Hurry, and go up to my father, and tell him, ‘This is what your son Joseph says, “God has made me lord of all Egypt. Come down to me. Don’t wait. You shall dwell in the land of Goshen, and you will be near to me, you, your children, your children’s children, your flocks, your herds, and all that you have. There I will provide for you; for there are yet five years of famine; lest you come to poverty, you, and your household, and all that you have.” ’
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Genesis 45:9-11 sits inside this longer paragraph.
Now don’t be grieved, nor angry with yourselves, that you sold me here, for God sent me before you to preserve life. For these two years the famine has been in the land, and there are yet five years, in which there will be no plowing and no harvest. God sent me before you to preserve for you a remnant in the earth, and to save you alive by a great deliverance. So now it wasn’t you who sent me here, but God, and he has made me a father to Pharaoh, lord of all his house, and ruler over all the land of Egypt. Hurry, and go up to my father, and tell him, ‘This is what your son Joseph says, “God has made me lord of all Egypt. Come down to me. Don’t wait. You shall dwell in the land of Goshen, and you will be near to me, you, your children, your children’s children, your flocks, your herds, and all that you have. There I will provide for you; for there are yet five years of famine; lest you come to poverty, you, and your household, and all that you have.” ’ Behold, your eyes see, and the eyes of my brother Benjamin, that it is my mouth that speaks to you. You shall tell my father of all my glory in Egypt, and of all that you have seen. You shall hurry and bring my father down here.” He fell on his brother Benjamin’s neck and wept, and Benjamin wept on his neck. He kissed all his brothers, and wept on them. After that his brothers talked with him.
Parallel Translations
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Hurry, and go up to my father, and tell him, ‘This is what your son Joseph says, “God has made me lord of all Egypt. Come down to me. Don’t wait.
You shall dwell in the land of Goshen, and you will be near to me, you, your children, your children’s children, your flocks, your herds, and all that you have.
There I will provide for you; for there are yet five years of famine; lest you come to poverty, you, and your household, and all that you have.” ’
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Haste ye, and go up to my father, and say unto him, Thus saith thy son Joseph, God hath made me lord of all Egypt: come down unto me, tarry not:
And thou shalt dwell in the land of Goshen, and thou shalt be near unto me, thou, and thy children, and thy children’s children, and thy flocks, and thy herds, and all that thou hast:
And there will I nourish thee; for yet there are five years of famine; lest thou, and thy household, and all that thou hast, come to poverty.
Show all 3 translations
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Hasten ye, and go up to my father, and say unto him: Thus saith thy son Joseph: God hath made me lord of all Egypt; come down unto me, tarry not.
And thou shalt dwell in the land of Goshen, and thou shalt be near unto me, thou, and thy children, and thy children's children, and thy flocks, and thy herds, and all that thou hast;
and there will I sustain thee; for there are yet five years of famine; lest thou come to poverty, thou, and thy household, and all that thou hast.
Examined in Scripture Analysis
Contradictions (1)
Questions where the Bible appears to say two different things, with the passages on each side set together.
Cross-references (13)
- Genesis 47:12 (v11) Joseph provided his father, his brothers, and all of his father’s household with bread, according to the sizes of their families.
- Exodus 8:22 (v10) I will set apart in that day the land of Goshen, in which my people dwell, that no swarms of flies shall be there, to the end you may know…
- Exodus 9:26 (v10) Only in the land of Goshen, where the children of Israel were, there was no hail.
- Genesis 45:19-20 (v9) Now you are commanded to do this: Take wagons out of the land of Egypt for your little ones, and for your wives, and bring your father, and…
- Genesis 46:34–47:6 (v10) that you shall say, ‘Your servants have been keepers of livestock from our youth even until now, both we, and our fathers:’ that you may…
Show all 13 cross-references
- Genesis 47:6 (v11) The land of Egypt is before you. Make your father and your brothers dwell in the best of the land. Let them dwell in the land of Goshen. If…
- Matthew 15:5-6 (v11) But you say, ‘Whoever may tell his father or his mother, “Whatever help you might otherwise have gotten from me is a gift devoted to God,”…
- Genesis 45:13 (v9) You shall tell my father of all my glory in Egypt, and of all that you have seen. You shall hurry and bring my father down here.”
