Genesis 46: “Do Not Be Afraid to Go Down to Egypt”
1. Israel’s Pilgrimage Begins
“So Israel took his journey with all that he had, and came to Beersheba, and offered sacrifices to the God of his father Isaac.” (Gen 46:1)
Before setting out, Israel pauses at the sacred well of his fathers — Beersheba, the place of covenant remembrance.
Faith always begins with worship: the heart seeks God’s blessing before it takes a single step.
St Bede the Venerable writes:
“The patriarch pauses at the well, for faith drinks first from memory before journeying into mystery.”
(Commentary on Genesis, 46)
Jacob’s offering unites past and future: the God of Abraham and Isaac will now be the God of the tribes.
2. The Vision of Assurance
“And God spoke to Israel in visions of the night, and said, ‘Jacob, Jacob.’ And he said, ‘Here am I.’ Then he said, ‘I am God, the God of your father; do not be afraid to go down to Egypt, for there I will make of you a great nation.’” (vv. 2–3)
God meets the patriarch in fear. To descend into Egypt — the land of idols and slavery — seems perilous, even faithless.
But the divine voice transforms dread into vocation.
St Ambrose comments:
“The Lord does not call us to comfort but to fulfilment; and fulfilment often lies in places we fear to go.”
(On the Duties of the Clergy II.9)
“Do not be afraid” — the eternal word of faith — resounds across all Scripture, reaching its perfection in the angelic salutation to Our Lady (Lk 1:30).
3. “I Myself Will Go Down with You”
“I Myself will go down with you to Egypt, and I will also bring you up again.” (v. 4)
This is one of the most tender assurances in the Old Testament.
God does not promise an easy path, but His presence along it.
St Augustine remarks:
“He goes down with us into exile that He may raise us in glory; thus Christ descends into death that He may lead captivity captive.”
(City of God XVI.55)
Divine accompaniment transforms exile into pilgrimage.
4. “Joseph Shall Close Your Eyes”
“And Joseph’s hand shall close your eyes.” (v. 4)
The promise is intimate: the son long lost will attend his father’s death.
The reunion will end not in separation but in peace.
St Bede the Venerable observes:
“God’s promise extends even to the tenderness of death; for the righteous die not forsaken, but comforted by love restored.”
(Commentary on Genesis, 46)
Even mortality becomes a place of divine fidelity.
5. The Family Moves
“Then Jacob set out from Beersheba; the sons of Israel carried Jacob their father, their little ones, and their wives, in the wagons that Pharaoh had sent to carry him.” (vv. 5–6)
The entire household departs together — no one left behind.
This is the Church in seed form: a people on pilgrimage, moving together toward fulfilment.
St Ambrose comments:
“The wagons of Egypt bear the family of Israel, as later the Cross bears the Church; both carry the promise through the wilderness of the world.”
(On the Mysteries 24)
What once symbolised worldly power (Pharaoh’s wagons) now serves God’s providence.
6. The Listing of Names
“These are the names of the descendants of Israel who came into Egypt…” (vv. 8–27)
The long genealogy may seem only historical, but it is profoundly theological.
Each name represents a life drawn into covenant — each soul part of salvation history.
St Bede writes:
“The Scriptures number the faithful, for God forgets none; the book of names is a figure of the Book of Life.”
(Commentary on Genesis, 46)
The total given — seventy persons — symbolises completeness, the fullness of the family of faith.
7. Seventy Souls
“All the persons of the house of Jacob who came into Egypt were seventy.” (v. 27)
The Fathers interpreted this number mystically. Seventy combines ten (the law) with seven (the covenantal fullness of creation), signifying perfect divine order.
St Augustine explains:
“The seventy who went down signify the Church composed of all nations under the law of grace; for ten times seven embraces both Testaments.”
(City of God XVI.55)
The descent of seventy souls prefigures Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit descends upon the seventy disciples sent by Christ (Lk 10:1).
8. Judah Sent Before
“He sent Judah before him to Joseph, to show the way before him in Goshen.” (v. 28)
Judah, once guilty, now leads the way — reconciliation turned to mission.
