Month: August 2025

Genesis 49

Genesis 49:1 Jacob called his sons and told them, “Collect yourselves together, that I may tell you what will happen to you in days to come.

Genesis 49:2 “Come together and listen, O sons of Jacob, listen to Israel your father.

Genesis 49:3 “Reuben, you are my firstborn, my might, and the first of my strength, greatest in dignity and greatest in power.

Genesis 49:4 Unstable as water, you will not have supremacy, because you went up to your father’s bed; then you defiled it – he went up to my couch!

Genesis 49:5 “Simeon and Levi are brothers; vessels of violence are their swords.

Genesis 49:6 My throat, do not come into their council; O my glory, do not be joined to their company. Because in their anger they killed men, and for their amusement they hamstrung oxen.

Genesis 49:7 Cursed be their anger, because it is violent, and their wrath, because it is brutal! I will divide them up among Jacob and scatter them throughout Israel.

Genesis 49:8 “Judah, your brothers will praise you; your hand will be on the neck of your enemies; your father’s sons will bow down before you.

Genesis 49:9 Judah is a lion’s cub; from the prey, my son, you have gone up. He stooped down; he crouched like a lion and like a lioness; who dares provoke him?

Genesis 49:10 The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, until tribute comes to him; and to him will be the compliance of the peoples.

Genesis 49:11 While binding his foal to the vine and his donkey’s colt to the choice vine, he has washed his garments in wine and his robes in the blood of grapes.

Genesis 49:12 His eyes are dark from wine, and his teeth white from milk.

Genesis 49:13 “Zebulun will stay at the shore of the sea; he will become a safe place for ships, and his border will be with Sidon.

Genesis 49:14 “Issachar is a strong donkey, crouching among the sheepfolds.

Genesis 49:15 He saw that an undeveloped place was good, and that the land was nice, so he bowed his shoulder to bear, and became a slave there, doing forced labor.

Genesis 49:16 “Dan will judge his people as one of the tribes of Israel.

Genesis 49:17 Dan will be a snake in the road, a viper by the path, that bites the horse’s heels so that his rider falls off backward.

Genesis 49:18 I wait for your deliverance, O Yahveh.

Genesis 49:19 “Raiders will raid Gad, but he will also raid at their heels.

Genesis 49:20 “Asher’s food will be rich, and he will produce royal delicacies.

Genesis 49:21 “Naphtali is a doe let loose that bears beautiful fawns.

Genesis 49:22 “Joseph is a fruitful limb, a fruitful limb by a spring; his branches run over the wall.

Genesis 49:23 The archers bitterly attacked him, shot at him, and hassled him severely,

Genesis 49:24 but his bow remained unmoved; his arms were made nimble by the hands of the Mighty One of Jacob (the Shepherd is from there, the Stone of Israel),

Genesis 49:25 by the God of your father who will help you, by the Almighty who will bless you with blessings from the sky above, blessings from the deep that crouches below, blessings from the breasts and from the womb.

Genesis 49:26 The blessings of your father are mightier than the blessings of my parents, up to the bounties of the permanent hills. May they be on the head of Joseph, and on the brow of him who was set apart from his brothers.

Genesis 49:27 “Benjamin is a ravenous wolf, in the morning devouring the prey and at evening dividing the spoil.”

Genesis 49:28 All these are the twelve tribes of Israel. This is what their father said to them as he blessed them, blessing each with the blessing suited for him.

Genesis 49:29 Then he commanded them and said to them, “I am to be gathered to my people; bury me with my fathers in the cave that is located in the field of Ephron the Hittite,

Genesis 49:30 in the cave that is in the field at Machpelah, to the east of Mamre, in the land of Canaan, which Abraham purchased with the field from Ephron the Hittite to possess as a burying place.

Genesis 49:31 There they had buried Abraham and Sarah his wife. There they had buried Isaac and Rebekah his wife, and there I buried Leah-

Genesis 49:32 the field and the cave that is in it were purchased from the Hittites.”

Genesis 49:33 When Jacob finished commanding his sons, he drew up his feet into the bed and expired and was gathered to his people.

Genesis 49 quotes:

“Simeon and Levi are here depicted together as forming a secret society for organized cruelty and crime. Their swords were red from violence. It was Jehovah’s purpose that the swords of Israel should be the swords of the Lord, or justice and divine retribution. Simeon separated himself from all sense of justice. His sword had degenerated into one which was controlled by whim and mere caprice. His ‘‘hatred’’ was cruel, leading to murder. His wrath brought a curse upon all. Simeon was a bully and a coward.”

Hardinge, Leslie. The Conquerors : Studies in the Characters of the Twelve Tribes of Israel. Pacific Press, 1982. p. 31.

“It would seem that the dying words of Jacob were recorded, learned by heart and passed on from generation to generation until they became incorporated into the permanent record of Israel’s history of which Genesis 49 is a crucial part. There is no doubt that this chapter contains a poem which is among the oldest surviving pieces of literature in the whole world. It is quite remarkable and we must handle it with reverence and care.”

Searle, David C. Joseph : “His Arms Were Made Strong.” Banner of Truth Trust, 2012. p. 177.

“Reuben had enjoyed all the advantages of the firstborn, and in him were centred all his father’s hopes and aspirations. But he proved a great disappointment. The expression ‘turbulent as the waters’ suggests instability, indecisiveness and weakness, making him unfit for leadership. He showed this by committing incest with one of his father’s wives (Genesis 35:22). In later history no great leader ever emerged from the tribe of Reuben.”

Williams, Peter. From Eden to Egypt : Exploring the Genesis Themes. DayOne, 2001. p. 54.

Genesis 49 links:

“all live to him!”
“To be gathered to his people”
a legacy of justice and grace
ACST 61- The Advents
building up a spiritual legacy
Excursus- “To Be Gathered”
Jacob- blessing his sons, gathered to his people
last visit to Machpelah
Machpelah and the intermediate state
The consequences of separation

---

Maranatha Daily Devotional – Wednesday, January 30, 2019

GENESIS in Jeff’s library

Genesis 48

Genesis 48:1 It happened after this, Joseph was told, “Notice, your father is ill.” So, he took with him his two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim.

Genesis 48:2 And it was told to Jacob, “Your son Joseph has come to you.” Then Israel made himself strong and sat up in bed.

Genesis 48:3 And Jacob said to Joseph, “God Almighty appeared to me at Luz in the land of Canaan and blessed me,

Genesis 48:4 and said to me, ‘See, I will make you fruitful and multiply you, and I will make of you a company of peoples and will give this land to your seed after you to permanently possess.’

Genesis 48:5 And now your two sons, who were born to you in the land of Egypt before I came to you in Egypt, are mine; Ephraim and Manasseh will be mine, as Reuben and Simeon are.

Genesis 48:6 And the children that you fathered after them will be yours. They will be called by the name of their brothers in their inheritance.

Genesis 48:7 As for me, when I came from Paddan, to my sorrow Rachel died in the land of Canaan on the way, when there was still some distance to go to Ephrath, and I buried her there on the way to Ephrath (that is, Bethlehem).”

Genesis 48:8 Then Israel saw Joseph’s sons, and he said, “Who are these?”

Genesis 48:9 Joseph said to his father, “They are my sons, whom God has given me here.” And he said, “Bring them to me, please, that I may bless them.”

Genesis 48:10 The eyes of Israel had grown dim with age, so that he could not see well. So, Joseph brought them near him, and he kissed them and embraced them.

Genesis 48:11 And Israel said to Joseph, “I never expected to see your face; and see, God has let me see your seed also.”

Genesis 48:12 Then Joseph removed them from his knees, and he bowed himself with his face to the ground.

Genesis 48:13 And Joseph took them both, Ephraim in his right hand toward Israel’s left hand, and Manasseh in his left hand toward Israel’s right hand and stood them near him.

