Question 1

What happens when Jacob and Joseph finally meet in Egypt?

Accepted Answer

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.

Question 2

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

Accepted Answer

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.

Question 3

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

Accepted Answer

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.

Question 4

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

Accepted Answer

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.

Question 5

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

Accepted Answer

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.

Question 6

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

Accepted Answer

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.

Question 7

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

Accepted Answer

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.

Question 8

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

Accepted Answer

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.

Genesis 46:28

¶ 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

metadata.crossReferences

Genesis 46:28

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

share.title

share.allVerses

share.verseWithContext

share.currentVerse

Jacob Arrives in Egypt

metadata.crossReferences