20 And born to Joseph in the land of Egypt (whom Asenath daughter of Poti-Pherah, priest of On, hath borne to him) `are' Manasseh and Ephraim.
And to Joseph were born two sons before the year of famine cometh, whom Asenath daughter of Poti-Pherah, priest of On, hath borne to him, and Joseph calleth the name of the first-born Manasseh: `for, God hath made me to forget all my labour, and all the house of my father;' and the name of the second he hath called Ephraim: `for, God hath caused me to be fruitful in the land of mine affliction.'
and Pharaoh calleth Joseph's name Zaphnath-Paaneah, and he giveth to him Asenath daughter of Poti-Pherah, priest of On, for a wife, and Joseph goeth out over the land of Egypt.
and saith unto me, Lo, I am making thee fruitful, and have multiplied thee, and given thee for an assembly of peoples, and given this land to thy seed after thee, a possession age-during. `And now, thy two sons, who are born to thee in the land of Egypt, before my coming unto thee to Egypt, mine they `are'; Ephraim and Manasseh, as Reuben and Simeon they are mine;
and Joseph taketh them both, Ephraim in his right hand towards Israel's left, and Manasseh in his left towards Israel's right, and bringeth `them' nigh to him. And Israel putteth out his right hand, and placeth `it' upon the head of Ephraim, who `is' the younger, and his left hand upon the head of Manasseh; he hath guided his hands wisely, for Manasseh `is' the first-born.
and he blesseth them in that day, saying, `By thee doth Israel bless, saying, God set thee as Ephraim and as Manasseh;' and he setteth Ephraim before Manasseh.
Of the sons of Joseph -- of the sons of Ephraim -- their births, by their families, by the house of their fathers, in the number of names, from a son of twenty years and upward, every one going out to the host -- their numbered ones, for the tribe of Ephraim, `are' forty thousand and five hundred. Of the sons of Manasseh -- their births, by their families, by the house of their fathers, in the number of names, from a son of twenty years and upward, every one going out to the host -- their numbered ones, for the tribe of Manasseh, `are' two and thirty thousand and two hundred.
Sons of Joseph by their families `are' Manasseh and Ephraim. Sons of Manasseh: of Machir `is' the family of the Machirite; and Machir hath begotten Gilead; of Gilead `is' the family of the Gileadite. These `are' sons of Gilead: `of' Jeezer `is' the family of the Jeezerite; of Helek the family of the Helekite; and `of' Asriel the family of the Asrielite; and `of' Shechem the family of the Shechemite; and `of' Shemida the family of the Shemidaite; and `of' Hepher the family of the Hepherite. And Zelophehad son of Hepher had no sons but daughters, and the names of the daughters of Zelophehad `are' Mahlah, and Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah. These `are' families of Manasseh, and their numbered ones `are' two and fifty thousand and seven hundred. These `are' sons of Ephraim by their families: of Shuthelah `is' the family of the Shuthelhite; of Becher the family of the Bachrite; of Tahan the family of the Tahanite. And these `are' sons of Shuthelah: of Eran the family of the Eranite. These `are' families of the sons of Ephraim, by their numbered ones, two and thirty thousand and five hundred. These `are' sons of Joseph by their families.
And of Joseph he said: -- Blessed of Jehovah `is' his land, By precious things of the heavens, By dew, and by the deep crouching beneath, And by precious things -- fruits of the sun, And by precious things -- cast forth by the moons, And by chief things -- of the ancient mountains, And by precious things -- of the age-during heights, And by precious things -- of earth and its fulness, And the good pleasure Of Him who is dwelling in the bush, -- Let it come for the head of Joseph, And for the crown of him Who is separate from his brethren. His honour `is' a firstling of his ox, And his horns `are' horns of a reem; By them peoples he doth push together To the ends of earth; And they `are' the myriads of Ephraim, And they `are' the thousands of Manasseh.
And the sons of the half of the tribe of Manasseh dwelt in the land, from Bashan unto Baal-Hermon, and Senir, and mount Hermon, they have multiplied. And these `are' heads of the house of their fathers, even Epher, and Ishi, and Eliel, and Azriel, and Jeremiah, and Hodaviah, and Jahdiel, men mighty in valour, men of name, heads to the house of their fathers. And they trespass against the God of their fathers, and go a-whoring after the gods of the peoples of the land whom God destroyed from their presence; and stir up doth the God of Israel the spirit of Pul king of Asshur, and the spirit of Tilgath-Pilneser king of Asshur, and he removeth them -- even the Reubenite, and the Gadite, and the half of the tribe of Manasseh -- and bringeth them in to Halah, and Habor, and Hara, and the river of Gozan unto this day.
Sons of Manasseh: Ashriel, whom Jaladah his Aramaean concubine bare, with Machir father of Gilead. And Machir took wives for Huppim and for Shuppim, and the name of the one `is' Maachah, and the name of the second Zelophehad, and Zelophehad hath daughters. And Maachah wife of Machir beareth a son and calleth his name Peresh, and the name of his brother `is' Sheresh, and his sons `are' Ulam and Rakem. And son of Ulam: Bedan. These `are' sons of Gilead son of Machir, son of Manasseh. And his sister Hammolecheth bare Ishhod, and Abiezer, and Mahalah. And the sons of Shemida are Ahian, and Shechem, and Likhi, and Aniam. And sons of Ephraim: Shuthelah, and Bered his son, and Tahath his son, and Eladah his son, and Tahath his son, and Zabad his son, and Shuthelah his son, and Ezer, and Elead; and slain them have men of Gath who are born in the land, because they came down to take their cattle. And Ephraim their father mourneth many days, and his brethren come in to comfort him, and he goeth in unto his wife, and she conceiveth and beareth a son, and he calleth his name Beriah, because in evil had been his house, -- and his daughter `is' Sherah, and she buildeth Beth-Horon, the lower and the upper, and Uzzen-Sherah -- and Rephah `is' his son, and Resheph, and Telah his son, and Tahan his son, Laadan his son, Ammihud his son, Elishama his son, Non his son, Jehoshua his son. And their possession and their dwellings `are' Beth-El and its small towns, and to the east Naaran, and to the west Gezer and its small towns, and Shechem and its small towns, unto Gaza and its small towns; and by the parts of the sons of Manasseh, Beth-Shean and its small towns, Taanach and its small towns, Megiddo and its small towns, Dor and its small towns; in these dwelt the sons of Joseph son of Israel.
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.