The major purpose of this section is probably to show how God sustained and blessed Jacob's family in Egypt during the remaining five years of the famine (cf. vv. 12-13). It is also to demonstrate how He partially fulfilled His promises to the patriarchs to make them a blessing to the whole world (v. 25) as well as fruitful and numerous (v. 27).
46:31-34 Egyptians loathed shepherds because agriculture was the basis of Egyptian society and the Nile River sustained it (v. 34). The Egyptians organized their fields carefully and controlled them relatively easily. The comparative difficulty of controlling sheep, goats, and cows led the Egyptians to think of those who cared for these animals as crude and barbaric.895Probably too the more civilized Egyptians distrusted any nomadic peoples.896This resulted in the Israelites living separate from the Egyptians where they increased and developed a distinct national identity and vocation as God had promised.
"Rameses III is said to have employed 3,264 men, mostly foreigners, to take care of his herds."897
47:1-12 Jacob's blessing of Pharaoh (vv. 7, 10) is unusual since it implies that in one sense (i.e., as one of God's elect) Jacob was superior to Pharaoh. Pharaoh was a man of immense worldly power and influence. "The lesser is blessed by the greater"(Heb. 7:7).
"The least and most faltering of God's children has the superiority . . . in the presence of the most elevated men of the world."898
Jacob seems to have described his life as a sojourn (v. 9) primarily because he had not come into final possession of the Promised Land. He had, of course, also lived in widely separated places during his lifetime (Paddan-aram, Canaan, and now Egypt). His years were fewer than his fathers: 130 compared with Abraham's 175 and Isaac's 180. This comparison also suggests that neither Abraham nor Isaac had experienced the difficulties and distress that Jacob had during his lifetime.
"When we first encountered Jacob he was struggling inside his mother's womb with his twin brother. As we come to the end of Jacob's life, he is struggling for his life in a famine-devastated Canaan. In between these first and last moments of struggle have been many trying experiences for Jacob. His life has had more sorrow than joy."899
"These words [v. 9] appear to be the author's attempt at a deliberate contrast to the later promise that one who honors his father and mother should live long and do well upon the land' (Dt 5:15). Jacob, who deceived his father and thereby gained the blessing, must not only die outside the Promised Land but also, we learn here, his years were few and difficult. From his own words, then, we can see a final recompense for Jacob's actions earlier in the book."900
Moses called the area where Jacob's family settled the land of Rameses here rather than Goshen (v. 11). The "land of Rameses"could have been another name for Goshen, or a larger area encompassing Goshen, or a district within Goshen.
The use of the name "Rameses"here and elsewhere (Exod. 1:11; 12:37; Num. 33:3, 5) has become a kind of "red herring"for many interpreters. It has led them to conclude that these events occurred after one of the Pharaohs named Rameses lived.901However the biblical chronological references (1 Kings 6:1; Exod. 12:40; et al.) point to a date for Israel's move to Egypt near 1876 B.C. How can we account for the use of the name Rameses here then?
It is possible that the name Rameses (also spelled Raamses) was in use when Jacob entered Egypt even though extra-biblical references have not confirmed this. "Raamses"simply means "Ra [the sun god] has created it."902Second, Rameses may have been the name of this district later, in Moses' day, when he wrote Genesis. He could have used the modern name when writing Genesis rather than an older one that was in use in Jacob's day. A third possibility is that Rameses was the district name even later in history (e.g., after Pharaoh Rameses). A later scribe may have substituted Rameses for an older name that was in use when Moses wrote or when Jacob entered Egypt.903
"How different is Jacob's descent to Egypt from his grandfather's (ch. 12)! Both seek out the safety of Egypt because of famine. To save himself Abraham engages in deceit. To save his family Jacob engages in blessing. The Pharaoh at Abraham's visit was only too happy to see Abraham return to his own country. The Pharaoh at Jacob's visit insists that Jacob stay and settle on some choice land. Abraham retreats from Egypt. For Jacob Egypt is his new home. Abraham leaves Egypt alive (and happy to be so!). Jacob will leave Egypt dead."904
