Genesis 46:31--47:6

46:31 Then Joseph said to his brothers and his father’s household, “I will go up and tell Pharaoh, ¹  ‘My brothers and my father’s household who were in the land of Canaan have come to me. 46:32 The men are shepherds; ²  they take care of livestock. ³  They have brought their flocks and their herds and all that they have.’ 46:33 Pharaoh will summon you and say, ‘What is your occupation?’ 46:34 Tell him, ‘Your servants have taken care of cattle ⁴  from our youth until now, both we and our fathers,’ so that you may live in the land of Goshen, ⁵  for everyone who takes care of sheep is disgusting ⁶  to the Egyptians.”

Joseph’s Wise Administration

47:1 Joseph went and told Pharaoh, “My father, my brothers, their flocks and herds, and all that they own have arrived from the land of

Canaan. They are now ⁷  in the land of Goshen.” 47:2 He took five of his brothers and introduced them to Pharaoh. ⁸ 

47:3 Pharaoh said to Joseph’s ⁹  brothers, “What is your occupation?” They said to Pharaoh, “Your servants take care of flocks, just as our ancestors did.” ¹⁰  47:4 Then they said to Pharaoh, “We have come to live as temporary residents ¹¹  in the land. There ¹²  is no pasture for your servants’ flocks because the famine is severe in the land of Canaan. So now, please let your servants live in the land of Goshen.”

47:5 Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Your father and your brothers have come to you. 47:6 The land of Egypt is before you; settle your father and your brothers in the best region of the land. They may live in the land of Goshen. If you know of any highly capable men ¹³  among them, put them in charge ¹⁴  of my livestock.”

¹ tn Heb “tell Pharaoh and say to him.”

² tn Heb “feeders of sheep.”

³ tn Heb “for men of livestock they are.”

⁴ tn Heb “your servants are men of cattle.”

⁵ sn So that you may live in the land of Goshen. Joseph is apparently trying to stress to Pharaoh that his family is self-sufficient, that they will not be a drain on the economy of Egypt. But they will need land for their animals and so Goshen, located on the edge of Egypt, would be a suitable place for them to live. The settled Egyptians were uneasy with nomadic people, but if Jacob and his family settled in Goshen they would represent no threat.

⁶ tn Heb “is an abomination.” The Hebrew word תּוֹעֵבָה (to’evah, “abomination”) describes something that is loathsome or off-limits. For other practices the Egyptians considered disgusting, see Gen 43:32 and Exod 8:22.

⁷ tn Heb “Look they [are] in the land of Goshen.” Joseph draws attention to the fact of their presence in Goshen.

⁸ tn Heb “and from the whole of his brothers he took five men and presented them before Pharaoh.”

⁹ tn Heb “his”; the referent (Joseph) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

¹⁰ tn Heb “both we and our fathers.”

¹¹ tn Heb “to sojourn.”

¹² tn Heb “for there.” The Hebrew uses a causal particle to connect what follows with what precedes. The translation divides the statement into two sentences for stylistic reasons.

¹³ tn Heb “men of skill.”

¹⁴ tn Heb “make them rulers.”