- Genesis 46:28-29 (v10) Jacob sent Judah before him to Joseph, to show the way before him to Goshen, and they came into the land of Goshen. Joseph prepared his…
- John 17:24 (v10) Father, I desire that they also whom you have given me be with me where I am, that they may see my glory, which you have given me, for you…
- 1 Timothy 5:4 (v11) But if any widow has children or grandchildren, let them learn first to show piety toward their own family and to repay their parents, for…
- Mark 7:9-12 (v11) He said to them, “Full well do you reject the commandment of God, that you may keep your tradition. For Moses said, ‘Honor your father and…
- John 14:2-3 (v10) In my Father’s house are many homes. If it weren’t so, I would have told you. I am going to prepare a place for you. If I go and prepare a…
Cross-references from openbible.info (CC BY 4.0)
Explain this passage (13 sources)
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John Calvin 1540 · Public Domain On v9 9. Thus saith thy son Joseph. In giving this…
9. Thus saith thy son Joseph. In giving this command, he shows that he spoke of his power in order to inspire his father with stronger confidence. We know how dilatory old men are; and, besides, it was difficult to tear holy Jacob away from the inheritance which was divinely promised to him. Therefore Joseph, having pointed out the necessity for the step, declares what a desirable relief the Lord had offered. It may, however, be asked, why the oracle did not occur to their minds, concerning which they had been instructed by their fathers, namely, that they should be strangers and servants in a strange land. (Genesis 15:13.) For it seems that Joseph here promises nothing but mere pleasures, as if no future adversity was to be apprehended. But though nothing is expressly declared on this point by Moses, yet I am induced, by a probable conjecture, to believe that Jacob was not forgetful of the oracle. For, unless he had been retained by some celestial chain, he never could have remained in Egypt after the expiration of the time of scarcity. For by remaining there voluntarily, he would have appeared to cast away the hope of the inheritance promised him by God. Seeing, then, that he does not provide for his return into the land of Canaan, but only commands his corpse to be carried thither; nor yet exhorts his sons to a speedy return, but suffers them to settle in Egypt; he does this, not from indolence, or because he is allured by the attractions of Egypt, or has become weary of the land of Canaan; but because he is preparing himself and his offspring to bear that tyranny, concerning which he had been forewarned by his father Isaac. Therefore he regards it as an advantage that, at his first coming, he is hospitably received; but, in the meantime, he revolves in his mind what had been spoken to Abraham.
John Calvin's Commentaries (1540-1563) — public domain. Text from the Calvin Translation Society English edition (1840s-50s) via the Christian Classics Ethereal Library (ccel.org). Calvin's coverage is partial (roughly two-thirds of the Bible); uncommented books and verses are honest gaps, never fabricated. The 19th-century editor's footnotes and remarks are omitted so the notes are faithfully Calvin's own voice.
John Trapp 1656 · Public Domain On vv9–11 Gen 45:9 Haste ye, and go up to my…
Gen 45:9 Haste ye, and go up to my father, and say unto him, Thus saith thy son Joseph, God hath made me lord of all Egypt: come down unto me, tarry not:
Ver. 9. Come down unto me, tarry not.] Christ seems to send from heaven, and say unto us in like sort, God hath made me Lord of all; come up unto me, tarry not. Should the king call us to court, upon no other condition than to have and enjoy the pleasures and treasures there to be had, old Jacob never went so willingly into Egypt, as we should gladly accept and embrace such a motion.
John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Matthew Poole 1685 · Public Domain On v10 Goshen, a part of Egypt bordering upon Canaan, well…
Goshen, a part of Egypt bordering upon Canaan, well watered and fit for cattle, and therefore most proper for the Israelites, not only for present use, and to keep them at some distance from the inward parts of Egypt, and from the court, but also that they might have Canaan always in their eye and mind, and in God’s time might with least disadvantage march thither. Joseph promiseth this place, either because it was least inhabited, being in the borders of the land, or because he justly presumed upon the king’s favour, and knew that the growing famine would give him opportunity to dispose of the people as he pleased.
Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
John Gill 1763 · Public Domain On vv9–11 Haste you, and go up to my father,.... In…
Haste you, and go up to my father,.... In Canaan, which lay higher than Egypt; being desirous he should know as soon as possible that he was alive, and in what circumstances he was:
and say unto him, thus saith thy son Joseph; without any title, such as the father and counsellor of Pharaoh and governor of Egypt, only Joseph his son, which would be enough to revive the heart of Jacob:
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God hath made me lord over all Egypt: his exaltation to this dignity he ascribes, not to Pharaoh, but to God; civil honour and promotion to worldly grandeur and dignity are from God, and not from man:
come down unto me, tarry not; the great business on his hands not permitting him to go to his father and fetch him to Egypt, he desires that he would come to him without delay, which would be greatly to the advantage of him and his family, and to their mutual comfort.
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
Adam Clarke 1810 · Public Domain On v10 Verse 10. Thou shalt dwell in the land of…
Verse 10. Thou shalt dwell in the land of Goshen] Probably this district had been allotted to Joseph by the king of Egypt, else we can scarcely think he could have promised it so positively, without first obtaining Pharaoh's consent. Goshen was the most easterly province of Lower Egypt, not far from the Arabian Gulf, lying next to Canaan, (for Jacob went directly thither when he came into Egypt,) from whence it is supposed to have been about fourscore miles distant, though Hebron was distant from the Egyptian capital about three hundred miles. At Goshen Jacob stayed till Joseph visited him, Ge 46:28. It is also called the land of Rameses, Ge 47:11, from a city of that name, which was the metropolis of the country. Josephus, Antiq., 1. ii., c. 4, makes Heliopolis, the city of Joseph's father-in-law, the place of the Israelites' residence. As גשם geshem signifies rain in Hebrew, St. Jerome and some others have supposed that גשן Goshen comes from the same root, and that the land in question was called thus because it had rain, which was not the case with Egypt in general; and as it was on the confines of the Arabian Gulf, it is very probable that it was watered from heaven, and it might be owing to this circumstance that it was peculiarly fertile, for it is stated to be the best of the land of Egypt. See Ge 47:6; Ge 47:11. See also Calmet and Dodd.
Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Joseph Benson 1811 · Public Domain On vv9–10 Gen 45:9. Haste you, and go to my father…
Gen 45:9. Haste you, and go to my father — He desires that his father might speedily be made glad with the tidings of his life and honour. He knew it would be a refreshing oil to his hoary head, and a sovereign cordial to his spirits. He desires them to give themselves, and take with them to their father, all possible satisfaction of these surprising tidings.
Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary 1859 · Public Domain On vv10–11 Gessen, to the north-east of Egypt, near me, at…
Gessen, to the north-east of Egypt, near me, at Tanis, in the Delta and near the promised land, being a part of Arabia. (Haydock) --- Heliopolis, where many suppose Joseph resided, is situated in the same canton, and was one of the chief cities after Ramesse, the capital, chap. xlvi. 28. This country is often refreshed by showers of rain, (Calmet) which never falls in most parts of Egypt. It is intersected by many canals, and is very rich and proper for pasturage. (Haydock)
George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).
Daniel D. Whedon 1874 · Public Domain On vv9–11 9. Haste ye… tarry not — The emotion of…
9. Haste ye… tarry not — The emotion of a consuming filial love is in these words. How long will seem the days until son and father meet again!
Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges 1878 · Public Domain On v10 10. the land of Goshen] Goshen mentioned only in…
10. the land of Goshen] Goshen mentioned only in J, Gen_46:28-29; Gen_46:34; Gen_47:1; Gen_47:4; Gen_47:6; Gen_47:27; Gen_50:8; Exo_8:22; Exo_9:26. By this term seems to be understood a district corresponding to the present Wady-el-Tumilat, a stretch of low ground extending from the eastern arm of the Delta to the Valley of Suez and the Salt Lakes. To the north and south of this district the country was barren and desert. Its identification with “Goshen” was the result of the researches carried out by M. Naville. The region has become more familiar in modern times as the country of the brief campaign terminated by the battle of Tel el-Kebir (1882). LXX here and Gen_46:34 translates Goshen, Γέσεμ Ἀραβίας = “Gesem of Arabia.” “Arabia” was one of the 23 “nomes” into which the Delta was divided; and the capital of the “nome” Arabia, called Phakussa, has been conjecturally identified with the ancient locality, Kes, with the article pa prefixed.
