Genesis 46:34

46:34 Tell him, ‘Your servants have taken care of cattle ¹  from our youth until now, both we and our fathers,’ so that you may live in the land of Goshen, ²  for everyone who takes care of sheep is disgusting ³  to the Egyptians.”

Genesis 46:2

46:2 God spoke to Israel in a vision during the night ⁴  and said, “Jacob, Jacob!” He replied, “Here I am!”

Colossians 1:17

1:17 He himself is before all things and all things are held together ⁵  in him.

[46:34]  ¹ tn Heb “your servants are men of cattle.”

[46:34]  ² 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.

[46:34]  ³ 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.

[46:2]  ⁴ tn Heb “in visions of the night.” The plural form has the singular meaning, probably as a plural of intensity.

[1:17]  ⁵ tn BDAG 973 s.v. συνίστημι B.3 suggests “continue, endure, exist, hold together” here.