Jacob and His Family Move to Egypt: This account of Jacob’s family’s settling in Egypt contains seven sections: Jacob offers sacrifices at Beersheba (46:1–4), the journey to Egypt (46:5–7), a list of Jacob’s family (46:8–27), Jacob meets Joseph (46:28–30), Joseph prepares his brothers to meet Pharaoh (46:31–34), the audience with Pharaoh (47:1–10), and Joseph’s provisions for his father and brothers (47:11–12).

46:1–7 Several elements common to the experience of the patriarchs are present: God appears to Jacob, Jacob stops along the way to worship God, and the reference to God as the God of the fathers (26:24; 28:13). Israel set out for Egypt, traveling from Hebron by way of Beersheba, where both Abraham and Isaac had lived for a time. This site marked the southern boundary of the promised …