Preface: As Jacob (Israel) travels toward Egypt, he stops off in Beersheba to offer up sacrifices to the Revealed God, and God appears to Jacob and tells him that it is okay to be leaving the Land of Promise and moving to Egypt.

A list of all the males descended from Jacob, along with the two females, are given. His wives are also named.

Joseph meets his father Jacob after 20 years.

Joseph gives his family instructions in case Pharaoh asks them about their livelihoods.

There are many chapter commentaries on the book of Genesis. This will be the most extensive examination of Genesis 46, where you will be able to examine in depth every word of the original text. Every attempt has been made to make this both a complete and self-contained study. Therefore, all references, vocabulary, and related concepts should be found within this extensive study. Easy access links to more in-depth studies of some vocabulary words, concepts and doctrines are also provided.

Outline of Chapter 46:

Introduction

         vv.     1–4           God Speaks to Israel in Beersheba

         vv.     5–7           All that Israel Took with Him to Egypt

         vv.     8–15         The Descendants of Jacob and Leah

         vv.    16–18         The Descendants of Jacob and Zilpah

         vv.    19–22         The Descendants of Jacob and Rachel

         vv.    23–25         The Descendants of Jacob and Bilhah

         vv.    26–27         An Enumeration of the Sons of Jacob

         vv.    28–34         Joseph Reunites with His Brothers and Father

Addendum

Charts, Graphics and Short Doctrines:

         Preface               Quotations

         Introduction         The Prequel of Genesis 46

         Introduction         The Principals of Genesis 46

         Introduction         The Places of Genesis 46

         Introduction         The Patriarchal Timeline for Genesis 46

         Introduction         William Ramey’s Chiasmos of Genesis 46:1–30

Introduction

         Introduction         Paragraph Divisions of Modern Translation for Genesis 46 (from Dr. Bob Utley)

         Introduction         A Synopsis of Genesis 46

         Introduction 

         Introduction 

         v.       1              Hajime Murai’s Structure of Genesis 46:1–7

         v. 

         v.       1              Jacob Leads His Family into Egypt (a map)

         v. 

         v. 

         v.       3              Can a Believer in Jesus Christ Lose His Salvation?

         v.       3              Dispensationalism vs. Covenant Theology

         v.       3              Dispensational Theology and Covenant Theology

         v.       3              Ancient Critics of Christ’s Miracles

         v.       3              A Review of Genesis 46:1–3

         v. 

         v.       4              1Corinthians 7 Interlude

         v.       4              Life Before and After the Messiah

         v.       4              Translating 1Corinthians 7:36

         v.       4              Adam Clark on 1Corinthians 7:36

         v.       4              Interpreting 1Corinthians 7:36

         v.       4              Monasteries, Cults, Cultic Behavior

         v.       4              Berachah Church is not and has never been a cult

         v. 

         v.       5              A Review of Genesis 46:1–4

         v. 

         v. 

         v.       7              Semites entering Egypt, ca. 1870 BC, from the tomb of Khnumhotep, Beni Hasan, Egypt (a graphic)

         v. 

         v. 

         v. 

         v. 

         v. 

         v. 

         v.      10              Why Proper Names May Vary in Different Passages of Scripture

         v. 

         v. 

         v. 

         v. 

         v. 

         v. 

         v. 

         v. 

         v. 

         v. 

         v. 

         v. 

         v. 

         v. 

         v. 

         v. 

         v. 

         v. 

         v. 

         v. 

         v. 

         v. 

         v. 

         v. 

         v. 

         v. 

         v. 

         v. 

         v. 

         v. 

         v. 

         v. 

         v. 

         v. 

         v. 

         v. 

         v.      26              The Number of Sons and Grandsons Brought to Egypt

         v. 

         v.      27              Why there is this genealogy in Genesis 46

         v.      27              What About Saint Stephen’s Number of 75 Souls?

         v. 

         v.      28              A Wide-Angle View of Genesis 45–47

         v.      28              Hajime Murai’s Chiasmos of Genesis 46:28-47:12

         v. 

         v. 

         v.      31              William Ramey’s Chiasmos of Genesis 46:31–47:27

         v. 

         v. 

         v. 

         v. 

         v. 

         v. 

         v. 

         v. 

         v. 

         v. 

         v. 

         v. 

         Summary            A Set of Summary Doctrines and Commentary

         Summary 

         Summary            Why Genesis 46 is in the Word of God

         Summary            What We Learn from Genesis 46

         Summary            Edersheim Summarizes Genesis 46

         Summary            B. H. Carroll Summarizes Genesis 46

         Addendum 

         Addendum          Josephus’ History of this Time Period

         Addendum          A Complete Translation of Genesis 46

         Addendum          Word Cloud from a Reasonably Literal Paraphrase of Genesis 46

         Addendum          Word Cloud from Exegesis of Genesis 46

——————————

An Introduction to Genesis 46

I ntroduction: Introduction: Gen. 46 takes us from Beersheba, where Jacob speaks to God in a vision; to Egypt, where Jacob and all of his sons are reunited. Also, all of Jacob’s descendants are listed in this chapter. They have not intermixed with another family, as was suggested to them in Gen. 34; or as had happened with Esau (Jacob’s fraternal twin) and Seir (Gen. 36). Their purity as a people is one of the often neglected themes of Genesis (also neglected by most commentators—the preeminence of Judah, so that the line of promise will go through Judah).

It is important to recognize that it is God’s will for the sons of Israel to move en masse and in toto to Egypt. Obviously, God gave the sons of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob the land of Canaan, but they would not actually go into Canaan to take it as their possession until the time of Joshua. Gen. 46 assures us that the sons of Jacob are in the geographical will of God. Their move to Egypt is not a rejection of God’s promises nor does it postpone God’s plan or His promises. This move does not take any of them out of God’s geographical will.

In vv. 1–3, God gives Jacob assurances that his leaving the land of Canaan is okay and will not affect the promises given Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Vv. 4–7 speak of the trip from Beersheba to Canaan and all who went with Jacob. Vv. 8–27 lists all of Jacob’s descendants, all of whom are moving to Egypt (which passage demonstrates their racial purity). Vv. 28–30 is the reunion of Jacob and his son Joseph. Finally, Joseph prepares his family to meet Pharaoh in vv. 31–34.

