What happens when Jacob and Joseph finally meet in Egypt?

When Jacob and Joseph finally meet in Egypt, it is a very tender scene. Judah has gone ahead to guide the way to Goshen, and Joseph rides in his chariot to meet his father. When Joseph sees Jacob, he presents himself, falls on his father’s neck, and weeps there for a long time. The years of loss, fear, and waiting pour out in tears of joy. Jacob is so comforted that he says he can now die in peace, because he has seen Joseph’s face and knows he is still alive.

Why does Jacob say, "Now let me die, since I have seen thy face"?

Jacob’s words show how full his heart is at that moment. For many years he believed Joseph was dead. Now he sees him alive, safe, and honored in Egypt. It feels to Jacob like nothing more in this world could top this mercy from God. He is not throwing his life away, but saying that if death came now, he could face it content, because a wound he carried for years has finally been healed by this reunion.

Why did Joseph send Judah ahead and then go to meet his father in Goshen?

Judah is sent ahead to Joseph to guide the family into Goshen and to give notice of their arrival. This is respectful toward the Egyptian authorities and helps things stay orderly. Joseph then prepares his chariot and goes up to meet his father personally. This shows both wisdom and love: wisdom, because he manages the move carefully, and love, because he will not wait for his aged father to come to him, but goes himself to embrace him and welcome him into the land.

Why does Joseph stress that his brothers are shepherds when speaking to Pharaoh?

Joseph plans to tell Pharaoh that his brothers and their father’s house are lifelong shepherds. This is honest, but it is also wise. Egyptians look down on shepherds, so Pharaoh will not be eager to pull them into court life or mix them deeply into Egyptian society. Instead, he will see that the best place for them is Goshen, which is good for their flocks and a bit apart from the main population. This protects them, keeps them together, and keeps their way of life intact.

What does it mean that "every shepherd is an abomination unto the Egyptians"?

This line means that Egyptians strongly despised shepherds. They saw that kind of work and the people who did it as low and unpleasant. There may have been painful history with foreign shepherds in the region, so such people were not welcome in the middle of Egyptian life. God uses this dislike to keep Jacob’s family separate in Goshen. What looks like contempt from the world actually becomes a fence that guards them from copying Egypt’s ways and keeps them united as one people.

Why did Joseph want his family to live in Goshen specifically?

Joseph chooses Goshen for several reasons. It is good pastureland, so it fits their lifelong work with flocks and herds. It lies near the border with Canaan, which keeps their eyes turned toward the land God had promised their fathers. It is also somewhat apart from the main Egyptian population, which limits the danger of them being drawn into Egyptian religion and customs. Living in Goshen lets them be provided for during the famine while still remaining a distinct family and people.

How does this passage show God’s care for Jacob’s family?

God’s care appears in many small details. He has already placed Joseph in power before the famine comes. Joseph then uses his position to welcome his family, meet them with love, and settle them in a safe, fertile place. Even the Egyptians’ dislike of shepherds is turned into a blessing, keeping the family together in Goshen instead of scattered in Egyptian cities. Through all this, God feeds them, protects their identity, and quietly moves his promises forward, even in a foreign land.

How can the reunion of Jacob and Joseph encourage someone today?

This reunion can comfort anyone who has lived with long grief or broken family ties. Jacob had years of sorrow, thinking Joseph was lost, yet God had been working behind the scenes the whole time. Their meeting in Egypt shows that God can restore what seems beyond repair and can bring joy out of a very dark story. It does not mean every loss in life is reversed in the same way, but it does show that God’s plans are wiser and kinder than what we can see in the middle of our pain.

Gen.46.28

Genesis 46:28

KJV

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

Jacob Arrives in Egypt

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

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.

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

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;

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.

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

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

No cross references available for this verse.