Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Genesis 47:7
And Joseph brought in Jacob his father, and set him before Pharaoh: and Jacob blessed Pharaoh.
7. Jacob blessed Pharaoh ] Here and in Gen 47:10 Jacob is said to “bless” Pharaoh. We should understand by this the solemn and benevolent benediction which is the privilege of aged persons in addressing those of much higher rank. According to another interpretation, the word should be rendered “saluted”; cf. 1Sa 13:10; 2Ki 4:29.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Gen 47:7
And Joseph brought in Jacob his father
Joseph and his father
I.
JOSEPH HONOURED HIS FATHER JACOB BY SHOWING HIM THE UTMOST RESPECT (Gen 46:29).
II. JOSEPH HONOURED HIS FATHER BY SHOWING HIS LOVE FOR HIM. One of our martyr-Presidents never stood higher in the nations eyes than when he turned around, after his inauguration, and, before all the assembled thousands, greeted his mother with a filial kiss.
III. JOSEPH HONOURED HIS FATHER BY HIS PURE AND NOBLE LIFE. Words of respect are comparatively worthless unless they have a life behind them.
IV. JOSEPH HONOURED HIS FATHER BY PRESENTING HIM SO PROMPTLY TO PHARAOH. He shows not a particle of shame of his rusticity, Jacobs homespun must have contrasted strangely with Pharaohs purple; Jacobs uncouth phrases of country-life with the kings polished diction. Joseph knew well enough how such people were ordinarily despised at the court, and yet how he omits no chance to show to Pharaoh how much he loved and honoured his father. The story is told of the Dean of Canterbury, afterwards Archbishop Tillotson, that one day after he had attained his churchly honours, an old man from the country, with uncouth manners, called at his door and inquired for John Tillotson. The foot man was about to dismiss him with scorn for presuming to ask in that familiar way for his master, when the Archbishop caught sight of his visitor and flew down the stairs to embrace the old man before all the servants, exclaiming with tones of genuine delight, It is my beloved father! We all admire such exhibitions of filial love, which overcomes the fear of the cool conventionalities of the world, and we find from our lesson that Pharaoh was touched by his prime ministers loyalty to his poor relations, for he gave him this royal token of his pleasure: The land of Egypt is before thee; in the best of the land make thy father and thy brethren to dwell; &c. (F. E. Clark.)
An interview with royalty
I desire to linger awhile on this thrilling scene. There are wise, good lessons in it.
1. I look upon it first of all and see an attractive picture of venerable old age. The hoary head is a crown of glory, says Solomon, if it he found in the way of righteousness. Age invests many things with a beauty of its own. An aged oak, wide-spread, gnarled, and weather-warped, stalwart, green, and stately; or an ancient castle, weatherworn and storm-swept, moss-clad and ivy-covered, its grey towers still standing bold and brave to all the winds of heaven; but of all attractive pictures that old time can draw, nothing is more winsome than the silver locks and mellowed features of godly old age. They remind me of some retired Greenwich or Chelsea veteran who can tell the tale of scars and wounds, of hair-breath escapes, of brave comrades, of stirring campaigns, of hard-fought battles; only this has been a holier war, followed by a dearer peace and more sweet reward and victories than ever followed Trafalgar or Waterloo. So with the godly character. It is beautiful in all its stages from youth to manhood; hut surely, fairest of all when age, experience, and grace hath ripened it into saintliness, and something of the heavenly shines outward from the soul within. As I look upon this aged patriarch confronting all the splendours of Pharaohs court, I see him standing on the utmost border, waiting to be ushered into the presence of a grand Monarch, into a fairer palace, and among a richer and nobler throng, and where he himself will be the wearer of a richer crown. As I look upon this strange scene in Pharaohs palace, I see that there is something grander and more powerful in moral worth than in any kind or amount of material power or possessions. In the epistle to the Hebrews I find this sentence, Without contradiction, the less is blessed of the greater. Jacob has something and can procure something which makes the monarch less than he, something which makes him better and greater than the king. It is the blessing of God. It is power with God. It is that influence from heaven and with heaven which belongs to moral goodness and virtue, and especially to aged piety everywhere and at all times. And Jacob blessed Pharaoh. Never forget that righteousness is far away greater than the riches.
