Genesis 46.8-27-Genealogy of the Israelites Who Migrated To Egypt
Thursday March 22, 2007
Genesis: Genesis 46:8-27-Genealogy of the Israelites Who Migrated To Egypt
Lesson # 301
Please turn in your Bibles to Genesis 46:8.
This evening we will study Genesis 46:8-27, which contains the genealogy of the Israelites who migrated to Egypt from Canaan.
There are ten points that we must note that are essential in order to understand the purpose for this genealogy:
(1) This is a “segmented” genealogy meaning that it displays the existing relationships between the members of Jacob’s family.
(2) Numbers 26 and 1 Chronicles 2-8 contain genealogical lists, which parallel Genesis 46:8-27 and Exodus 6 partially parallels it.
(3) The genealogical lists that parallel (1 Chronicles 2-8, Numbers 26 and Exodus 6) the genealogy of Genesis 46:8-27 contain slight differences but this is only to be expected and does not in any way affect the reliability of the accounts.
(4) A comparison of these genealogical lists indicates that certain of the names found above were in circulation also in another form, usually pretty much like the ones above, sometimes radically different as to form but similar in meaning.
(5) Women are not included in the genealogy of Genesis 46:8-27 because they are unimportant, but because it does not fit the purpose of the listing.
The female children of a family were often not recorded since Jewish genealogies followed the male line of descent.
There are exceptions to this rule as we noted earlier in that a woman would be mentioned in the genealogy if she played a significant part in the plan of God or Israel’s history such as with Dinah (See Genesis 34).
The mention of Dinah, the daughter of Jacob and Leah, is an exception to this rule and does not imply that Jacob did not have other daughters by either of his wives or their handmaids.
(6) The expression “the sons of Israel” (verse 8) must be taken in the broader sense of “the descend¬ants of Israel,” for more than his sons are named, and thus some of those named may not have been born at the time Jacob and his descendants went down to Egypt.
(7) The term “sons” refers to not only Jacob’s sons and grandsons but also his great-grandsons since four great grandsons of Jacob were included in the list that appears in Genesis 46:6-27 of Jacob’s direct descendants who left Canaan.
(8) All the individuals named in Numbers 26 as heads of tribes or families are found in this listing of descendants in Genesis 46 because Moses did not intend to name every person who went into Egypt, but rather every leader of family or clan who would come forth from Egypt, therefore the purpose of Moses in this genealogy, therefore, is selective.
(9) In the genealogy of Numbers 26, there are with slight deviations, all the grandsons and great-¬grandsons of Jacob whose names occur in Genesis 46:8-27, mentioned as the founders of the families, into which the twelve tribes of Israel were subdivided in Moses’ days.
(10) Acts 7:14 records that seventy-five people went to Egypt since this passage omits Jacob, Joseph and Joseph’s two sons but includes the nine wives of Jacob’s twelve sons, Judah and Simeon’s wives had died and Joseph’s wife was in Egypt (See Genesis 38; 46:10).
Genesis 46:8, “Now these are the names of the sons of Israel, Jacob and his sons, who went to Egypt: Reuben, Jacob's firstborn.”
The context indicates that the designation “the sons of Israel” refers to the descendants of Jacob since the genealogy to follow lists the names of Jacob’s sons, grandsons and great grandsons who migrated from Canaan to Egypt with him.
In the Hebrew and Aramaic languages there is no specific word for grandson so that the word “son” can refer to any descendant down the line.
Genesis 46:9, “The sons of Reuben: Hanoch (chanokh [Ew{nj&] [khan-oke], “dedicated” or “follower”) and Pallu (pallu [aWLP^] [pal-loo], “wonderful”) and Hezron (chetsron [/w{rx+j#] [khets-rone], “surrounded by a wall”) and Carmi (karmi [ym!r+K^] [kar-mee], “my vineyard”).”
The four sons of Reuben that are listed here in Genesis 46:9 are identical to the lists recorded in Exodus 6:14, Numbers 26:5-6 and 1 Chronicles 5:3.
“Reuben” (/b@War+) (re’uven) (reh-oo-vane) was the first child that Leah bore to Jacob and his name means, “behold or see, a son” and his birth is recorded in Genesis 29:32.
