Genesis 47:4

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge

Summary

They said moreover unto Pharaoh, For to sojourn in the land are we come; for thy servants have no pasture for their flocks; for the famine is sore in the land of Canaan: now therefore, we pray thee, let thy servants dwell in the land of Goshen.

For to

For the famine

Genesis 43:1

Acts 7:11

Let thy

Genesis 46:34

Bible References

For to

There was a famine in the land. Abram went down to Egypt to live there for a while, because the famine was severe.

Jehovah said to Abram: Know this for sure; your offspring will be strangers (aliens) in a land that is not theirs. They will be slaves there, and they shall be oppressed for four hundred years.

Answer before Jehovah your God: 'My father was a wandering Aramean, and he went down to Egypt and traveled there. They were few in number but he became a great, mighty and populous nation.

Then Israel came to Egypt. Jacob lived as a foreigner in the land of Ham.

The Lord Jehovah says: At first my people went down to Egypt to live as aliens. Now Assyria has oppressed them.

God spoke to this effect, that his seed would be alien residents in a strange land. They would enslave them, and mistreat them for four hundred years.

For the famine

The famine was extremely bad in the land.

A famine and great suffering came over all the land of Egypt and Canaan. Our fathers found no food.

Let thy

Be sure to tell him that you have taken care of livestock all your lives, just as your ancestors did. In this way he will let you live in the region of Goshen. Joseph said this because Egyptians will have nothing to do with shepherds (consider shepherds loathsome).