The Meaning of Genesis 46:31 Explained

Genesis 46:31

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;

YLT: And Joseph saith unto his brethren, and unto the house of his father, 'I go up, and declare to Pharaoh, and say unto him, My brethren, and the house of my father who are in the land of Canaan have come in unto me;

Darby: And Joseph said to his brethren and to his father's house, I will go up, and tell Pharaoh, and say to him, My brethren and my father's house, who were in the land of Canaan, are come to me;

ASV: And Joseph said unto his brethren, and unto his father's house, I will go up, and tell Pharaoh, and will say unto him, My brethren, and my father's house, who were in the land of Canaan, are come unto me;

KJV Reverse Interlinear

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; 

What does Genesis 46:31 Mean?

Verse Meaning

As a result of Joseph presenting his family members to Pharaoh, they received the best of Egypt"s land. Jacob blessed Pharaoh in return for his goodness. In the years that followed, Joseph bought almost all of Egypt for Pharaoh, saved the Egyptians" lives, and furthered Israel"s prosperity and blessing. Through him all the nations near Egypt also received blessing (cf. Genesis 12:3).
The major purpose of this section is probably to show how God sustained and blessed Jacob"s family in Egypt during the remaining five years of the famine (cf. Genesis 46:12-13). It is also to demonstrate how He partially fulfilled His promises to the patriarchs to make them a blessing to the whole world ( Genesis 46:25) as well as fruitful and numerous ( Genesis 46:27).

Context Summary

Genesis 46:28-34 - Pharaoh Welcome's Joseph's Relatives
What a meeting between father and son! If the old man were sitting in the corner of the lumbering wagon, weary with the long journey, how he must have started up when they said, "Joseph is coming!" What pathos there is in the expression, "wept a good while," as though the long-pent-up streams took a long time to exhaust themselves. Had Joseph been less noble he might have shrunk from introducing his lowly relatives to the mighty Pharaoh! But such thoughts were submerged in the great love which claimed that withered, aged, halting man as his father. Let us never be ashamed of our Savior, who has done more for us than even Jacob for his sons. This confession that the days of his pilgrimage had been few and evil is set to a sad minor chord; and to the superficial gaze Esau had enjoyed a much more prosperous career; but when Jacob stood before Pharaoh the mighty monarch recognized his moral supremacy, and bent beneath his benediction. Surely the less is blessed of the greater. Here was the harvest of his tears! [source]

Chapter Summary: Genesis 46

1  Jacob is comforted by God at Beersheba
5  Thence he with his company goes into Egypt
8  The number of his family that went into Egypt
28  Joseph meets Jacob
31  He instructs his brothers how to answer Pharaoh

What do the individual words in Genesis 46:31 mean?

And said Joseph to his brothers and to the house of his father I will go up and tell Pharaoh and say to him My brothers and house of my father who [were] in the land of Canaan have come to me
וַיֹּ֨אמֶר יוֹסֵ֤ף אֶל־ אֶחָיו֙ וְאֶל־ בֵּ֣ית אָבִ֔יו אֶעֱלֶ֖ה וְאַגִּ֣ידָה לְפַרְעֹ֑ה וְאֹֽמְרָ֣ה אֵלָ֔יו אַחַ֧י וּבֵית־ אָבִ֛י אֲשֶׁ֥ר בְּאֶֽרֶץ־ כְּנַ֖עַן בָּ֥אוּ אֵלָֽי

וַיֹּ֨אמֶר  And  said 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: אָמַר 
Sense: to say, speak, utter.
יוֹסֵ֤ף  Joseph 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יׄוסֵף  
Sense: the eldest son of Jacob by Rachel.
אֶחָיו֙  his  brothers 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct, third person masculine singular
Root: אָח  
Sense: brother.
וְאֶל־  and  to 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Preposition
Root: אֶל  
Sense: to, toward, unto (of motion).
בֵּ֣ית  the  house 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: בַּיִת 
Sense: house.
אָבִ֔יו  of  his  father 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct, third person masculine singular
Root: אָב  
Sense: father of an individual.
אֶעֱלֶ֖ה  I  will  go  up 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect Cohortative if contextual, first person common singular
Root: סָלַק 
Sense: to go up, ascend, climb.
וְאַגִּ֣ידָה  and  tell 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Hifil, Conjunctive imperfect Cohortative, first person common singular
Root: נָגַד  
Sense: to be conspicuous, tell, make known.
לְפַרְעֹ֑ה  Pharaoh 
Parse: Preposition-l, Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: פַּרְעֹה  
Sense: the common title of the king of Egypt.
וְאֹֽמְרָ֣ה  and  say 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Conjunctive imperfect Cohortative, first person common singular
Root: אָמַר 
Sense: to say, speak, utter.
אֵלָ֔יו  to  him 
Parse: Preposition, third person masculine singular
Root: אֶל  
Sense: to, toward, unto (of motion).
אַחַ֧י  My  brothers 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct, first person common singular
Root: אָח  
Sense: brother.
וּבֵית־  and  house 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: בַּיִת 
Sense: house.
אָבִ֛י  of  my  father 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct, first person common singular
Root: אָב  
Sense: father of an individual.
אֲשֶׁ֥ר  who  [were] 
Parse: Pronoun, relative
Root: אֲשֶׁר 
Sense: (relative part.).
בְּאֶֽרֶץ־  in  the  land 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, feminine singular construct
Root: אֶרֶץ  
Sense: land, earth.
כְּנַ֖עַן  of  Canaan 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: כְּנַעַן 
Sense: the 4th son of Ham and the progenitor of the Phoenicians and of the various nations who peopled the seacoast of Palestine.
בָּ֥אוּ  have  come 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person common plural
Root: בֹּוא 
Sense: to go in, enter, come, go, come in.
אֵלָֽי  to  me 
Parse: Preposition, first person common singular
Root: אֶל  
Sense: to, toward, unto (of motion).

What are the major concepts related to Genesis 46:31?

Loading Information...