Genesis 47 explains how Joseph’s family, led by his father Jacob, came to live in Egypt during a severe famine, and how Joseph managed the crisis for both Egypt and his relatives. Readers often turn to this chapter to understand the events of the famine, Joseph’s land policies, and Jacob’s final request to be buried in Canaan. It is a chapter about provision, a government under strain, and a family that trusts God’s promise to be carried forward into a land they have not yet inherited.
Genesis 47 Summary
Joseph first presents five of his brothers to Pharaoh, who asks about their occupation. They answer that they are shepherds and ask for permission to settle in Goshen, where there is grazing land. Pharaoh grants this and invites Joseph to place capable men over his own livestock. Then Jacob comes before Pharaoh, blesses him, and speaks of his years as a pilgrim.
The middle of the chapter turns to the famine itself. Egyptians and Canaanites spend their money on grain until nothing is left, so they trade their livestock, then their land and their own labor, for bread and seed. Joseph keeps the people alive, but the arrangement reshapes the economy of Egypt, and he sets a standing rule that Pharaoh receives a fifth of each harvest, except on the priests’ land.
The chapter closes with Israel settling in Goshen, growing in possessions and numbers, and with Jacob’s final days. Jacob asks Joseph to swear that he will carry his body back to the burial place of his fathers, and Joseph gives his oath.
Background and Setting
Genesis is the first book of the Hebrew Scriptures and the opening book of the Torah, traditionally attributed to Moses, though many scholars see it as drawing together earlier traditions over a longer period. Chapter 47 belongs to the final section of Genesis, the Joseph narrative, which runs from chapter 37 to the end of the book. The events are set in the period of the famine that Joseph had foretold, and the chapter moves the story from the sons of Jacob into the wider life of Egypt.
The book was written for a community that traced its origins to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and it explains why Israel was present in Egypt and why it would later be described as a people with a promise attached to a land. Genesis 47 ends the Joseph story and sets up the Exodus that follows, so readers were meant to see the family’s settlement in Goshen as both a rescue and a waiting place.
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 reports his family’s arrival and brings five brothers before Pharaoh. Pharaoh’s question about their occupation matters because shepherding was regarded with suspicion by Egyptians, which the brothers themselves seem to recognize when they describe themselves as foreigners who need pasture. Their honest answer places them in Goshen, a region suited to their livelihood and separate from the centre of Egyptian life.
Pharaoh then offers the family the best of the land and asks Joseph to appoint able men to tend the royal herds. Joseph’s position lets him provide for his household while also serving the court, and the passage shows how God’s earlier promises to Joseph are being worked out through ordinary arrangements.
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, now an old man, stands before the most powerful ruler of his day and blesses him. The blessing is a sign of Jacob’s standing as the patriarch who carries the covenant promises. When Pharaoh asks how many years he has lived, Jacob answers with a sober account of his life as a pilgrim, marked by hardship and fewer years than his fathers had.
Jacob’s reflection is honest rather than triumphant. He does not hide the difficulty of his life, yet he still stands as one who has been led by God through it. Joseph then settles the family in the land of Rameses, and he provides bread for them according to their households, showing that the promise of care reaches into daily needs.
Verses 13-19: The Famine and the Exchange of Money and Livestock
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)
The famine is described as severe enough to weaken both Egypt and Canaan. Joseph gathers the money of the people and brings it into Pharaoh’s house, and when the money runs out, the Egyptians come to him pleading for bread so that they will not die. The passage shows the desperation of ordinary people when resources fail, and it does not hide the fact that the crisis was shaping the terms of their survival.
Joseph accepts livestock in exchange for food, which sustains the people for a year. The sequence is stark, but the text presents Joseph as one who responds to need rather than exploiting it for its own sake, a point readers can weigh as they assess the chapter’s moral shape.
