CPCC Bible Study: Genesis 47 - 48

1 - 6
      Summary: Joseph picks five of his brothers to go meet Pharaoh, we never find out which five. They answer the king's questions with the answers Joseph had given them. Pharaoh tells Joseph that the land is before them, let them live in Goshen and they can train the locals to take care of livestock.

7 - 8
      Then Joseph brings in Jacob (by the old name). And Jacob blesses Pharaoh, who asks him how old he is.

9
      "way yomer" (and said) Jacob to Paraoh, "yom" (days) of the "shanah" (years) of my "magor" (pilgrimage / sojourning) are '130' years - "me'at" (few / little) and "'ra" (evil / bad / unpleasant) 'have been the days of the years' my "chay" (life) and "lo" (not) "nasag" (reached / overtaken) the days and years of "chay" (life) of my "ab" (fathers / ancestors)...
      Yes, before you ask, yes. In the Hebrew, Jacob stands in front of the Pharaoh and bemoans his life. He also neglects to mention that most of the bad stuff that has come his way was of his own doing one way or another.

10
      Summary: Jacob blesses Pharaoh, again, and goes out.

11 - 12
      Summary: Joseph sets them up in the land, and provides food.
      The text uses the word "Raamses / Rameses", as is seen in our quote above, which is the name of various Egyptian Pharaohs. But there is no indication that this is Paramessu who is better known as Rameses (Ramesses) the First who ruled for a year (or two) around 1290 BC and founded the Nineteenth Dynasty in Egypt's New Kingdom. Or his grandson Ozymandias who is usually referred to as Rameses II or Rameses the Great who ruled from around 1280 - 1210 BC. But it most likely isn't the Rameses that is most often assosiated with Moses, and of whom there is an inscription that has been found in Jordan, Usermaatre Meryamun Ramesses III, ruled 1186 - 1155 BC.
      But it is also known that the term "Rameses" was also used to indicate the ruler, instead of saying Pharaoh. And also that, later in Egypt's history, there was a whole baseball team of kings that used the name, whether or not they rightfully had any claim to that lineage, or really, even a valid claim to the throne, see links below.
      Just going by the known dates of the kings, and the possible dates for Joseph by the information available, it is most likely that IF this ruler is the earliest Rameses, and isn't his son, who was Pharaoh Seti I who ruled for about ten years, it is probably Rameses the First.

13 - 14
      Summary: The famine is REALLY bad. And Joseph turns the house of Pharaoh into the central bank for the region, including, by name, the land of Canaan.

15
      ... 'when' "tamam" (finished / consumed / spent (as in 'used up / gone')) the "keseph" (money / silver) in Egypt and Canaan, then came "kal" (all) Egypt to Joseph and said "yahab" (give / provide) us "lechem" (bread (by extension: food)), "mah" (why / how) we "muth" (die) "neged" ('in front of' / before / in presence), for "aphes" (failed / gone).

16 - 17
      Summary: Joseph tells them to bring in their livestock and he'll give them either money or bread.
      This does two things, it keeps both the people and the animals alive.

18 - 19
      Summary: the next year, the people didn't have livestock, or money, so Joseph exchanged title to their land for bread, and seeds to plant....
      and "adamah" (land / earth) "lo" (not) be "yasham" (desolate / stripped).

20 - 21
      "way" (and) "qanah" (acquire / possess) Joseph "ka" (all) "adamah" (land) of Egypt for Pharaoh...
      Summary: because everybody sold everything for food. He also moved the people into the cities all over Egypt.

22
      Summary: the only thing Joseph didn't buy was the land assigned to the priests by Pharaoh, because the king gave them rations.

23 - 26
      Summary: Joseph tells the people that he's bought their land for Pharaoh. Then he gives them seed to plant with the understanding that at harvest, a fifth of the harvest belongs to the king. And the people agree to it because he saved their lives.

NOTE: total change of topic with no warning or transition
27 - 28
      Summary: so dwelled "Yisrael" (Israel (the name here is as a people, not an individual)) in Goshen, they had possessions and grew and multiplied "meod" (greatly / much / etc). Jacob (the old name is used to differentiate the man from the nation) lived in Egypt 17 years, he's now 147.

29 - 30
      Summary: Jacob is finally dying. He tells Joseph 'put his hand under his thigh', which is the most solemn oath they could do at the time ('swearing by the 'family jewels' as it were'), and to promise him that he'll carry his bones out of Egypt and bury him with his fathers. In the cave Abram / Abraham bought back in the day. So Joseph swore and bowed to him..........