2. And once more, as I look upon that striking scene in Pharaohs palace and listen to the aged patriarchs words, I think of his testimony concerning life. He calls it a pilgrimage. Young men! have you ever thought of that? Behind you there is a stern uncompromising power that is always muttering, Move on! Move on! March through the moments! hurry through the hours! tramp along the days! tread through the mouths! stride along the years! You cant halt! You cant step backward. Move on! Oh, but this is a tremendous view of human life! God help us from this hour to walk aright; to keep the path of duty, the ways of the Lord, lest the later stages of our pilgrimage find us in swamp and quagmire, scorching desert or thorny jungle when our strength is exhausted and the dull night winds blow!
3. I notice, too, that Jacob calls his days evil days. He means by that they had been sorrowful, full of trouble and care. Well, his was a hard life, he had had disappointment and distress beyond the common. If you will read his history you will find that his own conduct had to answer largely for his cares; his sins were the seed of his sorrows; his wrong-doing caused the very most of his rough usage, and nobody knew that better than Jacob did himself. Sin is the mother of sorrow, and its seeds sown in the life are sure to bring a harvest of pain. There is an Australian weapon called the boomerang, which is thrown so as to describe a series of curves and comes back at last to the feet of the thrower. Sin is a boomerang which we throw off into space, but it turns upon its author, and strikes the soul that launched it.
4. Learn another lesson from this striking picture–a lesson of Gods sure faithfulness. Jacob with all his faults had served and trusted God. His troubles and distresses had helped to bring him more fully into pious confidence and patient faith; and his trust in God brought about all things right at last. (J. J. Wray.)
Jacob and Pharaoh
1. The chief value of this narrative is that it affords one of the most impressive of all illustrations of the providential purposes of God.
2. We gain here some insight into the business regulations of a successful government. Pharaoh appears to have been a model king. He managed the state on business principles. The first question he asked these strangers who had come to settle in his kingdom was, What is your occupation? Such a government expects its subjects to be men of business. No idlers were wanted there in time of famine; none but men of ability, active habits, prudence, capacity.
3. We find in this scene an example of courtesy. There is a touching simplicity and an air of vivid reality in this picture, which leads to intuitive recognition of its genuineness. Jacob respected Pharaohs office, and Pharaoh respected Jacobs age.
4. We have here also a model for conversation.
5. This scene suggests a sad retrospect. Jacob as a prince had prevailed with God. He had gained the birthright, but he had not escaped the consequences of his own sins. Men do not escape the fruits of sin by receiving honours in the kingdom of God. Gods grace may brighten the future, but nothing else than righteous living can make happy memories; and the shadows of youthful transgression stretch across a long life.
6. We have in this scene a remainder of our eternal relations with God. (A. E. Dunning.)
Jacob and Pharaoh
I. A STRANGE MEETING. Meetings of historical characters and their results an interesting study (Diogenes and Alexander, Columbus and Ferdinand, Luther and Charles V., Milton and Galileo, &c.). None more remarkable than this.
1. Strange circumstances led to it.
2. A strange introduction given to it. Joseph presented five of his brethren to the king. These probably were the five eldest, who were at this time advanced in life.
3. Strange conversation marked it. Pharaoh, apparently overwhelmed by the venerable aspect of Jacob, inquired his age. Jacob, talking to a much younger man, calls his own life short.
4. Strange consequences flowed from it. Nearly 400 years ago this meeting left its mark on history, never to be effaced. Consequences to Israel and Egypt.
5. After the farewell was spoken they appear to have never seen each other again.
II. A STRANGE CONTRAST,
1. A patriarch, and a prince. The one the head of Gods chosen people, now numbering a few souls, to become a nation; the other the head of a mighty people, already a great nation.
2. A servant of God, and a worshipper of idols. The one the head of a people who were to become great and powerful; the other the king of a nation that should afterwards be humbled.
