Gen. 46:1 And Israel took his journey with all that he had, and came to Beersheba, and offered sacrifices unto the God of his father Isaac.

Gen. 46:2 And God spake unto Israel in the visions of the night, and said, Jacob, Jacob. And he said, Here am I.

Gen. 46:3 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:

Gen. 46:4 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.

Israel (Jacob) sets out for Egypt with everything that was his. When he reached Beersheba, he offered sacrifices to “the God of his father Isaac.”

It’s always interesting to me how God is referred to as the “God of __________’s father.” Why does the scripture use that kind of I.D. instead of, i.e. “Jacob’s God” or “his God.” I guess at this early point in the history of the people of Israel it probably served as a reminder of God’s promise to them through the early patriarchs. Thing is—this was written for us as well as them. Maybe we are the ones that need the constant reminder that God has had a plan from the beginning resulting in a Redeemer for us all through His people Israel. Just my brain running in circles again.

God speaks to Israel in a vision at night. Jacob hears God call his name, and he replies that he hears Him and is there. Then God reminds him that He is God, THE GOD, the God of his father. God tells him not to fear going to Egypt because He was going to make him into a great nation there. He promises to bring him back home and that he, Jacob, would be with Joseph when he died.

(11/05) God had communicated with Abraham (chapter 22), Isaac (26:23à) and now Jacob at Beersheba.

Gen. 46:5 And Jacob rose up from Beersheba: 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.

Gen. 46:6 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:

Gen. 46:7 His sons, and his sons’ sons with him, his daughters, and his sons’ daughters, and all his seed brought he with him into Egypt.

So Jacob and all of his sons, daughters, grandchildren, in laws, livestock and possessions went to Egypt. They used the carts that Pharaoh had sent them to carry Jacob, the children, and their wives.

Gen. 46:8 And these are the names of the children of Israel, which came into Egypt, Jacob and his sons: Reuben, Jacob’s firstborn.

Gen. 46:9 And the sons of Reuben; Hanoch, and Phallu, and Hezron, and Carmi.

Gen. 46:10 And the sons of Simeon; Jemuel, and Jamin, and Ohad, and Jachin, and Zohar, and Shaul the son of a Canaanitish woman.

Gen. 46:11 And the sons of Levi; Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.

Gen. 46:12 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.

Gen. 46:13 And the sons of Issachar; Tola, and Phuvah, and Job, and Shimron.

Gen. 46:14 And the sons of Zebulun; Sered, and Elon, and Jahleel.

Gen. 46:15 These be the sons of Leah, which she bare unto Jacob in Padanaram, with his daughter Dinah: all the souls of his sons and his daughters were thirty and three.

Gen. 46:16 And the sons of Gad; Ziphion, and Haggi, Shuni, and Ezbon, Eri, and Arodi, and Areli.

Gen. 46:17 And the sons of Asher; Jimnah, and Ishuah, and Isui, and Beriah, and Serah their sister: and the sons of Beriah; Heber, and Malchiel.

Gen. 46:18 These are the sons of Zilpah, whom Laban gave to Leah his daughter, and these she bare unto Jacob, even sixteen souls.

Gen. 46:19 The sons of Rachel Jacob’s wife; Joseph, and Benjamin.

Gen. 46:20 And unto Joseph in the land of Egypt were born Manasseh and Ephraim, which Asenath the daughter of Potipherah priest of On bare unto him.

Gen. 46:21 And the sons of Benjamin were Belah, and Becher, and Ashbel, Gera, and Naaman, Ehi, and Rosh, Muppim, and Huppim, and Ard.

Gen. 46:22 These are the sons of Rachel, which were born to Jacob: all the souls were fourteen.

Gen. 46:23 And the sons of Dan; Hushim.

Gen. 46:24 And the sons of Naphtali; Jahzeel, and Guni, and Jezer, and Shillem.

Gen. 46:25 These are the sons of Bilhah, which Laban gave unto Rachel his daughter, and she bare these unto Jacob: all the souls were seven.

Gen. 46:26 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;

Gen. 46:27 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.

These verses are a listing of all the children and grandchildren born to Jacob through his wives and their handmaidens. At the end of the list we are told that it equaled 66 direct descendants of Israel plus Joseph and his two sons and Jacob himself, I presume, to total 70. The cross reference to Acts 7:14 says there were 75 in all. I’m sure some would call this a contradiction; but we don’t have the full listing in Acts from which to reference the count. I know that it is a difference in the definition/perspective/resource of the author. Acts does not specify “direct descendants.” It may have included wives minus Joseph and his sons.

Leah:

Reuben with four sons.

Simeon with six sons.

Levi with three sons.

Judah with three sons and two grandsons.

Issachar with four sons.

Zebulun with three sons.

Dinah Total 33

Zilpah:

Gad with seven sons

Asher with four sons, one daughter, and two grandsons

Total 17

The text references 16; Maybe Zilpah was dead or she didn’t count since her children were considered as Leah’s.

Rachel (deceased):

Joseph with two sons

Benjamin with ten sons Total 14

Bilhah:

Dan with one son

Naphtali with four sons Total 8

Again, the text references 7; Bilhah was dead or she didn’t count since her children were considered as Rachel’s.

Grand total = 70 (without Zilpah and Bilhah)

Minus Jacob and Joseph and Ephraim and Manasseh = 66

Gen. 46:28 And he sent Judah before him unto Joseph, to direct his face unto Goshen; and they came into the land of Goshen.

Gen. 46:29 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.

Gen. 46:30 And Israel said unto Joseph, Now let me die, since I have seen thy face, because thou art yet alive.

Jacob sent Judah ahead to get directions to Goshen from Joseph. Joseph immediately got in his chariot and went to meet his father. Upon seeing his father, Joseph threw his arms around him and cried for a long time. Jacob was finally at peace; he could die in peace after seeing his son again.

Gen. 46:31 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;

Gen. 46:32 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.

Gen. 46:33 And it shall come to pass, when Pharaoh shall call you, and shall say, What is your occupation?

Gen. 46:34 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.

Joseph told them that he would let Pharaoh know that they had arrived with all of their livestock and that they were shepherds. Pharaoh would call them in and ask them their occupation, and they should tell him that they had tended livestock from their youth just as their fathers before them. Then he would allow them to settle in Goshen because shepherds were detestable to the Egyptians.