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Genesis 47 Bible study: The years of my pilgrimage
Pharaoh settled Jacob's family in Goshen, and the old shepherd blessed the king: "The years of my pilgrimage are one hundred thirty years." Through the famine Egypt gave Joseph its money, livestock and land, and said, "You have saved our lives!" Jacob made Joseph swear: "Don’t bury me in Egypt."
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“Jacob said to Pharaoh, “The years of my pilgrimage are one hundred thirty years. The days of the years of my life have been few and evil. They have not attained to the days of the years of the life of my fathers in the days of their pilgrimage.””
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“Jacob blessed Pharaoh twice.”
Is that in Genesis 47, or not? Make your call.
What's really going on
"Let them dwell in the land of Goshen"
Joseph presents five of his brothers to Pharaoh. They say, "Your servants are shepherds, both we, and our fathers" and "We have come to live as foreigners in the land" (47:3-4). Pharaoh tells Joseph, "Make your father and your brothers dwell in the best of the land. Let them dwell in the land of Goshen" (47:6). Joseph gives them "a possession in the land of Egypt, in the best of the land, in the land of Rameses" and provides them with bread (47:11-12).
Where it leads to Jesus
Strangers and pilgrims
Genesis 47:9leads toHebrews 12:2
Jacob tells Pharaoh, "The years of my pilgrimage are one hundred thirty years" (47:9). Hebrews says Abraham lived in tents "with Isaac and Jacob" (Hebrews 11:9), and "These all died in faith, not having received the promises… and having confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth" (Hebrews 11:13); it tells its readers to run "looking to Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith" (Hebrews 12:2). Hebrews doesn't name this verse, so linking it here is a reading: some hear Jacob's words in 47:9 behind "confessed", others Abraham's "I am a stranger and a foreigner living with you" (23:4), or the patriarchs' whole life "dwelling in tents" (Hebrews 11:9).
Honest questions
Questions people ask about Genesis 47
That was a taste
The rest of Genesis 47 is waiting in Favor
- The shepherd blesses the king
- Money, livestock, land
- "Carry me out of Egypt"
- Strangers and pilgrims
- A possession in Egypt, a grave in Canaan
- 14 questions as you read
- 6 more Hebrew words
- A short check at the end
- Your notes, saved as you go
Favor reads the Bible in order, so you'll reach Genesis 47 with everything before it in view. First week free, then $10 a month per person.
The Hebrew word behind it
מָגוֹרmagursay ma-GOOR
"Sojourning-place, dwelling-place, sojourning" (Brown-Driver-Briggs), from gur, "sojourn" (Strong's). Jacob uses it twice in 47:9: "the years of my pilgrimage" and "the days of their pilgrimage". Its first use in Genesis is God's promise to Abraham: "I will give to you... the land where you are traveling, all the land of Canaan" (17:8). Canaan is also "the land where you travel" (28:4) and "the land of his father’s travels" (37:1).
For your group
Genesis 47 Bible study questions
- 1Jacob called his life a pilgrimage, and Hebrews says God's people are "strangers and pilgrims on the earth." How does that change the way you hold on to where you live now?
- 2An old shepherd, whose family the king had just welcomed, blessed the king. What can you give to someone who seems to have much more than you?
- 3Jacob had a good home in Egypt but wanted to be buried in the land God promised. What does it look like to live well where you are while hoping for what God has promised?
Leading a group? In Favor, everyone reads Genesis 47 during the week and answers these questions privately. Answers stay sealed until you meet, then appear together, and you can print the week's sheet.
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Questions
What is Favor?
Favor is a Bible study app that explains every chapter as you read: the Hebrew and Greek behind the words, the details most readers miss, and how each part of the Bible leads to Jesus. Read on your own, or start a Bible study with friends, family or your church.
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Can I read Genesis 47 straight away?
Favor takes the Bible as one story, in order, so you'll reach Genesis 47 with everything that leads up to it in view. Start from Genesis, or meet Jesus first in the Gospels. You can read the text of any chapter in Favor's Look up whenever you like.
Do I need a group?
No. Many people read on their own. If you'd like to read with others, start a Bible study and share one link. Everyone's answers stay private until you meet.
I've never really read the Bible. Is this for me?
Yes. Favor starts where you are and explains as it goes. The questions along the way aren't marked right or wrong: you answer, then see what the text shows.
Which Bible does Favor use?
The World English Bible, a modern, readable translation in the public domain. God's name appears as "the LORD", as in most English Bibles.
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No. Favor is non-denominational. Where Christians read a passage differently, it shows the main views side by side and doesn't pick one.
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Scripture quotations are from the World English Bible, which is in the public domain. Hebrew and Greek words are checked against the original-language texts and public-domain lexicons. What we believe · Favor home