Verse Lens · Expanded explanation
Genesis 46:34 Explained in Context
Use this verse as a doorway into the larger passage—not as an isolated saying.
Verse 34. 34That 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.
King James Version — public domain in the United States · Bible text and permissions
Quick Meaning
Joseph tells the family to state that they and their ancestors have always kept livestock so they may live in Goshen. The narrative says shepherds were detestable to Egyptians, but it does not explain the exact cause; Pharaoh's own cattle show this was not a universal rejection of all livestock work.
Read It With
- Genesis 46:28–47:12
Read verses 31–34 with 47:3–6 and 43:32. The family tells the truth about its occupation, Pharaoh grants Goshen, and he may employ capable relatives over royal cattle; the separate-table and shepherd statements show social boundaries without fully explaining them.
Why This Verse Appears Here
The prepared answer completes Joseph's strategy by connecting truthful multigenerational shepherd identity with separate residence in Goshen.
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.
Follow the Context
- Judah goes ahead to Joseph, the household reaches Goshen, Joseph meets Israel, and father and son weep together after years of separation (46:28–30).
- Joseph prepares the family to identify themselves truthfully as multigenerational livestock keepers so Pharaoh will allow them to live in Goshen (46:31–34).
- Joseph reports the family's arrival, five brothers request temporary residence because of famine, and Pharaoh grants Goshen and invites capable men to oversee royal cattle (47:1–6).
- Joseph presents Jacob; Jacob blesses Pharaoh, describes 130 difficult years of sojourning, blesses Pharaoh again, and leaves (47:7–10).
- Joseph settles the family in the best part of the land, called the land of Rameses, and provides food for the entire household according to its dependents (47:11–12).
Phrase-by-Phrase Explanation
“thy servants' trade hath been about cattle”
In plain language: The household identifies multigenerational livestock work.
Their answer is consistent with the animals and occupation already narrated.
Why it matters: The settlement plan rests on truth rather than a fabricated identity.
How certain? very strong“dwell in the land of Goshen”
In plain language: The intended result is residence in a suitable region.
Occupational distinction helps secure a place where the household can live and keep livestock.
Why it matters: Goshen serves family preservation without becoming the final promised homeland.
How certain? very strong“every shepherd is an abomination”
In plain language: Shepherds are described as socially detestable to Egyptians in the narrative.
The statement explains the strategy's separating effect, not its full historical cause.
Why it matters: Historical proposals must remain uncertain, especially because Pharaoh keeps cattle.
How certain? uncertainWhat This Verse Is Not Saying
The verse does not teach that Egyptians universally hated all animals, all farmers, or every person who cared for livestock.
The text does not state that shepherds were rejected because of the Hyksos, one religious taboo, clothing odor, diet, caste, or any other single proposed cause.
Joseph does not instruct the family to lie about its occupation or ancestry.
Separate residence does not establish ethnic superiority, segregation as a timeless ideal, or permission for contempt toward Egyptians.
What Remains True
Wise contextual awareness can protect a community's distinct life, but it must remain truthful and must not turn another culture into a stereotype.
How It Can Shape Life
- Learn the real expectations and risks of an institution before a meeting, state your identity honestly, and avoid exploiting or repeating prejudice as though a proposed historical explanation were certain.
Teach It Back
Explain Genesis 46:34's contribution to Genesis 46:28–47:12. Include why the nearby verses are required, what the verse clearly says, and one conclusion it does not justify.
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Continue in Context
The full thought-unit study remains the final contextual authority for this Verse Lens.
Read Genesis 46:28–47:12 — Jacob's Family Settles in GoshenSources used for this Verse Lens
How certain is this explanation? very strong
Where care is needed
The narrative function is clear; the precise historical basis of the Egyptian aversion is not. Pinker's proposed farmer-shepherd and foreign-nomad explanation is explicitly speculative.
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 ↗Translation and textual notes
NET Bible — Genesis with translators' notes
Biblical Studies Press
Biblical Studies Press, Digital edition accessed 2026
Supports: Translation and idiom cross-checks with visible uncertainty.
Exact location: NET Genesis 46:28–47:12 translator notes, especially direction to Goshen, long weeping, shepherd occupation, sojourning, capable men, blessing/greeting, few and hard years, Rameses/Goshen, and provision according to dependents
Open NET Genesis 46 ↗peer reviewed open historical and interpretive study
‘Abomination to Egyptians’ in Genesis 43:32, 46:34, and Exodus 8:22
Aron Pinker
Old Testament Essays 22.1, pages 151–174, 2009
Supports: Historical-explanation range and the need to keep the exact cause of Egyptian shepherd aversion uncertain.
Exact location: Old Testament Essays 22.1, pages 151–174, especially the Genesis 46:34 survey and the article's explicitly speculative conclusion
Open source ↗