Genesis 46:10, “The sons of Simeon: Jemuel (yemu’el [la@Wmy+] [yem-oo-ale], “day of God.”) and Jamin (yamin [ym!y*] [yaw-meen], “right hand”) and Ohad (`ohadh [dh^a)] [o-had], “united”) and Jachin (yakhin [yk!y] [yaw-keen], “he will establish”) and Zohar (tsochar [rj^x)] [tso-khar], “tawny”) and Shaul (sha’ul [lWav] [shaw-ool], “desired”) the son of a Canaanite woman.”
“Simeon” (/w)um+v!) (shim`on) (shim-one) was the second child that Leah bore to Jacob and his name means, “the Lord has heard” and his birth is recorded in Genesis 29:33.
“Jemuel” appears in the genealogy of Exodus 6:14 but appears as “Nemuel” in the parallel genealogies of 1 Chronicles 4:24 and Numbers 26:12 due to a difference in dialect.
“Ohad” appears in the parallel genealogy of Exodus 6:15 but does not appear in the lists found in 1 Chronicles 4:24 and Numbers 26:12 indicating that he had no descendants or that they died out.
“Zohar” appears in the genealogy of Exodus 6:15 but appears as “Zerah” in Numbers 26:13 and 1 Chronicles 4:24 and “Shaul” appears in Exodus 6:15 but does not appear in 1 Chronicles 4:24 and Numbers 26:13.
The fact that “Shaul” is mentioned as being “the son of a Canaanite woman” reflects the Holy Spirit’s dissatisfaction with the intermarriage between the covenant family of God and the Canaanites (See Genesis 9:24-27).
Genesis 46:11, “The sons of Levi: Gershon (gereshon [/w)vr+G@] [gay-resh-one], “exile”), Kohath (qohath [thq(] [keh-hawth], “assembly”), and Merari (merari [yr!rm+] [mer-aw-ree], “bitter”).”
“Levi” (yw!l@) (lewi) (lay-vee) was the third child that Leah bore to Jacob and his name means, “My husband will be attached to me” and his birth is recorded in Genesis 29:34.
“Kohath” became the ancestor of the three great Levite families.
Genesis 46:12, “The sons of Judah: Er (‘er [ru@] [ayr], “one who watches”) and Onan (‘onan [nw)a] [o-nawn], “vigorous”) and Shelah (Shelah [hlv@] [shay-law], “drawn out (of the womb)”) and Perez (perets [Jr#P#] [peh-rets], “a bursting forth, a breach”) and Zerah (zerach [jr^z#] [zeh-rakh], “he dawned”) (but Er and Onan died in the land of Canaan). And the sons of Perez were Hezron (chetsron [w{rx+j#] [khets-rone], “surrounded by a wall”) and Hamul (chamul [lWmj*] [khaw-mool], “spared”).”
“Judah” (hd*Why+) (yehudhah) (yeh-hoo-daw) was the fourth child that Leah bore to Jacob and his name means, “I will praise the Lord” and his birth is recorded in Genesis 29:35.
The sons of Perez are listed and not his twin brother since the ancestral lines of both King David are traced back through Perez according to Ruth 4:18-22 as well as the human nature of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ according to Matthew 1:3 and Luke 3:33.
Genesis 46:13, “The sons of Issachar: Tola (tola` [ulw)T] [to-law], “worm”) and Puvvah (puwah [hwP%] [poo-vaw], “splendid”) and Iob (yov [bw{y] [yove], “persecuted”) and Shimron (shimron [/w{rm+v!] [shim-rone], “guardianship”).”
“Issachar” (rkccy!) (yis-saw-kawr) was the fifth child that Leah bore Jacob and his name means, “reward” and his birth is recorded in Genesis 30:16-18.
“Puvvah” appears in Numbers 26:23 as “Puvah” and in 1 Chronicles 7:1 as “Puah” and “Iob” appears in 1 Chronicles 7:1 and Numbers 26:24 as “Jashub.”
Genesis 46:14, “The sons of Zebulun: Sered (seredh [dr#s#] [she-red], “fear”) and Elon (`allon [/w{La] [ay-lone], “terebinth”) and Jahleel (yachle’el [la@l+j+y^] [yakh-leh-ale], “wait for God”).”