Genesis 48:14 And Israel stretched out his right hand and laid it on the head of Ephraim, who was the younger, and his left hand on the head of Manasseh, crossing his hands (because Manasseh was the firstborn).

Genesis 48:15 And he blessed Joseph and said, “The God before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked, the God who has been my shepherd all my life long to this day,

Genesis 48:16 the agent who has redeemed me from all evil, bless these boys; and in them let my name be carried on, and the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac; and let them grow into a huge number in the midst of the land.”

Genesis 48:17 When Joseph saw that his father laid his right hand on the head of Ephraim, it upset him, and he took his father’s hand to move it from Ephraim’s head to Manasseh’s head.

Genesis 48:18 And Joseph said to his father, “Not like this, my father; since this one is the firstborn, put your right hand on his head.”

Genesis 48:19 But his father refused and said, “I know, my son, I know. He also will become a people, and he also will be numerous. But his younger brother will become more numerous than him, and his seed will become a number of nations.”

Genesis 48:20 So he blessed them that day, saying, “Because of you Israel will pronounce blessings, and this is what he said, ‘May God make you like Ephraim and as Manasseh.'” In this way he put Ephraim before Manasseh.

Genesis 48:21 Then Israel said to Joseph, “Notice, I am about to die, but God will be with you and will bring you again to the land of your fathers.

Genesis 48:22 Moreover, I have given to you rather than to your brothers one mountain slope that I personally took from the hand of the Amorites with my sword and with my bow.”

Genesis 48 quotes:

“When you bless another person, you are proclaiming in faith what he or she shall become! The words you are speaking are not just empty sounds falling off of the tip of your tongue. By the power of a faith-filled spoken blessing you can speak life into another person’s future. And when that person is in the coming generation, you also break the chains to your past.”

Früh, Aaron. The Forgotten Blessing: Ancient Words That Heal Generational Wounds. Chosen Books, 2006. p. 116.

“Joseph was displeased when his father laid his right hand on Ephraim’s head. He grasped his fathers hand and attempted to correct the switch. Jacob’s blessing, however, was given under the direction of the Spirit of God. Though nature’s eyes were dim, faith’s vision was sharp. Jacob refused Joseph’s correction and said, “I know it, my son, | know it: he also shall become a people, and he also shall be great: but truly his younger brother shall be greater than he, and his seed shall become a multitude of nations’ (Genesis 48:19).”

McQuay, Earl P. Joseph: Seeing God in the Worst of Times. Acćent Books, 1989. p. 119.

“God is a relentless promise keeper. Keep this in mind the next time you come across a promise in the Bible.”

Rhodes, Ron. 40 Days through Genesis. Harvest House, 2015. p. 272.

Genesis 48 links:

fighting the temptations of fatherhood
passing on a spiritual legacy
THE MEN WHO COULD SEE THE FUTURE – jeffersonvann

---

Maranatha Daily Devotional – Friday, January 29, 2021
Maranatha Daily Devotional – Monday, January 30, 2023
Maranatha Daily Devotional – Tuesday, January 29, 2019

GENESIS in Jeff’s library

Genesis 47

Genesis 47:1 So Joseph went in and told Pharaoh, “My father and my brothers, with their flocks and herds and all that they have, have come from the land of Canaan. Notice, they are now in the land of Goshen.”

Genesis 47:2 And from among his brothers he took five men and presented them to Pharaoh.

Genesis 47:3 Pharaoh said to his brothers, “What is your occupation?” And they said to Pharaoh, “Your slaves are shepherds, as our fathers were.”

Genesis 47:4 They said to Pharaoh, “We have come to stay as guests in the land, because there is no pasture elsewhere for your slaves’ flocks, because the famine is heavy in the land of Canaan. And now, please let your slaves locate in the land of Goshen.”

Genesis 47:5 Then Pharaoh spoke to Joseph, and this is what he said “Your father and your brothers have come to you.

