Bible Strands
Genesis 47:1
So Joseph went and told Pharaoh: “My father and my brothers, with their flocks and herds and all they own, have come from the land of Canaan and are now in Goshen.”
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Joseph goes to Pharaoh to report that his father, brothers, and their possessions have arrived in Goshen from Canaan. This report follows the family's arrival and precedes Joseph's selection of five brothers to present before the king.
The words — וַיַּגֵּד (va.yaggēd) means "and he told," marking the formal transmission of news, while צֹאנָם (tsoʾnām) translates as "their flock[s]," specifying the pastoral wealth accompanying the family. These terms anchor the narrative in concrete action and tangible assets.
The thread — This report fulfills Joseph's stated intention in Genesis 46:31 to inform Pharaoh, echoing the settlement plan in Genesis 45:10 and the directional guidance in Genesis 46:28. The relocation to Goshen and the presentation of the family to the Egyptian court continue the narrative sequence of provision and political placement.
Why it lands — The verse requires the reader to track the execution of a promised relocation and the administrative steps taken to secure the family's status. It demands recognition that covenant fulfillment operates through documented movement and royal audience rather than supernatural display.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
Then Joseph came and told Pharaoh, and said, My father and my brethren, and their flocks, and their herds, and all that they have, are come out of the land of Canaan; and, behold, they are in the land of Goshen.
Cross-references
- Genesis 45:10 You shall settle in the land of Goshen and be near me—you and your children and grandchildren, your flocks and herds, and everything you own.
- Genesis 46:31 Joseph said to his brothers and to his father’s household, “I will go up and inform Pharaoh: ‘My brothers and my father’s household from the land of Canaan have come to me.
- Genesis 46:28 Now Jacob had sent Judah ahead of him to Joseph to get directions to Goshen. When Jacob’s family arrived in the land of Goshen,
- Genesis 45:16 When the news reached Pharaoh’s house that Joseph’s brothers had come, Pharaoh and his servants were pleased.
- Genesis 46:34 you are to say, ‘Your servants have raised livestock ever since our youth—both we and our fathers.’ Then you will be allowed to settle in the land of Goshen, since all shepherds are detestable to the Egyptians.”
- Exodus 8:22 But on that day I will give special treatment to the land of Goshen, where My people live; no swarms of flies will be found there. In this way you will know that I, the LORD, am in the land.
- Exodus 9:26 The only place where it did not hail was in the land of Goshen, where the Israelites lived.
- Hebrews 2:11 For both the One who sanctifies and those who are sanctified are of the same family. So Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers.