Bible Strands
Genesis 50:8
along with all of Joseph’s household, and his brothers, and his father’s household. Only their children and flocks and herds were left in Goshen.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — The narrator records the composition of Jacob’s burial procession immediately after listing Egyptian officials and just before describing the chariots and horsemen.
The words — The Hebrew רַק (rak) translates literally as "only" or "except," establishing a strict boundary, while טַף (taf) denotes "little ones" or dependents.
The thread — The deliberate separation of families from the traveling group parallels Exodus 10:26, where livestock must accompany the worshipers, and anticipates Numbers 32:24, which commands building settlements for dependents before departure.
Why it lands — The text requires acknowledging that obedience often involves calculated omissions, demonstrating that even a massive procession must leave specific resources behind to fulfill its purpose.
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
And all the house of Joseph, and his brethren, and his father’s house: only their little ones, and their flocks, and their herds, they left in the land of Goshen.
Cross-references
- Exodus 10:8 So Moses and Aaron were brought back to Pharaoh. “Go, worship the LORD your God,” he said. “But who exactly will be going?”
- Exodus 10:26 Even our livestock must go with us; not a hoof will be left behind, for we will need some of them to worship the LORD our God, and we will not know how we are to worship the LORD until we arrive.”
- Numbers 32:24 Build cities for your little ones and folds for your flocks, but do what you have promised.”