Genesis 45:16-20

"And the report thereof was heard in Pharaoh's house, saying, Joseph's brethren are come: and it pleased Pharaoh well, and his servants. And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, Say unto thy brethren, This do ye: lade your beasts, and go, get you unto the land of Canaan; and take your father and your households and come unto me; and I will give you the good of the land of Egypt, and ye shall eat the fat of the land. Now thou art commanded, this do ye: take you wagons out of the land of Egypt for your little ones, and for your wives, and bring your father, and come. Also regard not your stuff; for the good of all the land of Egypt is yours."

"The report thereof was heard in Pharaoh's house ..." This is a clarification of what is stated in Genesis 45:2. The fact that Pharaoh did not require any elaboration as to who were "the brethren" of Joseph shows that Joseph had already informed him fully of all that had been happening.

Pharaoh not only ratified and confirmed Joseph's words, but he put the invitation in the form of a command, and added an offer of wagons to aid the transport of the women and children.

"Wagons ..." These were two-wheeled carts "suitable for a flat country like Egypt, and for traversing deserts and other areas where roads would not be available. Herodotus mentions a four-wheeled cart which was used for transporting a shrine or the image of a deity."[17] "This is the first mention of `wagons' in the Bible."[18]