“Zebulun” (/l%Wbw+) (zeb-oo-loon) was the sixth child that Leah bore Jacob and his name means, “honor” and his birth is recorded in Genesis 30:19-20.
Genesis 46:15, “These are the sons of Leah, whom she bore to Jacob in Paddan-aram, with his daughter Dinah; all his sons and his daughters numbered thirty-three.”
“Leah” is the proper noun le’ah (ha*l@) (lay-aw), which means, “cow” and she was one of two primary wives of Jacob, the other was Rachel whose father was Laban.
“Paddan Aram” (/D^P^m! sR*a&) is another name for “Aram Naharaim,” which means, “Aram of the Two Rivers” and is synonymous with the name “Mesopotamia” and refers to the city of Nahor, which was founded by Abraham’s brother and named after him and was the place in which Laban resided.
The name “Dinah” (hn*yD!) (dee-naw) means, “judgment” since the name is the feminine form of the word din (/yD!) (deen) meaning “judgment.”
Genesis 34 records that Dinah was raped by Shechem who was the son of Hamor the Hivite the prince of the land (See Genesis 34:2) and her brothers retaliated by killing not only Shechem and his father but all the men of that city.
Notice that Genesis 46:15 records the number of Leah’s sons who were born in Paddan Aram and their sons for a total of thirty-three and does “not” state that these all migrated to Egypt since Er and Onan died in Canaan.
Also, the final number of thirty-three does not include any women and includes those who were born in Paddan Aram and their children.
The thirty-three individuals include Leah’s six sons, Reuben’s four sons, Simeon’s six sons, Levi’s three sons, Judah’s five sons (including Er and Onan), Judah’s two grandsons, Issachar’s four sons and Zebulun’s three sons.
Genesis 46:16, “The sons of Gad: Ziphion (tsiphyon [w{yp+x!] [tsif-yone], “lookout”) and Haggi (chaggi [yG!j^] [khag-gee], “festive”), Shuni (shuni [yn!Wv] [shoo-nee], “fortunate”) and Ezbon (`estbon [B)x+a#] [ets-bone], “hastening to discern: I will be enlargement”), Eri (`eri [yr!u@] [ay-ree], “watchful”) and Arodi (`arodhi [yd!w{a&] [ar-o-dee], “I shall subdue”) and Areli (`ar’eli [yl!a@r+a^] [ay-ray-lee], “lion of God”).”
“Gad” (dG*) (gawd) was the first boy that Zilpah bore to Jacob, whose birth is recorded in Genesis 30:9-11 and his name comes from “What good fortune” indicating that Leah attributed this child to fortune or good luck rather than God and his birth.
“Ziphion” appears in Numbers 26:15 as “Zephon” and “Ezbon” appears in Numbers 26:15 as “Ozni” and “Arodi” appears in Numbers 26:17 as “Arod.”
Genesis 46:17, “The sons of Asher: Imnah (yimnah [hnm+y!] [yim-naw], “right hand”) and Ishvah (yishwah [hwv+y!] [yish-vaw], “he will resemble”) and Ishvi (yishwi [yw!v+y!] [yish-vee], “he resembles me”) and Beriah (beri`ah [hu*yr!B+] [ber-ee-aw], “shouting”) and their sister Serah (serach [jr^c#] [seh-rakh], “the prince breathed”). And the sons of Beriah: Heber (chever [rv#j#] [kheh- ver], “companion”) and Malchiel (malki’el [la@yK!l+m^] [mal-kee-ale], “my king is God”).”
“Asher” (rv^a*) (aw-share) is the second son that Zilpah bore to Jacob, whose birth is recorded in Genesis 30:12-13 and his name means “women will call me happy” meaning that Leah thought she would be envied by other women because of this child.
“Serah” appears in Numbers 26:46 and 1 Chronicles 7:30 and it is unknown as to why her name is included in this list, which is unusual since women were only included in these lists if they played a significant role in Israel’s history.
“Heber” and “Malchiel” are two of Jacob’s four great grandchildren that appear in the genealogy of Genesis 46:8-27.
Genesis 46:18, “These are the sons of Zilpah, whom Laban gave to his daughter Leah; and she bore to Jacob these sixteen persons.”
