46:1 Israel Jacob, father of Joseph and his brothers (see 32:28). The narrative alternates between his given name at birth, Jacob, and the name Yahweh gave him, Israel

Beersheba Jacob’s reasons for stopping here are unknown, but this location occurs in other patriarchal narratives (see 21:14, 31–33). By stopping at Beer-sheba, Jacob may have been seeking divine guidance on this point (see v. 1).

46:2 visions of the night This likely refers to a dream, though the normal Hebrew word for dreaming (chalom, which occurs in 20:3; 28:12; 31:11; 37:5–10) is not used here.

46:3 I am God The word for God here is el, which connects this vision with Jacob’s earlier divine encounters (31:13; 33:20; 35:1, 3). This may explain why the name “Jacob” is used for the verbal call.

the God of your father The word for “God” here is elohim.

I will make you a great nation This element of the divine covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob confirms for Jacob (12:1–3; 15:1–6; 26:4, 24; 28:3) that he will not forfeit the promise by leaving the promised land.

46:4 I myself will go down Though this may seem obvious given God’s omnipresence, it is noteworthy in light of the notion of sacred geography—the Israelite notion that the God of Israel allowed foreign nations to be under the jurisdiction of other gods after the Babel event (see 11:1–9; Deut 4:19–20; 32:8–9).

46:5 in the wagons Pharaoh had sent See Gen 45:19.

46:6 and their possessions Despite Pharaoh’s insistence that they need not worry about their possessions, they bring them anyway (see 45:20 and note).

46:7 all his offspring he brought with him This inclusive statement stresses its significance and sets up Israel’s wholesale exodus from Egypt in the book of Exodus.

46:26 sixty-six The total descendants of Israel (Jacob) given in v. 27 is 70. This can be explained by the figure 66 referring just to those who came to Egypt. Er and Onan did not come to Egypt but died in Canaan before the journey was made (38:1–10). Joseph’s two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, were born in Egypt and could also be subtracted. The figure 66 could also involve adding Dinah and subtracting Joseph.

46:27 seventy This figure may be arrived at by counting the people listed in this genealogy and then adding Joseph, his two sons, and Jacob or Dinah. Compare note on v. 26.

46:28 in Goshen Likely the northeastern part of the Nile delta. Compare note on 45:10.

46:30 let me die Jacob’s life is now complete in terms of the joy he feels at his reunion with Joseph.

46:31 I will go up and report to Pharaoh After he receives this information, Pharaoh will want to meet Joseph’s family. When Pharaoh meets Joseph’s family, he already knows that they are shepherds and—after promising the best of the land of Egypt (see 45:18, 20)—will give them the fertile area of Goshen in which to reside.

46:34 a detestable thing to Egyptians It is unclear why shepherds were held in low social esteem by the Egyptians. The Egyptians may have considered foreign herdsmen competition for resources, which may reflect a general disdain for foreigners from Canaan—called “Asiatics” in Egyptian texts (compare 43:32 and note).