3. An Israelitish shepherd, and an Egyptian monarch. The occupation of the one an abomination to the other.
4. A poor man, and a rich man. The one, through his son, the benefactor and the deliverer of the other.
5. A very aged man, and a man in the prime of life. Age of Pharaoh uncertain, but the age of Jacob 130 years.
III. A STRANGE COMMENT, i.e., on life.
1. It is a pilgrimage. Not a settled, permanent, certain ,state. A journey from the cradle to the grave. Among strange people, scenes, trials, and joys. Over hills of prosperity and across plains of content, down valleys of sorrow and poverty.
2. Counted by days. The unit of measurement very short. Know not what a day may bring forth.
3. Few. Yet 130 years. How few are our years! Few as compared with eternity; or even with life of many (Methuselah, &c.). Few, compared with hopes, projects, &c.
4. Evil. Full of sin, sorrow, &c. Little done that is good. Man born to trouble. Uncertain. Full of changes.
5. Yet the longest life only a pilgrimage, and reckoned by days. Learn:
1. The best meeting for us is the meeting of the penitent sinner with the merciful Saviour. Arrangements are made for it, good results will inevitably flow from it. The closet is the audience-chamber.
2. The best contrast for us is between the old state of nature and the new state of grace. May we all realize it, and enjoy its blessings.
3. Then our new life, hopes, &c., will be a comment on the Saviours power, and on the work of the Holy Spirit (written epistles, &c.). And when this short pilgrimage is over, we shall, in eternity, comment upon the wonderful love of God, and the blessed life in heaven. (J. C. Gray.)
Joseph introduces Jacob and his family to Pharaoh
I. THE INTRODUCTION.
1. Of Josephs brethren. In this appears–
(1) Josephs character for fidelity to his promise.
(2) Josephs respect for constituted authority.
(3) The straightforwardness of Josephs brethren (Gen 47:3-4).
2. Of Josephs father.
(1) The reverence due to age.
(2) The priesthood of age.
II. THE RECEPTION.
1. Of the brethren.
2. Of Jacob. (T. H. Leale.)
Josephs filial conduct
I. SEEKING ROYAL FAVOUR.
1. Approaching the king.
2. Speaking for others.
3. Presented to the king.
II. SECURING ROYAL AID.
1. Kindly inquiry (Gen 47:3).
2. Truthful statement (Gen 47:4).
3. Generous permission (Gen 47:6).
III. DISPENSING ROYAL BOUNTY.
1. The father honoured (Gen 47:7).
2. A home bestowed (Gen 47:11).
3. The family nourished (Gen 47:12). (American Sunday School Times.)
Growth by transplanting
I. The conduct of Joseph in reference to the settlement in Goshen is an example of THE POSSIBILITY OF UNITING WORLDLY PRUDENCE WITH HIGH RELIGIOUS PRINCIPLE AND GREAT GENEROSITY OF NATURE. He had promised his brothers a home in that fertile Eastern district, which afforded many advantages in its proximity to Canaan, its adaptation to pastoral life, and its vicinity to Joseph when in Zoan, the capital. But he had not consulted Pharaoh, and, however absolute his authority, it scarcely stretched to giving away Egyptian territory without leave. So his first care, when the wanderers arrive, is to manage the confirmation of the grant. He goes about it with considerable astuteness–a hereditary quality, which is redeemed from blame because used for unselfish purposes and unstained by deceit. He does not tell Pharaoh how far he had gone, but simply announces that his family are in Goshen, as if awaiting the monarchs further pleasure. Then he introduces a deputation, no doubt carefully chosen, of five of his brothers (as if the whole number would have been too formidable), previously instructed how to answer. He knows what Pharaoh is in the habit of asking, or he knows that he can lead him to ask the required question, which will bring out the fact of their being shepherds, and utilize the prejudice against that occupation, to insure separation in Goshen. All goes as he had arranged. Joseph is a saint and a politician. His shrewdness is never craft; sagacity is not alien to consecration. No doubt it has to be carefully watched lest it degenerate; but prudence is as needful as enthusiasm, and he is the complete man who has a burning fire down in his heart to generate the force that drives him, and a steady hand on the helm, and a keen eye on the chart, to guide him. Be ye wise as serpents, but also harmless as doves.
