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Matthew Henry on Genesis 46:1-4
Even as to those events and undertakings which appear most joyful, we should seek counsel, assistance, and a blessing from the Lord. Attending on his ordinances, and receiving the pledges of his covenant love, we expect…
Jacob Sacrifices at Beersheba. (b. c. 1707.)
JACOB SACRIFICES AT BEERSHEBA. (B. C. 1707.) The divine precept is, In all thy ways acknowledge God; and the promise annexed to it is, He shall direct thy paths. Jacob has here a very great concern before him, not only…
Matthew Henry on Genesis 46:5-27
We have here a particular account of Jacob's family. Though the fulfilling of promises is always sure, yet it is often slow. It was now 215 years since God had promised Abraham to make of him a great nation, ch. 12:2; y…
Jacob's Removal to Egypt. (b. c. 1706.)
JACOB'S REMOVAL TO EGYPT. (B. C. 1706.) Old Jacob is here flitting. Little did he think of ever leaving Canaan; he expected, no doubt, to die in his nest, and to leave his seed in actual possession of the promised land:…
Matthew Henry on Genesis 46:28-34
It was justice to Pharaoh to let him know that such a family was come to settle in his dominions. If others put confidence in us, we must not be so base as to abuse it by imposing upon them. But how shall Joseph dispose…
Meeting between Jacob and Joseph. (b. c. 1706.)
MEETING BETWEEN JACOB AND JOSEPH. (B. C. 1706.) We have here, I. The joyful meeting between Jacob and his son Joseph, in which observe, 1. Jacob's prudence in sending Judah before him to Joseph, to give him notice of hi…
Matthew Henry on Genesis 47:1-6
Though Joseph was a great man, especially in Egypt, yet he owned his brethren. Let the rich and great in the world not overlook or despise poor relations. Our Lord Jesus is not ashamed to call us brethren. In answer to…
Pharaoh's Generosity; Jacob Presented to Pharaoh. (b. c. 1706.)
PHARAOH'S GENEROSITY; JACOB PRESENTED TO PHARAOH. (B. C. 1706.) Here is, I. The respect which Joseph, as a subject, showed to his prince. Though he was his favourite, and prime-minister of state, and had had particular…
The Pulpit Commentary on Genesis 47:1-10
The presentation to Pharaoh. I. TESTIMONY TO POWER OF CHARACTER. Joseph's influence. The five brethren selected perhaps with a view to their appearance, and in the number five, which was regarded as a significant number…
The Pulpit Commentary on Genesis 47:1-10
Jacob and his sons before Pharaoh. I. JOSEPH'S BRETHREN BEFORE PHARAOH (Genesis 47:1-6). 1. Their arrival announced (Genesis 47:1). "My father and brethren are come out of the land of Canaan, and behold they are in the…
The Pulpit Commentary on Genesis 47:1-10
EXPOSITION
The Pulpit Commentary on Genesis 47:1
Then Joseph came—literally, and Joseph went, up to the royal presence, as he had proposed (Genesis 46:31)—and told Pharaoh, and said, My father and my brethren, and their flocks, and their herds, and all that they have,…
The Pulpit Commentary on Genesis 47:2
And he took some of his brethren, even five men,—literally, from the end, or extremity, of his brethren; not from the weakest, lest the king should select them for courtiers or soldiers (the Rabbis, Oleaster, Pererius,…
The Pulpit Commentary on Genesis 47:3
And Pharaoh said unto his (i.e. Joseph's) brethren, What is your occupation? (vide Genesis 46:33). And they said unto Pharaoh,—as directed (Genesis 46:34)—Thy servants are shepherds, both we, and also our fathers.
The Pulpit Commentary on Genesis 47:4
They said moreover (literally, and they said) unto Pharaoh, For to sojourn in the land are we come;—an unconscious fulfillment of an ancient prophecy (Genesis 15:13)—for thy servants have no pasture for their flocks (it…
Matthew Henry on Genesis 47:7-12
With the gravity of old age, the piety of a true believer, and the authority of a patriarch and a prophet, Jacob besought the Lord to bestow a blessing upon Pharaoh. He acted as a man not ashamed of his religion; and wh…
The Pulpit Commentary on Genesis 47:7
And Joseph brought in Jacob his father, and set him before Pharaoh. It has been thought that Jacob's presentation to the Egyptian king was deferred till after the monarch's interview with his sons because of the public…
The Pulpit Commentary on Genesis 47:9
The discipline of life. Few and evil, yet 130 years; and how many blessings temporal and spiritual had been received during their course. We need not suppose him unthankful. But blessings do not of themselves make a man…
The Pulpit Commentary on Genesis 47:10
And Jacob blessed Pharaoh (as he had done on entering the royal presence),— HOMILETICS
The Pulpit Commentary on Genesis 47:11-27
Joseph's policy in Egypt. I. TOWARDS THE ISRAELITES. 1. He gave them a settlement in Goshen. Though in one sense the land of Goshen was Pharaoh's grant, it is apparent from the story that they owed it chiefly to the wis…
The Pulpit Commentary on Genesis 47:11-27
EXPOSITION
The Pulpit Commentary on Genesis 47:11
And Joseph placed his father and his brethren (i.e. gave them a settlement, the import of which the next clause explains), and gave them a possession (i.e. allowed them to acquire property) in the land of Egypt, in the…
The Pulpit Commentary on Genesis 47:12
And Joseph nourished—ἐσιτομέτρει (LXX.), i.e. gave them their measure of corn—his father, and his brethren, and all his father's household, with bread, according to their families—literally, to, or according to, the m…
Matthew Henry on Genesis 47:13-26
Care being taken of Jacob and his family, which mercy was especially designed by Providence in Joseph's advancement, an account is given of the saving the kingdom of Egypt from ruin. There was no bread, and the people w…