Genesis 47 explains how Joseph brings his father Jacob and his brothers into Egypt, settles them in the land of Goshen, and guides the nation through a severe famine. People read it to understand how God’s promise to Abraham moved forward during a hard season, and how Joseph’s leadership, Jacob’s blessing and his final request all fit together. The chapter shows God providing for a family in need while quietly keeping the covenant he made long before.
Genesis 47 Summary
The chapter opens with Joseph presenting his family to Pharaoh. Joseph names five brothers as representatives, and Pharaoh asks about their work. They answer that they are shepherds, and Pharaoh grants them land in Goshen, the best region available to them. Jacob himself then stands before Pharaoh, blesses him, and speaks candidly about the brevity and difficulty of his life.
Next the focus turns to the wider crisis. The famine spreads across Egypt and Canaan, and Joseph manages the grain supply, first collecting silver, then livestock, then land itself, until Pharaoh holds the country’s resources. Joseph supplies seed and sets a rule that Pharaoh receives a fifth of each harvest. The chapter closes with Israel settling and growing in Goshen, and with Jacob, nearing death, asking Joseph to bury him in Canaan with his fathers.
Background and Setting
Genesis is traditionally attributed to Moses, though many scholars regard it as a compilation drawn from older family and oral sources, shaped into its final form in the centuries after the events it describes. Its material looks back across the lives of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Joseph, and it was written and preserved for the people of Israel as they understood their origins and identity.
Chapter 47 sits near the end of the Joseph narrative, following the reunion of Joseph and his brothers in chapters 45 and 46. It bridges the family’s arrival in Egypt with the book’s final chapters, where Jacob blesses his sons and Joseph’s own death sets up the later story of Exodus.
Genesis 47 Section by Section
Verses 1-6: The Family Presented to Pharaoh
1 Then Joseph went in and told Pharaoh, and said, “My father and my brothers, with their flocks, their herds, and all that they own, have come out of the land of Canaan; and behold, they are in the land of Goshen.” 2 From among his brothers he took five men, and presented them to Pharaoh. 3 Pharaoh said to his brothers, “What is your occupation?” They said to Pharaoh, “Your servants are shepherds, both we, and our fathers.” 4 They said to Pharaoh, “We have come to live as foreigners in the land, for there is no pasture for your servants’ flocks. For the famine is severe in the land of Canaan. Now therefore, please let your servants dwell in the land of Goshen.”
Genesis 47:1-4 (WEB)
Joseph’s report to Pharaoh is careful and respectful. He does not lead with his family’s need but with their arrival and their livelihood, and he lets Pharaoh ask the questions. The brothers answer honestly that they are shepherds, a trade that Egyptians often viewed with distance, and they ask only for pasture. Their request is humble, and it shows how the family’s future is placed in the hands of a foreign king.
Pharaoh’s response is generous. He invites the family to settle in Goshen, offers the best of the land, and even suggests that capable men among them could manage his own livestock. The passage shows God working through a powerful ruler’s favor, and it reminds readers that Joseph’s position in Egypt has opened a door for his people that would otherwise have stayed shut.
Verses 7-12: Jacob Before Pharaoh
7 Joseph brought in Jacob, his father, and set him before Pharaoh, and Jacob blessed Pharaoh. 8 Pharaoh said to Jacob, “How many are the days of the years of your life?” 9 Jacob said to Pharaoh, “The days of the years of my pilgrimage are one hundred thirty years. Few and evil have been the days of the years of my life, and they have not attained to the days of the years of the life of my fathers in the days of their pilgrimage.”
Genesis 47:7-9 (WEB)
Jacob’s audience with Pharaoh is one of the most moving scenes in the chapter. The old patriarch blesses the most powerful man in the world, a reversal that the narrative highlights without comment. When Pharaoh asks his age, Jacob answers with a candid account of his years, describing them as few and hard. He is grateful but not naive about the strain his life has carried.
The section then notes that Joseph settles his father and brothers and provides bread for the whole household according to their families. Joseph’s care is practical and specific. Read alongside Jacob’s words, it shows a son who takes responsibility for his aging father while the family begins its new life in Egypt.
Verses 13-26: Joseph and the Famine Economy
13 There was no bread in all the land; for the famine was very severe, so that the land of Egypt and the land of Canaan fainted by reason of the famine. 14 Joseph gathered up all the money that was found in the land of Egypt, and in the land of Canaan, for the grain which they bought: and Joseph brought the money into Pharaoh’s house. 15 When the money was all spent in the land of Egypt, and in the land of Canaan, all the Egyptians came to Joseph, and said, “Give us bread, for why should we die in your presence? For our money fails.”