In Gen. 46, God once again comes to Jacob. It has been over twenty years since our Lord Jesus Christ, as the Revealed God, has appeared to Jacob. As a matter of great interest, God has not, so far, appeared at all to Joseph. Some would find this incongruous; however, Joseph clung to God's Word, which is living and powerful, and this is why his spiritual life had so much impact. We will also see the list of those who came to Egypt with Jacob and how they are assigned to the land of Goshen when they arrive.

Some lodge the complaint that Dan has too few children (one) and that the very young Benjamin has far too many (ten, if memory serves). Several offer up convoluted explanations for Benjamin’s many children. Over and over again, we have the totals added up, and this chapter is very careful about distinguishing those who come to Egypt and those who are born in Egypt. For that reason, we have to accept the text at face value.

The Patriarchal Timeline for Genesis 46

The Patriarchal Timeline for Genesis 27

——————————

God Speaks to Israel in Beersheba

Here is how others have translated this verse:

Ancient texts:                       Note: I compare the Hebrew text to English translations of the Latin, Syriac (= Aramaic) and Greek texts, using the Douay-Rheims translation; George Lamsa’s translation, and Sir Lancelot Charles Lee Brenton’s translation as revised and edited by Paul W. Esposito, respectively. I often update these texts with non-substantive changes (e.g., you for thou, etc.). I often use the text of the Complete Apostles’ Bible instead of Brenton’s translation, because it updates the English text.

The Septuagint was the earliest known translation of a book (circa 200 b.c.). Since this translation was made before the textual criticism had been developed into a science and because different books appear to be translated by different men, the Greek translation can sometimes be very uneven.

When there are serious disparities between my translation and Brenton’s (or the text of the Complete Apostles’ Bible), I look at the Greek text of the Septuagint (the LXX) to see if a substantive difference actually exists (and I reflect these changes in the English rendering of the Greek text). I use the Greek LXX with Strong’s numbers and morphology available for e-sword. The only problem with this resource (which is a problem for similar resources) is, there is no way to further explore Greek verbs which are not found in the New Testament. Although I usually quote the Complete Apostles’ Bible here, I have begun to make changes in the translation when their translation conflicts with the Greek and note what those changes are.

The Masoretic text is the Hebrew text with all of the vowels (vowel points) inserted (the original Hebrew text lacked vowels). We take the Masoretic text to be the text closest to the original. However, differences between the Masoretic text and the Greek, Latin and Syriac are worth noting and, once in a great while, represent a more accurate text possessed by those other ancient translators.

In general, the Latin text is an outstanding translation from the Hebrew text into Latin and very trustworthy (I say this as a non-Catholic). Unfortunately, I do not read Latin—apart from some very obvious words—so I am dependent upon the English translation of the Latin (principally, the Douay-Rheims translation).

Underlined words indicate differences in the text.

Bracketed portions of the Dead Sea Scrolls are words, letters and phrases lost in the scroll due to various types of damage. Underlined words or phrases are those in the Dead Sea Scrolls but not in the Masoretic text.

I will only list the translation from the Dead Sea Scrolls if it exists and if it is different from the Masoretic text.

The Targum of Onkelos is actually the Pentateuchal Targumim, which are The Targums of Onkelos and Jonathan Ben Uzziel. On the Pentateuch With The Fragments of the Jerusalem Targum From the Chaldee by J. W. Etheridge, M.A. From http://www.becomingjewish.org/texts/targum/onkelos_genesis.html and first published in 1862.

Ancient texts:

Masoretic Text (Hebrew)        And so journeys Israel and all which [is] to him. And so he comes to Beer-sheba and so he sacrifices sacrifices to an Elohim of his father Isaac.

Dead Sea Scrolls                   .

Targum (trans. Etheridge)      .

Targum (Onkelos)                  And Israel journeyed, and all that he had, and came to Beershava; and he offered sacrifices to the God of his father Izhak. Translation for Onkelos and Pseudo-Jonathan by J. W. Etheridge, M.A. (1862).

Targum (Pseudo-Jonathan)   And Israel journeyed with all that he had, and came to Beersheba, and offered sacrifices to the God of his father Izhak.

Jerusalem targum                  .

Revised Douay-Rheims         So Jacob set out with all his possessions, and when he reached the Well of the Oath, he offered sacrifice there to the God of his father Isaac.

Latin Vulgate                          .

Peshitta (Syriac)                    AND Israel journeyed with all that he had, and came to Beer-sheba, and offered sacrifices to the God of his father Isaac.

Septuagint (Greek)                Jacob's family goes to Egypt. Gn.46.1-27

And Israel departed, he and all that he had, and came to the well of the oath; and he offered sacrifice to the God of his father Isaac. This is the New Brenton translation from http://www.katapi.org.uk/

NETS (Greek)                        .

Brenton’s Septuagint             .

Significant differences: 

Limited Vocabulary Translations:

Bible in Basic English             And Israel went on his journey with all he had, and came to Beer-sheba, where he made offerings to the God of his father Isaac.

Easy English                          The whole family in Egypt

So Israel set off. He took everything that he had. And he went to Beersheba. He made *sacrifices to the God of his father Isaac.

Easy-to-Read Version–2006  God Assures Israel

So Israel began his trip to Egypt. First he went to Beersheba. There he worshiped God, the God of his father Isaac. He offered sacrifices.

Easy-to-Read Version–2008  .

International Children’s B.     Jacob Goes to Egypt

So Jacob, also called Israel, took all he had and started his trip. He went to Beersheba. There he offered sacrifices to the God of his father Isaac.

God’s Word™                         .

Good News Bible (TEV)         .

The Message                         .

Names of God Bible               Jacob’s [Israel’s] Seventh Encounter with God

Israel moved with all he had. When he came to Beersheba, he offered sacrifices to the Elohim of his father Isaac.

NIRV                                      Jacob Goes Down to Egypt

So Israel started out with everything that belonged to him. When he reached Beersheba, he offered sacrifices to the God of his father Isaac.

New Simplified Bible              Jacob (Israel) packed up everything he owned and left for Egypt. On the way he stopped near the town of Beer-sheba and offered sacrifices to the God his father Isaac had worshiped.