II. WE MAY SEE IN JOSEPHS CONDUCT ALSO AN INSTANCE OF A MAN IN HIGH OFFICE AND NOT ASHAMED OF HIS HUMBLE RELATIONS. It is as if some high official in Paris were to walk in half-a-dozen peasants in blouse and sabots, and present them to the president as my brothers. It was a brave thing to do; and it teaches a lesson which many people in America and England, who have made their way in the world, would be nobler and more esteemed if they learned.
III. The brothers word to Pharaoh is another instance of THAT IGNORANT CARRYING OUT OF THE DIVINE PURPOSES WHICH WE HAVE ALREADY HAD TO NOTICE. They thought of five years, and it was to be nearly as many centuries. They thought of temporary shelter and food; God meant an education of them and their descendants. Over all this story the unseen Hand hovers, chastising, guiding, impelling; and the human agents are free and yet fulfilling an eternal purpose, blind and yet accountable, responsible for motives, and mercifully ignorant of consequences. So we all play our little parts. We have no call to be curious as to what will come of our deeds. This end of the action, the motive of it, is our care; the other end, the outcome of it, is Gods business to see to.
IV. We may also observe HOW TRIVIAL INCIDENTS ARE WROUGHT INTO GODS SCHEME. The Egyptian hatred of the shepherd class secured one of the prime reasons for the removal from Canaan, the unimpeded growth of a tribe into a nation.
V. THE INTERVIEW OF JACOB WITH PHARAOH IS PATHETIC AND BEAUTIFUL. (A. Maclaren, D. D.)
Jacob before Pharaoh
I. THE IMPRESSIVE SPECTACLE OF A VENERABLE OLD AGE.
1. Picture the old mans attitude of soul toward God, and death, and the world to come.
2. His retrospect of life, and how he now sees events in their true proportions and bearings.
3. His own subdued passions and amiable spirit.
4. His concern for, and interest in, the rising generation.
II. THE SUPERIORITY OF MORAL OVER MATERIAL GREATNESS AND WORTH. Jacob blessed Pharaoh (Heb 8:7).
III. A LESSON ON LIFES EVANESCENCE AND VANITY (Gen 47:9).
1. A natural reflection.
2. It may be a morbid and evil reflection. Better to imitate the Psalmists thankful hopefulness (Psa 23:1-6).
IV. A LESSON OF TRUST IN GOD TO BRING ABOUT ALL THINGS RIGHT AT LAST. (T. G. Horton.)
Jacob and Pharaoh
I. THE PATRIARCH JACOB, IN HIS OLD AGE, A SOJOURNER IN EGYPT.
II. JACOB AND THE PHARAOH OF EGYPT.
III. JOSEPH, THE AFFECTIONATE SON AND NOBLE BROTHER.
1. The reality of Josephs love for his brothers, as well as for his lather, is found in the abundant provision he made for them all.
2. This evidence of Josephs forgiveness of his brothers great wrong to him, and of his care for them, completes the picture of one of the most beautiful characters presented in history.
3. And this perfection of character, combining so many qualities, presents him to us not only as a beautiful model of manliness, of filial and fraternal love, but also as one of the most perfect types of our great exemplar, the Lord Jesus Christ.
Lessons:
1. Gods faithfulness to His people.
2. Notwithstanding the Divine love, Gods people are not exempt from suffering.
3. A good son maketh the heart of his father to rejoice.
4. Let us learn more perfectly the duty of loving one another. (D. C. Hughes, M. A.)
Fuente: Biblical Illustrator Edited by Joseph S. Exell
Verse 7. Jacob blessed Pharaoh.] Saluted him on his entrance with Peace be unto thee, or some such expression of respect and good will. For the meaning of the term to bless, as applied to God and man, See Clarke on Ge 2:3.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
Not in an authoritative way, as the greater blesseth the less, but in a general manner, i.e. he saluted him, thanked him for all his favours to him and his, and prayed to God to bless and recompense him for it. Thus blessing is put for saluting, 1Sa 13:10; 2Ki 4:29; for praying, Num 6:23,24; for thanksgiving, Mat 26:26, compare with Luk 22:19.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
7. Joseph brought in Jacob hisfatherThere is a pathetic and most affecting interestattending this interview with royalty; and when, with all thesimplicity and dignified solemnity of a man of God, Jacob signalizedhis entrance by imploring the divine blessing on the royal head, itmay easily be imagined what a striking impression the scene wouldproduce (compare Heb 7:7).