Genesis 47:6 The land of Egypt is before you. Settle your father and your brothers in the best of the land. Let them settle in the land of Goshen, and if you know any competent men among them, put them in charge of my livestock.”

Genesis 47:7 Then Joseph brought Jacob his father and presented him before Pharaoh, and Jacob blessed Pharaoh.

Genesis 47:8 And Pharaoh asked Jacob, “How many are the days of the years of your life?”

Genesis 47:9 And Jacob said to Pharaoh, “The days of the years I have wandered are 130 years. Few and evil have been the days of the years of my life, and they have not attained to the days of the years of the life of my fathers in the days of their travel.”

Genesis 47:10 And Jacob blessed Pharaoh then went away from the presence of Pharaoh.

Genesis 47:11 Then Joseph settled his father and his brothers and gave them property in the land of Egypt, in the best of the land, in the land of Rameses, as Pharaoh had commanded.

Genesis 47:12 And Joseph provided his father, his brothers, and all his father’s family with food, according to the number of their dependents.

Genesis 47:13 There was no food in all the land, because the famine was very brutal, so that the land of Egypt and the land of Canaan wasted away because of the famine.

Genesis 47:14 And Joseph collected all the money that was found in the land of Egypt and in the land of Canaan, in exchange for the grain that they bought. And Joseph brought the money into Pharaoh’s house.

Genesis 47:15 And when the money was all finished[1] in the land of Egypt and in the land of Canaan, all the Egyptians came to Joseph and said, “Give us food. Why should we die before your eyes? Because our money is gone.”

Genesis 47:16 And Joseph answered, “Give your living things, and I will give you food in exchange for your living things, if your money is gone.”

Genesis 47:17 So they brought their living things to Joseph, and Joseph gave them food in exchange for the horses, the flocks, the herds, and the donkeys. He supplied them with food in exchange for all their living things that year.

Genesis 47:18 And when that year was finished, they came to him the following year and said to him, “We will not conceal[2] from my lord that our money is all finished. The herds of living things are my lord’s. There is nothing left in the sight of my lord but our bodies and our land.

Genesis 47:19 Why should we die before your eyes, both we and our land? Buy us and our land for food, and we with our land will be slaves to Pharaoh. And give us seed that we may live and not die, and that the land may not be barren.”

Genesis 47:20 So Joseph purchased all the land of Egypt for Pharaoh, because all the Egyptians sold their fields, because the famine was strong on them. The land became Pharaoh’s.

Genesis 47:21 As for the people, he made slaves of them from one end of Egypt to the other.

Genesis 47:22 Only the land of the priests he did not purchase, because the priests had a fixed allowance from Pharaoh and lived on the allowance that Pharaoh gave them; so, they did not sell their land.

Genesis 47:23 Then Joseph said to the people, “Notice, I have this day purchased you and your land for Pharaoh. Now here is seed for you, and you will replant the land.

Genesis 47:24 And at the harvests you will give a fifth to Pharaoh, and four-fifths will be your own, as seed for the field and as food for yourselves and your families, and as food for your little ones.”

Genesis 47:25 And they said, “You have saved our lives;

 “May we find favor in the eyes of our lord; we will be slaves to Pharaoh.”

Genesis 47:26 That was when Joseph made it a decree concerning the land of Egypt, and it stands to this day, that Pharaoh should have the fifth; the land of the priests alone did not become Pharaoh’s.

Genesis 47:27 So Israel settled in the land of Egypt, in the land called Goshen. And they gained property in it and were fruitful and multiplied greatly.

Genesis 47:28 And Jacob lived in the land of Egypt seventeen years. So, the days of Jacob, the years he lived, were 147 years.

Genesis 47:29 And when the time drew near for Israel to die, he called his son Joseph and said to him, “If now I have found favor in your sight, put your hand under my thigh and promise to show covenant faithfulness and firmness with me. Do not bury me in Egypt,

Genesis 47:30 but let me lie with my fathers. Carry me out of Egypt and bury me in their burial plot.” He answered, “I will do as you have said.”