Thought-for-thought translations; paraphrases:

Common English Bible           Jacob’s household moves to Egypt

Israel packed up everything he owned and traveled to Beer-sheba. There he offered sacrifices to his father Isaac’s God.

Contemporary English V.       Jacob packed up everything he owned and left for Egypt. On the way he stopped near the town of Beersheba and offered sacrifices to the God his father Isaac had worshiped.

The Living Bible                     .

New Berkeley Version           .

New Century Version             Jacob Goes to Egypt

So Israel took all he had and started his trip. He went to Beersheba, where he offered sacrifices to the God of his father Isaac.

New Life Version                    So Israel traveled with all he had to Beersheba. There he gave gifts to the God of his father Isaac.

New Living Translation           .

Partially literal and partially paraphrased translations:

American English Bible          So IsraEl left with everything he had. And when he got to the Well of the Oath (BeerSheba), he offered a sacrifice to the God of his father IsaAc.

Beck’s American Translation .

International Standard V        The Move to Egypt

Later, Israel began his journey, taking along everything that he owned, and arrived at Beer-sheba, where he offered sacrifices to the God of his father Isaac.

New Advent (Knox) Bible       So Jacob set out with all his possessions, and when he reached the Well of the Oath, he offered sacrifice there to the God of his father Isaac.

Today’s NIV                          .

Translation for Translators                                 Jacob and his family moved to Egypt

So Jacob left Canaan, taking with him all his family and possessions. When they arrived at Beersheba, he offered sacrifices to God, the one whom his father Isaac worshiped.

Mostly literal renderings (with some occasional paraphrasing):

Awful Scroll Bible                   Isra-el was to pull up and come to Beer-sheba. He was to sacrifice, a sacrifice to he of mighty ones of his father Isaac.

Conservapedia                       .

Ferrar-Fenton Bible                Israel consequently marched, and all that were with him, and went to the Well of the Oath, and offered offerings to the God of his father Isaac.

God’s Truth (Tyndale)           Israel took his journey with all that he had, and came unto Berseba and offered offerings unto the God of his father Isaac.

HCSB                                     Jacob Leaves for Egypt

Israel set out with all that he had and came to Beer-sheba, and he offered sacrifices to the God of his father Isaac.

Jubilee Bible 2000                  .

H. C. Leupold                         .

Lexham English Bible            Jacob and His Offspring Go to Egypt

So Israel journeyed with all that he had, and he came to Beersheba and offered sacrifices to the God of his father, Isaac.

NIV, ©2011                             .

NIV – UK                                .

Tree of Life Version                .

Catholic Bibles (those having the imprimatur):

Christian Community (1988)  Jacob goes down to Egypt

Israel left with all he owned and reached Beersheba where he offered sacrifices to the God of his father Isaac.

The Heritage Bible                 And Israel pulled up with all that was his, and came to Beer Sheba, and sacrificed sacrifices to the God of his father, Isaac.

New American Bible (2002)   .

New American Bible (2011)   Migration to Egypt.

[46:1–47:26] Jacob and his family settle in Egypt. Joseph’s economic policies.

Israel set out with all that was his. When he arrived at Beer-sheba, he offered sacrifices to the God of his father Isaac.

New Jerusalem Bible             So Israel set out with all his possessions. Arriving at Beersheba, he offered sacrifices to the God of his father Isaac.

New RSV                               .

Revised English Bible            The Israelites in Egypt

ISRAEL set out with all that he had and came to Beersheba, where he offered sacrifices to the God of his father Isaac.

Jewish/Hebrew Names Bibles:

Complete Jewish Bible           Isra’el took everything he owned with him on his journey. He arrived at Be’er-Sheva and offered sacrifices to the God of his father Yitz’chak.

exeGeses companion Bible   YAAQOV MOVES TO MISRAYIM

And Yisra El pulls stakes with all he has

and comes to Beer Sheba;

and sacrifices sacrifices

to the Elohim of his father Yischaq.

Hebraic Roots Bible               And Israel and all which were to him departed, and he came to Beer-Sheba. And he sacrificed sacrifices to the Elohe of his father Isaac.

Israeli Authorized Version      .

JPS (Tanakh—1985)               .

Kaplan Translation                 Joseph Reveals Himself to his Brothers

Israel began the journey, taking all his possessions, and he arrived in Beer-sheba. He offered sacrifices to the God of his father Isaac. The Kaplan Translation, particularly in Exodus through Deuteronomy, takes note of historic rabbinic opinions.

Orthodox Jewish Bible           And Yisroel took his journey with all that he had, and came to Be’erah Sheva, and offered zevakhim unto Elohei Aviv Yitzchak.

The Scriptures 1998              And Yisra’ĕl set out with all that he had, and came to Be’ĕrshea, and brought offerings to the Elohim of his father Yitsḥaq.

Expanded/Embellished Bibles:

The Amplified Bible                Jacob Moves to Egypt

So Israel set out with all that he had, and came to Beersheba [where both his father and grandfather had worshiped God], and offered sacrifices to the God of his father Isaac.

The Expanded Bible              Jacob Goes to Egypt

So ·Israel [^CJacob’s other name; 32:28] took all he had and ·started his trip [departed]. He went to Beersheba [21:14], where he offered sacrifices to the God of his father Isaac.

Kretzmann’s Commentary    Verses 1-7

The Journey over Beersheba to Egypt

And Israel took his journey with all that he had, and came to Beersheba, and offered sacrifices unto the God of his father Isaac. From Hebron, Gen. 37:14, Jacob, the father of the children of Israel, removed everything that could be transported without difficulty, and journeyed first of all to Beersheba, on the southern border of Canaan. Although the pressure of the famine and the invitation of both Joseph and Pharaoh were apparently hints from God, yet he was not without serious apprehension and anxiety at the greatness of the undertaking and its possible consequences.

NET Bible®                             The Family of Jacob goes to Egypt

So Israel began his journey, taking with him all that he had [Heb “and Israel journeyed, and all that was his.”]. When he came to Beer Sheba [See Gen 21:31; 28:10.] he offered sacrifices to the God of his father Isaac. When it comes to making an actual material change to the text, the NET Bible® is pretty good about indicating this. Since most of these corrections will be clear in the more literal translations below and within the Hebrew exegesis itself, I will not continue to list every NET Bible® footnote. Language footnotes will be placed in the Hebrew exegesis. Some footnotes will quoted elsewhere in this document.