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
And Joseph brought in Jacob his father,…. That is, some time after he had introduced his five brethren, and had gotten the grant of Goshen for them, when he sent, for his father from thence, or he came quickly after to Tanis or Memphis, where Pharaoh’s court was:
and set him before Pharaoh; presented Jacob to him, and placed his father right before Pharaoh, perhaps in a chair, or on a seat, by Pharaoh’s order, because of his age, and in honour to him:
and Jacob blessed Pharaoh; wished him health and happiness, prayed for his welfare, and gave him thanks for all his kindness to him and his; and he blessed him not only in a way of civility, as was usual when men came into the presence of princes, but in an authoritative way, as a prophet and patriarch, a man divinely inspired of God, and who had great power in prayer with him: the Targum of Jonathan gives us his prayer thus,
“may it be the pleasure (i.e. of God) that the waters of the Nile may be filled, and that the famine may remove from the world in thy days.”
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
Joseph then presented his father to Pharaoh, but not till after the audience of his brothers had been followed by the royal permission to settle, for which the old man, who was bowed down with age, was not in a condition to sue. The patriarch saluted the king with a blessing, and replied to his inquiry as to his age, “ The days of the years of my pilgrimage are 130 years; few and sorrowful are the days of my life’s years, and have not reached (the perfect in the presentiment of his approaching end) the days of the life’s years of my fathers in the days of their pilgrimage.” Jacob called his own life and that of his fathers a pilgrimage ( ), because they had not come into actual possession of the promised land, but had been obliged all their life long to wander about, unsettled and homeless, in the land promised to them for an inheritance, as in a strange land. This pilgrimage was at the same time a figurative representation of the inconstancy and weariness of the earthly life, in which man does not attain to that true rest of peace with God and blessedness in His fellowship, for which he was created, and for which therefore his soul is continually longing (cf. Psa 39:13; Psa 119:19, Psa 119:54; 1Ch 29:15). The apostle, therefore, could justly regard these words as a declaration of the longing of the patriarchs for the eternal rest of their heavenly fatherland (Heb 11:13-16). So also Jacob’s life was little ( ) and evil (i.e., full of toil and trouble) in comparison with the life of his fathers. For Abraham lived to be 175 years old, and Isaac 180; and neither of them had led a life so agitated, so full of distress and dangers, of tribulation and anguish, as Jacob had from his first flight to Haran up to the time of his removal to Egypt.
Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament
7. And Joseph brought in Jacob his father. Although Moses relates, in a continuous narrative, that Jacob was brought to the king, yet I do not doubt that some time had intervened; at least, till he had obtained a place wherein he might dwell; and where he might leave his family more safely, and with a more tranquil mind; and also, where he might refresh himself, for a little while, after the fatigue of his journey. And whereas he is said to have blessed Pharaoh, by this term Moses does not mean a common and profane salutation, but the pious and holy prayer of a servant of God. For the children of this world salute kings and princes for the sake of honor, but, by no means, raise their thoughts to God. Jacob acts otherwise; for he adjoins to civil reverence that pious affection which causes him to commend the safety of the king to God. And Jeremiah prescribes this rule to the Jews, that they should pray for the peace of Babylon as long as they were to live in exile; because in the peace of that land and empire their own peace would be involved. (Jer 29:7.) If this duty was enjoined on miserable captives, forcibly deprived of their liberty, and torn from their own country; how much more did Jacob owe it to a king so humane and beneficent? But of whatever character they may be who rule over us, we are commanded to offer up public prayers for them. (1Ti 2:1.) Therefore the same subjection to authority is required severally from each of us.