Genesis 47:31 And he said, “Swear to me”; and he swore to him. Then Israel bowed himself upon the head of his bed.

---

[1] תָּמַם = be finished. Genesis 47:15, 18.

[2] כָּחַד = to conceal, make to disappear.

Genesis 47 quotes:

“If we are right in thinking that the Pharaohs of this time were from the occupying Hyksos tribe, theirs would have been a precarious power-base. We have already suggested that a Hyksos Pharaoh would have been more likely than an indigenous Egyptian monarch to promote Joseph, a former slave, to the position of Prime Minister. But this kind of ‘foreign’ dynasty would have been very susceptible to overthrow by a coup d état (as ultimately happened).”

Searle, David C. Joseph : “His Arms Were Made Strong.” Banner of Truth Trust, 2012. p. 154.

“Though a foreigner and a recipient of Pharaoh’s assistance, Jacob stood before the great ruler with dignity. In the consciousness that he was the representative of the Almighty, “Jacob blessed Pharaoh” (Genesis 47:10). Knowing that he held a sublime position in God’s program, he spoke the holy blessing upon Pharaoh.”

McQuay, Earl P. Joseph : Seeing God in the Worst of Times. Acc´ent Books, 1989. p. 101.

“Since the words of Scripture are never incidental, it is of some interest to note that Genesis 47:13-26 contains a rather detailed record of Joseph’s plan for the government of Egypt during one of the worst “depressions” in world history. It is a testimony to the amount of surplus that was available during the prosperous years, as well as the adjustment that was necessary to accommodate the time of famine. That model is a textbook case for governmental management—even as Joseph managed the sale of goods that ultimately transferred the wealth of several countries to the nation of Egypt.”

Morris, Henry M. The Book of Beginnings : A Practical Guide to Understand and Teach Genesis. Institute for Creation Research, 2012. p. 227.

Genesis 47 links:

“To be gathered to his people”
a lasting spiritual legacy
ACST 2 The Promise
Excursus- “To Be Gathered”
Joseph- humility and integrity
Joseph- the legacy of Israel
kachad
Life is…
saving Egypt for Pharaoh
What is Life – Life is…
who we belong to

---

Maranatha Daily Devotional – Friday, January 29, 2021
Maranatha Daily Devotional – Monday, January 30, 2023
Maranatha Daily Devotional – Tuesday, January 29, 2019

GENESIS in Jeff’s library

Genesis 45

Genesis 45:1 Then Joseph could no longer restrain himself before all those who stood by him. He cried, “Send everyone away from me.” So, no one remained with him when Joseph made himself known to his brothers.

Genesis 45:2 And he wept aloud, so that the Egyptians heard it, and the residents of Pharaoh’s household heard it.

Genesis 45:3 And Joseph said to his brothers, “I am Joseph! Is my father still alive?” But his brothers could not answer him, because they were troubled by his presence.

Genesis 45:4 So Joseph told his brothers, “Come near to me, please.” And they came near. And he said, “I am your brother, Joseph, whom you sold into Egypt.

Genesis 45:5 Now do not be troubled or angry with yourselves because you sold me here, because God sent me before you to preserve life.

Genesis 45:6 Because the famine has been in the land these two years, and there are still five more years in which there will be neither plowing nor harvest.

Genesis 45:7 So God sent me before you to preserve for you a remnant in the land, and to keep alive for you many survivors.

Genesis 45:8 So it was not you who sent me here, but God. He has made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house and ruler over all the land of Egypt.

Genesis 45:9 Go up to my father quickly and tell him, ‘This is what your son Joseph says, God has made me lord of all Egypt. Come down to me; do not delay.

Genesis 45:10 You will dwell in the land of Goshen, and you will be near me, you and your children and your children’s children, and your flocks, your herds, and all that you have.

Genesis 45:11 There I will provide for you, because there are yet five years of famine to come, or else you and your household, and all that you have, will be reduced to poverty.’

