to cross the border and settle in Egypt. However refreshed and invigorated in spirit by the religious services at Beer-sheba, he was now borne down by the infirmities of advanced age; and, therefore, his sons undertook all the trouble and toil of the arrangements, while the enfeebled old patriarch, with the wives and children, was conveyed by slow and leisurely stages in the Egyptian vehicles sent for their accommodation.
6. goods, which they had gotten in the land—not furniture, but substance—precious things.
7. daughters—As Dinah was his only daughter, this must mean daughters-in-law.
all his seed brought he with him—Though disabled by age from active superintendence, yet, as the venerable sheik of the tribe, he was looked upon as their common head and consulted in every step.
8-27. all the souls of the house of Jacob, which came into Egypt, were threescore and ten—Strictly speaking, there were only sixty-six went to Egypt; but to these add Joseph and his two sons, and Jacob the head of the clan, and the whole number amounts to seventy. In the speech of Stephen (Ac 7:14) the number is stated to be seventy-five; but as that estimate includes five sons of Ephraim and Manasseh (1Ch 7:14-20), born in Egypt, the two accounts coincide.
Ge 46:28-34. Arrival in Egypt.
28. he sent Judah before him unto Joseph—This precautionary measure was obviously proper for apprising the king of the entrance of so large a company within his territories; moreover, it was necessary in order to receive instruction from Joseph as to the locale of their future settlement.
29, 30. Joseph made ready his chariot—The difference between chariot and wagon was not only in the lighter and more elegant construction of the former, but in the one being drawn by horses and the other by oxen. Being a public man in Egypt, Joseph was required to appear everywhere in an equipage suitable to his dignity; and, therefore, it was not owing either to pride or ostentatious parade that he drove his carriage, while his father's family were accommodated only in rude and humble wagons.
presented himself unto him—in an attitude of filial reverence (compare Ex 22:17). The interview was a most affecting one—the happiness of the delighted father was now at its height; and life having no higher charms, he could, in the very spirit of the aged Simeon, have departed in peace [Lu 2:25, 29].
31-34. Joseph said, … I will go up, and show Pharaoh—It was a tribute of respect due to the king to inform him of their arrival. And the instructions which he gave them were worthy of his character alike as an affectionate brother and a religious man.