Verse Lens · Context pointer
Genesis 46:33 Explained in Context
Use this verse as a doorway into the larger passage—not as an isolated saying.
Verse 33. 33And it shall come to pass, when Pharaoh shall call you, and shall say, What is your occupation?
King James Version — public domain in the United States · Bible text and permissions
Role in This Section
Joseph anticipates Pharaoh's practical question: 'What is your occupation?' The verse sets up the answer needed for a land and work decision.
Read It With
- Genesis 46:28–47:12
Read verses 31–34 with 47:2–6. The anticipated question is actually asked, the brothers answer, and Pharaoh responds with residence and employment options.
Why It Needs Context
The question is part of a longer audience strategy and has no independent moral judgment about one occupation being superior to another.
Read Genesis 46:31–34 together
Why these verses belong together: Joseph's planned report, occupational description, anticipated question, and prepared answer form one truthful strategy for Goshen residence.
Verse 31. 31 And Joseph said unto his brethren, and unto his father’s house, I will go up, and shew Pharaoh, and say unto him, My brethren, and my father’s house, which were in the land of Canaan, are come unto me;
Verse 32. 32 And the men are shepherds, for their trade hath been to feed cattle; and they have brought their flocks, and their herds, and all that they have.
Verse 33. 33 And it shall come to pass, when Pharaoh shall call you, and shall say, What is your occupation?
Verse 34. 34 That ye shall say, Thy servants’ trade hath been about cattle from our youth even until now, both we, and also our fathers: that ye may dwell in the land of Goshen; for every shepherd is an abomination unto the Egyptians.
Continue in Context
Read the complete section for the connected explanation and how it should shape life. This verse is a doorway into that passage, not a saying that stands alone.
Read Genesis 46:28–47:12 — Jacob's Family Settles in GoshenSources used for this context pointer
How certain is this explanation? very strong
These are the sources used directly for this lens. Language, grammar, disagreements, and the complete source shelf remain attached to the full thought-unit research record.
Biblical text
King James (Authorized) Version — eng-kjv2006
eBible.org and CrossWire Bible Society
USFM archive eng-kjv2006_usfm.zip; source files dated 2026-08-19; downloaded 2026-08-24; archive SHA-256 aec1b3b26c622fd3d963d2bbac963016b9513246ffbfa20da00bb100372ea007; normalized corpus SHA-256 09aef51d90488aa7b9722b3fd9a93f4b25f6bf2064c5fd798fb39673c300ddf2.
Supports: Displayed text, Judah and reunion context, patriarchal blessing and lifespan comparisons, settlement, famine provision, burial, multiplication, and later oppression.
Exact location: Genesis 46:28–47:12 with 12:1–3; 15:13–16; 25:7; 35:28; 46:1–27; 47:13–31; 49:28–50:14; and Exodus 1:1–14 in the pinned standardized 1769 KJV
Open source ↗hebrew text morphology and lemma data
Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible — Genesis
Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible Project
Open Scriptures, Version 2.2 released 2021; repository inspected 2026
Supports: Exact Hebrew direction, occupation, aversion, sojourning, competence, blessing, lifespan, holding, toponym, and dependent language.
Exact location: WLC Genesis 46:28–47:12, especially lehorot in 46:28; shepherd and abomination wording in 46:32–34; lagur and anshei-hayil in 47:4–6; vayevarekh and megurai in 47:7–10; ahuzzah, Ra'meses, and lefi hattaf in 47:11–12
Open source ↗