Syndein/Thieme                     .

The Voice                               Israel set out on his journey to Egypt with all of his belongings, and when he came to Beersheba, he offered sacrificial gifts to the God of his father, Isaac.

Literal, almost word-for-word, renderings:

Benner’s Mechanical Trans.  ...and Yisra'el ^{[He turns El]} journeyed and all which belonged to him and he came unto B'er-Sheva ^{[Well of oath]} and he sacrificed things of sacrifice to the powers of his father Yits'hhaq ^{[He laughs]},...

Concordant Literal Version    And journeying is Israel, he, and all that he has. And coming is he to Beer-sheba and is sacrificing sacrifices to the Elohim of his father Isaac.

Context Group Version          .

Darby Translation                  .

Emphasized Bible                  So Israel brake up, with all that he had, and came in to Beer-sheba,—and offered sacrifices to the God of his father Isaac.

English Standard V. – UK       Joseph Brings His Family to Egypt

So Israel took his journey with all that he had and came to Beersheba, and offered sacrifices to the God of his father Isaac.

Evidence Bible                       .

Green’s Literal Translation    And Israel and all which were to him departed, and he came to Beer-sheba. And he sacrificed sacrifices to the God of his father Isaac.

Jack Ballinger’s translation    .

Modern English Version         .

Modern KJV                           .

NASB                                     Jacob Moves to Egypt

So Israel set out with all that he had, and came to Beersheba, and offered sacrifices to the God of his father Isaac.

New European Version          Jacob and His Family Migrate to Egypt

Israel travelled with all that he had, and came to Beersheba, and offered sacrifices to the God of his father, Isaac.

New King James Version       Jacob’s Journey to Egypt

So Israel took his journey with all that he had, and came to Beersheba, and offered sacrifices to the God of his father Isaac.

Owen's Translation                .

Ron Snider’s Translation       .

Stuart Wolf’s Translation       .

Third Millennium Bible            .

Updated Bible Version 2.11   .

A Voice in the Wilderness      .

Webster’s Bible Translation  .

World English Bible                Israel traveled with all that he had, and came to Beersheba, and offered sacrifices to the God of his father, Isaac.

Young's Literal Translation     .

Young’s Updated LT             And Israel journeys, and all that he has, and comes in to Beer-Sheba, and sacrifices sacrifices to the God of his father Isaac.

The gist of this passage:     Israel (Jacob) gathers up all of his belongings and begins his trip to Egypt. He stops first at Beersheba in order to offer up sacrifices to the God of his father.

Translation: Israel journeys with all that he had. Jacob is being called Israel now, because he is in fellowship and he is operating in the plan of God. He gathers up all of his belongings

Translation: When he came to Beer-sheba,... Beer-sheba is one of the most southernmost cities in the land of Canaan. There may be a sign posted there, You are now leaving Canaan.

Genesis 46:1a-b And Israel took his journey with all that he had, and came to Beer-sheba,...

Beer-sheba is the last stop along the road on the southern road out of Canaan. Jacob (called Israel here, which usually means he is doing something right) knows that he is leaving the Land of Promise (something which he has done once before). Jacob also realizes that might be a bad thing. God gave this land to the children of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; but Jacob and his extended family—all of them—are leaving it behind.

This is somewhat ironic, because much of Jacob’s life was spent in pursuit of the blessings of the firstborn, which blessings were closely tied to the land of Canaan; and now he would be the patriarch to actually pick up and leave that land, taking all of his sons (and his sons’ sons) with him.

Jacob Leads His Family into Egypt (a map); from ebible teacher; accessed July 12, 2017.

Genesis 46:1a-b And Israel took his journey with all that he had, and came to Beer- sheba,...

It is interesting that Jacob had been outside the Land of Promise far more than Abraham or Isaac—Abraham appears to have gone to Egypt on one occasion; I cannot recall Isaac ever leaving the land—in fact, Abraham acted on at least one occasion to specifically remain in Canaan; and, on another occasion, Isaac was about to leave the land for Egypt because of a drought, and God guided him to another area in Canaan. Jacob, on the other hand, has gone east to Haran; and here, he will pack up his entire family and move southwest to Egypt.

There is no doubt that Jacob had some misgivings about all that was taking place. He longed to see his son Joseph again; he believed that this is what he had to do. But, he was leaving the Land of Promise, the land that God specifically gave to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and their descendants. This departure seemed counterintuitive. Since God gave the land to the sons of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; it would seem most logical to remain in the land, no matter what.

Translation: ...he sacrificed sacrifices to the Elohim of his father Isaac. God brought the family of Abraham to Canaan and Canaan is the land that God would give to the Hebrews. However, it is now time for them to leave this land, albeit temporarily.

There would be quite a mix of emotions here. How unmeasurably sad to leave the land that God has promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (a promise which Jacob sought to gain, no matter what the cost). Yet, on the other hand, Jacob would be going to meet his favorite son whom he thought was lost. Some divine assurance would be apropos at this time.

This is about the first semi-spiritual thing that we have seen Jacob do in twenty years. The impression that is given is that after the loss of Joseph, he ceased to offer sacrifices to God. Although we have very little information about Jacob during these 20 years, the implication is, he had become a fairly bitter man, and he could not seem to let go of his son Benjamin, and he possibly blamed his other sons for the death of Joseph.

It appears that Judah separated from the family during this time and was possibly brought back to the family due to the famine over the land.

Even here, our Lord Jesus Christ is called the God of his father, Isaac, suggesting perhaps a lapse in spiritual growth and communion. Jacob was the kind of person who must receive blessing and then he is thankful to God for what he received. A more mature believer, such as Paul had learned to be content no matter what state he is in. On the negative side, he begins this journey with a certain lack of faith. Joseph has told him, "Do not concern yourself with your possessions, for the best of all the land of Egypt is yours." (Gen. 45:20) Nevertheless, it will appear that Jacob in this chapter is careful to bring everything that he had.

