(Deuteronomy 4:2 [KJV]) Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish ought from it, that ye may keep the commandments of the LORD your God which I
command you.
(Proverbs 30:5, 6 [KJV]) Every word of God is pure: he is a shield unto them that put their trust in him. Add thou not unto his words, lest he reprove thee, and thou be found a liar.
(Isaiah 28:10 [KJV])
For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little:
(Isaiah 28:13 [KJV])
But the word of the LORD was unto them precept upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little; that they might go, and fall backward, and be broken, and snared, and taken.
(2 Peter 1:20 [KJV])
Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation.
All of the studies, book or topical, found here, are done with research with mainly two things: The KING JAMES BIBLE and a plain old, 1828 Webster's Dictionary. Why? Outside of actually studying secular and Jewish history, archaeology, one needs nothing more. You do not need foreign, dead languages that no one speaks, lexicons, concordances or commentaries, because they differ not only with one another and with the KING JAMES BIBLE, but they create division, confusion, debate, and unbelief. We do not need them. That Word of God written and preserved for us in our own language is supposed to be enough, like the Old Testament was for the Jews, and the New Testament for the early Christians in Greek, Latin, Italian, Spanish, German, etc. There are studies within as tangents on words, subjects found within the two testaments, as to broaden the scope of the study, to learn more, deeper truths. This is not an intellectual site with PhDs, theologians, and no worldly wisdom.. Check everything out, everything. Not just here, but with everything you read and see and hear. Be Bereans:
(Acts 17:11 [KJV])
These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.
Always research for yourself, use all of the context, and never privately interpret!
Genesis Chapter 46: ISRAEL (JACOB) ENTERS EGYPT
This was a promise made, a p[rophecy made, about the great nation Israel, God's chosen people, that Israel would enter Egypt, for four hundred years, grow into a great nation in size, loot the Egyptians, begin their journey to the Promised Land. Egypt was not that promised land, but this is the beginning of the actual nation here, the seed about to be planted, about to grow. The most likely pharaoh at this time according to ancient Egyptian (not in God's Word named) records would have been Pharaoh Sesostris I, perhaps Pharaoh Sesostris III being the one that later oppressed the Israelites during their time of slavery
(Genesis 46:1 [KJV])
And Israel took his journey with all that he had, and came to Beersheba, and offered sacrifices unto the God of his father Isaac.
It must be said that Jacob had most likely, as many old people, thought that he would perish and be buried in Canaan, settled in and prepared to leave earth
This is similar to today being an old man in Ocala Florida senior retirement community and being told "Get up now, and ride in a wagon behind a horse" to, for instance, Arkansas "to see your son who you believed was dead"
(Genesis 46:2 [KJV])
And God spake unto Israel in the visions of the night, and said, Jacob, Jacob. And he said, Here [am] I.
Notice in this verse Jacob says "here [am] I". In the next, God responds, "I [am] God"
No one else is the I AM, and this is God's Name to jacob, and he knows that name
Moses later was told to tell Pharaoh (a different one) that "I AM hath sent me"
(Genesis 46:3 [KJV])
And he said, I [am] God, the God of thy father: fear not to go down into Egypt; for I will there make of thee a great nation:
God said this because it is obvious that Jacob had fears, not wanting to send Benjamin, having to be persuaded by his sons
This is not an unreasoned fear, irrational, but normal
Without God, any foreign nation which oppresses, takes slaves, kills many who oppose it is fearful to us
(Genesis 46:4 [KJV])
I will go down with thee into Egypt; and I will also surely bring thee up [again]: and Joseph shall put his hand upon thine eyes.
But God is and will be with him, so not to worry
With God, Israel is a majority to this day
Without God, no one is safe, and that for this life and all eternity
FEAR NOT, THIS IS WHY
(Psalms 118:6-9 [KJV])
The LORD [is] on my side; I will not fear: what can man do unto me? The LORD taketh my part with them that help me: therefore shall I see [my desire] upon them that hate me. [It is] better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in man. [It is] better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in princes.
(Isaiah 41:10 [KJV])
Fear thou not; for I [am] with thee: be not dismayed; for I [am] thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.