Verses 20-26: The Land, the Fifth and the Priests
20 So Joseph bought all the land of Egypt for Pharaoh, for every man of the Egyptians sold his field, because the famine was severe on them, and the land became Pharaoh’s. 21 As for the people, he moved them to the cities from one end of the border of Egypt even to the other end of it. 22 Only he didn’t buy the land of the priests, for the priests had a portion from Pharaoh, and ate their portion which Pharaoh gave them. That is why they didn’t sell their land.
Genesis 47:20-22 (WEB)
When the people have no livestock left, they offer their land and their labor in return for seed. Joseph buys the land for Pharaoh, and the people become servants, a result the text records plainly. The exception of the priests, who receive a portion from Pharaoh and keep their land, is noted carefully and is preserved as a statute.
Joseph then gives the people seed and sets the rule that Pharaoh receives one fifth of each harvest. The people respond with gratitude, saying that Joseph has saved their lives. Readers can see both the mercy in the provision and the lasting shift in the country’s arrangements that the chapter records.
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 returns to Israel in Goshen, who gain possessions and grow exceedingly in number. This summary fulfils the earlier promise that the family would be fruitful, and it shows that the promise continues to hold even in a foreign land. The narrative then turns to Jacob’s last days.
Jacob asks Joseph to bury him in Canaan rather than in Egypt, and Joseph swears to do so. The request expresses faith that the land promised to Abraham’s descendants is still their true home, even though the family now lives elsewhere. The chapter ends with Jacob bowing in worship, leaving the outcome of God’s promise in the hands of the next generation.
Key Themes in Genesis 47
- Divine provision in hard seasons: God’s care reaches the family in Goshen through Joseph’s administration during the famine.
- Dependence and its costs: The people’s trade of money, livestock and land shows how crisis can narrow the choices of those who depend on others for survival.
- Faithfulness to promise: Jacob’s request to be buried in Canaan expresses trust that the land promised to his line remains theirs.
- Dignity in the midst of hardship: Jacob’s honest account of his life and the people’s plea for bread both show human need before God.
Lessons From Genesis 47 for Today
Many readers face seasons when resources run out, whether through job loss, illness or a shrinking budget. Genesis 47 shows that provision often comes through people and structures, and it also shows that crisis can leave people in positions they never chose. A modern reader might use this chapter to think about how to care for others during a hard season while being careful not to take advantage of their vulnerability.
Jacob’s request to be buried in the promised land can encourage those who live far from the places that shaped their faith or family. Someone who has moved for work or for safety may still hold a sense of home that points to God’s larger promises. The chapter invites that kind of long view without dismissing present responsibilities.
Questions for Reflection
- Where have you seen God provide for a need through ordinary people or institutions?
- How do you respond when someone you care for is pressed into a hard bargain by circumstances?
- What promises from God shape the way you think about where you belong?
- How does Jacob’s honest reflection on his life speak to your own experience of hardship?
A Prayer From Genesis 47
Lord, you have carried your people through famine and through strange lands, and you have kept your promises even when those who received them could not see the way ahead. Thank you for the provision you give in seasons when resources run low. Teach me to receive your care with humility and to share what I have with those who are in need. Keep me faithful to the promises you have made, and help me to trust that you are leading your people toward the home you have prepared. Amen.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why did Joseph’s family move to Egypt in Genesis 47?
The family moved to Egypt because the famine had made food scarce in Canaan, and Joseph had arranged for them to settle in Goshen. Chapter 47 records their presentation to Pharaoh and their settlement in that region.
What happened to the Egyptians during the famine in Genesis 47?
The Egyptians spent their money on grain, then traded their livestock, then offered their land and labor to Pharaoh in return for seed and food. Joseph’s policy kept the people alive but changed the economic arrangements of the country.
Why did Jacob ask to be buried in Canaan?
Jacob asked to be buried in the land of his fathers because he trusted the promise God had made to Abraham and his descendants. His request expresses faith that Canaan is the family’s true inheritance, even while they lived in Egypt.