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
(7) Jacob blessed Pharaoh.The presentation of Jacob to Pharaoh seems to have been a much more solemn matter than that of Josephs brethren. Pharaoh looks upon them with interest as the brothers of his vizier, grants their request for leave to dwell in Goshen, and even empowers Joseph to make the ablest of them chief herdsmen over the royal cattle. But Jacob had attained to an age which gave him great dignity: for to an Egyptian 120 was the utmost limit of longevity. Jacob was now 130, and Pharaoh treats him with the greatest honour, and twice accepts his blessing. More must be meant by this than the usual salutation, in which each one presented to the king prayed for the prolongation of his life. Pharaoh probably bowed before Jacob as a saintly personage, and received a formal benediction.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
Gen 47:7. Jacob blessed Pharaoh When the word, bless, says Calmet, is applied to God, it signifies to thank, or praise; when to men, it signifies, to wish them health, prosperity, or happiness: in which latter sense it is here used. Jacob blessed Pharaoh, i.e.. wished him health, and a long and happy reign, in gratitude for the protection with which he had honoured him and his family; and probably he did this in the name of the God of his fathers. The common salutation among the Jews, O king, live for ever! was of this same kind.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
DISCOURSE: 58
JACOBS INTERVIEW WITH PHARAOH
Gen 47:7-10. And Joseph brought in Jacob his father, and set him before Pharaoh: and Jacob blessed Pharaoh. And Pharaoh said unto Jacob, How old art thou? And Jacob said unto Pharaoh, The days of the years of my pilgrimage are an hundred and thirty years: few and evil hare the days of the years of my life been, and have not attained unto the days of the years of the life of my fathers, in the days of their pilgrimage. And Jacob blessed Pharaoh, and went out from before Pharaoh.
TO acknowledge God in all our ways, and to commit our way to him, secures to us, as we are told, his gracious interposition for the direction of our paths, and the accomplishment of our desires. It is possible that Jacob, after he had set out towards Egypt in the waggons that Joseph had sent for him, felt some doubts about the propriety of leaving the promised land, when, at his advanced age, he could have no reasonable prospect of returning thither with his family. But, knowing from experience the efficacy of prayer, he betook himself to that never-failing remedy: he stopped at Beersheba, and offered sacrifices to the Lord. That very night God vouchsafed to appear to him in a vision, and to dissipate his fears, by an express command to proceed on his journey, and by a promise that he should in due time be brought back again [Note: Gen 46:1-4.]. He then prosecuted his journey in safety, and had a most affecting interview with his beloved Joseph. Soon after his arrival, five of his sons were introduced to Pharaoh; and afterwards he himself. It is this introduction of the aged patriarch to Pharaoh that we are now more particularly to consider. In the account given us of the interview, we notice,
I.
The question which Pharaoh put to Jacob
[It could not be expected that persons so remote from each other in their station, their views, and habits of life, should have many topics in common with each other whereon to maintain a long and interesting conversation. The interview seems to have been very short, and of course the conversation short also. All that is related concerning it contains only one short question. This, as far as it related to Jacob, was a mere expression of kindness and respect on the part of Pharaoh. To have questioned him about matters which he did not understand, would have been embarrassing to Jacob, and painful to his feelings: and to have asked him about any thing in which neither party was at all interested, would have betrayed a great want of judgment in Pharaoh. The topic selected by Pharaoh was liable to no such objection: for it is always gratifying to a person advanced in years to mention his age, because the hoary head, especially if found in the way of righteousness, is always considered as a crown of glory [Note: Pro 16:31; Lev 19:32.].
As a general question, independent of the history, it cannot fail of suggesting many important thoughts to all to whom it is addressed. How old art thou? Art thou far advanced in life? how much then of thine allotted time is gone, and how little remains for the finishing of the work that is required of thee! how diligently therefore shouldst thou redeem every hour that is now added to thine expiring term! Art thou, on the contrary, but just setting out in the world? how little dost thou know of its snares, temptations, sorrows! what disappointments and troubles hast thou to experience! and how deeply art thou concerned to have thy news rectified, and thy conduct regulated by the word of God! Whatever be thine age, thou shouldst consider every return of thy birth-day rather as a call to weep and mourn, than as an occasion of festivity and joy: for it is the knell of a departed year; a year that might, in all probability, have been far better improved; a year in which many sins have been committed, which are indelibly recorded in the book of Gods remembrance, and of which you must shortly give a strict account at his judgment-seat.]