(Genesis 46:5 [KJV])
And Jacob rose up from Beersheba: and the sons of Israel carried Jacob their father, and their little ones, and their wives, in the wagons which Pharaoh had sent to carry him.
Obviously aged now, tough to travel, so the sons have to help
Add to this the fact that he is going to enter into a strange country
Add to this the fact that he is going to enter into a hostile country
Add to this the fact that he has to do this to see his "dead" son and get food, or his family will starve
(Genesis 46:6 [KJV])
And they took their cattle, and their goods, which they had gotten in the land of Canaan, and came into Egypt, Jacob, and all his seed 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.
(Genesis 46:8-26 [KJV])
And these [are] the names of the children of Israel, which came into Egypt, Jacob and his sons: Reuben, Jacob's firstborn. And the sons of Reuben; Hanoch, and Phallu, and Hezron, and Carmi. And the sons of Simeon; Jemuel, and Jamin, and Ohad, and Jachin, and Zohar, and Shaul the son of a Canaanitish woman. And the sons of Levi; Gershon, Kohath, and Merari. And the sons of Judah; Er, and Onan, and Shelah, and Pharez, and Zerah: but Er and Onan died in the land of Canaan. And the sons of Pharez were Hezron and Hamul. And the sons of Issachar; Tola, and Phuvah, and Job, and Shimron.
And the sons of Zebulun; Sered, and Elon, and Jahleel. These [be] the sons of Leah, which she bare unto Jacob in Padanaram, with his daughter Dinah: all the souls of his sons and his daughters [were] thirty and three. And the sons of Gad; Ziphion, and Haggi, Shuni, and Ezbon, Eri, and Arodi, and Areli.) And the sons of Asher; Jimnah, and Ishuah, and Isui, and Beriah, and Serah their sister: and the sons of Beriah; Heber, and Malchiel. These [are] the sons of Zilpah, whom Laban gave to Leah his daughter, and these she bare unto Jacob, [even] sixteen souls.
The sons of Rachel Jacob's wife; Joseph, and Benjamin. And unto Joseph in the land of Egypt were born Manasseh and Ephraim, which Asenath the daughter of Potipherah priest of On bare unto him. And the sons of Benjamin [were] Belah, and Becher, and Ashbel, Gera, and Naaman, Ehi, and Rosh, Muppim, and Huppim, and Ard. These [are] the sons of Rachel, which were born to Jacob: all the souls [were] fourteen. And the sons of Dan; Hushim. And the sons of Naphtali; Jahzeel, and Guni, and Jezer, and Shillem.
These [are] the sons of Bilhah, which Laban gave unto Rachel his daughter, and she bare these unto Jacob: all the souls [were] seven. All the souls that came with Jacob into Egypt, which came out of his loins, besides Jacob's sons' wives, all the souls [were] threescore and six;
The skeptics within and without the church like to make hay over this, implying error
Moses simply is listing the family members; not mentioning how many entered into Egypt
This arises only from pure, open hatred for God, and the lack of a desire to read the Word of God, but rather read INTO it, privately interpreting it, as prohibited in Scripture (2 Peter 1:20)
Joseph called all of them, not all came, because they were dead!
All which came out of Jacob's loins are not the same as the number which came with him into Egypt; Joseph and his sons were already, there, Er and Onan were already dead, etc.
Sometimes, when listing genealogies, families, God includes and excludes members, for various reaasons as just given, because He is God and can do that.
When listing, God will say something like, "with Jacob and his wife", "or Jacob and his sons" or just jacob, not mentioning children and wives, which God did many times in both testaments, as the Scriptures are male orientedetc. Meaning adding those in, or not adding them in; by the context it is discernible
As stated earlier, Stephen's account simply lists the wives of the sons of Jacob, nine here in total, so sixty six plus nine is seventy five
But, if one wants to be a true skeptics, they will scream "CONTRADICTION!" in a heartbeat, and never waver from that, despite any evidence to the contrary
(Exodus 1:5 [KJV])
And all the souls that came out of the loins of Jacob were seventy souls: for Joseph was in Egypt [already].
(Deuteronomy 10:22 [KJV])
Thy fathers went down into Egypt with threescore and ten persons; and now the LORD thy God hath made thee as the stars of heaven for multitude.
