Genesis 46:1-7

The Family of Jacob goes to Egypt

46:1 So Israel began his journey, taking with him all that he had. ¹  When he came to Beer Sheba ²  he offered sacrifices to the God of his father Isaac. 46:2 God spoke to Israel in a vision during the night ³  and said, “Jacob, Jacob!” He replied, “Here I am!” 46:3 He said, “I am God, ⁴  the God of your father. Do not be afraid to go down to Egypt, for I will make you into a great nation there. 46:4 I will go down with you to Egypt and I myself will certainly bring you back from there. ⁵  Joseph will close your eyes.” ⁶ 

46:5 Then Jacob started out ⁷  from Beer Sheba, and the sons of Israel carried their father Jacob, their little children, and their wives in the wagons that Pharaoh had sent along to transport him. 46:6 Jacob and all his descendants took their livestock and the possessions they had acquired in the land of Canaan, and they went to Egypt. ⁸  46:7 He brought with him to Egypt his sons and grandsons, ⁹  his daughters and granddaughters – all his descendants.

[46:1]  ¹ tn Heb “and Israel journeyed, and all that was his.”

[46:1]  ² sn Beer Sheba. See Gen 21:31; 28:10.

[46:2]  ³ tn Heb “in visions of the night.” The plural form has the singular meaning, probably as a plural of intensity.

[46:3]  ⁴ tn Heb “the God.”

[46:4]  ⁵ tn Heb “and I, I will bring you up, also bringing up.” The independent personal pronoun before the first person imperfect verbal form draws attention to the speaker/subject, while the infinitive absolute after the imperfect strongly emphasizes the statement: “I myself will certainly bring you up.”

[46:4]  ⁶ tn Heb “and Joseph will put his hand upon your eyes.” This is a promise of peaceful death in Egypt with Joseph present to close his eyes.

[46:5]  ⁷ tn Heb “arose.”

[46:6]  ⁸ tn Heb “and they took their livestock and their possessions which they had acquired in the land of Canaan and they went to Egypt, Jacob and all his offspring with him.” The order of the clauses has been rearranged in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[46:7]  ⁹ tn The Hebrew text adds “with him” here. This is omitted in the translation because it is redundant in English style (note the same phrase earlier in the verse).