Verse Lens · Expanded explanation
Genesis 47:6 Explained in Context
Use this verse as a doorway into the larger passage—not as an isolated saying.
Verse 6. 6The land of Egypt is before thee; in the best of the land make thy father and brethren to dwell; in the land of Goshen let them dwell: and if thou knowest any men of activity among them, then make them rulers over my cattle.
King James Version — public domain in the United States · Bible text and permissions
Quick Meaning
Pharaoh places Egypt before Joseph, grants his family residence in the best land of Goshen, and asks that any capable relatives oversee royal cattle. KJV 'men of activity' means competent men; the cattle offer prevents a simplistic claim that Egypt rejected every livestock keeper.
Read It With
- Genesis 46:28–47:12
Read 46:31–34 with 47:1–6. The family's truthful occupation, request for pasture, and Joseph's advocacy lead to both residence and the possibility of skilled responsibility.
Why This Verse Appears Here
Pharaoh's answer resolves the brothers' request with both suitable land and a possible role for capable livestock keepers.
Read Genesis 47:1–6 together
Why these verses belong together: Joseph reports the arrival, five brothers present occupation and famine need, and Pharaoh grants suitable land and possible livestock responsibility.
Verse 1. 1 Then Joseph came and told Pharaoh, and said, My father and my brethren, and their flocks, and their herds, and all that they have, are come out of the land of Canaan; and, behold, they are in the land of Goshen.
Verse 2. 2 And he took some of his brethren, even five men, and presented them unto Pharaoh.
Verse 3. 3 And Pharaoh said unto his brethren, What is your occupation? And they said unto Pharaoh, Thy servants are shepherds, both we, and also our fathers.
Verse 4. 4 They said moreover unto Pharaoh, For to sojourn in the land are we come; for thy servants have no pasture for their flocks; for the famine is sore in the land of Canaan: now therefore, we pray thee, let thy servants dwell in the land of Goshen.
Verse 5. 5 And Pharaoh spake unto Joseph, saying, Thy father and thy brethren are come unto thee:
Verse 6. 6 The land of Egypt is before thee; in the best of the land make thy father and brethren to dwell; in the land of Goshen let them dwell: and if thou knowest any men of activity among them, then make them rulers over my cattle.
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
“best of the land”
In plain language: Pharaoh grants a choice or highly suitable region for settlement.
Goshen can support the household and its livestock during famine.
Why it matters: The gift is real political provision without becoming the covenant's ultimate foundation.
How certain? very strong“men of activity”
In plain language: Capable or competent men.
Pharaoh seeks proven livestock expertise among Joseph's relatives.
Why it matters: The KJV phrase should not be read as mere busyness.
How certain? very strong“rulers over my cattle”
In plain language: Overseers responsible for Pharaoh's livestock.
Egyptian royal cattle create an employment possibility for skilled shepherds.
Why it matters: This directly limits overbroad explanations of shepherd aversion.
How certain? very strongWhat This Verse Is Not Saying
Pharaoh's grant does not prove that every Egyptian ruler was benevolent or that later oppression was acceptable.
'Best of the land' does not promise luxury, sovereign ownership, or a timeless right to Egyptian territory.
'Men of activity' does not refer merely to energetic personalities, military heroes, or morally superior men.
The royal cattle offer does not erase the social distinction in 46:34, but it does show that animal husbandry itself was not universally forbidden.
What Remains True
Authorities can use land and work to receive vulnerable newcomers with dignity, and practical competence can serve both the household and the wider community.
How It Can Shape Life
- When you control housing or employment, match real needs and proven abilities with suitable opportunity rather than requiring newcomers to erase their identity or accept exploitation.
Teach It Back
Explain Genesis 47:6'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
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 ↗