Genesis 45:12 And notice that your eyes see, and the eyes of my brother Benjamin see, that it is my mouth that speaks to you.

Genesis 45:13 You must tell my father of all my honor in Egypt, and of all that you have seen. Quickly bring my father down here.”

Genesis 45:14 Then he embraced his brother Benjamin’s neck and wept, and Benjamin wept upon his neck.

Genesis 45:15 And he kissed all his brothers and wept upon them. After that his brothers talked with him.

Genesis 45:16 Then the report was heard in Pharaoh’s house, “Joseph’s brothers have come,” and it delighted Pharaoh and his slaves.

Genesis 45:17 And Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Tell your brothers, ‘Do this: load your donkeys and go back to the land of Canaan,

Genesis 45:18 and bring your father and your families, and come to me, and I will give you the best of the land of Egypt, and you will eat from the fat of the land.’

Genesis 45:19 And you, Joseph, are commanded to say, ‘Do this: take wagons from the land of Egypt for your little ones and for your wives, and bring your father, and come.

Genesis 45:20 Have no concern for your goods there, because the best of all the land of Egypt is yours.'”

Genesis 45:21 The sons of Israel did so: and Joseph gave them wagons, as Pharaoh commanded, and gave them provisions for the journey.

Genesis 45:22 To each and all of them he gave sets of clothing, but to Benjamin he gave three hundred shekels of silver and five sets of clothing.

Genesis 45:23 To his father he sent these: ten donkeys loaded with the best things of Egypt, and ten female donkeys loaded with grain, bread, and provisions for his father on the journey.

Genesis 45:24 Then he sent his brothers away, and as they left, he said to them, “Do not be agitated on the way.”

Genesis 45:25 And they left Egypt and came to the land of Canaan to their father Jacob.

Genesis 45:26 And they told him, “Joseph is still alive, and he is ruler over all the land of Egypt.” And his heart went numb, because he did not believe them.

Genesis 45:27 But when they told him all the words that Joseph said to them, and when he saw the wagons that Joseph had sent to carry him, the breath of their father Jacob revived.

Genesis 45:28 And Israel said, “This is too much; Joseph my son is still alive. I will go and see him before I die.”

Genesis 45 quotes:

“What was the first thing Joseph did9 After Judah finished his speech, Joseph cried, “…Cause every man to go out from me. And there stood no man with him…” (Genesis 45:1). When Joseph made himself known unto his brethren, it was secret. Why did Joseph do that? He did not want the Egyptians to know what his ten brothers had done to him. It was going to be a secret buried for ever and ever.”

Kendall, R. T. God Meant It for Good. MorningStar Publications, 1988. p. 153.

“God would save the family from extinction by the famine because He would one day fulfil the promise given to Abraham to make them into a great nation through whom He would accomplish his purpose in the world. That purpose is nothing less than the reconciliation of the world. “God was reconciling the world to Himself in Christ, not counting men’s sins against them” (2 Corinthians 5:19). And we, through our own reconciliation are now instruments in furthering that work through our preaching and witness. For God “has committed to us the message of reconciliation.

Williams, Peter. From Eden to Egypt: Exploring the Genesis Themes. DayOne, 2001. p. 39.

“The ending of this story brings tears to my eyes when I realize how much Joseph endured, how much he trusted, how long he waited, and how much God blessed him. He had been a slave boy on an auction block with no appreciable value, but now he said to the brothers who had sent him there, “Tell my father of all my splendor in Egypt, and all that you have seen” (Genesis 45:13).”

Isaacs, Bill. Embracing Destiny: Lessons from the Life of Joseph. Pathway Press, 2001. p. 171.

Genesis 45 links:

introducing the breath of God
Joseph- sent on a mission
seeing the mission
this is too much

---

Maranatha Daily Devotional – Monday, January 28, 2019
Maranatha Daily Devotional – Thursday, January 28, 2021

GENESIS in Jeff’s library