We notice,
II.
Jacobs answer to it
[The patriarchs mind was fraught with zeal for God; and therefore not contenting himself with a plain short answer, he framed his reply in words calculated to make a deep impression on the mind of Pharaoh, without giving him the smallest offence.
He insinuates, and repeats the idea, that life is but a pilgrimage; that we are merely sojourners in a foreign land, and that our home and our inheritance is in a better country. This part of his speech is particularly noticed in the Epistle to the Hebrews, as being an open acknowledgment of his principles as a worshipper of Jehovah, and of his expectations in a better world [Note: Heb 11:13-14; Heb 11:16.]. He intimates also that his years, though they had been an hundred and thirty, were few. This age might appear great to Pharaoh; but it was not near equal to that of Jacobs progenitors [Note: Terah was 205 years old; Abraham 175; Isaac 180.]. On a retrospect, every persons days appear to have been but few. Various incidents of former life seem to have been but recently transacted; the intervening time being lost, as it were, like valleys intercepted by adjacent hills. He further declares, that these years of his had been replete with evil. Certainly his life, from the time that he fled from the face of his brother Esau to that hour, had been a scene of great afflictions. His fourteen years servitude to Laban, the disgrace brought on him and his family by Dinah his only daughter, the murderous cruelty of his vindictive sons, the jealousies of all his children on account of his partiality to Joseph, the sudden loss of Joseph, and all his recent trials, had greatly embittered life to him, and made it appear like a sea of troubles, where wave followed wave in endless succession. And who is there that does not find, (especially in more advanced life,) that the evil, on the whole, outweighs the good?
These hints, offered in so delicate a manner to a potent monarch, with whom he had only one short interview, afford a beautiful pattern for our imitation, at the same time that they convey important instruction to our minds.]
We conclude with commending to your imitation the whole of Jacobs conduct towards Pharaoh
[At his first admission into Pharaohs presence, and again at his departure from him, this holy patriarch blessed him. We do not suppose that he pronounced his benediction in a formal and authoritative manner, as Melchizedec did to Abraham; but that he rendered him his most grateful acknowledgments for the favours he had conferred, and invoked the blessing of God upon him and upon his kingdom on account of them. Such a mode of testifying his gratitude became a servant of Jehovah, and tended to lead the monarchs thoughts to the contemplation of the only true God. And well may it put to shame the greater part of the Christian world, who systematically exclude religion from their social converse, under the idea that the introduction of it would destroy all the comfort of society True Christians, however, should learn from this instance not to be ashamed of their religion; but, as inoffensively as possible, to lead men to the knowledge of it; and to make the diffusion of it a very essential part of all their intercourse with each other More especially we should embrace every opportunity of impressing on our own minds and on the minds of others the true end of life; that we may thereby secure that rest which remaineth for us after our short but weary pilgrimage.]
Fuente: Charles Simeon’s Horae Homileticae (Old and New Testaments)
Gen 47:7 And Joseph brought in Jacob his father, and set him before Pharaoh: and Jacob blessed Pharaoh.
Ver. 7. Jacob blessed Pharaoh. ] That is, he prayed God to bless him, both at meeting and parting. To salute is comely: but see that ye be hearty, not frothy; prayerful, not complimental. We are heirs of blessing, and must therefore be free of it. 1Pe 3:9
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: Gen 47:7-12
7Then Joseph brought his father Jacob and presented him to Pharaoh; and Jacob blessed Pharaoh. 8Pharaoh said to Jacob, “How many years have you lived?” 9So Jacob said to Pharaoh, “The years of my sojourning are one hundred and thirty; few and unpleasant have been the years of my life, nor have they attained the years that my fathers lived during the days of their sojourning.” 10And Jacob blessed Pharaoh, and went out from his presence. 11So Joseph settled his father and his brothers and gave them a possession in the land of Egypt, in the best of the land, in the land of Rameses, as Pharaoh had ordered. 12Joseph provided his father and his brothers and all his father’s household with food, according to their little ones.