The tribe through which the Messiah will come becomes the forerunner of peace.
St Ambrose remarks:
“He who once plotted the sale now prepares the meeting; for grace employs the penitent as herald of salvation.”
(On Joseph the Patriarch 17)
Judah’s leadership prefigures Christ the Lion of Judah leading His people to the true land of promise.
9. The Reunion
“Joseph made ready his chariot and went up to meet Israel his father in Goshen. He presented himself to him, and fell on his neck, and wept on his neck a good while.” (v. 29)
Tears return — but now tears of fulfilment, not grief.
Father and son embrace after twenty years of separation.
The story that began with deception ends with embrace.
St Bede the Venerable writes:
“Joseph’s embrace of Jacob is the reunion of God and man in Christ: the Son weeps over the Father’s joy, and the Father over the Son’s glory.”
(Commentary on Genesis, 46)
Love triumphant is the true conclusion of providence.
10. “Now Let Me Die, Since I Have Seen Your Face”
“Israel said to Joseph, ‘Now let me die, since I have seen your face and know that you are still alive.’” (v. 30)
The patriarch’s words echo Simeon’s Nunc Dimittis: “Lord, now let Your servant depart in peace.” (Lk 2:29)
To behold the living son is enough; sight replaces faith.
St Augustine notes:
“He who once mourned the loss of a son dies content at his recovery; thus the soul that beholds Christ dies no longer in sorrow but in peace.”
(City of God XVI.55)
Seeing the face of the beloved transforms death into rest.
11. Settling in Goshen
“Joseph said to his brothers and to his father’s household, ‘I will go up and tell Pharaoh… and you shall dwell in the land of Goshen.’” (vv. 31–34)
Goshen, the best of the land, becomes the sanctuary of God’s people.
In Egypt, yet apart from Egypt — a symbol of the Church in the world but not of it.
St Ambrose explains:
“Goshen is the Church — fair, fruitful, and near the shepherd’s voice; for though surrounded by Egypt’s idols, it remains devoted to the living God.”
(On the Mysteries 24)
Divine providence secures both peace and purity.
12. Theological Summary
| Theme | Revelation |
| Beersheba | Remembering God before journeying into uncertainty |
| Fear and faith | God’s reassurance: “Do not be afraid” |
| Seventy souls | The fullness of God’s family, type of the Church |
| Judah before Jacob | The converted leading the reconciled |
| Goshen | Sanctuary within the world — image of the Church |
St Augustine summarises:
“Jacob goes down that the people may rise; the patriarch dies that the nation may live; for divine providence orders both descent and deliverance.”
(City of God XVI.55)
13. Moral and Spiritual Application
Begin every journey with worship. Offer sacrifice at your own Beersheba before undertaking God’s call.
Trust divine reassurance. Fear is overcome not by courage but by the presence of God.
Remember that exile can be fruitful. Grace grows even in foreign lands.
Rejoice in reconciliation. Let tears of peace replace tears of loss.
Live in Goshen — in the world but not of it. Keep holiness within the midst of daily life.
14. Christ the True Israel and Joseph
| Patriarchal Type | Fulfilment in Christ |
| Jacob goes down to Egypt | Christ descends into the world |
| God promises His presence | “I am with you always” (Mt 28:20) |
| Seventy souls form a family | Seventy disciples form the Church |
| Judah leads the way | Christ the Lion of Judah leads salvation |
| Reunion of father and son | Reconciliation of God and humanity |
St Ambrose concludes:
“Jacob found peace in the sight of Joseph; we find life in the face of Christ. The same joy that closed his eyes opens ours eternally.”
(On the Mysteries 24)
15. Closing Prayer
God of our fathers,
who called Jacob to go down into Egypt
and made his exile the seed of a nation,
teach us to trust Your voice when You say, “Do not be afraid.”
Go with us into every place of uncertainty,
sanctify our labours in the land of this world,
and bring us at last to the true Goshen —
the communion of Your saints in light.
Through Jesus Christ, our Lord,
who lives and reigns with You in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
God, for ever and ever. Amen.
St. Mary's, St. John Bosco and St. Edward's 