(Acts 7:14 [KJV])
Then sent Joseph, and called his father Jacob to [him], and all his kindred, threescore and fifteen souls.
(Genesis 46:27 [KJV])
And the sons of Joseph, which were born him in Egypt, [were] two souls: all the souls of the house of Jacob, which came into Egypt, [were] threescore and ten.
A score is twenty, so this is seventy counted, included, with death, exclusions for those there already, etc.
(Genesis 46:28 [KJV])
And he sent Judah before him unto Joseph, to direct his face unto Goshen; and they came into the land of Goshen.
Judah has been prominent here in the life of Joseph
Like David, Judah was not a perfect man; the affair with Tamar his daughter being proof of that, but that did not stop Jesus being the Lion of the Tribe of Judah
JUDAH: LEADER, PROTECTOR OF JOSEPH
(Genesis 37:26 [KJV])
And Judah said unto his brethren, What profit [is it] if we slay our brother, and conceal his blood?
(Genesis 43:3 [KJV])
And Judah spake unto him (Jacob, his father), saying, The man did solemnly protest unto us, saying, Ye shall not see my face, except your brother [be] with you.
(Genesis 43:8 [KJV])
And Judah said unto Israel his father, Send the lad (Benjamin)with me, and we will arise and go; that we may live, and not die, both we, and thou, [and] also our little ones.
(Genesis 44:14-18 [KJV])
And Judah and his brethren came to Joseph's house; for he [was] yet there: and they fell before him on the ground. And Joseph said unto them, What deed [is] this that ye have done? wot ye not that such a man as I can certainly divine? And Judah said, What shall we say unto my lord? what shall we speak? or how shall we clear ourselves? God hath found out the iniquity of thy servants: behold, we [are] my lord's servants, both we, and [he] also with whom the cup is found. And he said, God forbid that I should do so: [but] the man in whose hand the cup is found, he shall be my servant; and as for you, get you up in peace unto your father.Then Judah came near unto him, and said, Oh my lord, let thy servant, I pray thee, speak a word in my lord's ears, and let not thine anger burn against thy servant: for thou [art] even as Pharaoh.
(Revelation 5:5 [KJV])
And one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Juda, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof.
(Genesis 46:29 [KJV])
And Joseph made ready his chariot, and went up to meet Israel his father, to Goshen, and presented himself unto him; and he fell on his neck, and wept on his neck a good while.
This has to have been a tremendously heartening time of relief for both Jacob and Joseph
Head down, into the neck of his father, crying, openly sobbing, after so many years
(Genesis 46:30 [KJV])
And Israel said unto Joseph, Now let me die, since I have seen thy face, because thou [art] yet alive.
Jacob lived over a decade and a half after this, as God is Sovereign over the lives, lifetimes, life spans of all mankind
This, to Jacob, is a resurrection from a dead son to his own risen, living son
(Genesis 46:31-32 [KJV])
And Joseph said unto his brethren, and unto his father's house, I will go up, and shew Pharaoh, and say unto him, My brethren, and my father's house, which [were] in the land of Canaan, are come unto me; And the men [are] shepherds, for their trade hath been to feed cattle; and they have brought their flocks, and their herds, and all that they have.
I will prepare the LORD'S way into Egypt before you
Sarah gave Abraham her handmaid Hagar the Egyptian, and Ishmaelites were the result
Israel was the best thing for Egypt, being there, God blessing them, increasing them and their crops, etc.
(Genesis 15:13 [KJV])
And he said unto Abram, Know of a surety that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land [that is] not theirs, and shall serve them; and they shall afflict them four hundred years;
(Genesis 46:33-34 [KJV])
And it shall come to pass, when Pharaoh shall call you, and shall say, What [is] your occupation? That ye shall say, Thy servants' trade hath been about cattle from our youth even until now, both we, [and] also our fathers: that ye may dwell in the land of Goshen; for every shepherd [is] an abomination unto the Egyptians.
It is not abundantly, biblically clear why the ancient Egyptians hated shepherds, though it would appear that cows and bulls were more respected, revered, valued for milk, meat and leather.
Honor the animal, honor the keeper of that animal
Cattle require more land as well, so this could have been a way to get that, with deception
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