Genesis 46:5-7 - Exposition

And Jacob rose up —having received new vigor from the vision (Calvin)— from Beersheba (it is not probable that his stay there was of more than a day or two's, perhaps only a night's, duration): and the sons of Israel carried Jacob their father, and their little ones, and their wives,—"Unlike the heathen tribes around them, and Oriental nations generally, the family of Jacob gave honor to the wife as to the weaker vessel" (Lawson)— in the wagons which Pharaoh had sent to carry him ( vide Genesis 45:19 , Genesis 45:21 ). And they took their cattle, and their goods (including probably their servants), which they had gotten in the land of Canaan ,—Pharaoh had desired Jacob not to regard his stuff, because the good of all the land of Egypt was before him; but he wished not to take advantage of Pharaoh's goodness, or to owe greater obligations to him than he found necessary" (Lawson)— and came into Egypt, —a scene depicted on the tomb of Chumhotep, the near relative and successor of Osirtasen I ; at Benihassan, represents a company of immigrants, apparently Shemitic in their origin, entering Egypt with their goods, as well as women and children, borne upon asses. Without affirming that this was the Egyptian version of the descent of Israel into Egypt, it may serve as a striking illustration of that event— Jacob, and all his seed ( i.e. his descendants) with him: his sons, and his sons' sons with him, his daughters , and his sons' daughters, and all his seed brought he with him into Egypt. The date of this event was in the 130th year of Jacob's life ( Genesis 47:9 ), and 215 years after the call of Abraham ( Genesis 12:4 ), i.e. B . C . 1728 (Usher), 1885 (Hales); or A . M . 2276 (Usher), 3526 (Hales).