Genesis 46 Summary - 5 Minute Bible Study

Genesis 46

WHEN:

• Joseph was 30 years old when he became a ruler of Egypt (approx.. 1715 B.C.).

• Jacob’s family moved to Egypt in the 2nd year of the 7-year famine (approx. 1706 B.C.).  

CHARACTERS:

• Joseph – Jacob’s son with Rachel. In this chapter, he was the second most powerful man in Egypt.

• Joseph’s Brothers – Jacob had 11 sons, besides Joseph, with 4 wives.   

• Pharaoh – The king of Egypt.

• Jacob – The grandson of Abraham and the father of Joseph and his 11 brothers. God changed his name to Israel.

WHERE:

• After finding out Joseph was alive, Jacob moved his family from Canaan to Goshen, which was in Egypt.

OUTLINE:

• JACOB’S FAMILY MOVES TO EGYPT (46:1-7):

  • Israel (Jacob) went to Beersheba and offered sacrifices to God.

  • God appeared to him in a vision and told him not to be afraid to go down to Egypt.

  • God promised to bring his family safely to Egypt and, one day, to bring them out of the land as a great nation.

  • Jacob’s sons took their father, their wives, their children, and their possessions to Egypt on the wagons Pharaoh had provided.

• RECORD OF JACOB’S FAMILY THAT MOVED TO EGYPT (46:8-27):

  • Verses 8-27 is a record of all the male descendant of Jacob’s who moved to Goshen with him.

  • Jacob’s sons and grandsons are listed by name:

  • Reuben’s sons: Hanoch, Pallu, Hezron, and Carmi

  • Simeon’s sons: Jemuel, Jamin, Ohad, Jachin, Zohar, and Shaul.

  • Levi’s sons: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari

  • Judah’s sons: Er, Onan, Shelah, Perez, and Zerah (Perez and Zerah were the sons of Judah and Dinah).

  • Issachar’s sons: Tola, Puvah, Yob, and Shimron.

  • Zebulun’s sons: Sered, Elon, and Jahleel.

  • Gad’s sons: Ziphion, Haggi, Shuni, Ezbon, Eri, Arodi, and Areli.

  • Asher’s sons: Imnah, Ishvah, Ishvi, and Beriah.

  • Joseph’s sons: Manasseh and Ephraim

  • Benjamin’s sons: Bela, Becher, Ashbel, Gera, Naaman, Ehi, Rosh, Muppim, Huppim, and Ard.

  • Dan’s sons: Hushim

  • Naphtali’s sons: Jahzeel, Guni, Jezer, and Shillem.

  • “All the persons belonging to Jacob who came into Egypt, who were his descendants, not including Jacob’s sons’ wives, were sixty-six persons in all” (46:27).

• JOSEPH IS REUNITED WITH HIS FATHER (46:28-34):

  • When Joseph received news that his father was in Goshen, he prepared his chariot and went to meet him.

  • They had a happy reunion and wept together.

  • Afterwards, Joseph represented his brothers before Pharaoh and told Pharaoh they were shepherds by occupation.

  • Joseph’s advocacy for them was important because the Egyptians didn’t traditionally like shepherds (46:34).

APPLICATION:

• The characters mentioned in this chapter are very important to keep in memory.

• Israel’s descendants were about to multiply exponentially over the next few centuries.

• Israel’s 12 sons would become the heads of the tribes of Israel.

• The nation of Israel is the centerpiece of the rest of the Old Testament story. Almost all of God’s work, that we read about in the Bible, centers around the descendants of Jacob’s 12 sons.

• Remember how God promised to make Abraham and Isaac’s family into a great nation? This is the beginning of the fulfillment of that promise.