Gen 47:7 “and Jacob blessed Pharaoh” There has been much discussion about Jacob blessing Pharaoh twice (cf. v.10). Some say it is simply the normal Oriental opening and departing greetings (cf. Gen 31:55; Rth 2:4, NJB). However, it seems unusual that it is mentioned twice here. The superior always blesses the inferior (cf. Heb 7:7). Martin Luther says that Jacob preached the gospel to Pharaoh and that he and his court were converted. He uses Psa 105:22 as evidence for this conversion. Because of the divine blessing on the family of Abraham and those connected to them, this blessing to such a supportive Pharaoh seems appropriate (cf. NRSV, TEV, NIV). The Jewish Study Bible, p. 93, lists the verses where others are blessed by their contact with the covenant family (cf. Gen 12:3; Gen 22:18; Gen 26:4; Gen 28:14; Gen 30:27-30; Gen 39:5; Gen 39:23, p. 93).
Gen 47:9 “The years of my sojourning” Jacob was certainly caught up in depression in the last years of his life. His melancholy spirit (brought on by the news of Joseph’s death) is revealed in this verse.
Gen 47:11 “gave them a possession in the land of Egypt, in the best of the land, in the land of Rameses, as Pharaoh had ordered” It is obvious here that “the land of Rameses” (cf. Exo 1:11; Exo 12:37; Num 33:3) and the land of Goshen are the same area. The mentioning of Rameses is either (1) a later addition by a scribe or (2) there was a city there by this name before the Hebrews rebuilt one there in honor of Rameses II. Rameses II seems to be the Pharaoh of the Exodus experience and seems to confirm the date as being 1290 B.C. This is not only true because of the location of the Egyptian capital during the Hyksos period being relatively close to the land of Goshen, but also for the archaeological evidence of the invasion of Palestine around 1250 B.C.
Gen 47:12
NASBaccording to their little ones”
NKJVaccording to the number in their families”
NRSVaccording to the number of their dependents”
TEVincluding the very youngest”
NJBdown to the least of them”
JPSOA”down to the little ones”
LXX”for each person”
Peshitta”according to their families”
The “little ones” (BDB 381, KB 378, cf. Num 14:3; Num 14:31; Num 31:17) may refer to every member of the household who were allocated a certain amount of food (cf. Gen 45:11). The rabbis say that children waste a lot of bread and this is an idiom to show that Joseph provided abundantly for them. It is possible that the term “little ones” is an intimate family metaphor for all the members of the covenant family (cf. Gen 47:24).
Fuente: You Can Understand the Bible: Study Guide Commentary Series by Bob Utley
Jacob. See notes on Gen 32:28; Gen 43:8; Gen 45:26, Gen 45:28.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
And Jacob: Gen 47:10, Gen 35:27, Exo 12:32, Num 6:23, Num 6:24, Jos 14:13, 1Sa 2:20, 2Sa 8:10, 2Sa 19:39, 1Ki 1:47, 2Ki 4:29, Mat 26:26, Luk 22:19, 1Pe 2:17
Reciprocal: Gen 14:19 – he blessed Jos 22:6 – General 2Ki 10:15 – saluted 1Ch 16:2 – he blessed Pro 16:31 – if Luk 2:34 – blessed Heb 7:7 – the less
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Gen 47:7. Jacob blessed Pharaoh Which is repeated, Gen 47:10, as being a circumstance very remarkable. And remarkable surely it was that the greater, for such Pharaoh was in all external things, in wealth, power and glory, should be blessed of the less, Heb 7:7. But before God, and in reality, Jacob was much greater than Pharaoh. It is probable, therefore, that he not only saluted him, prayed for and thanked him for all his favours to him and his, all which the original word, here rendered blessed, often means; but that he blessed him with the authority of a patriarch and a prophet: and a patriarchs blessing was a thing not to be despised, no, not by a potent prince.