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. 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. 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.
Old Jacob is here flitting; little did he think of ever leaving Canaan; he expected, no doubt, to die in his nest, and to leave his seed in actual possession of the promised land: but Providence orders it otherwise. Note, Those that think themselves well-settled, may yet be unsettled in a little time; even old people, who think of no other remove than that to the grave, (which Jacob had much upon his heart, ch. 37. 35.—42. 38.) sometimes live to see great changes in their family. It is good to be ready, not only for the grave, but for whatever may happen betwixt us and the grave.
Observe,
I. How Jacob was conveyed; not in a chariot, though chariots were then used, but in a wagon, v. 5. Jacob had the character of a plain man, who did not affect any thing stately or magnificent; his son rode in a chariot, (ch. 41. 43.) but a wagon would serve him.
II. The removal of what he had with him; 1. His effects, (v. 6.) cattle and goods; these he took with him, that he might not wholly be beholden to Pharaoh for a livelihood, and that it might not afterwards be said of them, "that they came beggars to Egypt." 2. His family, all his seed, v. 7. It is probable that they had continued to live together in common with their father; and therefore, when he went, they all went; which perhaps they were the more willing to do, because, though they had heard that the land of Canaan was promised them, yet, to this day, they had none of it in possession. We have here a particular account of the names of Jacob's family; his sons' sons, most of which are afterward mentioned as heads of houses in the several tribes. See Numb. 26, 5, &c. Bishop Patrick observes, that Issachar called his eldest son Tola, which signifies a worm, probably, because, when he was born, he was a very little weak child, a worm, and no man, not likely to live; and yet there sprang from him a very numerous offspring, 1 Chron. 7. 2. Note, Living and dying do not go by probability. The whole number that went down into Egypt were sixty-six, (v. 26.) to which add Joseph and his two sons, who were there before, and Jacob himself, the head of the family, and you have the number of seventy, v. 27. The LXX. makes them seventy-five, and Stephen follows it, Acts 7. 14. The reason of which we leave to the conjecture of the critics;* [1] but let us observe, (1.) That masters of families ought to take care of all under their charge, and to provide for those of their own house, food convenient both for body and soul; when Jacob himself removed to a land of plenty, he would not leave any of his children behind him to starve in a barren land. 2. Though the accomplishment of promises is always sure, yet it is often slow. It was now 215 years since God had promised Abraham to make of him a great nation; (ch. 12. 2.) and yet that branch of his seed on which the promise was entailed, was as yet increased but to seventy, of which this particular account is kept, that the power of God in multiplying these seventy to so vast a multitude, even in Egypt, may appear the more illustrious; when he pleases, a little one shall become a thousand, Isa. 60. 22.
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 show 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 servant's 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.
I. We have here the joyful meeting between Jacob and his son Joseph; in which observe,
1. Jacob's prudence in sending Judah before him to Joseph, to give him notice of his arrival in Goshen. This was a piece of respect owing to the government, under the protection of which these strangers were come to put themselves, v. 28. We should be very careful not to give offence to any, especially not to the higher powers.
2. Joseph's filial respect to him. He went in his chariot to meet him, and, in the interview showed,
- ↑ * Dr Doddridge's solution is this— "Stephen speaks of all that went down with him, (Jacob,) and so excludes Jacob himself and the two afterward born, (Hezron and Hamul,) and Joseph and his children, which reduces the number thus; The eleven brethren, Dinah their sister, and fifty-two that had descended from them, amount to sixty-four; to which adding eleven wives, some of the patriarchs having, probably, buried theirs, and but few of their children being yet married,) they amount in all to seventy-five."—Ed.