Genesis 46:1b ...and offered sacrifices to the God of his father Isaac.

Jacob appears to express this conflicted mental state with an animal sacrifice to God. However, most of the time when Jacob offers an animal up to God, he is within the plan of God.

——————————

Then, God spoke to him, to clear all of this up.

Here is how others have translated this verse:

Ancient texts:

Masoretic Text (Hebrew)        And so says Elohim to Israel in visions of the night. And so he says, “Jacob Jacob.” And so he says, “Behold me.”

Dead Sea Scrolls                   .

Targum of Onkelos                .

Jerusalem targum                  .

Targum (Onkelos)                  And the Lord spake to Israel in a vision of the night, and said, Jakob, Jakob. And he said, Behold, I am.

Targum (Pseudo-Jonathan)   And the Lord spake to Israel in a prophecy of the night, and said, Jakob! and he said, Behold me.

Revised Douay-Rheims         That night, in a vision, he heard God calling to him, Jacob, Jacob! and when he answered, I am here, at your command,...

Latin Vulgate                          .

Plain English Aramaic Bible   .

Peshitta (Syriac)                    And God spoke to Israel in a vision of the night, and said, Jacob, Jacob. And he said, Here am I.

Septuagint (Greek)                And God spoke to Israel in a night vision, saying, Jacob, Jacob; and he said, What is it?

NETS (Greek)                        .

Brenton’s Septuagint             .

Significant differences: 

Limited Vocabulary Translations:

Bible in Basic English             And God said to Israel in a night-vision, Jacob, Jacob. And he said, Here am I.

Easy English                          God spoke to Israel during the night. He spoke to Israel in *visions. He said, ‘Jacob, Jacob.’

So Jacob said, ‘Here I am.’

Easy-to-Read Version–2006  .

Easy-to-Read Version–2008  .

International Children’s B.     .

God’s Word™                         .

Good News Bible (TEV)         God spoke to him in a vision at night and called, “Jacob, Jacob!”

“Yes, here I am,” he answered.

The Message                         .

Names of God Bible               Elohim spoke to Israel in a vision that night and said, “Jacob, Jacob!”

“Here I am,” he answered.

NIRV                                      .

New Simplified Bible              That night, God spoke to him and said: »Jacob! Jacob!« »Here I am,« Jacob answered.

Thought-for-thought translations; paraphrases:

Common English Bible           .

Contemporary English V.       .

The Living Bible                     During the night God spoke to him in a vision.

“Jacob! Jacob!” he called.

“Yes?” Jacob answered.

New Berkeley Version           .

New Century Version             .

New Life Version                    God spoke to Israel in special dreams in the night, saying, "Jacob, Jacob." And Jacob answered, "Here I am."

New Living Translation           During the night God spoke to him in a vision. “Jacob! Jacob!” he called.

“Here I am,” Jacob replied.

Partially literal and partially paraphrased translations:

American English Bible          And God spoke to IsraEl in a vision that night. He said: 'Jacob! Jacob!'

And he asked, 'What is it?'

Beck’s American Translation .

International Standard V        God spoke to Israel through night visions, addressing him, “Jacob! Jacob!”

“Here I am!” Jacob [Lit. he] replied.

New Advent (Knox) Bible       That night, in a vision, he heard God calling to him, Jacob, Jacob! and when he answered, I am here, at thy command.

Today’s NIV                          .

Translation for Translators     That night, God called to Jacob in a vision, saying, “Jacob! Jacob!” He replied, “I am here!”

Mostly literal renderings (with some occasional paraphrasing):

Awful Scroll Bible                   He of mighty ones was to speak to Isra-el in a vision by night, even was he to sa:, Jacob! Jacob! He was to direct him,...

Conservapedia                       God spoke to Israel in night apparitions, and said, "Jacob, Jacob." And he said, "Behold me."

Ferrar-Fenton Bible                Then God appeared to Israel in a vision at night, and said "Jacob ! Jacob ! ' ' — and he replied ' ' I am here. ' '

God’s Truth (Tyndale)           .

HCSB                                     .

Jubilee Bible 2000                  And God spoke unto Israel in visions of the night and said, Jacob, Jacob. And he said, Here am I.

H. C. Leupold                         And God said to Israel in a night vision: Jacob, Jacob! And he said: Here am .

Lexham English Bible            .

NIV, ©2011                             .

NIV – UK                                .

Tree of Life Version                In visions of the night God said to Israel, “Jacob, Jacob.”

“Hineni,” he said.

Catholic Bibles (those having the imprimatur):

Christian Community (1988)  .

The Heritage Bible                 And God spoke to Israel in visions of the night, and said, Jacob, Jacob. And he said, Behold.

New American Bible (2002)   .

New American Bible (2011)   .

New Jerusalem Bible             .

New RSV                               .

Revised English Bible            God called to Israel in a vision by night, “Jacob! Jacob!” and he answered, “I am here.”

Jewish/Hebrew Names Bibles:

Complete Jewish Bible           .

exeGeses companion Bible   And Elohim says to Yisra El

in the visions of the night,

and says, Yaaqov! Yaaqov!

And he says, Here - I.

Hebraic Roots Bible               .

Israeli Authorized Version      .

JPS (Tanakh—1985)               .

Kaplan Translation                 God spoke to Israel in a night vision, and said, 'Jacob! Jacob!'

'Yes,' replied [Jacob].

Orthodox Jewish Bible           And Elohim spoke unto Yisroel in the marot halailah, and said, Ya’akov, Ya’akov. And he said, Hineni.

The Scriptures 1998              And Elohim spoke to Yisra’ĕl in the visions of the night, and said, “Yaʽaqo, Yaʽaqo!” And he said, “Here I am.”

Expanded/Embellished Bibles:

The Amplified Bible                .

The Expanded Bible              During the night God spoke to Israel in a vision and said, “Jacob, Jacob.”

And Jacob answered, “Here I am.”

Kretzmann’s Commentary    And God spake unto Israel in the visions of the night and said, Jacob, Jacob! And he said, Here am I. So God Himself, whom he had worshiped with his sacrifices, appeared to Jacob at this decisive moment, speaking to him in a dream-vision by night.

