Category: Genesis

The first section I’ll summarize as mourning for 77 days over Israel’s passing, and a massive funeral procession. The entire Israelite clan plus “all the servants of Pharaoh” traveled to Canaan, to fulfill Joseph’s promise and bury Israel in his family crypt. (v1-14) The chapter ends with the death of Joseph, and his final words…

In his final few breaths, Israel blesses his sons appropriately, and then asks to be buried in the same cave Abraham and Sarah, Isaac and Rebekah, and Israel’s wife Leah were buried (the family crypt Abraham bought in Gen 23). “Reuben, you are my firstborn… Unstable as water, you shall not have preeminence. Simeon and…

Israel, as we found out at the end of ch47, is nearing the end of his life and he takes this opportunity to bless Joseph’s children, Manasseh and Ephraim. “Now the eyes of Israel were dim with age, so that he could not see. So Joseph brought them near him… Ephraim in his right hand…

There’s a fair bit happening in this chapter, so I’ll attempt to summarize. The first main section which bookends the chapter is the settling of Joseph’s family in Goshen. With Pharaoh’s blessing, Israel and his descendants are not only given the best ranch land, they are given all of Pharaoh’s livestock to care for, since…

“So Israel set out with all that he had, and came to Beersheba, and offered sacrifices to the God of his father Isaac. God spoke to Israel in visions of the night and said, ‘Jacob, Jacob.’ And he said, ‘Here I am.’ He said, ‘I am God, the God of your father; do not be…

“Then Joseph could not control himself before all those who stood by him. And he wept aloud, so that the Egyptians heard it, and the household of Pharaoh heard it. And Joseph said to his brothers, ‘I am Joseph! Is my father still alive?’ But his brothers could not answer him, for they were dismayed…

The actions of Joseph may seem odd at first, yet with some context, they are quite wise. “Then [Joseph] commanded his house steward, saying, ‘Fill the men’s sacks with food, as much as they can carry, and put each man’s money in the mouth of his sack. Put my cup, the silver cup, in the…

“Now the famine was severe in the land. So it came about when they had finished eating the grain which they had brought from Egypt, that their father said to them, ‘Go back, buy us a little food.’ Judah spoke to him, however, saying, ‘The man solemnly warned us, “You shall not see my face…

“[Jacob] said, ‘Behold, I have heard that there is grain in Egypt; go down there and buy some for us from that place, so that we may live and not die.’ Then ten brothers of Joseph went down to buy grain from Egypt. But Jacob did not send Joseph’s brother Benjamin with his brothers, for…

“When two full years had passed, Pharaoh had a dream: He was standing by the Nile, when out of the river there came up seven cows, sleek and fat, and they grazed among the reeds. After them, seven other cows, ugly and gaunt, came up out of the Nile and stood beside those on the…