-end 47-

Chapter 48

1 - 5
Time passes, we don't know how much.
      Summary: ...... except Jacob isn't quite ready to exit stage left just yet. Joseph takes his two kids in to see their grandfather. Jacob hears that Joseph is coming and "chazaq" (strength / harden / prevail / etc) himself and "yashab" (sit (as opposed to lie flat)) on the bed.
      Then Jacob makes a speech, relaying some of the high points, and finally comes to the point.
      Jacob says that Joseph's two kids are his (remember the statement made by the father of his two wives?). And their offspring will be called by their names.
      This is why there is no tribe of Joseph, but instead, a tribe of each of his sons.... this gets fixed later to end up with twelve instead of thirteen.

7 - 11
      Summary: Jacob is still relaying history about how Joseph's mother died. Then he sees Joseph's sons, and it is as if he hasn't seem them before, so Joseph explains who they are, and Jacob blesses them. Then the text explains that Jacob / Israel is almost blind from age.

12 - 16
      Comment: this scene may strike us as odd. And the detail with which it is recorded, considering how much ink it is using in the Genesis account is astonishing given who the boys are and what happens to their tribes later, and that The Promise doesn't come through either of them.
      Summary: Joseph bows to the ground, then he presents one son with each hand to his father, who then crosses his hands to make sure his right was on the firstborn. And he blesses them with a history lesson...
      Comment: at the beginning of our verse 16, the phrase "malak ham gaal eth" (angel/messenger 'of GOD' who ransomed/redeemed/delivered me) from evil, is used. Question: is Jacob still thinking about his wrestling opponent from that night long ago? Or is he referring to YHWH, whose name still hasn't been used for some time? We have no idea.
     

17 - 20
      Summary: Jacob / Israel puts his right hand on Ephraim, who was the younger son, which upsets Joseph, but Jacob doesn't change what he's doing, and says the younger will supersede the older, and so on.

21 - 22
      Summary: The old man says he is dying (hang on, there's more) but he says that 'Elohim (GOD) will be with him and bring him back to the land of his fathers, and that he has given a portion of the land that he took from the Amorites with his sword and bow above one of his brothers.
      NOTE: There is no information in the Genesis account of Jacob ever taking anything from anybody, with the sword and bow.... come to think of it, is there any evidence in the story of him ever using either?

-end 48-

References and links: Outside links will open in new tab/window.
The Interlinear: Hebrew - English https://biblehub.com/interlinear/genesis/47.htm

New Living Translation https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis%2047&version=NLT

The Pharaohs named Rameses:
(ONE) The founder of a ruling dynasty of Egypt: Ramses the First https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/mummy/rameses.html

(TWO) Also called ".... The Great": King Ramses II: Facts, Accomplishments, Life and Death https://www.memphistours.com/egypt/egypt-wikis/egypt-history/wiki/ramesses-ii

(THREE) "Cartouche of Rameses III found in Wadi in Jordan" https://archaeology.org/news/2025/04/28/ramesses-iii-inscription-found-etched-into-jordanian-mountainside/

"And the rest...."
(FOUR) Usermaatre Heqamaatre Setepenamun Ramesses IV, (FIVE) Usermaatre Sekheperenre Ramesses V, (SIX) Ramesses VI Nebmaatre-Meryamun, (SEVEN) Usermaatre Setepenre Meryamun Ramesses VII, (EIGHT) Usermaatre Akhenamun Ramesses VIII, (NINE) Neferkare Setepenre Ramesses IX, (TEN) Khepermaatre Ramesses X, (ELEVEN) Menmaatre Ramesses XI ....

Pharaoh's List https://www.britannica.com/topic/list-of-pharaohs-of-ancient-Egypt#ref376328 (no Twelve)

And possibly, by some lists: (TWELVE) Usermaatre-heqawaset Rameses-mereramun, whose attempt to reign was the end of the Twentieth Dynasty and ended in the Third Intermediate Period which lasted for several decades, although good objective information on him is hard to find, this page is a good start: https://ancientegypt.fandom.com/wiki/Ramesses_XII

The Genesis Study Index Page

NOTE: The Bible Study Lesson presented above is posted as a reference document to begin a conversation of the topic. And that's it. Please accept it at such.

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