Why did Jacob stop at Beersheba and offer sacrifices before going to Egypt?

Jacob knew he was about to make a huge change by leaving the land where God had promised to bless his family. Stopping at Beersheba, a place tied to his father Isaac, showed that he did not want to move without seeking God. His sacrifices were an act of worship, thanks for the news about Joseph, and a way of asking for guidance and approval. This pause tells us Jacob was not just following his feelings or the pull of Egypt’s food, but was choosing to submit his plans to God first.

What is the meaning of God saying, “Fear not to go down into Egypt”?

Jacob knew that Egypt was outside the promised land and might have remembered times when going there had been forbidden. So he was likely torn between need and fear. When God says, “Fear not to go down into Egypt,” He is clearing Jacob’s doubts. God explains that He Himself will go with Jacob, will make his family a great nation there, and will also bring them up again. This shows that leaving the land for a time does not cancel God’s promise, because God’s presence and plan are what truly keep the covenant.

What does God’s promise “I will bring thee up again” refer to in this passage?

The words “I will bring thee up again” have more than one layer. Jacob himself would die in Egypt, but his body would later be carried back to be buried in the land of his fathers. So there is a personal promise that he will not be left in a foreign land forever. At the same time, this points to his descendants. God is saying that the family going down as a small group will one day be brought up as a great nation. It looks ahead to their later departure from Egypt under God’s hand.

Why are all the names and the number of seventy people going into Egypt important?

The long list of names can feel dry at first, but it serves a clear purpose. It shows that God is paying attention to each person in Jacob’s family and that this small group is the seed of a nation. The number seventy highlights how few they were when they entered Egypt. Later, they will become a large people there. This contrast underlines that their growth is not by human strength but by God’s promise to multiply Abraham’s family, even in a foreign land and in hard times.

What is the significance of Joseph meeting Jacob in Goshen and weeping on his neck?

The meeting in Goshen shows both God’s care and deep human emotion. Jacob had believed Joseph was dead for many years. Now he sees him alive, in honor, and safe. Joseph rushing with his chariot and weeping on his father’s neck for a long time paints a picture of real love and relief. Jacob’s words, “Now let me die, since I have seen thy face,” show that this reunion feels like the completion of his earthly hopes. It reminds us that God can restore what seemed lost and bring joy out of long seasons of sorrow.

Why did Joseph tell his family to say they were shepherds to Pharaoh?

Joseph knew that Egyptians looked down on shepherds and did not want to mix closely with them. By telling his family to openly state that they were shepherds, he was not putting them at risk but protecting them. This would lead Pharaoh to place them in Goshen, away from the main Egyptian cities. There they could keep their own way of life and worship without as much pressure to blend in. Joseph was using the Egyptians’ dislike to keep his family separate, and God used this to preserve their identity as His people.

What does this chapter show about God’s character and His promises?

This chapter shows God as personal, faithful, and near. He calls Jacob by name, calms his fear, and repeats the same promises given before: He will be with His people, make them into a great nation, and not abandon them in a strange land. Even when His people are driven by famine into another country, His plan is still moving forward. The careful listing of the family and the tender reunion between Jacob and Joseph happen within God’s larger purpose. It shows that God’s care reaches both the big story and the small details.

How can Jacob’s example of seeking God before moving help believers today?

Jacob’s stop at Beersheba gives a pattern for facing big changes. He does not trust only his own wisdom or the promises of Egypt. Instead, he turns to worship, remembers how God has led his family in the past, and waits for God’s word. For believers today, this encourages praying and testing our choices by God’s promises before we uproot our lives. It reminds us to care more about God’s presence than about comfort or opportunity. Moving, changing jobs, or making family decisions can be done with the same humble dependence Jacob showed.

Gen.46.1

Genesis 46:1

KJV

And Israel took his journey with all that he had, and came to Beer-sheba, and offered sacrifices unto the God of his father Isaac.

Jacob’s Journey to Egypt

1 And Israel took his journey with all that he had, and came to Beer-sheba, and offered sacrifices unto the God of his father Isaac.

2 And God spake unto Israel in the visions of the night, and said, Jacob, Jacob. And he said, Here am I.

3 And he said, I am God, the God of thy father: fear not to go down into Egypt; for I will there make of thee a great nation:

4 I will go down with thee into Egypt; and I will also surely bring thee up again: and Joseph shall put his hand upon thine eyes.