near unto me] If Joseph lived at On (Gen_41:45) or at Memphis, Goshen would be near at hand.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers 1878 · Public Domain On vv10–11 (10) The land of Goshen.—This land, also called “the…
(10) The land of Goshen.—This land, also called “the laud of Rameses” (Gen_47:11), probably from the city “Raamses,” which the Israelites were compelled to build there (Exo_1:11), was situated on the eastern bank of the Nile, and apparently commencing a little to the north of Memphis extended to the Mediterranean, and to the borders of the Philistines’ land (Exo_13:17). In Psa_78:12; Psa_78:43, it is called the “field of Zoan,” or Tanis. It probably was an unsettled district, but rich in pastures, and belonged in a very loose way to Egypt. In the LXX. it is called “Gesem of Arabia,” to which country both Herodotus and Strabo reckoned all the district on the east of the Nile towards the Isthmus of Suez as belonging. And here the Israelites were constantly joined by large numbers of Semitic immigrants, who were enrolled in their “tafs,” and swelled the rapidly increasing number of their dependants. For, as we have seen before, not merely the lineal descendants of Abraham were circumcised, but all his household and his slaves; and being thus admitted into the covenant became members of the Jewish church and nation (Gen_17:23).
A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Biblical Illustrator 1887 · Public Domain On v9 Thus saith thy son Joseph
Gen_45:9-13
Thus saith thy son Joseph
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Lessons
1.
Providence may order traitors to be messengers of better news than they intended.
2. Gracious children are speedy to take off grief from their parents hearts.
3. God orders those events of mercy to be declared unto His, which they sometimes would not believe.
4. Josephs spirit owneth his afflicted father in all his own glory.
5. Josephs heart ascribes all his glory unto God only.
6. Joseph contents not himself to be in plenty and glory, but to have his father with him (Gen_45:9).
7. Certain and fertile habitations are human motives to draw from barren places.
8. Nearness to dearest relations may persuade to change habitations (Gen_45:10).
9. Alimony is a duty of children to parents in straights.
10. Assurance of nourishment may well draw from places where bread is wanting.
11. Gods continuance of famine should move souls to follow His providence for food.
12. It is beseeming Gods servants to provide under Him against impoverishing of their families. So Joseph (Gen_45:11).
13. Eyewitnesses and they dear ones of Gods gracious events, should persuade good souls to believe them (verse 121.
14. Gracious souls may urge their dignity to help the distressed, but not in vain glory.
15. Grace makes nature speedy in the execution of its duty.
16. Gracious children desire earnestly their parents with them in their fulness (Gen_45:13). (G. Hughes, B. D.)
The Biblical Illustrator, edited by Joseph S. Exell (c. 1880s–1900s) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
unfoldingWord translationNotes 2017 · CC BY-SA 4.0 On v9 go up to my father
go up to my father
It was common to use the phrase "go up" when speaking about going from Egypt to Canaan. AT: "go back to my father"
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say to him, 'This is what your son Joseph says, "God has ... all that you have
This is a quotation with three layers. It can be simplified to two layers. AT: "tell him that this is what I said: 'God has ... all that you have" (See: Quotes Within Quotes and Direct and Indirect Quotations)
Come down to me
It was common to use the phrase "come down" when speaking about going from Canaan to Egypt. AT: "Come here to me"
come to poverty
This speaks about "poverty" as if it were a destination. AT: "waste away" or "starve" (See: Metaphor)
translationWords
Goshen
children
flocks
year
famine
household
unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.
Tyndale Open Study Notes 2022 · CC BY-SA 4.0 On vv9–10 45:9-13 Joseph instructed his brothers to inform Jacob. The…
45:9-13 Joseph instructed his brothers to inform Jacob. The whole family was to move to Egypt and live in Goshen, a fertile region in the Nile delta (see 47:1-12). If they did not come to Egypt, they would not survive the five years of famine ahead.
Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.