Commentari biblici

Ch. 46 (J, E, P.) Jacob’s Descent into Egypt, and the Genealogy of his Family

  1–5.    Jacob at Beer-sheba (E).

  6, 7.    Jacob’s entry into Egypt (P).

  8–27.  The genealogy of Jacob (probably according to a list preserved by P).

  28–34.  Jacob’s meeting with Joseph (J, E).

1–5. Jacob at Beer-sheba

1. Beer-sheba] Cf. Genesis 21:31; Genesis 21:33; Genesis 26:33; Genesis 28:10. Jacob, in Genesis 37:14 (J), is described as dwelling at Hebron.

the God of his father Isaac] For this reference to the God of the father, cf. Genesis 26:24; Genesis 28:13; Genesis 31:53.

It is natural that Jacob would not leave his home without sacrificing to his God. He offers sacrifices at Beer-sheba, with which sanctuary Isaac had been especially connected; cf. Genesis 26:23-25. Either, therefore, according to E, Jacob resided at Beer-sheba, or he had left his home at Hebron (J) and was now on his way south, seeking at Beer-sheba to obtain Divine approval for the descent into Egypt. Isaac had been forbidden to go down into Egypt (Genesis 26:2). Other reasons have been suggested, e.g. thanksgiving for the life of Joseph, and fear of Joseph’s anger against his brethren; cf. Genesis 50:15.

2. in the visions of the night] A generic plural for the phenomena of dreams. The versions give the sing. For the word, cf. Numbers 12:6; 1 Samuel 3:15; Daniel 10:7-8. For revelations granted at night, cf. Genesis 20:3, Genesis 28:12 ff.

Jacob, Jacob] The sentence, as it stands, is striking: “God said to Israel, ‘Jacob, Jacob.’ ” The juxtaposition of the two names “Israel” and “Jacob” may indicate the fusion of the two narratives—J, which prefers “Israel,” and E, which prefers “Jacob.”

3. I am God] Lit. “I am the Êl,” the name occurring in Genesis 31:13; Genesis 33:20; Genesis 35:1; cf. Genesis 16:13. LXX does not translate it. The Lat. gives fortissimus. It seems especially to be used of the Divine Being, the true God of Revelation, who had manifested Himself to Abraham and to Isaac.

fear not] These and the following words seem to indicate the reason of Jacob’s prayer and sacrifice at Beer-sheba. He needed reassurance at the thought of leaving his home and settling in Egypt in his old age.

there] Jacob’s family was to grow into a great people while they were still in Egypt (cf. Genesis 15:13-16).

4. I will go down] The promise of the Divine presence is the assurance of safety and blessing. God is no mere local god of Canaan. He will be with His people, where they are; whether in Mesopotamia (Genesis 31:13), in Palestine (Genesis 35:3), or in Egypt.

bring thee up again] i.e. from Egypt back into Canaan. The pronoun “thee” must surely be understood of the people descended from, and personified by, Jacob, and identified with his name. It does not predict his burial in Canaanite land. The words may best be illustrated from Genesis 50:24, and not from Genesis 50:13. They foretell the Exodus of the Israelites, not the burial of Jacob.

put his hand … eyes] The last tender office performed by the nearest relative. The promise is fulfilled; see Genesis 50:1.

5. Beer-sheba] Jacob’s home, as of his fathers, according to E (Genesis 21:31, Genesis 22:19).

the sons of Israel … Jacob their father] It is not often that the two names are found in such close collocation in the same clause; see note on Genesis 46:2. In all probability it betokens the work of editing and compiling the parallel narratives, of which J uses “Israel,” and E and P prefer “Jacob.”

6, 7 (P). P’s summarized account of the descent into Egypt. Observe the characteristic words “their goods which they had gotten”; “his seed”; “sons’ sons” and “sons’ daughters”; and the marked redundancy in style, similar to what is found in Genesis 12:5; Genesis 31:18; Genesis 36:6; which are all from the P narrative.

8–27 (P). We have here a list of “the names of the children of Israel which came into Egypt.”

(a) With certain variations and expansions, the list appears also in Numbers 26:5-51 (with the omission of Levi), and in 1 Chronicles 2-8. Moreover in Exodus 6:14-16 we find the same list, so far as relates to Reuben, Simeon, and Levi (Genesis 46:9-11).

(b) It cannot accurately be described either as a list of Jacob’s descendants, for it includes Jacob himself: or as a list of those who went down into Egypt, for it includes the names of Joseph and his sons, and the names of Benjamin’s sons.

(c) There is an element of artificiality in the computation of the list. Thus the names of Er and Onan are only mentioned to be excluded from the total (Genesis 46:12). Dinah, the daughter of Jacob, is included in the list of thirty and three “souls of his sons and his daughters,” her name being the only female name up to that point. And Jacob himself is reckoned in the thirty-three.

(d) It should be noted, in the same connexion, that Leah’s sons are 32, and Zilpah’s 16; Rachel’s are 14, and Bilhah’s 7. Each concubine thus is credited with just half the number of sons that the real wife has. This arrangement is probably designed to assist the memory.

(e) The order which is followed in the list is that of the wives: (1) the sons of Leah (Genesis 46:8-15); (2) the sons of Zilpah (Genesis 46:16-18); (3) the sons of Rachel (Genesis 46:19-22); (4) the sons of Bilhah (Genesis 46:23-25).

9. = Exodus 6:14; Numbers 26:5-6.

Hanoch] See Genesis 25:4, the name of a Midianite. Reuben took possession of Midianite land; see Joshua 13:21.

Hezron, and Carmi] The name of Hezron (= “enclosure”) occurs again Genesis 46:12. The town of Hezron is in S. Judah, Joshua 15:3; Joshua 15:25 (?). Hezron as grandson of Judah, 1 Chronicles 2:5. Carmi (cerem = “vineyard”), the name of a clan; note termination in -i. “Beth-haccherem” occurs in Nehemiah 3:14, Jeremiah 6:1 as the name of a district in Judah. Compare LXX in Joshua 15:59, where Carem is one of several names added by LXX. Carmi as (?) grandson of Judah, 1 Chronicles 2:7.

10. The same as Exodus 6:15. In Numbers 26:12 ff., and in i Chron., Ohad is omitted, possibly through similarity to Zohar.

Jamin] In 1 Chronicles 2:27 Jamin is a descendant of Hezron, the son of Judah. “Jamin” = “right hand” (cf. Genesis 35:18), and the name indicates a Simeonite clan in the south of Judah.

Zohar] In Numbers 26:13, 1 Chronicles 4:24, Zerah. See Genesis 23:8, the father of Ephron, and Genesis 36:17.

the son of a Canaanitish woman] A note recording the tradition of a well-known case, in which the tribe of Simeon had assimilated a Canaanite clan. See Genesis 36:37.