5 And Jacob rose up from Beer-sheba: and the sons of Israel carried Jacob their father, and their little ones, and their wives, in the wagons which Pharaoh had sent to carry him.

6 And they took their cattle, and their goods, which they had gotten in the land of Canaan, and came into Egypt, Jacob, and all his seed with him:

Those Who Went to Egypt

7 His sons, and his sons’ sons with him, his daughters, and his sons’ daughters, and all his seed brought he with him into Egypt.

The Children of Leah

8 ¶ And these are the names of the children of Israel, which came into Egypt, Jacob and his sons: Reuben, Jacob’s firstborn.

9 And the sons of Reuben; Hanoch, and Phallu, and Hezron, and Carmi.

10 ¶ And the sons of Simeon; Jemuel, and Jamin, and Ohad, and Jachin, and Zohar, and Shaul the son of a Canaanitish woman.

11 ¶ And the sons of Levi; Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.

12 ¶ And the sons of Judah; Er, and Onan, and Shelah, and Pharez, and Zerah: but Er and Onan died in the land of Canaan. And the sons of Pharez were Hezron and Hamul.

13 ¶ And the sons of Issachar; Tola, and Phuvah, and Job, and Shimron.

14 ¶ And the sons of Zebulun; Sered, and Elon, and Jahleel.

15 These be the sons of Leah, which she bare unto Jacob in Padan-aram, with his daughter Dinah: all the souls of his sons and his daughters were thirty and three.

The Children of Zilpah

16 ¶ And the sons of Gad; Ziphion, and Haggi, Shuni, and Ezbon, Eri, and Arodi, and Areli.

17 ¶ And the sons of Asher; Jimnah, and Ishuah, and Isui, and Beriah, and Serah their sister: and the sons of Beriah; Heber, and Malchiel.

18 These are the sons of Zilpah, whom Laban gave to Leah his daughter, and these she bare unto Jacob, even sixteen souls.

The Children of Rachel

19 The sons of Rachel Jacob’s wife; Joseph, and Benjamin.

20 ¶ And unto Joseph in the land of Egypt were born Manasseh and Ephraim, which Asenath the daughter of Poti-pherah priest of On bare unto him.

21 ¶ And the sons of Benjamin were Belah, and Becher, and Ashbel, Gera, and Naaman, Ehi, and Rosh, Muppim, and Huppim, and Ard.

22 These are the sons of Rachel, which were born to Jacob: all the souls were fourteen.

The Children of Bilhah

23 ¶ And the sons of Dan; Hushim.

24 ¶ And the sons of Naphtali; Jahzeel, and Guni, and Jezer, and Shillem.

25 These are the sons of Bilhah, which Laban gave unto Rachel his daughter, and she bare these unto Jacob: all the souls were seven.

26 All the souls that came with Jacob into Egypt, which came out of his loins, besides Jacob’s sons’ wives, all the souls were threescore and six;

27 And the sons of Joseph, which were born him in Egypt, were two souls: all the souls of the house of Jacob, which came into Egypt, were threescore and ten.

Jacob Arrives in Egypt

28 ¶ And he sent Judah before him unto Joseph, to direct his face unto Goshen; and they came into the land of Goshen.

29 And Joseph made ready his chariot, and went up to meet Israel his father, to Goshen, and presented himself unto him; and he fell on his neck, and wept on his neck a good while.

30 And Israel said unto Joseph, Now let me die, since I have seen thy face, because thou art yet alive.

31 And Joseph said unto his brethren, and unto his father’s house, I will go up, and shew Pharaoh, and say unto him, My brethren, and my father’s house, which were in the land of Canaan, are come unto me;

32 And the men are shepherds, for their trade hath been to feed cattle; and they have brought their flocks, and their herds, and all that they have.

33 And it shall come to pass, when Pharaoh shall call you, and shall say, What is your occupation?

34 That ye shall say, Thy servants’ trade hath been about cattle from our youth even until now, both we, and also our fathers: that ye may dwell in the land of Goshen; for every shepherd is an abomination unto the Egyptians.

Cross References

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