NET Bible®                             God spoke to Israel in a vision during the night [Heb “in visions of the night.” The plural form has the singular meaning, probably as a plural of intensity.] and said, “Jacob, Jacob!” He replied, “Here I am!”

Syndein/Thieme                     .

The Voice                               God spoke there to Israel in visions during the night.

God: Jacob, Jacob!

Jacob: I’m here. I’m listening!

Literal, almost word-for-word, renderings:

Benner’s Mechanical Trans.  ...and Elohiym ^[Powers] said to Yisra'el ^{[He turns El]} in the reflection of the night and he said, Ya'aqov ^{[He restrains]}, Ya'aqov ^{[He restrains]}, and he said, here am I,...

Concordant Literal Version    And speaking is the Elohim to Israel in appearances of the night, and saying, "Jacob! Jacob!"And saying is he, "Behold me!"

Context Group Version          .

Darby Translation                  .

Emphasized Bible                  .

English Standard Version      And God spoke to Israel in visions of the night and said, "Jacob, Jacob." And he said, "Here I am."

English Standard V. – UK       .

Evidence Bible                       .

Green’s Literal Translation    And God said to Israel in visions of the night, and He spoke, Jacob! Jacob! And he answered, Behold me.

Jack Ballinger’s translation    .

Modern English Version         .

Modern KJV                           .

NASB                                     .

New European Version          .

New King James Version       .

Owen's Translation                .

Ron Snider’s Translation       .

Stuart Wolf’s Translation       .

Third Millennium Bible            .

Updated Bible Version 2.11   .

A Voice in the Wilderness      .

Webster’s Bible Translation  .

World English Bible                .

Young's Literal Translation     .

Young’s Updated LT             And God speakes to Israel in visions of the night, and says, “Jacob, Jacob;” and he says, “Here am I.”

The gist of this passage:     God calls to Jacob that night and Jacob says, “Here I am.”

Translation: Elohim spoke to Israel in visions of the night,... Israel (Jacob) has an inspired vision. We do not know if he is awake or if this is a dream, but there is a point at which God speaks to Jacob.

Jacob is leaving the land that God has promised to him and to his father and his father’s father. This would be a very difficult move for Jacob to make, despite going to see his son Joseph.

Translation: ...and he said, “Jacob Jacob.” This is one of the few times when God speaks a person’s name twice. Does it mean, “You need to listen carefully”?

This vision was unlike any that Jacob had experience over the previous forty years. In this vision, God says to Jacob what He has said to only three others in the Old Testament and will say to seven persons altogether. He doubles Jacob's name, as he did when He called Abraham (Gen. 22:11), and as he will call Moses (Ex. 3:4) and Samuel (1Sam. 3:10). It is a great emphasis upon the person who has been called.

I would like to tell you that this is a great sign of spiritual growth when a believer is called by God and he then says, "Here I am" but we see by the context that Jacob has been a self-centered, bitter old man for much of the previous twenty years without very little thought given to God.

However, after twenty years, he is now back in fellowship, and, if he has any sense whatsoever, he is thankful that God did not kill him during these years of waste. Notice that we have no Scripture written about him during this time because he was not writing God's Word at that time. You do not write God's Word while you are out of fellowship. It is possible that Jacob authored this, his last chapter, in the Bible, and it was later edited into this portion of God's Word by Moses. It is equally likely in his visits with Joseph that he told this to Joseph, as this is the Jacob's only personal moment in this chapter. Given the carefully constructed and very cohesive narrative, it seems much more that a person very adept at writing assembled and wrote the final 10+ chapters of Genesis.

Translation: And he answered, “Here I [am].” Jacob answers God. “Here I am.”

Genesis 46:2 And God spoke to Israel in the visions of the night, and said, “Jacob, Jacob!” And he said, “Here I am.”

God makes all of what is happening clear to Jacob. It is interesting that, in Gen. 45:27, we have Jacob’s name used (when he is revived); and the name Israel when it is attached to him moving to Egypt (Gen. 45:28 46:1); and yet, when God speaks to him, it is, “Jacob, Jacob.” (Why not, Israel, Israel?) As we have noted before, God only on a half dozen occasions doubles a man’s name when He calls them. This is over a period of perhaps 4000 years of human history.

Jacob, in moving south, is in the plan of God; and my guess is, he has a much improved mental attitude at this time, looking forward to seeing his son Joseph.

——————————

Here is how others have translated this verse:

Ancient texts:

Masoretic Text (Hebrew)        And so He says, “I [am] ʾEl, an Elohim of your father. You will not be afraid from going down to Egypt for a people great I will make of you there. I—I will go down with you to Egypt; I—I will bring you up again going up and Joseph will place his hand over your [two] eyes.”

Dead Sea Scrolls                   .

Targum of Onkelos                .

Jerusalem targum                  .

Targum (Onkelos)                  And He said, I am God, the God of thy father: fear not to go down into Mizraim; for a great people will I make thee there. I will go down with thee into Mizraim, and will surely bring thee up; but Joseph shall lay his hand upon thine eyes.

Targum (Pseudo-Jonathan)   And He said, I am God, the God of thy father; fear not to go down into Mizraim on account of the servitude I have decreed with Abraham: for a great people will I make thee there. I am He who in My Word will go down with thee into Mizraim; I will regard the affliction of thy children, and My Word shall bring thee up from thence, and cause thy children to come up; but Joseph shall lay his hand upon thine eyes.

Revised Douay-Rheims         ...God said to him, I am the almighty God your father worshipped. Betake yourself to Egypt without fear; I mean to make your descendants into a great nation there. I will go down there with you and when the time comes to return, it shall be under my guidance still; and Joseph shall stand by you to close your eyes in death.

Latin Vulgate                          .

Plain English Aramaic Bible   .

Peshitta (Syriac)                    Then he said to him. I am El, the God of your father; fear not to go down to Egypt; for I will there make of you a great people; I will go down with you into Egypt; and I will also surely bring you up again; and Joseph shall close your eyes when you die.

Septuagint (Greek)                And he says to him, I am the God of your fathers; fear not to go down into Egypt, for I will make you there a great nation. And I will go down with you into Egypt, and I will bring you up at the end; and Joseph shall put his hands on your eyes.