Genesis 47:13-15 (WEB)
This part of the chapter describes the famine at its worst. The land of Egypt and the land of Canaan are both weakened, and Joseph gathers money in exchange for grain until the silver is exhausted. The passage does not hide the cost. People who have nothing left come to Joseph pleading for bread, and their plea is stark: they will die in front of him without food.
The narrative is complex. Joseph’s administration preserves lives across the region, yet it also moves the people’s land and labor under Pharaoh’s control. The chapter records these outcomes plainly and lets readers see both the mercy and the consequences. The rule that Pharaoh receives a fifth of each harvest is presented as a statute that lasts to the narrator’s day, and the priests’ land is excluded from that arrangement.
Verses 27-31: Israel’s Settlement and Jacob’s Request
27 Israel lived in the land of Egypt, in the land of Goshen; and they got themselves possessions therein, and were fruitful, and multiplied exceedingly. 28 Jacob lived in the land of Egypt seventeen years. So the days of Jacob, the years of his life, were one hundred forty-seven years. 29 The time came near that Israel must die, and he called his son Joseph, and said to him, “If now I have found favor in your sight, please put your hand under my thigh, and deal kindly and truly with me. Please don’t bury me in Egypt, 30 but when I sleep with my fathers, you shall carry me out of Egypt, and bury me in their burying place.” He said, “I will do as you have said.”
Genesis 47:27-30 (WEB)
The chapter ends with a note of growth. Israel lives in Goshen, gains possessions, and multiplies greatly, so that the small family begins to become the people God promised. The narrative of blessing continues even under foreign rule, which reassures readers that the covenant is not paused by a change of place.
Jacob’s final request closes the chapter with weight. He asks Joseph to carry him back to Canaan and bury him in the family tomb, a deliberate act of faith in the land God promised. Joseph swears to do it, and Jacob bows in worship at the head of his bed. The scene points forward to the eventual return of his descendants and reveals that the family still holds its hope in God’s promise.
Key Themes in Genesis 47
- Divine provision: God sustains a family and a nation through famine by working through Joseph’s administration and Pharaoh’s favor.
- Faithfulness to the covenant: Jacob’s insistence on burial in Canaan shows a deep, lasting trust in God’s promise of the land.
- Dependence and mercy: The famine forces people to rely on others for survival, and the chapter shows both generosity and costly consequences.
- Blessing across boundaries: Jacob blesses Pharaoh, a sign that God’s favor reaches beyond the family into the wider world.
Lessons From Genesis 47 for Today
Many readers find in this chapter a reminder that God often works through ordinary and imperfect arrangements. A family facing a job loss or a medical bill may find that help comes through a workplace, a neighbor or a public program, and Genesis 47 suggests that such help can still be part of God’s care. The chapter does not ask believers to accept injustice quietly, but it does encourage them to see God’s provision in unexpected places.
The chapter also speaks to people who are growing older or facing the end of a long life. Jacob’s honest words to Pharaoh and his concern for his burial show that faith can be realistic about hardship while still looking toward God’s future. A grandparent planning for family, or an adult child caring for an aging parent, can draw strength from Jacob’s trust and Joseph’s faithfulness.
Questions for Reflection
- Where have you seen God provide for you through people or systems you did not expect?
- What does Jacob’s request to be buried in Canaan teach you about holding on to God’s promises over a lifetime?
- How do you respond to a story where God’s good purposes are carried out through difficult or costly decisions?
- What would it look like for you to bless someone in a position of influence, as Jacob blessed Pharaoh?
A Prayer From Genesis 47
Lord, thank you that you provide for your people even in seasons of famine and uncertainty. Help me to notice the ways you care for me through others, and to receive that care with gratitude rather than pride. When my own strength runs low, remind me that your promises hold steady across every change of place and circumstance. Give me Jacob’s kind of faith, honest about the hard years yet trusting that you are faithful to finish what you have begun. Amen.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why did Jacob’s family move to Egypt in Genesis 47?
The family moved to Egypt because a severe famine had made food scarce in Canaan. Joseph, who had risen to a high position under Pharaoh, arranged for them to settle in Goshen. The move preserved their lives and set the stage for the nation’s later story.
What is the land of Goshen?
Goshen was a region in northeastern Egypt where Jacob’s family settled. Pharaoh gave them the best of the land there. The chapter names it as the place where Israel lived and multiplied.
Why did Jacob ask to be buried in Canaan?
Jacob asked to be buried in the family tomb in Canaan, where Abraham, Isaac and others were laid to rest. The request expresses his faith in God’s promise of the land. Joseph swore to carry out his wish.
