Peter Pett's Commentary on the Bible
Genesis 46:1-7
Jacob Goes to Egypt (Genesis 46:1)
‘And Israel took his journey with all that he had, and came to Beersheba and offered sacrifices to the God of his father Isaac.'
It is probable, although not stated, that Jacob started off from Hebron (Genesis 37:14). The area of Hebron was one often dwelt in by the patriarchs (Genesis 13:18 to Genesis 20:1; Genesis 23:2; Genesis 35:27). Beersheba was another (Genesis 20:1 to Genesis 22:19; Genesis 26:1 to Genesis 28:10). So as Jacob makes his way to see his son he calls in at Beersheba where his father had built an altar to Yahweh (Genesis 26:25).
The famine was severe and was prophesied to continue and the move seemed a sensible one to make, especially as he would see his son. But the fact that he calls in at Beersheba may suggest he is seeking God's assurance that his move is the right one. It was there that Yahweh had appeared to Isaac. For he ‘offered sacrifices to the God of his father Isaac'.
‘And God spoke to Israel in visions of the night and said, “Jacob, Jacob.” And he said, “I am here.” And he said, “I am God, the God of your father. Do not be afraid to go down into Egypt for there I will make of you a great nation. I will go down with you into Egypt, and I will surely bring you up again, and Joseph shall put his hand on your eyes.”
God graciously responds to his prayers. He comes as ‘God, the God of his father', demonstrating that He knows Jacob's thoughts. He assures him that the visit to Egypt is not to be shunned and that He will go with him. Indeed there he will become a great nation. But He also confirms that one day he will return. This refers partly to the return of his body to the land, which he considered important (Genesis 50:5), but also to the return of his descendants. The land is his and theirs and he will ‘return' in them in accordance with the covenant. Egypt is but a temporary resting place.
“And Joseph will put his hand on your eyes.” That is Joseph will close his eyes when he has died. Thus he can be assured that at the time of his death Joseph will be with him to carry out his wishes.
‘And Jacob rose up from Beersheba, and the sons of Israel carried Jacob their father, and their little ones, and their wives, in the wagons which Pharaoh had sent to carry him. And they took their cattle and their goods which they had obtained in the land of Canaan, and came into Egypt, Jacob and all his seed with him, his sons and his daughters, and his sons' daughters and all his seed he brought with him into Egypt.'
So at God's assurance Jacob now takes all he has into Egypt. It is clear that much of his herds have survived the famine up to this point, probably helped by the corn from Egypt, but water was getting scarcer and they may not have survived much longer. They also took their goods (in spite of what Pharaoh had said, but that was a gesture and was probably not intended to be taken literally). But most importantly his whole family went with him, together with their ‘households' (Exodus 1:1). Jacob's wives are not mentioned. It may be that they were all dead.
“His sons and his daughters and his sons” daughters.' His sons' sons are not mentioned although we know that Reuben had two sons (Genesis 42:37), but this was because they were considered as included in ‘sons'. Daughters were slightly different as his ‘daughters' were mainly his daughters-in-law, his sons' wives, whereas presumably his sons' daughters were daughters of the blood (although only one is named, but that was because to name more would have taken the number over seventy).