“Zilpah” is the proper noun zilpah (hP*l!z!) (zil-paw), which means, “intimacy” and like Bilhah she was Jacob’s concubine.
The name “Laban” (/bl) (Hebrew: lavan) means, “white” and the accounts of him appear in Genesis 24 and 29-31 and whose grandfather was Nahor, Abraham’s brother, and of course his sister was Rebekah and his daughter was Rachel, the wife of Jacob.
The sixteen people would include Zilpah’s two sons, Gad’s seven sons, Asher’s four sons and Asher’s two grandsons and Asher’s daughter.
Genesis 46:19, “The sons of Jacob's wife Rachel: Joseph and Benjamin.”
“Rachel” (rachel) (lj@r*) (raw-khale) means, “ewe,” the female of the sheep, especially of the mature and she was Jacob’s favorite wife.
“Joseph” ([s@w)y) (yoseph) was the first child that Rachel bore to Jacob and his name literally means, “He adds,” which is a play on the verb yasaph ([s^y*), “to add” and is also a prayer for another child, foreshadowing the birth of Benjamin and his birth is recorded in Genesis 30:22-24.
“Benjamin” (/YM!Y*N+b!) (bin-yaw-mene) was the last child that Rachel bore to Jacob and his name means, “son of my right hand” and his birth is recorded in Genesis 35:16-18.
Genesis 46:20, “Now to Joseph in the land of Egypt were born Manasseh and Ephraim, whom Asenath, the daughter of Potiphera, priest of On, bore to him.”
Joseph’s firstborn was “Manasseh” (menashsheh) (hv#n^m+) (men-ash-sheh) whose name means, “He who causes to forget” as indicated by Joseph’s statement “For God has made me forget all my trouble and all my father’s household.”
The second son that Asenath bore to Joseph was named “Ephraim” (`ephrayim) (<y!r^p+a#) (ef-rah-yim) whose name means, “He has made me fruitful,” as indicated by Joseph’s statement “For God has made me fruitful in the land of my affliction.”
The name “Asenath” (`asnath) (tn^s+a*) (aw-se-nath) means, “the servant of the goddess Neith” and her father’s name was “Potiphera,” which is the proper noun poti phera (ur^p# yf!w)P) (po-tee-feh-rah), and means, “he whom Ra (the sun-god) has given.”
“On” was situated seven miles northwest of modern Cairo and was a famous place for the worship of the sun-god Ra, thus it was called by the Greeks, “Heliopolis,” meaning, “sun-city.”
Genesis 46:21, “The sons of Benjamin: Bela (bela` [ul^B#] [beh-law], “destruction”) and Becher (bekher [rk#B#] [beh-ker], “young camel”) and Ashbel (`ashbel [lB@va^] [ash-bale], “man of Baal”), Gera (gera’ [arG@] [gay-raw], “a grain”) and Naaman (na`aman [/mu&n^] [nah-am-awn], “pleasantness”), Ehi (`echi [yj!a@] [ay-khee], “my brother”) and Rosh (ro’sh [var)] [roshe], “head”), Muppim (muppim [<yP!m%] [moop-peem], “serpent”) and Huppim (chuppim [<P!j%\] [khoop-peem], “protected”) and Ard (`arde [D+r+a^] [ard], “I shall subdue”).”
“Becher” does not appear in the list of Benjamin’s sons in Numbers 26:38 or 1 Chronicles 8:1 since he probably died childless or did not have enough children to form an independent family.
“Gera,” “Naaman,” “Ehi,” “Rosh,” “Muppim,” and “Ard” do not appear in the list of Benjamin’s sons in Numbers 26 or 1 Chronicles 8:1-5 since they too died childless or didn’t have enough children to form an independent family.
“Huppim” appears in Numbers 26:39 as “Hupham.”
Genesis 46:22, “These are the sons of Rachel, who were born to Jacob; there were fourteen persons in all.”
The fourteen individuals would include Rachel’s two sons and Benjamin’s ten sons and Joseph two sons.
Genesis 46:23, “The sons of Dan: Hushim (chushim [<yv!Wj] [khoo-sheem], “who makes haste”).”
“Dan” (/D*) (dawn) was the first child that Bilhah bore Jacob and his name means, “God has vindicated me” and his birth is recorded in Genesis 30:5-6.