NETS (Greek)                        .

Brenton’s Septuagint             .

Significant differences: 

Limited Vocabulary Translations:

Bible in Basic English             And he said, I am God, the God of your father: go down to Egypt without fear, for I will make a great nation of you there: I will go down with you to Egypt, and I will see that you come back again, and at your death Joseph will put his hands on your eyes.

Easy English                          .

Easy-to-Read Version–2006  Then God said, “I am God, the God of your father. Don’t be afraid to go to Egypt. In Egypt I will make you a great nation. I will go to Egypt with you, and I will bring you out of Egypt again. You will die there, but Joseph will be with you. His own hands will close your eyes when you die.”

Easy-to-Read Version–2008  .

International Children’s B.     .

God’s Word™                         .

Good News Bible (TEV)         .

The Message                         God said, “I am the God of your father. Don’t be afraid of going down to Egypt. I’m going to make you a great nation there. I’ll go with you down to Egypt; I’ll also bring you back here. And when you die, Joseph will be with you; with his own hand he’ll close your eyes.”

Names of God Bible               “I am El, the Elohim of your father,” he said. “Don’t be afraid to go to Egypt, because I will make you a great nation there. I will go with you to Egypt, and I will make sure you come back again. Joseph will close your eyes when you die.”

NIRV                                      .

New Simplified Bible              God said: »I am God! I am the same God your father worshiped. Do not be afraid to go to Egypt. I will give you so many descendants that one day they will become a nation. »I will go to Egypt with you. I will make sure you come back again. Joseph will close your eyes when you die.«

Thought-for-thought translations; paraphrases:

Common English Bible           .

Contemporary English V.       God said, "I am God, the same God your father worshiped. Don't be afraid to go to Egypt. I will give you so many descendants that one day they will become a nation. I will go with you to Egypt, and later I will bring your descendants back here. Your son Joseph will be at your side when you die."

The Living Bible                     “I am God,” the voice replied, “the God of your father. Don’t be afraid to go down to Egypt, for I will see to it that you become a great nation there. And I will go down with you into Egypt and I will bring your descendants back again; but you shall die in Egypt with Joseph at your side.”

New Berkeley Version           .

New Century Version             Then God said, “I am God, the God of your father. Don’t be afraid to go to Egypt, because I will make your descendants a great nation there. I will go to Egypt with you, and I will bring you out of Egypt again. Joseph’s own hands will close your eyes when you die.”

New Life Version                    .

New Living Translation           “I am God, the God of your father,” the voice said. “Do not be afraid to go down to Egypt, for there I will make your family into a great nation. I will go with you down to Egypt, and I will bring you back again. You will die in Egypt, but Joseph will be with you to close your eyes.”

Partially literal and partially paraphrased translations:

American English Bible          And [God] said to him: 'I am the God of your ancestors. Don't be afraid to go down to Egypt, because I will make a great nation of you there. I will also go down to Egypt with you, and I will bring you back… why, it will be JoSeph who will lay his hands over your eyes.'

Beck’s American Translation .

International Standard V        “I’m God, your father’s God. Don’t be afraid to move down to Egypt, because I’m going to turn you into a mighty nation there. I’m going down with you to Egypt, and I’m certainly going to bring you back again. And Joseph himself will be with you when you die [Lit. will place his hand over your eyes].”

New Advent (Knox) Bible       God said to him, I am the almighty God thy father worshipped. Betake thyself to Egypt without fear; I mean to make thy descendants into a great nation there. I will go down there with thee; and when the time comes to return, it shall be under my guidance still; and Joseph shall stand by thee to close thy eyes in death.

Today’s NIV                          .

Translation for Translators     God said, “I am God, the one your father worshiped. Do not be afraid to go down to Egypt, because I will give you many descendants, and they will become a great nation there. I will go down to Egypt with you, and later I will bring your descendants back to Canaan again. And Joseph will be with you [MTY] when you die.” [IDI]

Mostly literal renderings (with some occasional paraphrasing):

Awful Scroll Bible                   ...and was to say: I am he mighty, he of mighty ones of your fathers. Was you to fear to go down to the Egypt? - I was to set you as a great nation there. You was to go down to the Egypt, and you was to come out a coming out, even Joseph was to lay his hand, on your eyes.

Conservapedia                       And He said, "I am God, the God of your father. You must not be afraid to go down into Egypt. I will place you there as a great nation. I will go down with you into Egypt, and moreover, I will bring you back up. And Joseph will set his hand upon your eyes."

Ferrar-Fenton Bible                When He answered, " I am God, the God of your father Isaac ; fear not. Go down to the Mitzeraim, for you shall become a great nation there. I, The Mighty, will be with you in Mitzer, and I will support you, and Joseph shall place his hands upon your eyes."

God’s Truth (Tyndale)           And he said: I am that mighty God of your father, fear not to go down into Egypt. For I will make of you there a great people. I will go down with you into Egypt, and I will also bring you up again, and Joseph shall put his hand upon your eyes.

HCSB                                     .

Jubilee Bible 2000                  .

H. C. Leupold                         And He said: I am the true God (El), the God (Elohim) of thy father. Do not be afraid to go down to Egypt, for a great nation will I make thee there. I myself will go down with thee to Egypt, and I myself will most certainly bring thee up again; and Joseph shall close thy eyes (in death).

Lexham English Bible            .

NIV, ©2011                             .

NIV – UK                                .

Tree of Life Version                “I am God, the God of your father,” He said. “Do not be afraid to go down to Egypt, for I will turn you into a great nation there. I Myself will go down with you to Egypt and I Myself will also most certainly bring you up. Joseph will put his hands on your eyes.”

Catholic Bibles (those having the imprimatur):

Christian Community (1988)  .

The Heritage Bible                 And he said, I am God, the God of your father; do not fear to descend into Egypt, because I will put you a great people there; I will descend with you into Egypt, and causing you to ascend, I will also cause you to ascend, and Joseph shall put his hand upon your eyes.

New American Bible (2002)   Then he said: "I am God [I am God: more precisely according to the Hebrew text, "I am El." "El" is here a divine name, not the common noun "god."], the God of your father. Do not be afraid to go down to Egypt, for there I will make you a great nation. Not only will I go down to Egypt with you; I will also bring you back here, after Joseph has closed your eyes."

