Genesis 46:29

46:29 Joseph harnessed his chariot and went up to meet his father Israel in Goshen. When he met him, ¹  he hugged his neck and wept on his neck for quite some time.

Genesis 46:34--47:6

46:34 Tell him, ‘Your servants have taken care of cattle ²  from our youth until now, both we and our fathers,’ so that you may live in the land of Goshen, ³  for everyone who takes care of sheep is disgusting ⁴  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 ⁵  in the land of Goshen.” 47:2 He took five of his brothers and introduced them to Pharaoh. ⁶ 

47:3 Pharaoh said to Joseph’s ⁷  brothers, “What is your occupation?” They said to Pharaoh, “Your servants take care of flocks, just as our ancestors did.” ⁸  47:4 Then they said to Pharaoh, “We have come to live as temporary residents ⁹  in the land. There ¹⁰  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 ¹¹  among them, put them in charge ¹²  of my livestock.”

Exodus 8:22

8:22 But on that day I will mark off ¹³  the land of Goshen, where my people are staying, ¹⁴  so that no swarms of flies will be there, that you may know that I am the Lord in the midst of this land. ¹⁵ 

Exodus 9:26

9:26 Only in the land of Goshen, where the Israelites lived, was there no hail.

[46:29]  ¹ tn Heb “and he appeared to him.”

[46:34]  ² tn Heb “your servants are men of cattle.”

[46:34]  ³ 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]  ⁴ 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.

[47:1]  ⁵ tn Heb “Look they [are] in the land of Goshen.” Joseph draws attention to the fact of their presence in Goshen.

[47:2]  ⁶ tn Heb “and from the whole of his brothers he took five men and presented them before Pharaoh.”

[47:3]  ⁷ tn Heb “his”; the referent (Joseph) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[47:3]  ⁸ tn Heb “both we and our fathers.”

[47:4]  ⁹ tn Heb “to sojourn.”

[47:4]  ¹⁰ 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.

[47:6]  ¹¹ tn Heb “men of skill.”

[47:6]  ¹² tn Heb “make them rulers.”

[8:22]  ¹³ tn Or “distinguish.” וְהִפְלֵיתִי (vÿhifleti) is the Hiphil perfect of פָּלָה (palah). The verb in Hiphil means “to set apart, make separate, make distinct.” God was going to keep the flies away from Goshen – he was setting that apart. The Greek text assumed that the word was from פָּלֵא (pale’), and translated it something like “I will marvelously glorify.”

[8:22]  ¹⁴ tn The relative clause modifies the land of Goshen as the place “in which my people are dwelling.” But the normal word for “dwelling” is not used here. Instead, עֹמֵד (’omed) is used, which literally means “standing.” The land on which Israel stood was spared the flies and the hail.

[8:22]  ¹⁵ tn Or “of the earth” (KJV, ASV, NAB).