Verses 1–4: Israel (Jacob’s new name) set out with his entire household to travel from Canaan to Egypt. He stopped at Beersheba and offered animal sacrifices, clearly symbolizing Jacob’s ongoing devotion and honor to God.
That night, God spoke to Jacob through a vision, encouraging him to make the journey without fear; God reaffirmed His promise that He'd be with Jacob, make him into a great nation, and bring him and his descendants back to their promised land of Canaan. God would establish a home for them, and promised that Joseph would be with Jacob at his death.
5–27: Jacob believed God, and continued his journey the next morning with all of his household, livestock, and possessions. Including Joseph and sons, Jacob's household numbered seventy—symbolic, with the number seven, for “completion.” God had indeed made Jacob's life complete, faithful to His promise so many years earlier, when Jacob fled his father's household.
28–30: On the way, Jacob sent Judah ahead to Joseph to get directions to Goshen in Egypt, where they would settle. Once his family arrived there, Joseph traveled by chariot to reunite with them. As soon as Joseph saw his father, he couldn't contain his emotion. Joseph embraced him, weeping. After Jacob saw with his own eyes that his son was still alive, he felt like he could finally die in peace.
31–34: Joseph reassured his family that he would speak to Pharaoh on their behalf, letting him know of their arrival in Egypt with all their possessions, and that they would continue their livelihood as shepherds. He asked them to also relate this occupation to Pharaoh so he would grant permission for them to settle in Goshen, a rich and fertile land where they could pasture their livestock while staying separate from the Egyptians, who had no desire to live among smelly shepherds!
Genesis 47
1–12: Just as he said, Joseph introduced his family to Pharaoh, with five brothers and his father representing the household. As shepherds, their request to settle in Goshen in the midst of the extreme famine was granted. Pharaoh also asked Joseph to set any brothers with special shepherding ability over his own livestock.
Finally, Joseph introduced his father to Pharaoh. When asked his age, Jacob explained that his “pilgrimage” (verse 9) of 130 years had been hard. Yet knowing how greatly God had blessed in the midst of it all enabled him to honor and bless a foreign king who had recognized and honored the great worth of his son. So Jacob and his household settled in Goshen in the district of Rameses. And Joseph well-provided for them there.
13–26: As the famine raged on, The Egyptians continued in desperation to look to Joseph for food. When their money ran out, they bought grain with their livestock. When this disappeared, they sold their land, then submitted themselves to voluntary servitude in exchange for grain (and one-fifth of the harvest from it). Only the priests escaped this wholesale sell off, as Pharaoh regularly portioned out land to them. The Egyptians agreed, actually grateful that Joseph’s actions, resulting from his devoted, close connection with God, had saved them from mass starvation.
27–31: Just as God said, Jacob's family prospered greatly in Egypt, growing greatly in wealth and in number. As Jacob drew near to death, he asked Joseph for one pledge: that Joseph bury him with Abraham, his grandfather, and Isaac, his father, in the land of God's promise to him and his family. Joseph swore to fulfill his wish, and seeing God's faithfulness all the way to the end of his life, he leaned on his staff and worshiped Him.
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