New American Bible (2011)   .

New Jerusalem Bible             'I am El, God of your father,' he said. 'Do not be afraid of going down to Egypt, for I will make you into a great nation there. I shall go down to Egypt with you and I myself shall bring you back again, and Joseph's hand will close your eyes.'

New RSV                               Then he said, ‘I am God [Heb the God], the God of your father; do not be afraid to go down to Egypt, for I will make of you a great nation there. 4I myself will go down with you to Egypt, and I will also bring you up again; and Joseph’s own hand shall close your eyes.’

Revised English Bible            God said, “I am God, the God of your father. Do not be afraid to go down to Egypt, for there I shall make you a great nation. I shall go down to Egypt with you, and I myself shall bring you back again without fail; and Joseph's will be the hands that close your eyes.”

Jewish/Hebrew Names Bibles:

Complete Jewish Bible           He said, “I am God, the God of your father. Don’t be afraid to go down to Egypt. It is there that I will make you into a great nation. Not only will I go down with you to Egypt; but I will also bring you back here again, after Yosef has closed your eyes.”

exeGeses companion Bible   And he says, I - El - Elohim of your father:

awe not to descend into Misrayim;

for there I set of you a great goyim:

I descend with you into Misrayim;

and in ascending, I also ascend you:

and Yoseph puts his hand on your eyes.

Hebraic Roots Bible               And He said, I am Elohe, The El of your fathers. Do not fear to go down into Egypt, for I will make of you a great nation there. I will go down with you into Egypt, and I will also surely return you. And Joseph shall put his hand on your eyes.

Israeli Authorized Version      .

JPS (Tanakh—1985)               And He said, “I am God, the God of your father. Fear not to go down to Egypt, for I will make you there into a great nation. I Myself will go down with you to Egypt, and I Myself will also bring you back; and Joseph’s hand shall close your eyes.”

Kaplan Translation                 [God] said, 'I am the Omnipotent God of your father. Do not be afraid to go to Egypt, for it is there that I will make you into a great nation. I will go to Egypt with you, and I will also bring you back again. Joseph will place his hands on your eyes [When a man dies, it was the custom for the son to close his eyes (Zohar 226a; Ibn Ezra; Lekach Tov; cf. Shabbath 77a). Or, 'Joseph will take care of your concerns' (Rashbam; Sforno; cf. Job 9:33).].'

Orthodox Jewish Bible           And He said, I am El Elohei Avicha; fear not to go down to Mitzrayim; for there I will make thee a Goy Gadol; I will go down with thee to Mitzrayim; and I will also surely bring thee up again; and Yosef shall put his yad upon thine eyes.

The Scriptures 1998              And He said, “I am the Ěl, Elohim of your father. Do not be afraid to go down to Mitsrayim, for I shall make you there into a great nation. “I Myself am going down with you to Mitsrayim and I Myself shall certainly bring you up again. And let Yosĕph put his hand on your eyes.”

Expanded/Embellished Bibles:

The Amplified Bible                And He said, “I am God, the God of your father; do not be afraid to go down to Egypt, for I will make you (your descendants) a great nation there. I will go down with you to Egypt, and I will also surely bring you (your people) up again; and Joseph will put his hand on your eyes [to close them at the time of your death].”

The Expanded Bible              Then God said, “I am God, the God of your father. Don’t be afraid to go to Egypt, because I will make ·your descendants [^Lyou] a great nation there [12:1–3]. I will go to Egypt with you, and I will bring you ·out of Egypt [^Lup] again. Joseph’s own hands will close your eyes when you die.”

Kretzmann’s Commentary    And he said, I am God, the Powerful, the Mighty One, the God of thy father, the only true God. Fear not to go down into Egypt; for I will there make of thee a great nation. What God had said to Abraham in a general way, Gen. 15:13-16, he here referred to the sojourn in Egypt. He not only sanctioned the removal of Jacob to Egypt, but promised His blessing also in the strange land.

I will go down with thee in to Egypt; and I will also surely bring thee up again. His protection would attend their removal, their stay, and the eventual return of the children of Israel. This promise, moreover, was to remind Jacob of the greater and more important prophecy, that of the Messiah, who was to be his descendant. And Joseph shall put his hand upon thine eyes; the last service of love when Jacob closed his eyes in death would be performed by the son whom he had so long mourned as dead.

NET Bible®                             He said, “I am God [Heb “the God.”], the God of your father. Do not be afraid to go down to Egypt, for I will make you into a great nation there. I will go down with you to Egypt and I myself will certainly bring you back from there [Heb “and I, I will bring you up, also bringing up.” The independent personal pronoun before the first person imperfect verbal form draws attention to the speaker/subject, while the infinitive absolute after the imperfect strongly emphasizes the statement: “I myself will certainly bring you up.”]. Joseph will close your eyes.”

Syndein/Thieme                     .

The Voice                               God: I am the True God, the God of your father. Don’t be afraid to go down to Egypt and leave the land I promised you, for I am going to make you into a great nation there. I will go down with you to Egypt, and one day I will be the One to bring you back again. And something else—Joseph’s own hands will be the ones to close your eyes at the time of your death.

Literal, almost word-for-word, renderings:

Benner’s Mechanical Trans.  ...and he said, I am the mighty one, the powers of your father, you will not fear to go down unto Mitsrayim ^[Troubles] given that I will set you in place there for a magnificent nation, I will go down with you unto Mitsrayim ^[Troubles] and I will bring you up, also go up, and Yoseph ^[Adding] will set down his hand upon your eyes,...

Concordant Literal Version    And saying is He, "I am the El, the Elohim of your forefather. You must not fear to go down to Egypt, for a great nation will I constitute you there. I will go down with you to Egypt, and I, moreover, will bring, yea, bring you up. And Joseph shall set his hands on your eyes.

Context Group Version          And he said, I am God, the God of your father: don't be afraid to go down into Egypt; for I will there make of you a great nation: I will go down with you into Egypt; and I will also surely bring you up again: and Joseph shall put his hand on your eyes.

Darby Translation                  .

Emphasized Bible                  .

English Standard Version      .