“Hushim” appears in Numbers 26:42 as “Shuham.”
Genesis 46:24, “The sons of Naphtali: Jahzeel (yachtse’el [la@x+j+y^] [yakh-tseh-ale], “God divides”) and Guni (guni [yn!WG] [goo-nee], “my protector”) and Jezer (yetser [rx#y] [yay-tser], “forming”) and Shillem (shillem [<L@v!] [shil-ame], “repaid”).”
“Naphtali” (yl!T*p+n^) (naf-taw-lee) was the second child that Bilhah bore to Jacob and his name means, “my wrestling” reflecting Rachel’s attitude in which she viewed her relationship with her sister Leah to be like a wrestling match and his birth is recorded in Genesis 30:7-8.
“Jahzeel” appears in 1 Chronicles 7:13 as “Jahziel” “Shillem” appears in 1 Chronicles 7:13 as “Shallum.”
Genesis 46:25, “These are the sons of Bilhah, whom Laban gave to his daughter Rachel, and she bore these to Jacob; there were seven persons in all.”
“Bilhah” (bilhah) (hh*l!B!) whose name means, “carefree” was a concubine given to Jacob by Rachel.
The seven individuals would include Bilhah’s two sons, Dan’s one son and Naphtali’s four sons.
Genesis 46:26-27, “All the persons belonging to Jacob, who came to Egypt, his direct descendants, not including the wives of Jacob's sons, were sixty-six persons in all, and the sons of Joseph, who were born to him in Egypt were two; all the persons of the house of Jacob, who came to Egypt, were seventy.”
The number sixty-six would include Jacob’s eleven sons, Reuben’s four sons, Simeon’s six sons, Levi’s three sons, Judah’s three sons, Judah’s two grandsons, Issachar’s four sons, Zebulun’s three sons, Gad’s seven sons, Asher’s four sons, Asher’s two grandsons, Benjamin’s ten sons, Dan’s one son, Naphtali’s four sons, Asher’s daughter and Jacob’s daughter Dinah.
The number seventy is arrived at by adding Jacob and his son Joseph and his two sons.
The chart below gives the breakdown as to how the number sixty-six is arrived at and the number seventy:
Jacob’s sons Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Zebulun, Gad, Asher, Benjamin, Dan, and Naphtali 11
Jacob’s daughter Dinah (46:15) 1
Asher’s granddaughter Serah (46:17) 1
Reuben’s sons Hanoch, Pallu, Hezron and Carmi (46:9) 4
Simeon’s sons Jemuel, Jamin, Ohad, Jachin, Zohar, Shaul (46:10) 6
Levi’s sons Gershon, Kohath, Merari (46:11) 3
Judah’s sons Er, Onan, Shelah, Perez and Zerah (46:12) 5
Er and Onan died in Canaan - 2
Judah’s grandsons Hezron and Hamul (46:12) 2
Issachar’s sons Tola, Puvvah, Iob, Shimron (46:13) 4
Zebulun’s sons Sered, Elon and Jahleel (46:14) 3
Gad’s sons Ziphion, Haggi, Shuni, Ezbon, Eri, Arodi, Areli (46:16) 7
Asher’s sons Imnah, Ishvah, Ishvi and Beriah (46:17) 4
Asher’s grandsons Heber and Malchiel (46:17) 2
Benjamin’s sons Bela, Becher, Ashbel, Gera, Naaman, Ehi, Rosh, Muppim, Huppim, and Ard (46:21) 10
Dan’s son Hushim (46:23) 1
Naphtali’s sons Jahzeel, Guni, Jezer, Shillem (46:24) 4
Those who went from Canaan to Egypt with Jacob 66
Joseph, Manasseh, Ephraim were in Egypt + 3
Jacob + 1
Jacob and his progeny in Egypt 70
Acts 7:14 records that seventy-five people went to Egypt since Stephen omits Jacob, Joseph and Joseph two sons but includes the nine wives of Jacob’s twelve sons, Judah and Simeon’s wives had died and Joseph’s wife was in Egypt (See Genesis 38; 46:10).
This is confirmed by the expression “his (Jacob’s) direct descendants” that appears in the statement recorded in Genesis 46:26.
